C-section recovery slow

[Daisy453]

Hello,

I'm looking for some advice from fellow c-section mums regarding recovery. I'm nearly 5 weeks post operation and I just feel like my recovery is so slow.

The incision area looks totally fine but it is still a bit tender but the main issue is my whole groin area feels horribly tight/stiff which makes moving really uncomfortable. I still can't raise my legs fully and haven't dared even attempt to bend down yet. Getting in and out of bed is also still a struggle.

The other issue is I initially felt like my stomach was going down well also then around two weeks after my c section my lower abdomen started to swell up slightly and has felt bruised since. I was wearing my gym leggings fine for the first two weeks but now can't bare to wear them as my lower abdomen feels so sensitive.

I know you shouldn't compare yourself to others but researching online I see so many people feeling back to normal by now and can't help but think there's something wrong with me :(. I was fit and healthy pre-pregnancy and just can't understand why it's taking me so long (I am 37 so suppose I don't have age on my side). Apart from the physical discomfort and frustration to feel semi normal again I generally feel alright within myself, no sign of fever or sickness etc and I'm no longer bleeding much so don't think there's any indication of anything else going on but I'm not sure...

Any advice would be much appreciated!

Hi OP just found your post I am 8 weeks pp and feel the same..

wondered how you are getting on all these months later? Hopefully better!! X

Hello, I'm so sorry you're struggling! I do feel SO much better so you definitely will get there, it's major surgery and for some of us it just takes a bit longer. I've had a fair few treatments on my scar to make it feel better such as lymphatouch, dry needling and scar massage, I'd definitely recommend it as they help the area to feel more mobile. My scar is still a little hard in places but I'm hoping as time goes on that will continue to improve. I also saw a woman's physio who gave me exercises to do which helped get me moving more normally again, I'd say my core is still pretty weak but I'm back doing normal gym workouts which in the early weeks I never thought I'd do again! No harm in getting checked over though if you feel something isn't right, my GP sent me for an ultrasound to check nothing else was going on and thankfully it was all fine. I was so disheartened in the first few weeks as all I seemed to read online was people feeling good after six weeks but in reality I think it takes much longer for a lot of us x

Thanks so much for replying.
can you remember when you saw the physio and had the scar treatments?
and which week you felt notably better?
xx

I saw the physio when I was around 5/6 weeks post partum,.she gave me some gentle movements to try and I then progressed from there and found other exercises to do online as I slowly started to feel better. I didn't get any treatment on my scar until nearer 12 weeks, I know most people say you can start it around 6 weeks once it's fully healed but the physio was quite insistent on waiting. I'd say it wasn't until I started the scar treatments that I started to feel notably better. We went on holiday when I was 4 months post partum and I remember being in the taxi from the airport clinging on for dear life as the road was so bumpy and I still felt like my insides could fall out, I did a lot of swimming on that holiday and it definitely helped my core and I'd say around that time was a real turning point for me. I was functional before that but I'd say around the 16 weeks I was staring to feel a lot better and more like myself x

Thank you that’s really helpful!
and glad your doing well now xx

I found c section recovery hard. I was in agony at the start and then had a constant stinging pain to my left side for several weeks, and continued to bleed for 6-8 weeks. Felt very tender for months. 6 months PP and it's so much better but I still wear loose joggies as there's still some tenderness. I have decided not to start up running again for a few more months just to make sure everything has properly healed and settled. It's different for everyone but give it time, think of what your body went through for 9 months and then surgery - I'd say give yourself a year to feel normal again.

I hope you're feeling better soon too, it's so frustrating when you just want to feel normal. Just try and looking after yourself as much as you can right now xx

It's so tough in the beginning and you really don't know what to expect, I stressed myself out so much thinking I'd never feel normal again. 7 months down the line it's so much better but I agree I'm hoping at the year mark it'll all be a distant memory.

C section recovery is slow. People seem to treat it like it’s a minor procedure but it isn’t.

if you had any other abdominal surgery you would be on complete rest for 8-12 week. And that’s not including the hormonal changes your body is going through and the sudden removal of a 8-12 weight (baby + fluid).

no you’re supposed to be looking after yourself and a baby, your dp goes back to work after 2 weeks and you’re doing it all.

I found there is a delay in recovery around week 2-6. Probably hormones and painkillers but I felt ok initially, and started doing too much. Then felt so much worse for a while before getting back on the slow recovery track.

it took me a good year to feel normal.

Five weeks post c section is still extremely early, and what you’re describing doesn’t sound unusual to me at all – even though it can feel alarming when you’re living it.

A c section is major abdominal surgery, and recovery isn’t linear. Tightness through the groin, difficulty lifting or even moving legs, swelling and sensitivity in the lower abdomen are all things a lot of women experience, even if they’re not talked about much. It's like when they ask what birth control you would like...errmmm I can't even open my legs yet as my C-section won't let me! Being fit pre-pregnancy doesn’t necessarily protect you from a slower recovery either.

It’s really positive that you’ve booked a specialist physio and a GP appointment, I didn't see one till over a year PP and it's the one thing I wished I'd have done waaaay sooner!

In the meantime, the fact that you’re getting out for daily walks and needing less help than a couple of weeks ago is progress, even if it doesn’t feel like it.

The six-week timeline that’s often quoted can be really misleading – for many women it’s months rather than weeks before things feel more ‘normal’. Try not to judge your recovery against what you see online.

Be kind to yourself. You haven’t done anything wrong, and slow recovery doesn’t mean something bad is happening.