C Section Recovery

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I had my little one last July via emergency c section. Is it just me that finds it crazy we're sent home within 2 days and essentially told to get on with it and take paracetamol for major abdominal surgery?! The pain of the surgery is so difficult, let alone then trying to look after a baby alongside this. Just really baffles me how maternity care is viewed/funded nowadays 😫 Also no funding for helping women to properly recover in terms of physio appointments and information on how to feel stronger. It's just mad to me 🫠

I agree. I had a fantastic recovery and was fine to go home. I had friends sent home who couldn't walk, couldn't bend over to pick up their baby, in pain, with splitting scars, some frankly in shock and no support.

Maybe the issue is blanket treating it as c section, you can go home, rather than the individual woman. And better aftercare. I had a friend who needed physio and had twins. She couldn't go to the classes offered as she couldn't carry in the two babies from the taxi she would need to take in order to attend.

It's crazy, isn't it? I stayed for 3 days post surgery as I haemorrhaged during surgery, then sent home. I remember the midwife telling me if I needed painkillers heavier than ibuprofen or paracetamol at that stage I would need to be kept in. Boggled my mind, as I just had a very traumatic 36 hour labour that ended in a c section. I did recover by week 5 thankfully

3 nights 4 days is the minimum here in Ireland and I agree its bonkers. I've had two sections, sadly my last one 18 months ago was emergency and my first twin was born sleeping, my second passed in the NICU 4 days later. But I just had their sibling by planned section a few weeks ago and the recovery was tough. Even in the hospital you are made get on with it, I hadn't a clue what to do and my movement was so limited. Once dh had gone home for the night [hospital rules] trying to sleep 🤣 whilst caring for baby, getting things to feed her, clean her, clean yourself since you are bleeding heavily but being constantly reminded, don't bend or lift anything heavy was tough.

Then once home you are constantly doing all the above but with paracetamol only and my back is still very sore from it all from the constant workload. Dh is great but back to work and I don't have much help from others. Wouldn't trade it for the world, having our baby is a blessing after losing our beautiful twins so horribly. But there's definitely a blasé attitude to csections, regardless of recovery it's major surgery but you'd have people argue it's a breeze. It might feel that way but the surgery itself is extensive.

I’m on day 10 since my third c section (2 emc and last planned).
My god most people have NO IDEA what it entails. My brother asked me last weekend if I were going to a family friends wedding (4 days after leaving hospital) like wtf no I can barely walk down the stairs, I’m gushing blood. I haven’t left the house. I can only just pick up my newborn. Why would I want to pack a weekend bag, hop in a car and put a nice frock on?! (Side note I politely declined said wedding when the invitation arrived so pls don’t worry that I was letting them down!7

C sections are brutal. I always reply on mumsnet saying avoid if possible. I am aware a vaginal birth is no walk in the park either. But honestly I have been zero help to looking after older children both times giving birth dc2 and dc3. Surgery takes you out. I can’t lift children into the car, into the bath. I can’t dress a crocodile rolling toddler.
I wasn’t able to hang washing out for a few days, hoover, cook, drive. It’s shit.

The only thing I’m grateful for is my husband stepping up, my church for cooking for us. My friends for doing play dates. We are so lucky. I would feel truly abandoned if it wasn’t for our village.

And I am whole heartedly grateful to the medical team who were so kind and reassuring every single time I went to give birth. Amazing, true angels.

its just the recovery that’s a bastard

I was in a lot of pain afterwards too, could have done with the morphine tablets they gave me in hospital but I wasn't allowed to take them home for obvious reasons

Unfortunately women's issues are not taken seriously by medical professionals. It's not just childbirth but there are continuous reports of gynaecological procedures carried out without proper pain relief.
I had an EMCS. I was lucky I had a quick recovery. I also had a VBAC where I tore and was lucky to have a wonderful female doctor who apologised for the time taken to do the stitching but it was important to do it carefully as it needed to be functional and comfortable. I have heard horrors about stitching so was pleased.

I had my DD at 11.30am and was at home the next day by 5pm. I think adrenaline got me through but in hindsight it was truly awful. It was in 2022 and still Covid restrictions in hospital so my partner could only spend an hour with me post recovery and wasn’t allowed to visit until midday the next day.

@LostMySocksis completely right, women’s issues are not taken seriously!

I had a c section and was discharged 24 hours afterwards and would have left earlier if I could. I think post-natal care should be more personalised and responsive to what each person wants rather than a blanket suggestion of minimum hospital stays. I also think that private rooms should be a standard that hospitals should try to work towards. We were admitted to the children's hospital when the baby was two days old in a private room and the difference between that and the hell that was the shared ward was remarkable. I actually felt like I could rest and recover from the birth there, where I had peace and privacy.

In some cases there’s a lack in the medical service provision, but it does seem that in a lot of cases the issue actually lies with people being totally unrealistic about what they should be doing once home.

There’s a perception that if you go home that’s to normal life, and that have to stay in hospital to avoid that. It shouldn’t need a hospital place to give someone a large amount of rest and minimal other activities. That’s a family thing. Most hospitals have discharge leaflets or maternity websites with pretty clear recovery info.

To me the issue lies with others expectations. It shouldn’t need a be medical care, not social care. Once home, social care needs to be managed appropriately- ideally by family or friends.

My FIL recently had surgery for something. Naturally he was given loads of strong painkillers and waited on hand and foot by MIL for a few weeks.

He was complaining about something, but did look a bit sheepish when I pointed out that essentially women are hoofed out after a day, woken hourly by a newborn, have to breastfeed, and often have to care for other children too. All on some paracetamol!

Mad isn’t it.. I’ve had far better care when a baby hasn’t been involved.
But then the hospital was so awful that I was glad to leave after 2 days. The wards are just too overpacked

Who the hell is voting YABU?!?!?!?!

Completely agree.

My section recovery was hellish on top of the seismic event of a first baby.

I thought too it was crazy we're bunged a few paracetamol and told to get on with it, let alone care for your baby, especially given all the pre baby care we get.

I've heard of some mum's having a good recoveries but I bet it's 50/50 as it's major surgery after all and childbirth along with no time to rest

In the end it was good because it gave me the nerve to do a VBAC 2nd time which was much better - but each to their own.

I agree with this. I had really easy recoveries from
my sections and didn’t want any longer stay or need extra painkillers, but there absolutely needs to be proper provision for those things for those who need then instead of blanket policies around turnaround and ‘standard’ discharge medication. So flexibility about length of stay so those who need more support can stay longer without being rushed out of the door, and conversely those who want to go home asap can go when it’s safe for them to do so.

And again with painkillers, proper pain medication should be offered to everyone, not just expecting tired, postpartum women in pain to be able to advocate for themselves enough to ask for it and make a nuisance of themselves to get it. I would have said no thank you if offered, but the being offered is the important thing, as that then opens the dialogue.

Private rooms prioritised for those likely/who want to stay longer than 24-48 hours would be great too.

So many people said ‘lucky you’ when they heard I’d had a section like somehow it was the easy way to have a baby.

the recoveries from my sections were long and painful. I was in hospital for 5 days with the first and 10 with the second due to post op complications

I was on strong painkillers for several weeks and not recovered until 3-4 months had passed.

I had an emergency c section. I am no stranger to major surgery, I was born with a disability and have had 12 hour surgeries, including a partial spinal fusion. I have a high pain tolerance and i was always pushed by my parents to recover quickly etc. When I had my ECS I woke up after the GA and was honestly shocked at how I felt, that abdominal muscle ache was something else. I really struggled looking after my baby, and myself especially for the first few days. I went home before I was ready but thankfully quickly improved once I was home. Although I think that was more that I had to.

My now ex mother in law was awful, it was coming up to Christmas and she was demanding to know if we would be coming, the ex said no, so she asked him to go to which he said well I need to be here to help curly with the baby. She replied “if she can’t cope you should leave, take the baby and call social services”. So unbelievably ignorant of how major a c section is. Anyway much was my fear of this happening that I drove after 3 weeks and made sure I didn’t need anyone’s help. Needless to say I only have the one child.

I assume that they want you out of hospital, to lessen the risk of infection.. you are more likely to get an infection in hospital. Maybe the lack of home support / district nurse visits is part of the problem.
CS are also seen (for some odd reason) as an easy option, they really are not.

I had a PPH after my c section and was discharged 24 hours later feeling extremely unwell. 6 days later I was showing quite serious signs of iron deficiency anaemia and really had to beg the maternity triage service to arrange for me to go in to have an iron transfusion.

I'm lucky that my family are very helpful in these sorts of circumstances. I imagine not everyone has that wider network of support .

I completely agree. I had an emergency c section in jan which resulted in 2 litre blood loss, 2 transfusions and I contracted sepsis. I was allowed home 48 hours later. It was horrific.

I was surprised at that

i agree OP, and i had ‘easy’ c sections and recovered well and had a bit of help at home…a bit 😀

I was packed off after one night & asked to buy my own paracetamol. I was somewhat shocked.

I had EMCS and was lucky enough to find the recovery a doddle. The private room with an ensuite - standard across maternity in our local NHS hospital - made a huge difference and I took all the drugs on offer (which was basically oramorph on the first day, then paracetamol/codeine).

However, my recent experience of a bowel resection really brought home how differently post-partum women are treated. I had a vertical abdominal incision of a similar length to my C-section, except I was offered morphine in a syringe driver, ketamine and tramadol in addition to paracetamol and codeine. I was also kept in for 6 days, eventually discharging myself because I wanted to see DS rather than because the surgeon was satisfied that all was okay.

It's madness. When I had my first way back in 1986 it was 14 days standard for a c-section. By the time I had my second in 89 it was down to a week. When I had my last I was out in three days with an infection (2001) and that felt superquick. I really feel for new mums being slung out with a packet of antibiotics in less than 48hrs.

Sorry to stray from the OP but can I ask how your 3rd section was @Whiteflowerscreed please?

I’ve got two DC both were emergency sections and I’m toying with the idea of having one more baby. Would definitely go for a planned section this time. Is it easier or worse than your first two section recoveries? Weirdly I found my second much easier to recover from than the first which I didn’t expect I thought it would be the other way around!

Can you imagine any other "j0b" where the response to a medical procedure is to increase your work load?