C-section - now can't move?

[movingmelly]

I had an unplanned c section on Tuesday, spent one eve on ward and then they sent me home. Thing is, I can't move!
I can't lift myself up from a lying down position, I am totally reliant on husband for looking after the baby and doing everything else. When I move at all it's truly searing agony, and I can't look after the baby in any way.

I didn't know it was going to be like this - is this normal? I feel like I've had a really bad reaction to it and all my abdominal muscles are destroyed. I can shuffle walk once I'm upright, but to become upright need lifting by my husband. Is this normal?
A bit worried they've missed something, can anyone advise?

If you are in so much pain and unable to do any aspect of parenting after taking your pain relief I would contact your midwife (assuming she is visiting regularly) or assessment unit or GP.
You have had major abdominal surgery and they advice to continue to move around (but not overdo it) but as you've described your in agony I would get some advice x

I didn't sleep lying down but was propped up for a few days. I also only took paracetamol but I think you can have stronger pain relief.

I recall a woman on my ward who wanted to go home the day after a c section. Her consultant came to her and explained than an equivalent 'open' surgery would be a 5 day stay in hospital.

People recover from surgery at different rates (in the same way people can have very different labours), but I would trust your gut feeling and call your GP or even the ward you were in, and explain the situation.

I was the same after mine, so painful. I am always at posters who say they were completely fine on day 4 - I was in hospital for 3 nights and had a catheter in for 48 hours.
I slept sitting up as I couldn't get up otherwise and yes, I did the old person shuffley walk at 45°. It gets better! We went out out for a walk around the block when dc was about 8 days old, I did NOT think that would happen so soon, but you do improve quite quickly as long as you are really careful not to overdo it.

Our hospital policy is if the woman is up and moving around they can be discharged, whether this is the day after or a number of days after. I think if you feel unable to cope, definitely phone. There are options for pain relief and it sounds like just some extra advice and reassurance could help too.

I agree with PPs that pain for a few days and struggling to get up by yourself is normal but to me yours sounds worse than that. I think contact your midwives/GP in case you may need additional pain meds or something? Or maybe need the scar checking etc.

I recall a woman on my ward who wanted to go home the day after a c section. Her consultant came to her and explained than an equivalent 'open' surgery would be a 5 day stay in hospital.

I was sent on my way the next day with paracetamol, very normal in lots of hospitals. I have had equivalent open surgery & was in for 5 days & had morphine so it was a bit of a shock.

I remember the feeling and needed me husband to lift me up every time. He did most of the baby carrying for the first week or two, just brought him to me to feed. I think it was about a week until I could move at all from a sitting or lying position Things will get easier soon! Take it easy

This does sound very normal. I didn't find it quite as hard as you but two of my friends did. I just kept taking ibuprofen and paracetamol together every 4 hours during the day. I found this took the edge off the pain and made it more manageable.

SEEK HELP.
Yes it could well be normal...

But excruciating pain on any movement could also indicate that there is something wrong.

Mumsnet can not diagnose that.

I had an emergency c-section in September and I was very much the same!

Let your husband do everything! If you eat beans on toast for dinner for a week that fine. If the house is a tip then that's fine too. Don't rush having to get up to do everything as your recovery will take longer. My midwife told me that I shouldn't lift anything heavier than a cup of tea or baby for 8 weeks! Take the time and enjoy the new baby cuddles! In 4 months time (and it does go in the blink of an eye!) they won't want to cuddle for more than 5 minutes before wanting to play and you'll miss those squishes!

Congratulations!

I think after any abdominal surgery it's hard to move from lying down to sitting up, or getting out of bed.

I had gallbladder surgery recently, much smaller op than a c section, and DH had to help me sit up or go from sitting to standing for a few days. Even walking to the toilet was a challenge. It took me a good week to be able to sit up easily on my own.

I pretty much stayed in bed non stop and had my meals on trays.

tbh I took the recovery as an opportunity to chill & spent most of the first 2 wks in bed just bf on demand. I was fortunate that I had lots of family support & dh to help with other dc/household.

The first two days were like this for me but I was in hospital for 5. Some women on the ward recovered faster, many slower. Definitely seek medical advice if you are worried.

Some of this thread terrifies me, I may have to have c-section for breech baby but not being able to sit up or push a Pram 😮 how the hell do people manage when they all ready have kids? My husband can do childcare cook and clean but nurse an invalid too, it's a lot for one person!

inthe a planned CS is easier in my experience. If you rest and stay in pjs it will let your body heal up that first week or two.
People that have older kids just stick cbeebies on all day for a while .

All mine were c-sections for different reasons. I found rolling sideways out of bed rather than trying to sit straight up was easier. Less strain on your stomach muscles while they heal. Go steady with household tasks. Squat to pick things up. Use things around you to push yourself up with rather than trying to do it unaided. Oh and when you're in the bath and you want to get out, get over onto your knees first and then stand up from that position.

As for looking after other DC whilst recovering, you just have to make it work!

@InTheFamilyTree I already had a toddler, it’s doable and not usually for more than a day or two. You don’t need much nursing, it’s just that moving around is uncomfortable.

@InTheFamilyTree I had a planned c-section and didn't have any real pain at all. Achey and uncomfortable, yes, but not burning agony. I HATED the blood thinner injections so opted to get up and walk around the ward as it hurt less.

I was walking to the supermarket and doing light shopping with the pram about 10 days later and walking round the corner to the coffee shop within a week.

Definitely do the sideways roll out of bed. Don’t still on very sofa chairs and sofas as they are impossible to get up from.
If you’ve been taking paracetamol every 6 hours and ibuprofen every 8 hours and are still in agony ask for other pain relief. I was fine if I took the paracetamol and ibuprofen regularly but it was agony if I didn’t. CS recovery is hard.

little-dreams.co.uk/products/3-in-1-postpartum-recovery-belt?variant=31153255481379&currency=GBP&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag
I used a very similar product to this after my c-section. Had very little pain though still did that roll thing to sit up/get out of bed.
Hope you feel better soon...

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Please speak to your doctor, it's early days but they can give you better pain meds to help get you through it and check you for signs of infection. I ended up being referred to emergency gynae clinic who were amazing, don't suffer unnecessarily! I had a terrible time of it and really feel for you.

Had my second csection in August last year. Was home just over 24 hours later (compared to a week in hospital with my first) and I struggled to even get in and out the bed that first night! Looking back I probably shouldn’t have been home but I was quite emotional insisting I was discharged. I ended up back in hospital the next day with complications and stayed for 4 days, by the time I was discharged for the second time home I was in much less pain and able to actually get in and out the bed! Took a mixture of brufen paracetamol and dihyrdocodine for the first week which helped

That fies not sound normal to me. I've had two, snd was up and about two days later, though eith my second had a drain amd a bad back (nothing to do with birth i had injured it a few days before), so struggled to walk.
While your recovery will be different, I think agonising pain is something to be investigated.

Hi, when I had c sections with 2 of my DS around 30 years ago I stayed in hospital for 5 days! It's a major op you need plenty of time to recover so take all the help you can and take it easy x