Recovery from a C Section...

[BlueButTrue]

Is it really so bad?

It is major abdominal surgery, yet I’ve seen woman comment on here that theirs was fab and women comment that it felt like they’d be crippled.

What factors take into account how the healing process goes?

Assuming these two ladies don’t get infected scars etc, why might one lady find it a walk in the park, easier than vaginal delivery, and the other fine it crippling and tear inducing for prolonged periods?

My Mum had one just four years ago and it resulted in a watermelon sized hernia

She insists vaginal deliveries are best because they bloody hurt, but, assuming you don’t tear - You’re back to you again after the birth and physical recovery is much sharper.

I’m petrified of the pain - My consultant is happy to go along with whichever route I wish to take due to a few different things.

Ideally, I would just have a natural birth but with an epidural. When they go well, they’re brilliant. Realistically though, this increases the risk of an EMCS even more

I’m also a bit that I can’t bloody shower for a set time after a section, which makes me feel rather ill.

I've had 3 vb's an elcs and a crash cs so I'm an expert

Personally I found the pain about the same for both but the labour pain is during birth and the cs pain is after. I preferred VB because when I was in pain during labour I got a lot of sympathy, dh rubbing my back, mw offering painkillers, warm baths, telling me I was awesome etc. After my sections it hurt just as much but after 24 hours I had to get out of bed and shuffle to the loo, carry my meals on a tray from the other end of the ward, express, sterilize the pumping stuff, take milk to nicu on the other side of the maternity unit etc by myself. I know it doesn't sound that big a deal but I remember standing by the microwave, on day 2, crying in pain and just wanting to be in bed. The pain wasn't too bad if I took all painkillers offered and stayed in bed but I had to move and moving was agony. I found it was agonizingly painful for about a week, then sore but not too bad for another 6. Still got the odd twinge for about a year and scar feels weird still 3 years later. With my vb's my bits felt a bit sore (bit like how your nose feels when you've got a cold and blowing it all the time. And afterpains (when your womb goes back to normal size) weren't too pleasant but went away completely when I discovered that I could take ibuprofen as well as paracetamol while breastfeeding.

My vb's were short and uncomplicated (all less than 5 hours) so I probably would have felt differently if I'd had long labours, forceps etc.

4 days later I was having sex
7 days later walked a mile

Course it hurts for a few weeks but by day 4 it's a million times better.

I've recovered more quickly then friends who had VB

Not advisable to have sex four days later regardless of how you feel. You have a dinner plate sized open wound on an internal organ and that’s a recipie for disaster (embolism/infection.)

You can’t really say one is easier or better than another. The ‘ideal’ I suppose is a quick but not too quick vaginal birth with nobtearing or assistance needed. But you cannot guarantee that. And an elve is safer for both than a complicated vaginal, a long one or one that requires intervention.

Everyone is different. I had to have a wider incision. My spinal wore off on the bloody operating table and even when they’d knocked me for six with the surgical equivalent of rhino tranquillisers I was still up and moving in an hour or so. Anaesthetic seems to wear off fast for some reason.

It hurt like hell but it wasn’t that bad. It’s just mid level pain and it’s transitory. In a week I was roughly ok. The wound had sealed within 48 hours.

It was ok, I’d do it again and I’d prefer an elcs over a complicated or assisted vb. I have several friends who were seriously injured by vb and have life long, unfixable issues. I know no one damaged by a cs.

Everyone’s different. Some women get infections, or experience a lot of pain, or more blood loss, or shock. If you’ve lost a few l of blood you’re going to feel crap regardless (I was a very odd colour for about a week.)

Birth is just inherently unpredictable.

Well I was knocked for 6 about how painful a c section was. Reading how celebs choose it, etc I never expected it to be so hard. I have a high pain threshold too I think. Yes sure I had a shower the next day & was moving about. But I wouldn't call it walking more an impersonation of a elderly zombie from the walking dead.

It was a semi elective C section & was told that it was healing well etc, took me 2 weeks to feel normal & first few days thougt I was dying. For comparison I had a 5 hour birth with my first & no time for intervention/pain relief & yes the contractions (back to back) were on another level but the pain just stops & I was showering & walking normally in a few hours (just a few stitches). Hope to have a VBAC if I go for another.

I was told if you feel ok then it's alright.
My muscles were back together within about 2 weeks and no infection (granted, I was luckier then some)

I had an emergency c section at 5am, was in the shower at 6pm the same day. Went home about 50 hours after the op. My recovery was really easy, was quite sore for a bit but was driving 12 days after op. Just took paracetamol and cracked on with it. I did develop a UTI from the catheter which was uncomfortable though.

I've had 5 c sections and each recovery has been different. With some I've had complications with some I haven't.

I had my 5th one nearly 4 weeks ago and have been completely fine since the end of the first week, not even uncomfortable. Yet with the 4th one I felt awful for ages (my wound did split open from end to end though)

I think the quicker you get up and start moving around afterwards the better you feel, it tends to feel stiffer and more uncomfortable the less you move I have always found.