c-section - when does the pain really go away?

[NewMummy5July2011]

Hi
I ended up having an EMCS following a very long and traumatic labour which failed to progress. It's 4 weeks now and while the pain is better, some days are worse than others. My scar doesn't look infected and I have no symptoms of infection, but wondering what others' experiences are of when they felt fully healed and free from pain everyday. Today the pain has come back - perhaps from doing too much to soon?

Maybe another couple of weeks,but we"re all different. Do be careful not to do too much too soon. Sounds like you did - the body soon lets you know! Go easy on yourself!

Hi there....sorry to hear that...I had 2 cs's and it really does take a while particularly if you do too much one day even after 4 weeks. I had an infection with no 2 and still wasn't right 10 weeks later . give it a month or so and you should find it eases and the painful days subside but go see the doc if you're worried. Take it easy !

i just had my 2nd c/section, i lean from the first one, as i was feeling good i was thinking everything is gone but i had an infection after 1week,
so now i am just taking it easier as much as i can, be very careful, get a lotof rest. even if you have to cook or look after your children, still be careful and take your time, do things very slowly.
thats what i am doing know, i am 2 weeks today. good luck.

Same as what everyone else has said really - I had an EMCS at the end of April (also after a long and traumatic labour and no progress etc). I think I felt almost back to "normal" around 6 weeks. I drove at 5 weeks. But even now - 3 months on I get occasional pain and also sometimes a weird numbness over the general area. Usually if I've worn clothes that dig in a bit too much or I've overdone it generally.

Hope you feel better soon.

I had DC1 by EMCS on the 8th June 2011 after an 2-day long induction resulted in fetal distress, I felt back to normal last week (8 weeks post-partum) My advice is stay positive, keep yourself dosed up on paracetamol, do not lift anything heavier than your baby as instructed as this will slow your recovery down & make you feel rubbish! Oh & when your scar stops hurting, gently massaging with BioOil or similar will help breakdown the scar tissue. You will get there. :)

Oh I almost forgot - wear maternity trousers & big pants! Basically nothing that sits on your scar because it will be irritating it!

I also got pain if I leant on it (ie with shopping trolley or at sink doing dishes) for up to six months. In fact,would get quite random shooting pains for about six months, but am now totally pain free (13 months on!).

I've had 2cs and with the second I was fine after around 4 weeks and then it gotcworse at around 6 weeks but then got better after a week. I think it's just when you feel better you end up doing normsal things but your body is not fully recovered.
Iyswim.

There's hope Raven78 if you're planning a number 2. My friend had the same experience as you with dd1 and they fixed it up during cs for ds2 and now she has no pain or twinges. They sewed something up a bit funny the first time.
Newmummy5 I agree with everyone else - take it easy. New things that you don't expect cause you pain. I was sore for prob six weeks but certain things caused pain for a while after that (up to 4 ish months). Four and a half years down the line (and 34 weeks pregnant again) I would never have even known I'd had a emcs and hardly even have a scar!

ditto what was said above about big pants - I probably felt pretty well after 2 months, I know I was doing an outdoors postnatal buggy-workout-type exercise class at 10 weeks post birth and feeling pretty good, BUT thinking back, I know I was wearing soft stretchy (ugly) maternity jeans and giant pants for about 4 or 5 months, because the area from my pubic hair up to my tummy button felt so tender and vulnerable, and I thought I'd feel tender around the scar for ever.

Absolutely fine now, probably was fine after 6 months at the most, and I have no numbness in that area. Just a very fine scarline. Was depressing wearing huge pants (and nursing bras and horrible clothes) for so long after birth, I kept meeting these perfectly groomed neat slim new mothers with great hair and lovely clothes ...although I remember one of them telling me she had a horrible tear from her VB, and I wasn't envious of that at all.