C-Section recovery

[Stargazer87]

Any tips on c-section recovery and things I should/shouldn't be doing? I had an emergency section this week and feel that I was told very little when discharged from hospital...

Congratulations! You need to rest as much as you can and take your painkillers when they are due, not when you think you need them. Loose fitting clothing helps. Do you have any particular questions? It might take a while for you to feel better but you'll get there. Watch out for scar infection/irritation too.

Very large pants that don't ride down and rub your scar.
Plenty of water and as much rest as you can. Get your DP to do most things including the house work! If you want to feed or cuddle your baby get DP to lift him for you and give him to you.
Do a little walk around the house a few times a day too to keep you from ceasing up.
Every day gets easier and if you heal well then you will find you've come on loads within a week and feel so much better after two weeks.
I felt relatively 'normal' within two weeks and was driving after 4 weeks.
Do not lift anything other than your baby. When you start food shopping again, get your DP to lift the bags or get a family member or friend to do it for you.
I hoovered after 3 weeks and it was a huge mistake!

I was wondering how much I can be doing around the house etc. I've heard the don't lift anything heavier than your baby thing but then I've also had someone say I shouldn't even be lifting the kettle?! Can I be pottering around doing a bit of tidying up if I feel up to it?

Keep up with the painkillers and don't do too much because you'll then feel really sore later. Bending, lifting, even pushing pram all felt fine while doing them but left me crippled later.
I could cook / make myself a brew, but not lift pram or car seat, bend over to bath or change baby so did everything on changing table. You'll put a lot of strain on your back with your core muscles being cut so be mindful of what you're doing.

Rest as much as you can, air the wound, keep it clean and wear big knickers and dresses / high waists for a couple of weeks. You will get back to normal in 4-6 weeks. It feels like a lifetime when you're recovering though.

You can potter if you feel up to it but do be careful - I kept feeling fine and doing things and then suddenly hitting a wall and going grey. You do need to spend a lot of time resting.

It helps to air dry your scar after a shower or even blow dry with a hairdryer on a low setting - you want it absolutely dry before you put your clothes on, and I found that a lot more comfortable than drying with a towel.

Take your painkillers on schedule, don’t wait to be in pain.

An ice pack or even a small pillow pressed against your scar when you need to cough or sneeze helps the pain a lot!

@Stargazer87 you can potter about if you want but I really wouldn't bother in your first week. Y house looked like a bomb had gone off the first two weeks as DH is crap with house work (though he did try his best bless him) so I just gave up and waited until I could.
Get DP to give you a back massage whilst sitting up too. Being hun he's over cus you can't stand up straight wrecks tour back!
It all sounds horrific but you will be surprised how quickly you will be back on your feet if you just take it easy.
Congratulations on baby and happy healing!

Hunched not hun! 🤦🏻‍♀️

Had an ELCS on Tuesday after EMCS two years ago. Physio told me only lift baby or a a kettle with enough water for myself to start with. Also things like loading the washing machine and dish washer are bad because of the heights they tend to be at. Hoovering, a definite no no (I'm really having to resist the urge!). Gentle walking is good. I definitely did too much last time, and even though recovery was ok I'm trying to properly rest this time. Keep on top of pain relief and really try to not do anything other than change and feed baby for a good couple of weeks to really allow your body time to recover. It has been through the mill! Congratulations!!

Laxatives/suppositories. Trying to poo afterwards is the worst. Hospitals are really really frugal with these, so make sure to have your own. It makes it so much easier.

It really depends on what sort of person you are (or whether you like being active) and your general level of fitness.

I had an emcs with Ds1, discharged myself the next day and was out sorting our chickens the day after that because I can't stand being stuck inside. I was fine doing light housework straight away, ok with stairs but found the 10min walk to the shop on day 4 too much (I made it home fine but was knackered for the rest of the day).

I know other people who couldn't manage stairs and were flat out for 4-6 weeks.

Listen to your body and take everything slower than normal so you have chance to recognise if you're overdoing it.

I had to have a very blunt conversation with a midwife and HV who thought I should be in bed giving myself injections to prevent DVT (and who were pressuring DH) I basically told them I would do what I wanted/felt up to and if my husband tried to prevent me then I would do it while he was asleep which would mean he wouldn't be able to help or limit how much I was doing.

I'm 3 weeks into recovery and still taking things easy, helped by a sympathetic partner. Painkillers are great but remember they are masking the pain, so don't over do it. I was given a list of things and how many weeks I should wait before doing them which was useful guide for me and reminder to my partner that I had major surgery.
Build nest for yourself on sofa with remote, muslin, water, mobile, tablet all with in hands reach and cushions that allow you to be reasonably upright as it helps with feeding and when you need to get up. I also have foot stool to put feet up.I also have my nest in bed, with charger cables within easy reach, headphones for watching programme while she settles, water, a night light that dims, muslin and box of biscuits for snacking on during night. I also have two breast feeding cushions, one upstairs and one down. This has helped me protect my scar. I utilised a pair of partners boxer shorts first week so I could stick a sanitary pad on them to provide more cushioning to scar. be kind to yourself, there are no medals given out for being super mum and you need the rest when you can get it.