C-section - recovery times please!

[Rach69]

This has probably been done before but I can't really find the answers I'm looking for - I know the 'proper' answer is 6 weeks but I wondered what you all felt.

I had an emergency caesarian section 3 weeks ago after a failed ventouse - baby 10'4' with his head in a bad position.

1. How long before you felt like you could drive?
2. How long before your stitches felt healed?
3. How long before dissolvable stitches actually did?
4. How long before you could confidently exercise?
5. How long before you had sex?

Thanks!

1. I don't drive (friend drove after 6weeks after her c/s

2. 6 weeks 3. 8weeks 4. 10 weeks 5. 12 weeks

dd1 - pretty much six weeks to recover - sex and exercise took a lot longer - but we had a very ill babe to look after prior to her having cardiac surgery.

dd2 - driving after 3 weeks, stitches felt pretty good after about three weeks also. Can't remember when the dissolvable stitches did.

I was lifting 2 1/2 yr old non walking toddler within couple of weeks.

1. I drove to visit relatives 4 weeks after I had one - I had to double check with my insurance company and my lovely doctor provided a letter for me.

2. They tugged for a while but they stopped feeling like I'd had an op about 7/8 weeks 3.A few weeks, although I wasn't really aware of when exactly 4.Not for ages about 4 or 5 months 5. Gosh was really too knackered but I think it may have been a couple of months after - a bit hazy on that one

I remember feeling dreadful up until 4 weeks and feeling like I would never feel the same, one tip I suggest is taking arnica. It makes you heal really quickly.

I also had an em cs,

1. I didnt drive at the time(I do now), but probably 4 weeks looking back.

2. The stitches took a while to feel healed for me, probably 8 weeks.

3.The dissolvable stitches 'dropped away' around 5/6 wks. They didnt bother me, only advice would be to wear higher undies (at the front).

4. I asked doctor about this, she recommended 6 weeks, but in hospital after my cs, they gave me a print out of very basic excersises to do straight after cs, this does help with recovery time.

5. Sex wasnt really on my mind for first few weeks as I found it difficult to get 'comfy. I think it was around 4 weeks. We just did 'other things'!

Ds is now 13 months, and I still cant 'feel' my tummy properly where the scar is, and find my undies have to be 'over' my scar or it 'gives me the creeps'!!

dd1 (4 years ago)

1. 3 weeks
2. 6 weeks
3. N/A had 'pully' ones
4. 6 weeks
5. 3 weeks

dd2 (4 months ago)

1. 6 weeks
2. 6 weeks
3. as above
4. only last month but still in pain from pulled ligament which i got from too much best rest - sounds mad i know but iwas laid up for 8 weeks before i had dd2 than for 5-6 weeks after and my lower back seized up when i finally got back on my feet again!
5. 5 weeks

both elective c-sections. 2nd one really knocked me about. 1st one was fine

When I say 'gives me the creeps' I mean to feel my undies touching it, not to look at.

1. a good six nearly seven weeks- just didn't feel I had the concentration levels and also had nagging pain low down in pelvis when I did certain things like push leg to put brake on pram - didn't fancy using car pedals!

2 / 3: I just can't remember, sorry, but definitely a few weeks 4. At least three months, but think this was partly due to severity of birth trauma - had extremely long and exhausting labour ending in 'crash' caesarean, and I think the physical and mental trauma made me feel a bit of an invalid for a while! However swimming was great after about three months 6. Can't remember exactly but think it was about 8 weeks.

I know exactly what mumfor1standfinaltime means, after nearly four years I still have a fair bit of numbness on my tummy, above where I was cut, it's a very weird feeling!

1. 10 days

2. 7 days (staples out at day 4) - lifted a toddler

3. no idea

4. day 5 - went for a 2 mile walk. 4 weeks later started brisk walking for 2-3 miles every day, started running after about 8 weeks I think.

5. ahem.........10 months, but that was due to a non-sleeping baby!!

1. Stayed off it for 6 weeks; choice not medical, gp said stright away, insurance said whatever gp recommends, I think I wanted to feel like something big had actually happened so refrained to make the point iyswim?

2. Stopped thinking about being weak there at about 5/6 months, never stopped me doing anything tho just was careful. 3. Cant remember 4. Walked miles with ds in wilkinet instead of driving, so straight away if that counts. Don't do gym thing anymore anyway. 5. At about 10days, celebrate being allowed home.

1. 6 wks

2. didnt have stitches - only pull ones 3. na 4. 2 mths 5. 8 weeks

i had the emer c-section 16 mths ago and its tiny bit sore now and a bit numb on top of the stomach but recovered very well (had an wound infection whne i came home from hossy)

1 4 weeks. I could have driven sooner, but thought I would need a doctor's certificate - rang my insurance company one morning when had run out of milk and about to go mad, and they said you can drive now if you feel up to it.
2 4 weeks.
3 Had pull-out variety of stitches.
4 Started exercising again at gym 6 weeks after C-section, but with a specially adapted programme. Didn't do abdominal exercises until 5 months later.
5 About 6 weeks I think.

1. 4 weeks (short drive, automatic car)

2. Umm. Couldn't feel the stitches as such - area around scar is still numb a year later. 3. 9 weeks 4. 15 years. Oh yes. Definitely. About 8 weeks before I wanted to try pushing the pram up our steep hill. 5. 4 months? I'm sure dh can tell you to the day. Mind you, the wait was due to sleep deprivation not the cs.

1 Did't drive
2 4 weeks
3 had pull out ones
4 out with double buggly daily from 10 days, also lifting non walking toddler. Don't do formal exercise, but did do ones recommended immediately post surgery, and think they helped.
5 6 weeks

Also emergency cs with general anaesthetic.

1. felt I could have driven at about 2/3 weeks, drove at 4

2/3 not sure to be honest

4. hmmm well, was walking longish distances at 3 weeks as couldn't drive but didn't exercise till along time afterwards but that was nothing to do with c-section just laziness

5 8 weeks (I think).

I drove after 12 days. I wasn't told about the six weeks thing. I took loads of arnica and am convinced that is what helped me recover so quickly.

I swore by arnica - took it within hours of the surgery and the midwives were telling me how well and quickly I was healing. The driving took a while but that was more to do with concentration than physical health. After nearly 3 years still numb around the scar but can't see the scar at all. For a couple of years afterwards the scar would 'twinge' if I overdid things or was particulary tired (over and above the usual fatigue that comes with having 2 small kids As for the other things, can't remember, although was back in gym at 7 weeks.

Highlander - you're the only other person I've 'met' whose has had a quick recovery like me.

Answers:

1. I drove after 8 days.
2. About 3 days.
3. Don't know probably about a week.
4. Pretty much carried on as normal as I had 2 other kids to look after but took a couple of weeks to feel confident about lifting heavy things. Was completley normal by 6 weeks.
5. Ahem - yet to get there. ds2 is 6 months and I am too knackered!

1. Asked insurance company and they said as long as I was safe to do an emergency stop, then I could drive. They suggested I practice in a car park. Drove again at 5 weeks.

2. Had staples which came out at 4 days. Still get the odd twinge now and again (21 months later) but felt healed after 3 weeks.

3. NA

4. Started walking from day 3. Gentle jogging around 6 weeks. Back to hockey at 16 weeks but felt really unfit and I wanted to keep running but my legs wouldn't!

5. 6 weeks.

How are you doing today? 10.4 is a big bubba! Ds was only 5.7!!

1. 3 weeks I think

2. About 3-4 weeks 3. didn't have dissolvable ones 4. Didn't bother for months - just walked alot 5. 8-10 weeks (remember the 1st time after having ds, he was lay in his cot in our room and started crying a bit and I said 'ok mummy's coming now' then me and dp just cracked up laughing sorry...

1. 4 weeks

2. A couple of months to feel properly healed 3. N/a 4. Depends what you mean by exercise, i was walking the dog with dd in a sling 4 or 5 weeks afterwards 5. I think 4 or 5 weeks

1. How long before you felt like you could drive? N/A - don't drive

2. How long before your stitches felt healed? About 2-3 wks. Never felt any pain at all. 3. How long before dissolvable stitches actually did? N/A 4. How long before you could confidently exercise? Walking around, shopping etc, after 10 days; at the gym after my post-op check-up (you should always wait until you have had your check-up until you rejoin gym) 5. How long before you had sex? About 6 months! I just didn't feel sexy at all.

1. How long before you felt like you could drive? 2-3 weeks

2. How long before your stitches felt healed? 4 weeks or so... don't really remember. 3. How long before dissolvable stitches actually did? no idea. A few weeks or so I suppose. 4. How long before you could confidently exercise? 4-6 weeks 5. How long before you had sex? Many months (but no physical reason for this)

1. wasn't driving then, but prob about 3 weeks.

2. all aprt from one within about 8 weeks, 3. one end took about 10 weeks, i pulled it out in the end. 4. god knows, don't really exercise. Was runnign around again after about 4 weeks. 5. 8 weeks

1. 7 weeks

2. the scar opened up a bit and got infected at about 4 weeks, and didn't heal over until 17 weeks

3. the end of the stitching fell out after about 3 weeks, so I guess the rest had dissolved

4. eh? not sure I could confidently exercise now...

5. only about 4 months

ds born March 2004, elective cs (breech)

1. 2 weeks
2. 3 weeks maybe?
3. i wasn't aware of my stitches, sp not sure when they actually dissolved - a few weeks?
4. walk in the park with pram 8 days, snowboarding 4 1/2 weeks
5. 5 weeks i think