C section recovery tips

[Allthatnonsense]

DD arrived on Monday by elcs. Very sore and desperate to hear any advice on what to do and expect.

I'm sleeping on my back and taking pain killers around the clock. At what point will I be able to sleep on my side without that awful burning pulling pain accross my scar?

I'm also struggling to stand up straight, particularly after rest.

I was told that elcs were gentle compared to ECS and that I would be on my feet much sooner, but I'm finding the recovery very similar.

Does anyone have a similar experience or were you training for your next marathon within weeks?!!

First off,congratulations on the birth of your DD!
I'm a nurse,worked with patients who were undergoing abdo surgery.
You may hear from posters who were practically doing a marathon within days. And that is great.
But every person is different, there is no right or wrong recovery time.
With regards to lying on your side,you could put a pillow between your legs,and a towel under your 'bump' to support it. One of the long bolster pillows could help too.
Are you getting up lots during the night,are you bfing? If bottle could your partner/family member help with some feeds at night?
Please,please take regular pain relief. Regularly,as in when ever you can take it whether or not you are sore at that time. Obviously the type of pain relief depends on feeding type.
It is normal to take a bit before you can stand upright straightaway, just go with that.
The important thing is not to rush your recovery,it will only hold you back.
Five days post sugary is nothing! Honestly. I would expect at 10-14 days you will see/feel more improvement.
Is your wound healing well?

I'm a nurse, and I've had a c section (and about to have another one in 2 weeks time).
The best advice I can give is take your painkillers regularly. Take the maximum dose of paracetamol - so 2 tablets 4 times a day, plus the maximum dose of ibuprofen or whatever anti inflammatory tablet the hospital have given you. Spread them out through the day as much as you can. Don't try and hold off until you really need them, you want some pain relief in your system at all times for the next few days at least.

Thank you both for the great advice.

I'm taking my max doses, but on a very ad hoc (when I remember) basis. I'm going to set a pain relief alarm on my phone to ensure doses are spread consistently.

Try and take it easy (easier said than done with a newborn I know!) and let air get to the scar where possible - I wore a dress and rolled my pants down.
Mine felt worse when I did too much, I'd go for a walk, feel fine, then hurt afterwards. Although keeping active did help me - think more a slow shuffle than a vigorous walk though!
Painkillers as others have said keep taking them. When you feel ok and want to stop don't just stop, drop the most powerful ones first, then the second most until you feel fine on the paracetamol. Do it gradually.

I'm having an elective section soon. As above, I'd recommend your regular pain relief and really try not to do too much. Have you got folk to help with things around the house? Do as little of that as possible. It is sore - my mum had her appendix out and I remember her saying recovery from that was painful, let alone factoring in a new baby and another child!
I found that having an aerobics step by my bed helped me get out (I'm little!) and a change station set up at the right height so I wasn't doing lots of bending and then straightening again.
When feeding (either breast or bottle) think about your posture, the rugby ball hold helped a bit with breast feeding for me.
Looking back I think I pushed myself too soon after my emergency section - I think I was so relived to be home with my new baby, I felt the need to prove that I was fine (no idea why, no one was expecting unreasonable things of me!) and went for walks etc too soon. This time I shall try to listen to my body more, and take all the help that is being offered!
Congratulations on your baby.