C section recovery really scared :(

[imjustbxx]

I'm Having a planned c section is the recovery really as bad and as painful as people say it is and does it take a really long time. Will I be able to do normal things, will I be able to look after my baby I'm so scared someone please help

Hey

I had an emergency c section 4 months ago, first baby.

Left hospital around 18 hours later. I was out of the bed as soon as the spinal block wore off

Day 3 was tough for me but the best advise I can give is get up and move if you sit or lie for a
Long time It really hurts and the pain is manageable if you don't miss any painkillers.

I made the mistake after a couple of days of relaxing with pain meds and the pain did get too much.

However after day 5 didn't need anymore meds and felt much better

You will be fine, and your baby will be totally worth it. I was able to do everything for my baby myself, the hospital was short staffed and mid lockdown so no visitors either so didn't have much choice but it was fine

It is not scary ime and i had to have two emergency c sections for my deliveries so totally unexpected and no time to think about afterwards. It was just being careful not to stretch or lift heavy things or drive for 6 weeks. Don't worry enjoy time with your newborn when they arrive.

Depends what you compare it too. I had a third degree tear followed by two c-scections. The recovery for my sections were significantly easier than for my tear. I couldn’t sit up for weeks or do anything apart from lay down on my side and breast feed with my first. So after that the c-sections seemed like a breeze.

It’s prob not as easy as a vaginal delivery with minimal injury obviously.

The driving is a bit of a pain but in the grand scheme of things it’s not for long. I didn’t find it particularly hard dealing with the baby. I prob did too much too soon in terms of house work. Make someone else do the bloody washing.

Thank you all for your replies it really helped :)
Did anyone struggle getting into and out of bed or walking up and down stairs. Also I heard someone tell me one time about like something they put over the wound which is really painful to take of and you have to do it in the shower or something???? I don't know I've heard a lot of bad things from friends and stuff

Im a wuss.

First 24hours were difficult but honestly it was managable after that.

No idea what you are talking about with the shower thing.

Also a planned cs isnt an emergency one so dont let people who have had an emergency one scare you. Its a different kettle of fish.

I was discharged after 2 nights and was walking around a tesco extra the day after as we needed emergency supplies. And went out for a day time event 6 days later.

It was hard doing some things which involved bending or picking up. It wasn't easy or painfree but i would say manageable.

I he an emergency section about 3 months ago (after 30+ hours of labour!!) and it was fine. Was out of bed about 14 hours after and able to pick baby up out of crib myself, out of hospital within 24 hours. First 2-3 days were tricky but then every 24 hours after that made a huge difference and I couldn't believe how much better I felt each day. Getting up and down stairs and in and out of bed is painful for the first 2-3 days (but not impossible!) and then gets easier. Keep on top of your pain killers, get lots of rest, and try to do a little bit of moving around regularly for the first few days, and after that you'll be flying it. I'd imagine you might heal even quicker after a planned c section as you won't have expended a pile of energy on labour. Basically, it's not exactly a walk in the park but it's very manageable and nothing to be too sacred about. If I have another I'll have a planned c section without hesitation! Good luck

I've had 2 emergency sections including one after 75 hours of back labour, pushing and failed forceps. Dc1 I got up 5 hours after and got dressed. Was walking to Nicu within 24 hours and had no pain killers post theatre. Dc2 I got up as soon as I got a postnatal bed, had a shower and went home the next day. The day after that we went out for lunch. By the end of week 2 I was doing the 3 mile preschool trip with the pram. Again I didn't take or need pain killers post theatre.

We live in a house with 2 and a half flights of stairs. No problems here. For getting out of bed, roll sideways and up rather than a sit up. Dc1 was harder due to being in Nicu but I changed his nappies, lifted him out of the incubator etc. Dc2 I didn't need any help with at all.

I think it's very variable but I was 37 with dc1 and almost 41 with dc2 and I literally bounced back.

I had a planned c section. The spinal worked REALLY well, and I couldn't actually get up until the next day. The horses helped a lot with the baby, passing him to me to feed etc..

At home, I didn't have any help really. Getting up from the armchair was the worst. Oh and the walk to the car from the hospital because "D" H ignored me when I asked him to use the pick up bays.

Anyway, it wasn't bad, I went for a slow walk when ds was 1 week old. I felt pretty much normal by 3 weeks.

I was fine after my section, it in a lot of pain as I took the painkillers I was given. The wound itself felt very securely “mended” and had a good dressing on which was changed by the midwife, I was a bit scared of bending and getting up out of bed but took it slowly and I was able to do most things. I had a changing unit for my dd so didnt need to go on the floor kneeling etc.
My dad was born with a vaginal delivery. I had an episiotomy stitches swelling and could t sit down for days afterwards. I wished I’d had the section second time around.
Good luck you’ll be just fine. 💝

• wasn’t I a lot of pain

• My ds was born by vaginal delivery

Damn autocorrect.

I had a planned section. I was up and walking the same day. Dc was in NICU so I don't know if I could have picked up up a newborn that night but a few days later I was able to do everything. A week later I was able to do stairs and was driving at 3 weeks.

I had an emcs, was kept in bed for first 3 days as I was in high dependency & had catheter, drips & drains, everything was removed at the end of the third day. I was told not to bend over, walk as straight as I could. I went home 4 days after my section, was driving 2 weeks after. Make sure you have a stock of co-codamol & Ibuprofen, take some with you & have a stock for when you come home. Drink lots of fluids & rest as much as you can.

I found my recovery from a planned c section was 100 times easier/less painful than my recovery from a vaginal birth (forceps, tear, episiotomy). Long term I have less consequences too. It's not pleasant but you cope.

I was honestly fine. There was an odd tingling and numbness for ages but I dont remember any pain?
I know when I was getting out of bed I had to do a stealth roll other than sit up or twist.
It does vary a lot from one person to another but i think i was up and about the next day and going on short walks within a few days.
Have you got a bit of help in case you di struggle?
Ffs, people love scaring pregnant women with their 'anecdotes'. Tell them you don't want to hear it!
I've got lots of friends who had c-sections, can't think of any major issues.
Hope it all goes well!

The recovery was east enough that I actually googled 'when does a c section start to hurt'. Perhaps because I kept up with my painkillers obsessively, the pain never really came. It was ouchy getting up and down for 48 hours, but every time it got easier. By day 3 I was walking painlessly up and down the stairs as normal (though I didn't carry baby up the stairs for about a week).

Within that first week I was able to go shopping, go on day trips, cook meals, entertain friends, chase my toddler round the garden, change nappies on the floor etc. It was genuinely fine.i recovered far faster than most friends with vaginal births did, AND I didn't have the pain of labour. It was perfect.

I had an EMCS with DS and recovery was honestly fine. I remember being quite sore for the first few days and only being able to take really small steps/shuffle along. Getting into the car to come home from the hospital (discharged after 24 hours) was also really tough, but apart from that I was absolutely fine.

Definitely recommend keeping on top of pain meds as a PP suggested, but I found the most painful thing in the early days was the swelling in my legs post surgery, I ended up wearing flip flops in January as they were the only shoes I had that still fit my feet It all went back to normal within a week or so though and I was back to driving (after ok'ing with the GP) after 2 weeks and felt fine.

Oh and the tingling/numbness was intermittent and moves around, think that's fairly normal but nothing to worry about.

I think most people find there is quite a steep recovery curve. As in, even if you feel dreadful in say 1, you'll probably be feeling much much better by day 3, and much better than that by day 5.

I've had an EMCS and an ELCS with some minor complications including a high blood loss and an extra incision in my uterus, so both times my recovery was a little tougher than a straightforward ELCS.

Both absolutely fine. I was quite sore in the early days with both, but never in real pain if that makes sense. As others have alluded to, remember there's no pain free way to have a baby.

Keep on top of your painkillers, don't wait for pain to start to take them, and if they're not working ask for something stronger. I had no problems looking after the baby either time, although had a lot of help from the staff in the hospital for the first 24 hours each time.

Make sure your partner is supportive and realises you will need as much rest as is possible with a new baby - ie they need to be doing all the housework, cooking, shopping etc.

You'll be fine, honestly. Good luck!

The wonderful thing about a section is that people are more likely to help you, and will feel more comfortable often asking if you are ok/need help.

Basically, everyone who knows you had a section will be aware you have a tummy wound, whereas your FIL is less likely to know, let alone ask ' how are you feeling with your tear in your clitoris and tear all the way to your butt hole' so they are more likely to assume you're fine and give you less help.

I had a planned section two years ago and the recovery really isn't as bad as the horror stories you hear! Please don't be worried.
Best way to describe it is, everything is just slower. Walking is slower, getting in and out of bed is slower.
Make sure you take it easy, don't overdo it and keep on top of your meds is my best advice.
I wrote down on a piece of paper when all my meds were due so I could keep on top of them and take them before the previous ones wore off so there was never any pain.
Good luck, you'll be fine

The best advice in my opinion which pp have said also is to keep taking all the pain relief you are offered. I had a tear also with my first and the pain from that was a lot worse than my c section pain which actually I don't remember being significant at all. I do remember having to remove the dressing pad in the shower the day after but I don't think that was sore...again, lots of pain relief helped.
Don't carry heavy stuff and take it easy on the stairs but it's really not bad at all. Oh and ask your driver to go very slow in the car if you have speed bumps on your road..all the best

I had no issues recovering from my scheduled section.

I had a baby in NICU and was determined to walk to visit her. She was born at 4pm and I walked to NICU at 9pm.

Make sure you take your pain killers and get up as soon as possible and stay mobile.

I had an EMCS and the recovery was fine, I did stay in hospital for six days which probably helped (kept in because DS was not putting weight - nothing to do with the CS) but I was able to walk around and hardly any pain. As soon as I got home I was 'totally normal', hosted friends for dinner the first night home . And I was over 40 and certainly not 'fit' before the CS.

@imjustbxx

Thank you all for your replies it really helped :) Did anyone struggle getting into and out of bed or walking up and down stairs. Also I heard someone tell me one time about like something they put over the wound which is really painful to take of and you have to do it in the shower or something???? I don't know I've heard a lot of bad things from friends and stuff

I don’t have problems with stairs or bed, but our bed is really high.

The waffle dressings are really cool! You can shower with them on. I don’t remember it coming off, so can’t have been painful. I was in hospital 2 weeks though so one of the midwives must have done it.