How to get back to fitness after c-section

[Mamabear04]

I had a c-section with my first baby and I found the recovery really hard. I'm a very active person and when the midwives told me I need to keep walking I took it literally and was out walking to my local shop (down a small hill) within 3 days of getting home. I continued like this pushing through the pain. My wound healed really quickly and well but it honestly felt like it took me 6 months to feel normal rather than 6 weeks. I definitely think I did too much too soon. Im going to attempt a vbac with DC2 in 3 months but just been told my baby is traverse so now have to contemplate another c-section but this time looking after a 2.8year old toddler too. I love running, climbing and hillwalking but I've been maintaining my fitness on the crosstrainer/hill walking while pregnant so looking to return to regular exercise but this time more cautiously in the hope the recover is shorter....

Can you tell me how you recovered from your c-section? How much walking did you do in the beginning? How much did you rest? When did you venture outside the house? How far did you go? When did you start lifting older children? Did you massage your scar? Did you do any physio exercises? What were they? How often? When did you start exercising again and what did you do? Tell me everything!!!!

I did a 6 week postnatal pilates course after both my CSs. After the first I waited about 2-3months amd it was fine. After the 2nd I started it at 6 weeks post, and it was too soon in hindsight. But it was still the best way tp get those muscles back on track. Other than that, just doing everyday lifting of baby, walking pushing a pram etc - I felt that was sufficient. I started properly exercising (running etc) after a few months. But I'm not a mad keen exerciser so was happy to take things easy

I had an awful experience first time round. My wound took 5 months to close and I couldn't do much for AGES!

The second time however I did couch to 5k when baby was 5 months old. I'd been out walking lots before that too. I had a just turned 3yo who I lifted in about 4 weeks I think. Only stuff like floor to knee, not like up the stairs or anything.
I didn't scar massage. I left it alone as much as possible. Washed once a day and dried properly.

I rested quite a bit, but went out every day with 3yo after the first 4 weeks. I was driving by 4 weeks with no issues. Lockdown then hit so we didn't go to groups but still went for walks every day.

I'd had SPD so had become more and more immobile through pregnancy to the point that in the final month, I could only leave the house if I was driven door to door so my fitness was destroyed anyway. Add in a long labour, EMCS and other complications that put me in HDU and I wasn't on my best form!

At about 10 days post birth, I started with using my walking poles to walk 100m along the road and back and off to bed to recover. I built up a little bit each day to walking 2 miles at around 8wks. At 6wks I added in a postnatal pilates DVD. At 10wks I joined a buggy fitness class and at 6m a regular fitness class.

It took about 3m to stop feeling a bit "fragile" and 6m to feel ready for regular intensity classes.

With DS2, I had a VBAC but painful birth injury upsetting the SPD. At 3m I was still struggling with basic function and ended up going to an osteopath. At about 5m, I stopped limping, and at 6m took up C25k.