How quickly did you heal after C Section

[lockdownpregnancy]

Hi ladies. I had a C Section on Tuesday night and obviously I'm still mega sore and cannot stand up straight or do anything major.
I just wanted to know when your own mobility kicked back in and when it became more comfortable to sleep?
Also your overall recovery time. Most sites say 6 weeks and I appreciate everyone is different but just curious really! I'm hoping to be back up to running on 70% at least within the next two weeks
TIA

I had a c section two weeks ago. Every day gets easier. Keep on top of the pain meds for now. Probably after 5ish days I was walking around more easily and sleeping more comfortably (with pain medication!)

I can walk around no problem and have no pain really. But I still can't lift anything heavy, like my toddler, and notice that whenever I try to do more around the house then my bleeding increases (which I think means to slow down). This is different for everyone though.

I was home in 48hrs and pretty mobile from them. Had to be careful not to lift and took everything slowly. Could walk a mile after 10 days and was back up and driving in 2 weeks. Was much easier than previous normal delivery for me
Just make sure you take it at your own pace, we're all different x

Took me years! But I did over do it in the first couple weeks and have a hernia and then an infection. Take the time to rest whilst you can is my advice.

Within five days I could go out for a slow walk. Every day got significantly better. However I've never ever regained my core strength. Maybe it was never there! Good luck and take your time x

I had my second section two weeks ago and realised yesterday that I hadn't taken any pain meds for a few days now...

I went for a slow walk about 4 days following.....I did feel it a bit after! My husband went back to work after the first week so I've been back to doing household chores. I know I'm not really suppose to but I'm not sure what the alternative is?! 'The laundry will wait' umm.... not really when you have school uniform to wash!

Thank you ladies! I'm thankful that DH is off for two weeks with me so I'm hoping that I'll be a little more independent by the time he goes back.
I'm such an independent person so to be totally debilitated is quite horrific to me as I have to do everything myself and now I can just about go to the toilet by myself!

I had mine just over two weeks ago. I had to stay in hospital for five days (alone ) and I found walking/moving/looking after the baby really hard. When I finally got home I started to feel better. My scar healed fine, and pain grew less and less each day. Now I still take an ibuprofen in the morning just to ward off pain, but I'm feeling around 75% normal now.

I dont have anything useful to add yet but have a section booked for in a few weeks so interesting to read about the different recovery times & experiences people have had.

I was mobile and painfree as soon as the epidural/spinal wore off following both mine. With dc2 was pushing the pram on the 3 mile round-trip to preschool by the end of week 2. In my experience movement really helped, the first steps were uncomfortable but it just got easier and easier.

Of all my friends who had sections, I think all were okay by 6 to 8 weeks.

I was in the shower after 10 hours and they had taken the catheter out, driving at 3 weeks. No pain at all really.

BUT I didn't labour and DTs were in NICU so I didn't have a baby to look after at home so was able to sleep.

Just to add - take the pain killers on a schedule, don't wait until you have pain. It's much easier to keep on top pain rather than fix it from the bottom up if that makes sense.

I’m 16 days pp now after second section. Definitely a lot better but a long way off normal - Bleeding comes and goes, bladder seems a bit dodgey (painful when full), get v v tired from activity. Here’s hoping won’t be too many more weeks!

With my first C section, I was walking about after 4 days. After a couple of weeks, I felt great.

Second time round, I would say probably more like 4 weeks until I felt like I could move around freely.

It's so varied person to person and for each section.

I've had 2 emcs first time I had been through a 15hr labour and spent 6 days in hospital. Me and baby were on antibiotics as I picked up an infection during labour. I felt better after a week or so and started foolishly trying to do stuff round the house and felt awful after it! I did catch an infection in my wound too after a few weeks and it was seriously painful for about 2 months when the infection finally cleared up after some more antibiotics. It was still actually mildly sore for nearly a year and I cldnt bear anyone to touch it!

Second time I was supposed to be having a lovely calm elective section but my waters broke. Was in labour for 12hrs by the time she was born and it was so much worse second time pain wise. I was on strong painkillers a lot longer than I was first time and I felt awful for about 2wks. The pain did subside around then and I felt a lot better. The wound healed pretty quickly after and wasn't very sore after about a month or so.

Don't try and do to much like i odd first time round the bending and stretching and lifting does take its toll on your body and pain.

I had an elective with my second and was up and moving around as soon as the spinal wore off. A bit of pain for the first week but fine with paracetamol and diclofenac I was given. I was driving after 2 weeks and pretty much back to normal.

I've heard there is quite a difference in the recovery times between elective and emergency procedures though.

I had a EMCS. It took me about 4 weeks before I felt 'normal' again. Although I had my staples in for 10 days due to the size of the cut they made so was never going to be spritely before they came out.

It took me nearly 2 weeks to go for a little walk outside and I was driving at 5 weeks. Any household chores that required bending or stretching my DH did when he came home from work or they didn't get done.

I still don't feel normal and DD is 15 months. Occasionally I get a twinge in the scar and my back aches from the spinal site.

Keep topped up on painkillers and try to move (slowly and with a shuffle walk) as much as possible. The more you stay still the stiffer you'll get and the more uncomfortable it will be to move again.

BUT don't do too much or you'll set yourself back a few days.

Keep in mind you've had major abdominal surgery, it's not that reasonable to be back up and running within 2 weeks!

I felt pretty crap for about 10 days then it started improving, I'd say by 4 weeks I was pretty normal though still couldn't lift much. Several hours of having a catheter left me with bladder issues which lasted months. The feeling around my scar never came back.

@Itwasaquarterpast11 do you mind if I ask what were your bladder issues? I feel like I am having some - V Uncomfortable if my bladder is full and then on and off discomfort when I actually pee (but not always !)

@MostlyAmbridgeandcoffee
Yes, mine was uncomfortable when full too, although I don't think it really ever got properly full, as I leaked a lot and felt like I needed to go all the time. It felt like my bladder or urethra or some other bit had been bashed about quite a lot and it took quite a while for me to have no discomfort and regain control.

Thanks a lot - did it just get better with time ?? How much time ?!!

Take your pain killers like clock work and sleep as much as physicality possible now while DH is off.

With DC1 I tried to rush to get back to normal. Took me about 12 weeks to feel better.

With DC2 i sent Dc1 to the childminders for a month and just slept most of the day while dh was off work. Felt much better after a few weeks.

Thank you so much ladies. I've been trying to move around a bit today but nothing mega. However I've been bleeding a lot today because obviously moving around.
I haven't been prescribed any pain killers just paracetamol every 4 hours whilst I'm up and my
MW has been around today and she said I can take codeine too for the aches and back ache.
I appreciate everyone is different and thank you so much for sending over tour experiences.
My DH is back to work a week Monday so I'm hoping that if I take it easy between now and then that I'll be relatively mobile by then. More so because we have a dog and he will need to be walked so I need to rest to be able to walk him when the time comes. I think I'll just stay in hiding for a couple of weeks! 😂

I also had a section Tuesday evening!

Bit different for me as baby was taken to neonatal care and I’m on the post natal ward, so I was determined to be mobile as soon as possible so I could visit her. I’ve been taken in a wheelchair multiple times, but today managed to walk which I was chuffed with.

I find I’m ok once upright but getting stood up and sitting down is really painful, as are some sitting positions. Struggling to sleep because it hurts to sleep on my side still

Okay now I actually feel stupid for trying to do too much. I had my ds on a Wed night, and was back up on my feet the next morning, had to, had a exdp who wasn't going to get up and do stuff for the baby, and hospital staff told me I had to, I guess there were concerns because of my weight. But then that also makes me feel like sticking two fingers up to the obese haters, as there I was in my position, emergency c section, and the following morning up on my feet, and caring for my baby and doing stuff, we were thrown out the following day! Wound got infected and I felt sick but other than that, externally it healed quite nicely. Mentally and internally is another story.

I would say if I had my time back again, please take it easy on yourself, use all/any help and support you have got, take your meds as it all helps, and is what it is there for. Rest as much as you can, comparing a now 32 month old lol, and a newborn, I now realise the advantage at that stage, that they need lots of milk, but sleep a lot as well! And that has to be your time to rest and catch up on stuff, and then when baby is awake then you can focus more on them/outdoor trips. Good luck.

I think it’s very individual I had an elective section 2 months ago walked around the supermarket on day 4 and was driving after 10 days but took me weeks to get mobile after an episiotomy/tear/forceps with my first which I found much more painful and difficult to recover from. are you taking ibuprofen as well as paracetamol? if you are able I found this really helpful and also a hot pack when I was sat feeding. My friend sent me some special c section underwear (they are a bit like control pants) I thought they were a bit of a gimmick but they did seem to help supporting the area. Just take things at your own pace and take all the help you can. I would say I felt normal after 3 weeks and by 6 weeks was walking between 3-5 miles with the pram just to get out of the house! Work on standing up straight and maintaining your posture x