Page 2 | Honest experiences of c-section recovery

saltofcelery · 09/12/2022 22:22

How long were you out for?
If you mean a GA, it was done using a spinal block so wasn't out at all, just very out of it and convinced the anaesthetist was in love with me because of how caring he was 😂 I remember looking at my husband and thinking "how does he not realise"...the power of hospital drugs.

How much did it affect your ability to look after the child to begin with?
It was hard. Mainly going from lying to seated / standing

Did it impact breast feeding?
Yes. My milk took more time to come in.

What did you partner have to do to support you?
Nothing.

How was the pain.
No pain, just discomfort and a vague feeling of being sliced in two painlessly. I felt disconnected from my lower body. I was prescribed codeine but only took a couple of paracetamol for my whole recovery.

I was up and about that day and showered that night. The next day before we went home I walked 5 mins to the hospital Costa because I had barely eaten in 48 hours.

I'm expecting my third and going to try for a VBAC this time, would rather not have another one unless I need to.

Lozza70 · 09/12/2022 22:22

First time round was an emergency section after failed induction, three day’s worth but that is another story. I was exhausted, had too much sedative from my epidural and my husband was told to keep me awake and keep reminding me to breathe in recovery. Poor post natal experience in hospital but still was out of bed in less than 12 hours and moving around, tending to baby etc. was in hospital for four days but due to blood pressure not the section. Pain manageable, trapped wind was more painful to be honest. Out and about with a pram in a couple of weeks.

second time was supposed to be planned but ended up as a emergency due to going into labour. Really calm experience and I was not exhausted from days of induction. Was able to hold my baby straight away. Out of bed and on my feet in less than 12 hours, home in a couple of days, pain managed with low level painkillers. Peppermint tea sorted the trapped wind and I was out for lunch and walking around in less than a week.

Both times DH did housework for a couple of weeks, didn’t want to hoover in particular due to twisting movement. Back driving in less than six weeks.

like VB you will get a spectrum of other’s experiences…..

ricketybeauty · 09/12/2022 22:23

I had an emergency-ish section after quite a long labour. Had the section late morning and had catheter out and shuffled to the toilet by evening. Couldn’t really do much that first night but on the second day in hospital I managed to look after baby all day myself.

Managed a walk to the park after a week, and was up and about fairly quickly although I did end up with an infection.

Was fine overall, if I have another baby I will likely have another section, although this is also due to the fact that my first was an absolute whopper and unlikely to be able to get one that size out the main exit!

Sancerre2 · 09/12/2022 22:26

It was fine for me. Didn't feel the spinal, minimal Pain afterwards, was up & about the following day and didn't need to use the painkillers for more than 2 days.

MassiveSalad22 · 09/12/2022 22:31

2 elective c sections planned from the start of pregnancy.
Both times pain was fine after a couple of days, sticking to the pain relief prescribed.
Both times driving after 2 weeks.
Lost half my blood with the first section so was in a room with 1:1 midwife/couldn’t get out of bed for 24 hours (I think I could have done physically but wasn’t allowed because of the things I was hooked up to).
I didn’t have success BFing but didn’t with my first born (vaginal birth) either and was traumatised from that so didn’t try very hard the other times.
Carrying/holding baby never really a problem that I remember.
We made sure 2.5 year old could do things like climb into car seat, climb into bath etc while I was pregnant.
Both c section recoveries were light years easier than my VB recovery (bad tear).

lrwe · 09/12/2022 22:34

I've had three. No time I've been given anything stronger than paracetamol- but my advice is to take it every 4 hours (or what is prescribed) whether you think you need it or not to begin with.

First EMCS, we lived in a first floor flat and going up the stairs was a necessity from the get go. That hurt, as did climbing in the shower. Second EMCS, felt great, had a 2.5 year old managed to pick him up.
Third ELCS, felt great but couldn't pick up anything heavier than him and I was very slow at walking for a lot longer than with the other two.

Breastfed all three, no issues, first for a year, other two fed for two years.

Northbynorthbreast · 09/12/2022 22:35

Still numb in the stomach area three years later and the scar can get very itchy on hot days. I was very groggy freeware’s and went into this horrible shaking and convulsing phase where I was still paralysed but convulsing. I didn’t enjoy it but my baby was asynclitic so he wasn’t coming out naturally

Suprima · 09/12/2022 22:39

not pleasant- couldn’t look after my baby overnight and went home as soon as I could.

DH did all changes and lifting baby for about 2-3 weeks

i was out hobbling around after a week and walked doubled over for a month. I felt like I had been stitched up incredibly tight

however in the long term- I had no c section pouch and my tummy is flat and toned as it was before, so maybe the surgeon did me a favour

Vienna92 · 09/12/2022 22:54

Both of my C sections were planned, I’ve had a cervical stitch due to previous late loss and was really anxious.

with DC1 the recovery was quite ok. I was out on a short walk with the pram and OH 5 days after, it’s the cramping pains that were much much worse. Fair to say I was up and running fully after 2 weeks though still taking things slow

DC2 - dear Lord. Don’t want to go into details as the c section was horrendous, took much longer than the first one as they couldn’t locate the stitch and multiple doctors were involved - wish I could forget the whole experience. I couldn’t walk out of the hospital myself and my partner literally put me in the car himself. Took about 10 weeks and I was still very sore.

Chanel05 · 10/12/2022 03:27

Cat 1 emergency c-section here.

Lost 2.5 L of blood and had a transfusion. Followed by a blood drain sewn into my womb for 4 days.

No milk ever, ever came in so couldn't bf. This can happen if you suffer huge trauma / blood loss, as it did in my case.

I was in for 5 days and completely incapable of doing anything for my dd for 4 of those. It was covid times so my dh was only allowed in for an hour and it was so busy on the ward, if I needed pain relief or baby changing/feeding,I had a crying baby for half hour sometimes whilst waiting for support.

I appreciate that my experience was quite awful, and not all are like this!

It was difficult to shuffle to the toilet and then have to change pads/ disposable pants every couple of hours due to restricted mobility when I could actually get out of bed. This wasn't helped by having to manage holding my drain as well though.

Take your own paracetamol and ibrobrufen in with you because you want to be on top of pain relief, even if you don't feel like you need it and you could be waiting a long time to be given it, even when you ask.

I also wasn't prepared for how much/ long I'd bleed after either. I bled for 12 weeks in total and it's normal!

I'm 38+2 and due my elcs at 40 weeks. Hoping for a far different experience this time!

Babyenroute · 10/12/2022 04:22

I think emergency section is meant to be a bit harder to recover from than elective. I had a cat 1 emergency section too and was in quite a bad way for two weeks. Found it difficult to lift DS and developed an infection which brought a lot of pain. Felt pretty much normal after four weeks though. Someone in my antenatal class had an elective and totally different experience, they were out for lunch a few days later and generally felt fine,

Ponderingwindow · 10/12/2022 04:57

the first day, I was so slow sitting down to pee that between pulling down my pants and sitting, I ruined my slippers.

for a couple of weeks afterwards, I could not sit up without serious effort. I had to will myself to roll to the side and then use my arms to push myself up to an upright position. My abdominal muscles were worthless.

I woke up with a hanging pad of fat and skin over the incision and no amount of dieting will ever make it go away. The area under the flap also developed a raging yeast infection within 24 hours of surgery. It took several weeks to kill.

Novella12 · 10/12/2022 05:11

I am 5 weeks post section now so very recent. I was out of hospital the next day and walking 6 hours after the surgery.

At home though it was tough. For 2 weeks I pretty much just camped out on the sofa. The best recovery happened when my husband bottle fed the baby for a couple of nights and I had a full nights sleep. I felt like a new woman!

Now, I can still feel the incision. My stomach is almost back to flat now and has contracted more in the last few days - I think this pulls on the incision inside and causes a bit of discomfort. It is just discomfort though, no pain anymore. I am out and about walking decent distances and looking forward to starting to exercise again in the next few weeks.

My husband had quite a bit of time of work and I was really relieved that he did - I needed a lot of support in the early days and was able to gradually build up to managing things like putting a wash on.

I read lots of c section recovery stories prior to mine and expected to bounce back like lots of women seem to have, but those first few weeks were HARD. Be kind to yourself and let it take as long as it takes!

lifehappens12 · 10/12/2022 13:36

Recovery - was driving by 4 weeks and I did miss being able to go do errands myself and not have to ask for lifts. For the first two weeks I think I managed a short walk each day.

Breastfeeding - struggled. Milk hadn't come in by day 6. Plus it wasn't easy getting comfy to feed either while protecting the scar

Ragingoverlife · 10/12/2022 13:56

I've given birth twice. And I've had an elective. I by far preferred my overall elective experience. Yes you're sore. But you are in the miidst of crying and wailing and begging for an epidural type sore like you are in labour. I'm having another in a few weeks. I'm most bothered about my lack of car and baths

OnceUponAThread · 10/12/2022 14:11

My elective section was fantastic. I bounced back surprisingly quickly.

It did hurt, of course it did, but nothing like as badly as I thought it would and as long as I took my pain killers on schedule rather than waiting till it hurt I was fine.

In the hospital I requested morphine because I was sore, which they happily gave. At home I was fine with the painkillers they gave me.

How long were you out for?
Not quite sure what you mean by this. If unconscious - never. If you mean how long was I in hospital - 48 hours. They offered to let me go the following day, but I wanted another 24 hours with morphine, and opted to stay an extra night.

How much did it affect your ability to look after the child to begin with?
Not at all. The hospital got me up and shuffling about quite quickly, and I could easily get her out of their cot. At home I had a next to me so I could pick her up easily at night. She was pretty glued to me. Mh DH did the vast majority of her nappy changes for the first few days, so I could avoid getting up and down too much. But I could have done it myself if needed.

Did it impact breast feeding?
Not at all. Also I think having that extra time in hospital with nurses on hand really helped with ironing out some latching issues.

What did you partner have to do to support you?
He brought things to me (pain killers, lots and lots of water, food). He helped me get out of bed (surprisingly hard post-section and doubly so with a next to me crib).

How was the pain.
Fine. It did hurt, obviously. But I kept on top of my meds and it was totally manageable. The main things that hurt were - the first 36 hours, getting out of bed, standing up too fast (when I'd forgotten about the pain).

I think I stopped taking any painkillers after about ten days.

For context - I felt happy and well enough to invite visitors the same day I went home. I had people round pretty much every day.

I didn't leave the house for a few days, but honestly that was choice. I went for my first shuffle walk outside (to a restaurant in our local village) six days post-birth, and then was out and about all the time.

Can't compare to a vaginal birth as I've not had one. But honestly it was a dream. Would highly recommend from my experience.

Annie232 · 10/12/2022 14:14

was fine for me, I was a bridesmaid for my best friend 10 days post c section. It really wasn’t that bad.

Hugasauras · 10/12/2022 14:18

DD1: EMCS (very emergency). Didn't find it too bad, was on painkillers for a week or so after, didn't drive till a month but was back out and about slowly within a week.

DD2: ELCS. An absolute breeze. No painkillers, back driving 10 days PP, out at a soft play party with both kids five days later. Honestly felt like I'd barely had surgery! I was amazed.

ColinRobinsonsfamiliar · 10/12/2022 14:18

Emergency section 1st time. Breast fed after a day or so, home in 3 days.Pain well controlled with painkillers which I weaned within the week post birth.
planned section for number 2, breast fed straight away, home in less than 24 hours. Pain killers for about 3 days.
Had to get back to normal as quickly as possible as I had my other child to care for.

Hugasauras · 10/12/2022 14:18

Both I was home after 24 hours (was desperate to leave but I could have stayed longer if I wanted)

NewToWoo · 10/12/2022 14:33

I had an entirely pain free c-section. The pain relief was really well managed and I was up and walking within hours.

But it had a massive impact on my breastfeeding which I wasn't properly informed about (before the days on the internet.) My milk didn't come in properly (tingly armpits etc) for well over two weeks, by which time DC were much keener on bottles. I continued to mixed-feed for five months but it was more token than effective. If I'd known I would have taken something to improve milk flow and production.

Cw112 · 10/12/2022 23:55

Currently 2 weeks post elective section.

How long were you out for? I was only under spinal block for the procedure so awake throughout, was in hospital over night and home the next afternoon.

How much did it affect your ability to look after the child to begin with? First night I needed help lifting baby in and out of the crib, midwives were great help and did all nappy changes the first night, I could do it myself the next morning. We had a next to me crib for home which was much easier. I did all the feeding and cuddles, dh did the majority of nappies and outfit changes. Took me about 4-5 days to feel really OK being up and about enough to feel fully in control of everything baby wise. I also used a snugglbundl bag for carrying baby around in, it takes pressure off your core.

Did it impact breast feeding? I harvested colostrum from wk 36 on due to gestational diabetes and had a supply ready in the freezer, however baby latched immediately after the section and my milk was in on day 3 as expected so i didn't use any of it, I just did loads of skin to skin in hospital and when I got home snuggled up in bed with no visitors. If I could give one piece of advice it would be give yourself a week before visitors and just snuggle up with baby and enjoy them and recover.

What did you partner have to do to support you? All the housework, cooking, dishes, nappy changes and lifts to appointments and carrying baby in car seat for me. He also injected me once a day with my anti clotting medication (10days worth post section). Help dressing and undressing my bottom half and shoes. Oh and picking up anything I dropped. I've only just been able to reach the floor if I do it slowly. Helped me getting in and out of bed the first couple of days (our bed is quite low, a higher bed would probably have been fine). And just emotional support, I felt a bit fragile the first week, I was on such a high initially but by day 3/4 hormones changed and I think it just dawned on me how big a thing my body had just been through so was a bit weepy when my pain relief was starting to wear off.
How was the pain. Totally fine provided I kept up my pain relief at the right times and took it easy. If you push yourself or miss your meds you will know about it. Try to avoid bending or twisting or sudden movements. Put a cushion between your wound and car seatbelt if travelling. I found I could go walking etc 8 days afterwards but tired easily so just listen to yourself and do what feels good, build it up gradually. You're more likely to get an infection if you push yourself too hard so just rest and recover properly. I just used paracetamol and ibuprofen for the first 2 weeks and that was sufficient for me. Only thing that was quite sore was the anti- clotting injection to the stomach (1xdaily for 10 days) but I'm a chicken when it comes to needles.

I have honestly found the recovery much better than I'd expected and have zero regrets but I have been super careful and dh has been really great at taking care of us so I'd say make sure you have the right support at home if you're considering a section.

mackthepony · 11/12/2022 00:53

How long were you out for? I didn't have a general anaesthetic, I had an epidural. Entire process took around an hour

How much did it affect your ability to look after the child to begin with? It didn't. I was up and about within a day.

Did it impact breast feeding? No. But I only did that for six weeks anyway as I had mastitis, thrush in the breast and cracked nipples! 😬

What did you partner have to do to support you? Not that much really. Bit of lifting. I suggest you hold a cushion to your tummy when getting up for the first week or so.

How was the pain. I've had worse headaches. I didn't actually feel any pain afterwards. I was a bit bruised.

Hunkahunkaa · 11/12/2022 01:05

Hi, I had twins 7 weeks ago by c section. It was my first section after previous vaginal births. Honestly, the day of the section I felt great, 6 hours after I was up and walking to the toilet and catheter was out. My spinal wore off after around 2.5-3 hours post surgery. That day I felt fine, minimal pain and aside from having to be careful it was okay. The second day was painful, the spinal provides pain relief for around 24 hours after surgery so it hit me on day 2. Coughing was very sore, it hurt to turn over and move from lying to sitting. By day 5 I was feeling much better. At around 10 days I was feeling really good except for slight soreness on the wound area and my stomach was all green and purple from the various bruising so tender but okay. The bloating is horrendous, take plenty of peppermint tea and use heat pads etc for the bloating. I also stopped painkillers this day except paracetamol if I overdid it a wee bit. By 3 weeks I was back to normal pre surgery except not being able to drive. It really was a good recovery. I was petrified of a section but it really was a good experience. The bleeding after is also so much lighter than a vaginal birth as they clean out the womb before stitching you up.
Iwosh you all the best- you will be fine xx

Youdoyoubabe · 11/12/2022 01:08

1 section, 2 vaginal.

The section took longest to recover from and had the most pain. Also the scar is fine unless you put on weight. If you do put on weight the belly kind of hangs over the scar as the scar has no give in it. I don't like the scar. Not being able to drive was the first.

The vaginals were more painful at the time of giving birth but that only a few hours not weeks. Recovery from them was much quicker, felt back to normal within week or so whereas section took a few weeks.

I wouldn't voluntarily have a section unless there is a danger to the baby.