ELCS recovery question

[Sarrah1]

I’ve heard that the first 2 weeks are painful….now I realise that everyone’s pain threshold or experience is different, but are we talking about ‘you’ll be in absolute agony 24/7’, or ‘you will feel some discomfort and it will be painful to get up/do anything that requires this set of muscles’ pain?

It was fine for me no it was not agony for 2 weeks, the first couple of days was painful but once I left hospital it was fine only hurt sitting down and standing up

Standing up/sitting down was tough, not agony if you are careful. Couldn't really lift baby out of cot by myself so DH had to hand him to me for feeds etc.

Walking, within reason and listenijg to your body, is the best recovery from a c section. You need to keep moving

It’s when you’re stiff it’s at its worst, so first thing in the morning it’s hard to get up without help, it’s very tight and sore. Painkillers are a must and give them a chance to kick in before you go anywhere.

m the more mobile you are the better.

I had an emergency section and would say it's the latter. First 2 days were the worst but the sooner you're moving about, the better. I went for my first outdoor stroll when she was 6 days old, It was only 10minutes and it was painful towards the end but it was good to be out and moving. I felt almost normal again by 4 weeks

I was walking 15 mins to our local pub for lunch a few days after and I did a 6km walk with the pushchair 10 days after. I have no idea if I have a high pain threshold or my surgeon was very good or if I recovered quickly because I was very active during pregnancy.

i left hospital just over 24 hours after giving birth. I think the key is to keep moving little and often.

I'd describe it as uncomfortable but you'll not be a complete invalid or anything. The first week/10 days it hurt if I wasn't careful getting out of bed. It got rapidly better after that and I was driving again by 3.5 weeks with absolutely no discomfort.

Stairs were fine from day 1. I was able to potter around the house from day 1, just didn't bend down much or twist and lift anything. Also didn't pick up anything heavier than the baby.

Depends on individual circumstances massively too. I've had 3 sections now. One emergency, recovery was steady but took a while to be fully mobile. Then elective was quick, up and about and managing the stairs at home after 2 nights, pretty much back to normal quite quickly. 3rd (elective) and after 2 nights was mobile ish but sore. After a month, was still unable to walk a long way without feeling really sore for days afterwards and only stopped regular painkillers after 6 weeks. But all fine now, just took more time. Even this time wasn't that bad beyond the first few days - managed with oramorph for 2 days then just paracetamol and ibuprofen.

Every time, the worst part of recovery was the trapped wind day 2. Unbearable pain! But it passes (literally!)

I had two elective c-sections (baby transverse ok both cases, so elective as in planned, not by choice).

The first was much worse than the second because I had more realistic expectations with the second.

It is major surgery and often gets minimised. You will need time to recover properly. Take all the painkillers you are offered! The pain will be there so keep on top of it before it kicks in rather than trying to catch up once it has kicked in.

With ds2 I knew what to expect, so we set the house up so ds2 and I could live downstairs without help for the first two weeks (but we were lucky enough to have the kind of house where this was possible). Don't expect to be out of bed and going on long walks with baby from the off. Likely you won't. Short walks to keep mobile and lots of snacks etc immediately to hand. Don't expect to drive for 6 weeks.

Finally, buy good quality support knickers. Game changer after I had ds2. It stops the feeling that your insides are going to fall out any minute and helps you walk more upright and less with the typical caesarian stoop.

I was up & about, looking after ds & caring for my disabled dh 5 days after emcs. I was driving 3 weeks after.

Thank you all for sharing your experiences!

I have had two c-sections and didn’t find the recovery too bad. For me, the worst part was back/shoulder pain which I think is a result of the surgery. It settled after a couple of days.

I also had quite a lot of trapped wind which was helped by peppermint tea.

Keep on top of your painkillers.

I found it very painful but manageable with pain relief. Some people clearly heal much faster or feel pain less - either way, you won't know until you're there yourself. I'd say the first 2-3 days were the worst, you get very stiff and the wound feels tight when you move. It's better if you move around, but obviously being stuck under a breastfeeding baby and trying to sleep when you can, you don't get a chance to move much.

I went for a short walk after a week and that was ok but painful by the end. Gradually worked up to normal walks.

A month after I tried to dash off in town to get something without needing to take the pram into a shop, and realised I couldn't dash. I was ok walking relatively slowly, but fast movement was impossible - my legs just didn't extend far enough. I slowly improved, I'd say maybe 2-3 months to be back to normal.