Hello and thank you for taking the time to read my story in the hopes that my experience can help other mums avoid the trauma and long recovery time due to my experience.

my name is Stephanie I am 33 and  a mother of two beautiful girls

My first born was delivered by emergency c-section, that I feel was better than the natural birth. This was an emergency, like some other mothers, because baby was not ready and in the right position by the time I was induced and this was the best thing for baby and me and I am glad it happened this way.

With the c-section working so well I opted for this operation for my second child where things haven't went as planed and the reason for my petition for an extra at home care kit that I have named the C-Kit.

When I was in the operating room for the birth of my second daughter via an elective section the section itself was not as straight forward as I had hoped and my daughter had to spend two nights in the NICU to have extra support for her breathing which resulted in an extended stay in hospital for myself. During the operation I had the full amount of drugs and above provided by the anaesthetist but still found the operation painful, uncomfortable and traumatising due to tugging pulling and the term used by the doctors " tearing the muscles rather than cutting them with a scalpel",  this was a shock and very worrying to both my vision of the operation and the though that I was being pulled apart terrified me and made me feel sick.

Upon discharge I was advised to remove the dressing from my wound and to keep it clean and dry. I was given the instruction of using warm water and a cloth to clean my wound and to dab dry with a clean towel.

This turns out to be when things started to get worse for me as time went on the wound wasn't healing as expected nor was the risk of infection from house hold contacts like tap water, sweat and clothing possibly finding there way in to the wound causing infection and as well as continued pain from the wound opening up from time to time. I feel having clear and positive instructions on after care would have saved me from falling in to this awkward situation and made me think what I could do to help others.

As we know C sections can be a blessing for those who have it. But we must also be aware of the potential risks involved and I may have been so eager to have the operation that the risk wasn't on my top priority. This was my mistake but helping others know the risk from someone who's been though it, may help them should they chose the same operation

A C Section is classed as a major abdominal surgery and the incision goes through every layer from the skin right through to the womb. The procedure has high risk involved and the decision to have a section is not one to be taken lightly for women who opt for a section are asked several times throughout their pregnancy if they are sure they want it and must sign a consent form which informs them off the risk such but doesn't quite show visually:

With a c section there is inherent risk and these come in"

1-Infections: There is a higher risk of infections in the uterus, bladder, or at the incision site. The c-kit will show an image of what to look for if you suspect an infection and how to treat it. This is the main risk to mums and would be at the forefront of the aftercare kit

2-Longer Recovery Time: Recovery from a C-section typically takes longer than from a vaginal birth, often requiring a hospital stay of around 4 days and continued recovery of up to 12 weeks, not the 6 weeks that would be the very minimum time from my experience, particularly if there are complications.

3-Breathing Problems for the Baby: Babies born via C-section, especially before 39 weeks, the baby may have a higher risk of breathing problems and or the need for medications that could interrupt feeding if a mother is planning on breastfeeding

4-Future Pregnancy Complications: There can be increased risks in future pregnancies, such as placenta accreta or uterine rupture.

And of course as with any major surgery the risk of death. 

I am petitioning to have a Kit specifically designed to aid woman after a c-section. It is a small kit to take home with them which will contain some medical essentials to help them on their recovery journey and reduce the risk of possible complications. 

This mothers C-Kit will help new mums identify what to look for and how to take care of the incision once home from hospital. The after care kit will contain a newsletter style breakdown for mums to read giving them advice and tips that will be extremely important to help mums recover, aid in recovery time and potentially identity issues before they become severe.

If with your help the petition carries enough signatures the hope is the C-Kit will be provided by the NHS with funding from local authorities. The C-kit will be small and easy to use and have the necessary medical supplies and steps from health care professionals who have already expressed the need for such a kit. With the help from doctors and midwifes these will explain the signs to look for in  healthy healing tissue, What the best ways to clean the area with the equipment provided as well as, what to avoid to make it worse. Using feedback from many different mothers experiences the C-Kit comes with a range of helpful medical tools, pictures and first aid step by step instructions to lower the risk to new mums.

With your help it can be the difference between a happy health baby getting mums full attention and a baby who is potentially separated from mum if it becomes serious enough for hospital admission.  Quickly identifying infections is the key to avoiding complications during recovery and will help  mothers healing and allow much needed bonding with your baby. 

 In the C-kit you will find a small list of items that include saline solutions for cleaning wounds, dressings, bandage to keep the area clean and dry, a guide on how and when you should treat yourself and information and images of things of that nature, but yet not full concived.

Not all C sections will present the same in every woman so the guide will have an extensive list of things that could potentially be a sign to look for.

The guide has been made to be as easy and self guiding for new mums with advice and contact number's also available from people already experienced in the medical field. The guide will assist in making the recovery process for mum a little less stressful allowing them to enjoy spending time with their new baby as best they can given the process. 

Having additional stress and taken almost three months to recovered myself,  I know first hand how the prolonged recovery can be costly to the NHS and possibly take up valuable time from the doctors and nursing staff that I can only imagine are extremally under staffed and could be spending there time more efficiently if my experience was better delt with the right information and tools which I am hoping this petition will help provide.

 All you want to do is to be able to be the best mum possible but with a wound that is taking longer to heal and constant trips to the treatment room it can become draining and can affect you own personal mental health that could be made stronger with valuable after care in both information and tools of recovery where the C-Kit will help those who are having a tough time. 

Freeing up much needed resources at health centres is a bi-product of the C-Kit and I am aware there will be a cost to the tax payer to roll out something to every new mum. However by giving mums the tools to treat at home with the option and ability to contact a health care professional, whose number will also be listed in the guide book, when it becomes necessary could be a helpful turning point

Thank you for taking the time to read this story 

I ask you to please sign this petition if you feel the C-kit could help and allow me to try and have this kit implemented in the Scottish NHS  and allow C-Sections mums to have a smoother recovery after they deliver of their babies.

Please if you can and feel comfortable to do, Feel free to also share your experience with after care following your own C-Section as every story should be learned from. 

 

Thank you for your time and your support 

Stephanie Dixon