Pain medication for C section

Just wondering what you recommend. Alternate Paracetamol and ibuprofen every 2 hours or take both every 4 hours for the best recovery ?

Also - did anyone take anything stronger ? Did it help speed up recovery?

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I didn’t have any pain relief from when I left hospital. I was in hospital for an extra 2 days and did have a little paracetamol then but I found my recovery to be very good. I just took it easy for the first few days and then I think it was about a week later i was out and about. Please don’t think you can go out walking and things as everyone is different and recovers differently. Jist take it really easy!! I only had paracetamol when I was in hospital but may be worth speaking to the midwife and they will recommend the best thing xxx

I never took any pain meds in my recovery apart from some ibuprofen a few weeks later when my back started to play up. I thankfully and luckily had a good recovery but yeah, keep on top of them nothing by alternating it so that it's only 2 hours you wait for more meds of you feel you need them. X

i found alternating paracetamol and ibuprofen worked best for me xx

I was given and sent home with almost a weeks worth of dihydrocodeine which was stronger and helpful. But i was still in so much pain but it could be because I got sepsis. So yeah if you feel ibuprofen and paracetamol is not strong enough for you ask for it. I was told it was safe to take even if feeding the baby.

Did they not give you any? I had ibuprofen and oxycodone

I had some stronger stuff in the hospital but just went home with ibuprofen and acetaminophen (I think that's the same as paracetamol?). I was directed to take them at the same time every 4 hours as opposed to alternating them. Just don't miss a dose because you think you feel okay for the first few days.

Naproxen is stronger than ibuprofen

I took codeine, ibuprofen and para. Alternating. I don’t know how people didn’t take anything I was so sore! X

I took ibuprofen 500mg I think every 6-8 hours, the first week I took it easy walked for a little bit then stay in bed by week two I was more active and was wearing the belly band they gave me, my stomach felt more secured and more comfortable walking I always stopped taking the meds

I was told to take paracetamol and ibuprofen 2 tablets together every 3-6 hours (I can’t remember) plus I was told to have quite a bit of tramadol, but I only took half the tramadol dose and only as required because I didn’t need all that

I had paracetamol and ibuprofen at home. The hospital gave me a small amount of codeine to take home (not enough!). I realised that you needed to keep on top of your meds and regularly take it to manage the pain, not wait until the pain was bad then take it. Having a pain med schedule made things more bearable for me.

I had paracetamol and I took diclofenic twice a day .. I came off diclofenic around the 2 week mark and carried on with paracetamol every 6 hours for around 4 weeks before stopping.
The best advice I have is just take the pain meds regularly whether you’re in a lot of pain or not.. it’s hard to explain but you just know when to come off them x

I was given dihydrocodeine and 400mg ibuprofen x

Take what they offer you in recovery and the ward.

Then at home alternate between paracetamol and ibuprofen throughout the day... without exceeding max doses. I would advise for at least a couple of weeks... even if you feel fine. I've heard it's much harder to try and control pain once it's crept in.

I found the above was enough... I was achey and took things slowly/carefully but all manageable.

I was able to take Tylenol 500mg and ibuprofen 600mg every 6 hours. The doctors said that you can take both at the same times, I also was able to take oxycodone if the pain was not manageable

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I opted for the foley balloon which was inserted at 8am Saturday morning, I had to stay in hospital due to hypertension and protein urine however usually you can just go home once this has been done. The insertion of the balloon was not painful, was slightly uncomfortable as there was slight pressure. I actually found having the cervix checked prior to be worse (again not painful at this point just uncomfortable) The balloon had little effect and after having it removed I was still only 1cm. Removal also was pain free and hardly even noticeable.

I then had my first dose of the gel and definitely noticed a difference, I started experiencing period like cramps almost immediately however they were light and manageable. After 6 hours I had another cervix check and although my cervix was soft it was still only 1cm and was only open at the front. I had another dose of the gel and felt an increase in pressure and more intense cramping where I now required pain relief (codeine). After another 6 hours I had another cervix check and I had now dilated to 2-3cm however was still quite difficult to get all the way through so a third gel was recommended which I agreed to.

Almost immediately I noticed the difference and was in considerable pain, I had paracetamol and codeine however the contractions had now become intense and a lot closer together (around 3 minutes apart). After a couple of hours I had my last cervix check and was 4cm and taken down to the Labour ward to have my waters broken and an epidural.

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If I had to be induced again I would skip the balloon and opt for the gels immediately as thy had a quicker effect and I would have been out a lot sooner if I had done this to begin with.

One more thing, I’ve never believed when people say “you forget the pain once they’re here” but I can honestly say this is true. It’s been 4 days and I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

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