C section recovery experiences?

[m00ngirl]

Hi, I hope to hear other ladies' experiences please. I've just had an emergency C section for my first birth 24h ago, and just got home thank god - I feel like shit though, v painful and so vulnerable- hard getting up, sitting down, walking, and I felt leaving the hospital that if anyone bumped into my stomach it'd be beyond excruciating, or if someone (wouldn't happen, just saying!) wanted to just take the baby there'd be literally nothing I could do about it. I can't cough, the idea of shitting or sneezing or vomiting (I can react badly to painkillers) terrifies me.

Obviously ive just had major surgery so I'm not expecting to be sprinting but can someone please tell me if this part of recovery lasts like a day or three or a week so I can mentally prepare?

Luckily have a great DH on hand to help - could be so much worse!

I got fully dilated without intervention / anything other than a bit of gas before we had to do multiple interventions resulting in C section - am generally quite tough - but really want to feel more able asap, with my new job as a Mum especially!

Thanks 🙏

The part you are describing lasted around 5 days for me. Sneezing laughing etc were all uncomfortable for a while longer but not painful, as was getting up and down but everything just got gradually easier. I was walking outside within a week

I also went all the way to pushing and then had a c section after 30 hours! I felt like I’d been run over by a truck but in hindsight I think I was so exhausted everything was worse. My advice today and tomorrow is rest rest rest, sleep as much as you possibly can while the baby is still in that sleepy brand new stage. Alternate between ibruprofen and paracetamol every 2 hours, you want to stay on top of the pain.

When you get out of bed you need to roll to your side, then slowwwwly push up to sitting with your legs coming over the side of the bed. Go to standing a little bent over to the side still, then take your time to get fully upright. This was painful for about 4 days then only was a bit sore when I was first stood straight, then it settled. I was sore for a week then it was more sore if I did too much. After about 3 weeks I was walking around with the pram and pretty much fine.

If you need to cough, sneeze or whatever then give yourself an illusion of security by wrapping an arm over your wound. It won’t help, but it feels better

All I can say about the first poo is that it’s an experience. LOTS of water, give yourself plenty of time, a stool can help, don’t push or strain and if you feel like it would help you can hold a maternity pad over your wound. May the odds be ever in your favour.

Congratulations and enjoy your baby!

It gets better very, very quickly and by day 3 you should be feeling more like yourself. Please take things very easy and give yourself time to heal.

I found the constipation and nipple pain far worse. I actually had to remind myself that I'd had the c section as it was by far the least of my worries and pain!

I found by day 10 I was feeling much, much better and was able to drive after 2 weeks although I didn't as I hate driving and used it as an excuse not to have to!

The first poo is horrible but get some lactulose syrup, it helped so much. I really wish I'd known that after my first labour, that was traumatising

Thank you all so much for the great advice and experiences 🙏🙏🙏 - extremely helpful practical advice and for me to mentally prepare (let alone eat lightly / prepare for this pooing situation 🫠 may god help me..!)

I agree with other posters, you'll feel better very quickly, in a matter of days. Do take the laxatives that they sent you home with though!

I had an emergency c section for high blood pressure 3 years ago and honestly I think the worst part of recovery was the sleep deprivation from a cluster feeding newborn - I don't recall terrible pain or difficult first poo etc. The c section wound and healing all went well and couldn't have asked for better but it would have been nice if my son had spent at least ONE night in his next to me/cot 🫣

Can only speak from helping dd recover from a recent c-section but for about ten days or so she needed help getting out of the shower (shower within a bath) as she was a bit weak and wobbly. And sometimes would just fall into a deep sleep on the sofa while I took care of newborn and toddler.
She found the constipation awful. I think it was several weeks before that went back to normal.
She did bounce back really quickly then, as did her friend who also had a recent c-section but they are only 20 and 21 which may be a factor!
First pregnancy wasn’t a c section but dd had mastitis a week or two later which made her feel pretty poorly.

Actually not just getting out of the shower, now thinking back, it was rinsing her hair etc as well.
She needed me to do most of the cooking, washing and washing up for those first few weeks.

I had 4. I think the first 72 hours are quite tough but then things start to feel better. I echo the pp who said to sleep as much as you can, sleep is a good healer.
Oh and I didn’t find my first poos post section to be bad!

I got stool softeners for the first poop but tbh it was actually fine! Something to lean on to help you get on and off the toilet is good though!

I really tried to evenly space my painkillers across the day to keep on top of the pain, if it wore off a bit then it was harder to get it under control and you can end up chasing pain. So make sure to keep on top of it, I had to set alarms to remind myself when to take them.

I also found at times I felt very weak and sore and vulnerable and when I was like that I really just needed to go to bed and try to sleep for a bit and let my ex take care of ds. I limited my visitors to help with this and by 7.30pm I knew I'd feel that way and need to lie down so made sure I didn't have visitors after that time so I could rest.

When my dressings came off I did struggle with infections but that was my fault for trying to lift my carseat with ds in it at an appointment on my own. I overdid it and my wound reopened. It's better to under do it and properly recover than push yourself and it take longer. Airing the wound is also really good for healing and I would have tried to give it 10min air time 3 or 4 times a day. Again, I found that really hard to do but it was the only thing that really helped get rid of the infection in the end up.

Eat well, take your vitamins and basically treat it like you've just had major abdominal surgery- because you have.

Congratulations on your little one!!