Struggling Post Csection ...

[Lunamoon23]

Hello.

I have a planned Cesarean due to baby being breech, I'm now 9days pp and I'm seriously struggling.
If I'm doing anything other than sitting/lying in bed, I'm so uncomfortable and in pain. I'm not incapacitated by any means. I am able to do most things albeit a lot slower and careful, but my DH is doing 99% of stuff. But even showering/getting dressed I'm struggling with, as I just feel sore.

I've been out of the house 3 times, twice for hospital appointments, because they couldn't accommodate home visits and once to go to DH work to introduce baby boy but I stayed sat in the car with baby.
When walking I have to walk at a snail pace as anything quicker feels like it's pulling my incision.
I've had the incision checked twice, once at the appointment when my dressing was removed, 4 days ago and again yesterday by a midwife and they've all been really pleased with how it looks. It doesn't look angry or red, no weeping, no openings. But I'm ultra aware of anything touching it. I'm wearing high waited cotton underwear and even the fabric touching it makes me feel icky.

I was sent home 26 hours after birth with just paracetamol and ibuprofen although I did request stronger but was scoffed at and told it isn't routinely given. My sister did get me some paracetamol and codeine from the pharmacy but unable to take due to breastfeeding.

I don't really know the point in this post, I think I'm just seeking reassurance it will and does get better.
I think I naively thought a week pp id be feeling almost normal again after reading so many threads on here of women who've bounced back so quickly. I did everything I'd read that was recommended to aid recovery, moving frequently, standing straight, getting in and out of bed tips, pain medication, wound care etc etc. but I still feel like my recovery is stagnant. I wake up everyday in hopes I'll feel better but it barely does.
Granted, I feel considerably better from days 1-5, where I struggled to even sit and stand off the toilet unaided.

I'm just feeling abit defeated and depleted. It's exhausting being in pain constantly and feeling so inadequate while caring for a baby. Which, I'm managing to do just fine, albeit from my bed/bedroom. I just want to be able to fully embrace being a mum and enjoying my time doing so rather than feeling like this. I was so hoping that come Christmas Day I'd be feeling considerably better but being 4 days away it seems unlikely. Thankfully I'm not hosting or anything. I only have to travel to my grandparents and the rest will be taken care of, and they'll be lots of family there so I won't have to lift a finger I'm sure.

The pain I'm feeling it above the incision, my stomach feels very tender and bruised. I get burning sensations in the incision itself and a pulling sensation. And just feel generally a-bit battered and bruised.

But when did you start to notice a drastic change in the discomfort and pain?

Agree with this if you’re still in pain, OP. I had an ELCS 6 weeks ago because DS was breech and I set alarms on my phone to take paracetamol and ibuprofen religiously (paracetamol every six and ibuprofen every eight? I can’t remember now, but I took the max dose of both for the 24 hours) for at leas lt 2 weeks.

I was also discharged with 10 days of dihydrocodeine (sp?), which I took once a day to take the edge off as well.

Please ask your GP about stronger pain relief if you need it. CS surgery and recovery is no joke. Please do take care, enjoy your lovely new baby and your first Christmas together!

Are you taking your painkillers on a 24hr schedule? I read that its much easier to keep on top of pain than get rid of it in the first place, so you shouldn't be letting it 'run out'. I was exceptionally lucky in that I didn't have any pain, but I set alarms day and night for pain medication in case it started hurting. Whether that contributed to it never hurting, or I just got lucky, who knows, but I've used the same tactic with things like back pain and it seems to help.

I know setting an alarm at night seems horrific when you have a newborn, but if it potentially means getting on top of pain, it's probably worth it.

Hope you feel better soon.

Doctors wouldn’t send me home with anything stronger either, in fact they said if they have me oramorph I’d have to stay in!

Anyway, I remember everyone saying I’d feel a bit better at three weeks and it seemed unimaginable at two weeks, but suddenly I did. Not back to normal, but a lot better. By six weeks I still wasn’t back to normal but didn’t have pain. And now I am fitter and stronger than before! It does just gradually improve and then one day you look back and time has flown and you can’t imagine how you used to feel.

What?
You had c section less than 10 days ago and you already went to your DHs job for them to see a baby?
That is just idiotic plan.
No one needs to see a newborn.
Your DH can take baby there once it is like 6mo old and able not to brastfeed or cry without mum for like 2 hours.

Also, paracetamol and ibuprofen mix well so you can just take 2 para and after 4h 2 ibu, and rotate it. It should cover you.

@fungear I wholeheartedly agree with you. Infact, I've said exactly this several times to friends and family since having the Caesarean. My husband had a small op on his leg earlier this year, nothing major, basically to remove a bursitis on his knee. He was signed off work for 6 weeks, given crutches and given adequate pain medication. My step dad had a hernia repair a couple months before my csection, via keyhole. Same thing.. I was expected to be out of bed 8 hours post surgery and they were trying to get me in the shower (I refused)

I did ask for stronger pain medication, it was refused. Not 'the standard' apparently.

Thankfully, today I feel like I've turned a slight corner (day 11) so hopefully I'm coming out the other side. Still very tender below the belly button, i feel very bruised, but in being able to move about a little easier with less pain 🤞🏼🤞🏼 it's been really reassuring to hear though I've not been alone in finding recovery much harder than some. Has made me feel alot less inadequate and patient with myself. X

Yeah I’m also really shocked about the DH work thing!!

Just to clarify about the trip to DH work. Me and baby stayed in the car, nobody held baby etc. he had to go in to tie up some loose ends before Christmas and I was desperate to get a little fresh air and out the house for half an hour, even if sat in the car. Being couped up inside constantly isn't great for my mental health. I don't really see the issue with it? Many women who give birth are out and about the day after. And many lucky women who have c sections are out and about much sooner than I've been. Other than that outing and the two hospital visits I haven't left the house in 11 days.

It took me 5 months to recover from my c-section. It was awful. I definitely couldn't have gone out in a car so soon. I remember going to visit family at 4-weeks and it was horrific. I was in so much pain. You really don't realise how much you use your tummy muscles just to sit up in a car!

It's very early days for you, but I agree with what everyone else is saying. You need stronger and more pain killers.

I got an infection in my scar at day 14 so keep an eye on yours.