Elective C section recovery quicker than emcs?

[iwantitnow]

I'm due an elective in under 2 weeks time for my second child. My DD is 2.3. I've hired a postnatal doula to help out for6 weeks after the op, I met her again yesterday. To my surprise and disappointment in week 3 she can't help that much, which is when DH goes back to work and DD is at pre-school for the last week before the Easter break. From my EMCS last time I remember when DH returned to work I just limited myself to the ground floor and the sofa, stairs were still quite hard in that third week.

Will I have recovered enought by week 3 to push a double buggy to/from pre-school (10mins walk) - I think not, just started so don't know many other mums at pre-school. DD doesn't nap any more and I don't think I can cope without much help in the third week - can get DH to take time off work but that was the point of the doula...

Did you recover quicker the second time? Am I stressing over nothing?

Every woman, every birth is different.

I had an em cs and was discharged 12 hours later. I had no painkillers and though I took it easy was fine to walk a couple of miles a week later, was doing cooking and light housework within a couple of days. I was lucky.

There is nothing to say that if I had a vaginal delivery or el cs next time I wouldn't be hobbling about 6 weeks later and still in pain.

All that said, I think there are things you can do to maximise your chances of a quick recovery. You know to look after yourself and take it easy, but move around soon after the op and make sure you're up and doing stuff little and often. This helps a lot. Take arnica, eat well, ask for help where needed.

Do you have other family who could come and help?

I bet if you asked, some of the mothers would be all too happy to help. Even if they come and meet you at the door and push your buggy for you and you walk alongside.

I have had an emcs and planned cs. I recovered much faster with the planned cs.

emcs - morphine, voltarol in hospital for 3 days. Voltarol & paracetamol at home for next 3 weeks. Felt like crap for about 5 weeks.

planned cs - Only on paracetamol by day 3 (even then it wasn't the full dose) and stopped that at day 10.

But after the planned cs I literally sat on my backside and behaved like a diva for the 2 weeks that DP was off work. I wanted to get myself strong again to be able to keep up with 2yo DS once DP was back at work. My parents were able to pop round in the day for a few weeks after that just to amuse DS and give me a break. But physically I was in pretty good shape after 2 weeks, you will probably be suprised how much better you feel with this one. I will add that the house was a tip for ages as I only looked after the DC's for a few weeks. Forget the housework for a while.

Yes, generally you recover much quicker after a plannned cs than an emergency one. My 2 (one emergency, the second planned) were radically different.

In week 3 after the planned cs I could have walked 10 minutes with a double buggy with no problems. But everyone is different, so play it by ear and don't beat yourself up if you don't feel up to it.