Driving after C Section

[ArdoCycle]

Hoping for some collective wisdom on this one - I am 4.5 weeks post section and have been making short trips in the car since week 2. I feel fine, no pain at all now in my scar etc. We are due to make a longer trip this weekend, and my MIL has just said that I’m not supposed to drive for 6 weeks. No one told me not to drive, so I had just been getting on with it. Dr Google suggests this is a discretionary thing down to individuals, but am I wrong about this?

I was driving from 2w also. As long as you can safely do an emergency stop you should be fine but you could check with your insurance company.

I put a little query into my GP online, so they will maybe bang off a response. I feel like insurance company is a good shout too 👍🏻

Check with your insurance company but I was fine after that length of time too. the "standard" is 6 weeks though.

Yeah the 6 week thing is a bit of folklore.

If you feel fine to drive and can do an emergency stop, you can drive.

Check with your insurance company. Some want you to check with your GP, others leave it up to you.
I was driving at 3 weeks with GP approval.

Major abdominal surgery.
Two weeks is ridiculous.

People often say 6 weeks, but in reality you can drive as soon as you are able. They say to try an emergency stop and see if it causes you any pain. I sat in my car in my drive at 4 weeks and faked an emergency stop with the handbrake on and was fine. I had probably been fine before that. When I made enquiries with my gp he said check with your insurers but if you feel no pain, he was fine with it. I checked the insurers and they said it wasnt down them, you just have to take medical advice.

I drove at 5 days post cs. No one told me that I couldn’t. I found out later that people don’t. I will also say that I wasn’t having any pain issues.

Check with your insurance company. A lot basically say your not covered until after 6wks. It's annoying, but they'll also use any excuse not to pay out if (in the unlikely case) something happens.

I’ve had two sections and was driving after two weeks with both.

I didn’t check with anyone, I just drove when I was able to.

I believe 6 weeks is guidance. My insurance stated:

As long as the doctor has given you the all clear and you feel OK to drive, then it's absolutely fine. You don't need to provide proof and we don't need to note anything on your policy (including caesarean's). You only need to notify us of any medical condition that you've notified the DVLA about.

Have a read of your insurance policy.

I drove after 2 weeks. My insurance company said it was fine. Check with them OP.

"Major abdominal surgery.
Two weeks is ridiculous."

Why though? If you think about it, you will have been lifting baby and buggies or prams before that. I had to lug baby and pram on and off buses and realised I'd have been much better driving, when you are just sat in the car.

I rang my insurance co and they said as long as you feel you can do an emergency stop safely it's up to you

I drove 9 days after my second section. I called the insurance company and they said as long as I hadn't been precluded from driving by the doctor (I hadn't) then if I felt fit and well to drive I was free to. I had recovered really well, was off all painkillers and felt perfectly fine. I would never drive if I didn't feel ok. Drive if you feel fit and well unless it is against doctors advice. People were surpised I was driving as most people thought 6 weeks was some sort of law. It's a guidance as everyone recovers differently.

The doctor has left a note to say “you can drive after 6 if your scar has healed and you have no pain” - so my scar has healed and I have no pain but I’m not at 6 weeks...so I can’t drive? I am the only driver in the house and we are in the countryside 😬

Ring your insurers.
Mine said whenever I felt fine to do so.
10 days here a short journey..

I drove after 6 days - I had no choice as my mum let me down re the school run. But I went to an empty car park and did an emergency stop practice first and it was fine. No pain. My insurance company said the 6 week thing was a myth and that it was OK as long as I was safe to drive.

Check with your insurer. I was driving after ten days with mine. My insurance company said as long GP had approved it I was covered. Saw GP and he asked me to stamp my right foot which I did. He asked if it had hurt and I said no and he then declared me fit to drive and made a record in my notes.

I waited till 4 weeks but prob would have been fine before - both my insurer and the GP said it was fine. Make sure you can comfortably twist, as well as do an emergency stop.

Sounds like your GP is being over cautious!

I waited four weeks after DS1 and 2.5 weeks after DS2. My insurance company said if my GP said I was okay to drive, I was fine. GP said as long as I could do an emergency stop I was fine.

I have had 4 c sections and drove two weeks after each of them no problem. Each time I did make a call to insurance company just to cover myself and was told that's fine as long as you feel comfortable making an emergency stop.

You shouldn't drive for a while yet. The internal wounds won't have healed up properly yet.

IMHO c-section recovery is another way of letting women deal with any old crap and having to put up with it even if it risks their health.