I had a CS six days ago and still feel whacked out - when will I start to feel "normal" again?

[Cocodrillo]

I'm getting so frustrated watching the house go to pot around my ears, and the two-year-old keeps bouncing around and nearly jumping on my wound. I feel like I'm neglecting my four-year-old, I've barely seen her since the op. My feet are really swollen, I've got a massive purple bruise across my abdomen and I feel wiped out.

oh no, sounds terrible. Do you have much help? I know I was wacked out for about 2-3 weeks, but my friend who had a GA wa a good 6 weeks. Take it easy. If you have vistors get them to help with house. Do your LO watch Tv at all? If so all snuggle down on sofa with quilt and have a quiet pm.
Hope you feel on the mend soon but dont do too much.

Only six days ago?! I'm amazed you have the energy to post on here.

It does get better, honestly - six days is very, very early in the healing process. The least of your worries is the house going to pot. FWIW, I had incredibly swollen feet and ankles post cs (and while pg); a couple of weeks post-cs, I had a few lovely nights of sweating non-stop, whereupon my feet returned to normal!

ohh you have my sympathies, it took me a week to be able to walk upright rather than that hunched over waddle. but by two weeks i felt pretty normal and took dd to visit santa. by 4 weeks i would have driven had i been allowed. i did get a cleaner for the first 6 weeks just to take the pressure off to avoid the temtation of doing the ironing!

I am 3 weeks post cs and just about feeling back to normal. My feet were more swollen post op than they ever were in pregnancy, they have gone back to normal now.

My house is a pit! It does my head in but you must take it easy or you will take longer to recover. Try and take a nap every day - I know that's easier said than done when you have just had no 2 or in my case no 3 but I do try and put my feet up as much as possible.

oh yeah my feet were massive due to high blood pressure, but after some mighty long wees i looked at photos two weeks apart and realised id gone down!

thanks for the replies.

Friends had implied that I'd feel fine within days, I think they meant it in a well-meaning way, but it's just making me feel inadequate!

Good God! I had a fab planned cs and still didn't feel that great after 6 days. I did stop paracetamol at day 10, but I had done absolutely nothing in that time to allow me to recover. Can you get some help and put your feet up and rest?

Cocodrillo I felt crap for ages and have still got a dead spot halfway up my back almost 2 years later. It is down to you. I felt very inadequate in hospital as only managed to get to visit DS in SCBU in a wheelchair for days then using wheelchair as zimmer for a few days after that. It took almost a week before I could walk from my room to SCBU without support. During this time people who had had sections after me had overtaken me on the walk there and were on there way back as I was still on my way.

Don't beat yourself up about it. I did and felt crap about myself. My MW told me that as I was an emergency section as well they would be more concerned with getting baby out than my recovery (quite rightly) so may have been rougher say than with a planned section.

Try to get your feet up a bit, even if this is when you are in bed by putting a pillow under them. Let the house go to rack and ruin and get your strength back then tackle the house. Do you have anyone who can help a little nearby?

You have had major abdominal surgery and people who think it is the quick and easy way to give birth are IMO disillusioned.
Take care and hope you are feeling better soon.

Coco - I didn't get out of hospital until five days after my emcsec and I couldn't walk without pain for more than two weeks. I think everyone's different and some sections are probably a bit 'rougher' and therefore harder to recover from than others! I was up and going on the train to meet friends after about four weeks though.

I also remember being completely constipated by the painkillers I was given and not being able to wear any knickers because the wound was so painful! It did get a lot better - and quite quickly. Hope that helps.