C section recovery - 4 weeks post op

[Ellabella114]

Hi all

I know this is variable depending on the person but I am 4 weeks post c section and just wondering (and wishing) when will I feel ‘normal’ again?
Mine was a category 3 section, after failed induction- so not an emergency but not quite elective. It was a wonderful and calm experience and I loved it. But my recovery has clouded the whole experience, I just had no idea it would be this hard.
I’m too sore and slow to consider pushing my heavy pram anywhere and I am scared to try the sling in case it makes things worse. So I feel like I am housebound until my partner gets home. I have a big overhang and today noticed some signs that I may have an infection, got GP appt tomorrow.
I feel extremely tired and a little saddened by the recovery process, i think my body has been amazing and I am trying to give myself a break but then I am reading posts of people who were up and about at 2-3 weeks etc and I wonder why I feel so rough all of the time.
I feel like my recovery is not helpful when I’m a first time mum trying to look after a newborn. It’s gwtting me down that I am still sore, slow and not feeling at all like myself.
It does not help that yesterday my friend said that I did not ‘give birth’... when I feel that I absolutely did and a belly birth is just as real as vaginal. Feeling pretty glum right now!

Any advice or reassurance would be welcome x

Not sure I have any advice, but just some reassurance that you’re not alone, and everyone recovers differently and that you most certainly HAVE given birth so ignore your friend’s comment.
I can’t really remember how long it took to feel back to normal after my emcs, but I do remember I had to do a funny shuffle to get out of bed for a few weeks after, and wasn’t able to use a sling until about 8 weeks as the tie was too near my scar. Even now 9 months on if I wear anything that fastens near my scar, it itches, so could argue that I’m still not completely back to normal.
4 weeks is still really early days and comparing yourself to how “well” others seem to be doing can be one of the most soul destroying things when you’re eager to get on the move with your lovely new baby.

Also let’s not forget that c-sections are MAJOR abdominal surgery with layers of stiches... only you don’t get time to take it easy and recover as you have a tiny human to look after! Be kind to yourself x

I was lucky enough to bounce back quickly but a close friend didn’t and it took 8-10 weeks to start feeling better. We are all individual and it can take time.
This will pass, ask for as much help
As you can

I do think recovery is way slower if it’s not a true elective. Even if you haven’t laboured, you’re tired after an induction that’s gone nowhere. I had one like yours and did take the full 6 weeks to start feeling normal. My 2 electives totally different: feeling near normal after 10-14 days. But.... seeing your GP is a good idea, as maybe your emotions are a bit out of sorts too and good to rule out PND which colours everything.

That doesn’t sound right to me. I was back to normal within 2 days and pushing the pram by 6 days. OP id see a doctor.

Mine was elective though, I had a few contractions but that’s it.

I had one after a failed labour, and it took a good 6 - 8 weeks to start feeling human again. I found arnica cream helped rubbed on my scar (though perhaps not if you're worried about infection) and taking arnica tablets. And 2 warm salt water baths a day helped. I think you need to be kinder on yourself, it is major abdominal surgery and without the baby you'd have been signed off work for 6 weeks to recover. Add in a newborn and sleep deprivation, and your body is in shock. Eat well, try and rest rather than dash round and it will get better.

First of all OP totally ignore your "friend" - ridiculous notion that you have not given birth not to mention ignorant - you have a healthy baby that's the important thing. I was due to have an elcs but waters broke early and due to an infection mine was also a mix of elcs and emcs. My situation was also slightly different in that as my baby was a premie my momma bear instincts kicked in and in order to see my baby I had to get up and about as he was on neo natal due to breathing difficulties. So I can honestly say I was in agony but forced myself to get up and about asap. I also went with the kill or cure method and took as much pain medication as I could particularly even when pain lessened I still took the meds on the clock as I found if I didn't the pain came back worse later by taking the meds it prevented that. My recovery was quicker than you mention but everyone is different I would definitely see your GP re the possibility of infection and as another poster has mentioned possible PND. Please do go easy on yourself you have been through quite an ordeal and have a little one to care for too. One thing I did find was a bit "mind over matter" was for a number of weeks afterwards I was quite stooped over it was not because I needed to at that point but I had become really fixated on not splitting the scar I hadn't tried to stand up straight ! Please ignore your friend, see your GP, be kind to yourself and snuggle your baby (they are the best medicine ). Congratulations on your baby and good luck with the GP xx

I still felt very weak around my tummy for 3-4 weeks afterwards. Don’t be too hard on yourself. I remember not being able to carry the car seat or reach down a mug from the cupboard for 4 weeks afterwards.

Age also makes a difference. I don’t know how old you are OP but I was 21, and I recovered much faster than ladies I knew who had the same cesarean in their 30s. Take care, but I would still mention it to your doctor

Christ op your friend is a wanker.

I've had a c section and had a vaginal delivery.

The c-section was arguably worse as it was a good 3-4 months before I felt marginally human. But I'm a very slow healer.

Labour was obviously harder than a c section as I couldn't feel pain during the c section and it was very quick and peaceful. Labour was a very very intense and painful 5 hours. And then I felt very bruised and sore for about a week. And then I felt practically fine.

If I had to do it again, I would choose labour over the pain of c-section recovery twice over!

You did give birth. The first 6 weeks are the hardest for your body AND for a newborn baby.

I'm seriously fucked off with your friend. Remind her that the definition of giving birth is a baby coming out of your body...not your fanjo!!

Oh and I was 19 when I had my section so I was pretty young and relatively fit and healthy

Also my experience of recovery might be worse than some as I had a womb infection and I cannot take a lot of pain killers so I only had paracetamol to deal with the pain which was as good as a cup of tea really.

Congratulations on your new baby!

What kinds of pains are you feeling? Anything that could be attributed to complications relating to that kind of surgery should be thoroughly investigated so make sure you tell your GP every ache/pain you have to rule the bad stuff out when you go tomorrow.

I had a c-sec in 2016 so nearly two years ago now but I still remember how horrible I felt 6 weeks post op. I couldn't straighten my back properly for the first 3 weeks so I looked like an old woman slings/prams/hills!! Were out of bounds for at least a month. Walking long distances was very difficult. I can't even pin point the exact pain/reason but my whole middle section just ached constantly. All I wanted to do was sit at home with big knickers on and drink tea.

It's difficult to rest properly as there is so much pressure on new mums to bounce back and be this crazy alpha earth mother.
Take it slow and do what you feel comfortable enough to do. The weathers miserable so stay at home until you feel better if you want to, have a friend round or family to make you tea and snacks.

I should add I was 23 when I gave birth, I was fit and healthy, normal pregnancy. It's bloody hard work no matter the circumstances xx

Hi OP I would see your GP because if it is an infection, obviously the sooner you get some antibiotics the better. I had a really stubborn infection after my emergency section, I felt awful for ages and i didn't know if that was normal or not, as I had nothing to compare it to! I ended up with two lots of antibiotics which shifted it eventually and that's when I started to feel human again! Also you said about overhang - sorry if you already know this, but are you getting your scar area properly dry after the shower/bath? I wasn't, and the Dr said this would have made it more prone to infection, and he advised try and lie flat after a shower (ie after towel drying and before you get dressed) to make sure the scar area really dries out. Echo what everyone has said re major surgery, healing time, taking it easy on yourself as much as possible etc. We expect too much of ourselves. Look after yourself and congrats on your baby

Hi OP. Firstly congratulations!! I'm 13 weeks to the day post EMCS and I would now say I feel back to normal. Pain wise I managed okay but I was religious about taking the pain killers I'd been prescribed. Only paracetamol and ibuprofen, but I could really tell if I was a bit late in taking a dose. I have a small overhang which is getting better by the day. I recommend doing the pelvic tilt exercises that the hospital show you whenever you can. I think these helped a lot with that. I also ended up with an infection twice. I know this is because initially I was very squeamish about the scar and wasn't washing it properly. Big mistake!! I did my first pram walk 10 days post partem and 15 mins on the flat was quite enough. I slowly built it up from there, trying to go out every day if I could. I was pretty fit before and during pregnancy and my daily pram walks have helped me to regain this fitness. I even tried a couple of runs this week, once I was past the 12 week mark. So my long post is to show you that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Just build things up slowly and you will get there! I thought I looked hideous in the weeks following the birth, but I am now almost back to the way I was pre-pregnancy. Good luck X X

Your mate is an idiot.

I had an elcs with some complications and a bigger scar.

By four weeks I was up and about but I could certainly tell I was recovering from major surgery. The round had sealed well but I had no strength in the core and any movement out of pottering range caused pain and bleeding. I’d say it was 10 weeks at least before I could lift the pram into the car for example.

Any type of infection is going to make you feel shit, so get that sorted as a priority. Your recovery is unique to you - past a point it’s fruitless to compare to others. Don’t push your range of motion or effort past what you can do comfortably - you risk injury.

ANd..newborns are knackering in and of themselves. Get the infection sorted and stop beating yourself up. It’s major surgery - some women are back scaling Everest three banssrconds after but lots of us had a longer, slower recovery.

banssrconds??? Nanoseconds!

I was still in pain several months later - my doc said it happens sometimes that some of the layers they cut through take longer to heal.
As PPs say, it's a major op.
Everyone recovers at different rates.
Having said that, if you're concerned that you're not seeing any gradual improvement at all,

And mine wasn't an emergency CS, it was planned (by the docs, I didn't get a choice) as I was having a big baby.

First things first, your 'friend' is a tit. Ignore her. You absolutely did give birth.

I had an elective section, which is a completely different animal to EMCS and I should imagine a category 3 too, which I will admit, I had not heard of before today.

Are you resting enough? I know it's hard, I do, you have a baby too look after and you feel like you have to back to 'normal' quickly. You don't. Rest. Sit your arse down, cuddle that baby and take it easy, take things slowly and don't rush yourself. Also, take the pain meds. Don't wait until you 'need' them.

As far as infections go, get that checked out obviously that goes without saying but there are a few tricks, which are especially useful if you have an overhang (I do too) to try and prevent them becoming a nuisance.

1. Keep the scar clean and dry. I used the hairdryer on the cool setting after showering to make sure it was totally dry.

1. Get a Muslin cloth, cut it into rectangles, tuck it against your clean dry incision. Change regularly. It just helps to whick some of the sweat away.

1. Once you have healed (and you will) you may find it gets a bit sweatier under there than it used too which can lead to a rash. Get yourself some cuticura talc. They sell it in bodycare. It's the dogs.

Good luck to you. And congratulations on your baby.

Congratulations on your new baby OP .

I had three vaginal births then an emcs with my 4th . It was horrific , the recovery was horrific . I could shuffle about without holding onto dh by about day 5 , went for a very short walk round the block with the pram on day 10 and then didn't leave the house again till he was 3 weeks old . I still needed help walking up and down stairs / getting in and out the bath / lifting the baby out of his basket by week 4 .

I started to feel a bit more normal at around the 3 month mark but I never really completely healed , 3.5 years later I still have nerve damage and lots of scar pain . I'm 8 months pregnant so that doesn't help with the scar pain either !

On the other hand I have a relative who has had 4 csections and is about to have her 5th one in a few weeks ! She was up and about doing the school run on day 5 , basically doing everything as normal each time and driving after 6 weeks , she also has no lasting problems .

My point is , everyone heals differently . I have recently heard good things about acupuncture to help with scar pain and will be trying that out .

Please don't feel like you're not normal , as you can see from this thread plenty of us took a lot longer to heal - it is major surgery remember ! I hope you're feeling better soon

It takes different people different times to heal. Ignore your friend.

I had the same category section as you. I had a nasty infection that wouldn't heal which meant that my wound didn't close for 14 weeks! It was hideous. I had to go to the GP to have it packed and dressed 3 times a week for 3 months.

Hope all goes well at the GP and you are feeling better soon

Hi OP how are you? How did the GP appointment go?

@ellabella114 I am 4 weeks post c-secton (elective As breech baby) and I am ok BUT I have a feeling you are doing too much as well as the possible infection. You Should be looking after yourself and baby and doing nothing more at this stage. Try and rest more, cuddlemore and no housework or pushing yourself. Hope you improve soon.