Reddit mentions of TiRain 3 in 1 Postpartum Belly Support Recovery Belly/Waist/Pelvis Belt Postpartum Belly Wrap Band, One Size Nude

I bought this one...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00T2WBJJ8/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It was recommended here on BabyBumps awhile back and I figured I'd give it a try! :)

I didn't have a c-section, but I studied to be a nurse and spent time in post-surgical rehab, know a few friends who have had a c-section, and my mom's best friend had something like 30-35 abdominal surgeries because her intestines are awful, so maybe some of these secondhand tips will help...

I let my friend borrow some foldover-waist lounge pants for her recovery. I think they were George brand sold at Walmart for $12. Wouldn't be surprised if the exact pants are no longer sold, but look for something in a super stretchy fabric that doesn't compress whatsoever. These hug very very gently. Favorite pants on earth!! I'm on the lookout for another pair, if I find some, I'll try and find your post and tell you where I saw more.

Have little stations set up in at least two places you expect to spend a lot of time. You could get something like one of the carts from IKEA or set up book shelves with lots of baskets lined up. Find somewhere to stock diapers, wipes, diaper cream, new onesies, at least 10 burp cloths, batteries (or chargers) for remotes to whatever TV or entertainment consoles you'll be using to keep yourself occupied, swaddle blankets, a throw blanket for you, a gallon ziploc bag full of granola bars, fruit snacks, single-serving bags of crackers, trail mix, whatever you want to keep your energy up. If you plan to breastfeed, plan to be ravenously hungry. The last thing you want is to have to get out of bed and walk down or up a flight of stairs to be able to feed yourself. My husband has a 100oz mug that he fills with ice water. The bonus to those is it's literally more water than I could drink in an entire day. If you're breastfeeding, you will need a fuckton of water and the 32oz mug the hospital sends you home with will likely need refilled 3-4 times a day. Plan ahead and get at least a 64oz mug if you know you're going to be down for hours at a time. Or if room temperature bottled water works better for you, cool. We actually had a mini-fridge that I was gonna move from the office to our bedroom or the nursery, but it ended up being kinda noisy, and I wouldn't want it right next to my bed. You could always get a cooler and reusable ice packs, and have your spouse swap those out every morning and fill it with bottled water, Gatorade, or whatever else, so you do have a way to keep drinks cool. I just know I got real sick of room temperature drinks real fast, and the mug the hospital sent home didn't work for keeping my drinks cold for extended periods of time.

Have extra parts on hand for your breast pump, if you're going to use one. Have formula if that's what you're going to use. Have 5+ bottles on hand if you're going to pump or formula feed. Plan for spit-up and projectile barf. Clean sheets, a stack of clean shirts and extra pants or dresses to change into, when it happens. It will happen.

Have any pain medications split into two bottles, maybe just ask for an extra one or dump an old prescription and rip off the label, so you can split your pain meds to each of your survival stations. Few things suck like knowing it's going to hurt like a bitch to get up, but it's gonna hurt worse if you don't, because you left your meds in another room, and you're stuck in a lose-lose situation.

Words from another friend about her c-section recovery... "It wasn't fun. Can't lay down, can't stand, can't really walk. I had to be lifted off the couch, help sitting down, help up the stairs, help into bed." It took a solid week with lots of drugs before she could move without someone helping her. "What hurt the most, for me, was the jiggling. This new flabby belly bouncing around was was killed the most. And our house has 3 floors, so going up and down those damn stairs was very painful. I would hold onto the railing and drag myself up." We talked about belly bands: "3 in 1 Postpartum Support - Recovery Belly/waist/pelvis Belt Shapewear (Nude) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00T2WBJJ8/ref=cm_sw_r_fm_apa_9LWuyb9FP3Q3K This is the one I got. Lifesaver. I still wear it. It is great back support as well. Instant relief when I put it on. Only complaint is that it can be hard to wear and sit down without it riding up."

Will your husband be able to take off 7-10 days from work to be home with you? Do you have a sibling or parent or other close friend that can assist you if your husband can't take time off? Ask in advance for help. And not just "hold the baby so I can shower" help, but someone willing to do two loads of laundry because your baby has projectile vomited after multiple meals, and you need your clothes, their clothes, and your sheets cleaned.

I would also recommend keeping some hygiene items in your survival station. Deodorant, hair ties to pull your hair up, and maybe a travel size mouthwash. Lotion if you have dry skin. I avoid chapstick since I know it cakes layers of dead skin to my lips... you can use lanolin (nipple cream) as a lip balm, as well as coconut oil.

Have several options for entertainment. Adult coloring books and colored pencils, a bunch of apps on your phone to keep you entertained, maybe a Gameboy with a game you haven't played in 15 years, find a new YouTube channel with cool videos to queue up (may I recommend scishow?)

Do anything you can to have things within reach. If things need to be a few feet away, get a grabber. No shame. So many movements require your abdominal muscles, and you just don't comprehend how much your core muscles affect your entire body until you can't use them to even twist or pull something closer to you. You just avoid all movement possible for several days, and even going to the bathroom is exhausting and painful. Stool softeners were also a must with surgery recovery, a lot of pain meds will completely shut down your ability to poop.

Browse around and find some c-section recovery posts, I'm sure there are a bunch of super helpful tips and tricks that won't end up getting shared here!

And you will be ok. A common theme I saw was despair that the pain would never end. Especially with postpartum hormone crash, and exhaustion from no sleep, and having to be on a constant medication schedule so you don't feel like you're dying. Prepare yourself for possibly feeling doomed, and know that the pain goes away, and you learn your baby's cues, and you will sleep again, and everything will be fine. So many people focus so hard on preparing for the surgery and recovery that they forget that they also have to be a mom afterward, and that transition alone can be brutal. There are people who handle it just fine. I was not one of those people. I thought I would dive right in and just struggle with exhaustion, ya know? Told myself I could handle that. And I just didn't comprehend how things magnified each other... it wasn't just "sleep deprivation + breastfeeding pain + stitches and severely bruised tailbone + screaming baby" no, not for me. Change the plus signs to multiplication signs. The pain and exhaustion and crying was like torture for me. Have a plan for someone to call if it gets like that for you. A best friend, a neighbor, a parent, someone who can come be there to help you with short notice. They need to know that an SOS text means "I'm falling apart, I need you, are you able to come over?" I think that so often we read these birth stories on babybumps from moms 12-72 hours out from birth and they say their baby eats like a champ and it's so worth it, but then you don't see their posts on breastfeeding and beyondthebump when they feel like they're drowning, and we just get this false hope that if we can make it through birth, everything will be fine. Prepare for the worst, anything better is a tender mercy. It doesn't last forever, but it's really common and it can be really isolating. You will survive. Just know your limits and know who will be there for you if you need help.

Oh, I have a three-piece binder on my amazon wish list to buy later on this summer . . . this one

I wore some high waisted PJ pants and a nursing tank to the hospital. And slip on sneakers. They had me change into a hospital gown prior to getting ready for the surgery. For the actual procedure they pushed the gown way up on to my side of the drape. I'm not sure if wearing my.own gown would have been an option, it definitely would have gotten pretty bloody while recovering afterwards. I was basically laying in bed with a giant pad under me for the first few hours as after the procedure until I was allowed to get up and walk around.

This is the support belt I bought: TiRain 3 in 1 Postpartum Support... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00T2WBJJ8?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

I bought one very similar (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00T2WBJJ8/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

similar size to you as well and LOVED it. I really liked that I could adjust it as needed. Definitely follow their guide for when to use each piece (i rushed the timeline a tiny bit, but could NOT have done all 3 at once right away). I only wore mine 1-2 hours per day, and definitely saw a difference quickly/felt more supported.

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For OP -- this was great starting out. by about 4 months out, i was adjusting it so tight/wrapping it so far that the velcro was off the 'velcro' part and onto the actual fabric. it still worked though! at that point, you don't really neeeed it though as your body's core should start to take over at that point.

I got one on Amazon here for the same reason, I didn't want to spend tons of money on something that may or may not work. It has 658 reviews and people seem to like it, so it may be worth looking into. It seems to be pretty solidly constructed, decent quality, and it's got a hip belt, waist belt, and something else or other that's supposed to help.

I’m getting this one because I’d like to get my hips back together too ;)

3 in 1 Postpartum Support - Recovery Belly/waist/pelvis Belt Shapewear (Nude) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00T2WBJJ8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_hHI-AbS8T35GC

I just bought this for post partum and I've actually been wearing it loosely at 28 weeks because it helps my hips and back so much. It seems worth the 20.00. I like that it's velcro so you can choose how tight it will be.
https://www.amazon.com/Postpartum-Support-Recovery-pelvis-Shapewear/dp/B00T2WBJJ8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474476029&sr=8-1&keywords=post+partum+support