Elective c section recovery and c section pouch?

[Lynstar05]

Hey ladies,

I am deciding on whether or not to go for an elective sextion on my 2nd pregnsncy as had a 40 hour labour and very hsrd recovery which took me months and months to heal from. I still don't feel right down there and don't want to suffer through all of it again.

However, I am worried about C section recovery and been reading on lots of people saying they are still sore years later, still having infections years later, or have a c section pouch they cannot recover from!

Point is...I don't want to be damaged in 2 places! What are the chances of these things....especially the pouch? Are these more likely with emergency section or just as likely with elective?

Lastly, any tips for smooth recovery?

Thank you!

I had an elective c section after a severe tear and the recovery was a breeze compared with the tear. You go into it well rested which really helps. I had minimal pain and the scar is basically invisible.

I’m dubious about “c section pouches” because any belly sagging I have is to do with how massive my bump was, not the incision.

I had a c section. I was really pleased with it, having failed an induction and having had some medical complications. You need to be really careful about lifting anything heavier than the baby for about 5 weeks but they tend to heal beautifully and mine wasn’t very sore. Sorry to hear about your first birth.

The pouch is just a c section thing, elective or not makes no difference. It’s because you have a line of stitches that turns into a line of scar and your skin hangs over the top of it. You are recommended never to do sit-ups again regardless.

The other stuff like numbness and loss of sensation, permanent pain, etc are just the luck of the draw. Every body is slightly different, the surgeon does the same incision and on one person it might be fine while on another person it cuts the nerves and the stomach goes numb forever.

I suppose the "pouch"/ shelf depends on your body shape, size, surgeon skill and how you heal. I'm a 16 and very definitely have a section overhang that I find very difficult to get rid off. They're cutting through layers after all and it just hasn't gone back flat for me- it was pretty flat before I had my first section despite me being a 16. My scar also tethered so that hasn't helped with the healing.

My scar is also very sensitive- I've had two sections, the last being 6 years ago and I still can't bear it being touched or having clothes resting on it. It gives me the ick and feels horrible- whether that's all physical or if a part of it is psychological too I have no idea. Both of my sections were very much NOT wanted. I hated the whole thing.

No one is going to be able to give you the answer as to how you'll heal post section though. I have friends who you can barely tell have had one. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Hi OP.
Ive had 3 csections and have recovered really well from all 3. Within 7-10 days I’ve been back to normal and not needed pain relief. No long -lasting complications and never had any infections. No numbness, last csection was 2019.
I’ll be having my 4th later this year.

WRT the “pouch” I don’t have a pouch at all. I have a thin, probably 2cm sort of “row” of skin directly above the scar which just sits above the scar it but above that, my stomach was flat before this pregnancy. It’s quite low down so not actually on your stomach. It’s hard to describe but I hope what I’ve said makes sense.

My elective c section recovery was a breeze compared to the 3rd degree tear recovery I had!

I'm 5 months on I can do everything I could before without pain. I have a bit of a pouch but nothing much worse than before when I carried a few extra pounds. Well worth it for the lack of extra damage down below!

Sorry I missed the bit about tips for smooth recovery.
Get out of bed as soon as they allow you to. I find it makes it so much easier if you start to move as soon as it’s safe to do so.
I continue exercising and eating well through my pregnancies which I think definitely contributes to a smoother recovery. I drank peppermint tea a couple of days before the C-section and then everyday for about a week or so after to ward off any trapped wind which can cause nasty pain near the tip of your shoulder and I ate healthy, also to try and avoid the trapped wind.

Not sure that's correct about sit ups.

Good luck OP with whatever you decide.

No, I’ve never heard of that either.

I have had 2 sections. No one has ever mentioned sit-ups to me and I do them now. My youngest is 7 weeks old.

Both mine were emergencies but I literally bounced back. No need for painkillers, no overhang, no numbness. According to the consultant I saw with dc2, its luck/genetics though.

My advice would be get mobile asap but that just wasn't possible for some of my friends who had sections. Must say no one mentioned sit ups to me and I do them regularly as part of my exercise class. I was told to massage my scar tissue as soon as it healed and certainly I got feeling back fairly quickly.

The pouch is just a c section thing, elective or not makes no difference. It’s because you have a line of stitches that turns into a line of scar and your skin hangs over the top of it. You are recommended never to do sit-ups again regardless.

Sorry, this isn’t true at all. The abdominal sagging I have is way north of my c section incision, which for most people is below the pubic hair line. Which kind of confirms my hunch that the “pouch” isn’t necessarily a thing and there’s certainly no guarantee you’ll get one. Lots of women are left with sagging skin due to extreme stretching.

It’s also not true that you can never do sit ups again. You have to be careful of course, but a good Pilates instructor will get your core better than it ever was.

I had an emergency section with one of my twins and tbh the recovery was fine even though I'd given birth both ways on the same day lol 😂
That being said you do need to rest a lot more so if you have to run around after little ones that's going to be more difficult and affect how it heals.
The pouch happens because you have a line of scar tissue and the stretched skin hangs over it instead. The severity will be due to how big you are in pregnancy and how well the skin pings back (also how many stretch marks etc. from previous pregnancy) but it's very likely to be there. Mine doesn't really bother me though, it's a low scar so any overhang doesn't show even when wearing a bikini. Suppose that depends on individual size and shape though.
If I was having any more kids (I've got 4 so defo no more) I would still go for a vaginal birth if possible. I'd avoid a major surgery unless absolutely necessary.

I've had 3. No pouch, no numbness and no problem doing sit ups! (Obviously the sit ups did wait quite some time). I'm a very average size 12-14 as I was before with no obvious change except a barely noticeable scar. However it's completely anecdotal. You have to weigh up the potential pros and cons. You just don't know for sure what will happen.

I had a planned section due to a few issues. it went well but was a pretty terrifying experience. I was in serious pain about 12 hours after but they gave me extra morphine and some rest really helped.

Initially I hated the scar, I also had an allergic reaction to the dressing which made it worse but I’m 12 months on and it doesn’t bother me anymore. I do not have a pouch but I was pretty lucky as I didn’t get any stretch marks on my belly and I don’t know if this would affect it. Some of the area around my scar is still numb but otherwise it all healed well.

Id definitely recommend moving around as soon as you can but only as much as you can, don’t over do it as this will slow down your recovery. Be prepared to spend a while doing your first number 2 following the surgery, I remember it being a horrible experience (it was about 5 days later!)
Good luck with the birth!

I had an emergency c section and had no pouch, I lost it by 8 weeks and within a few months was very able of doing sit ups (and much more advance core activities since then)!
Having an elective in 2 weeks with my second so will see how the recovery is this time.
In terms of recovery, I took it very carefully for a good 8 weeks, except going for short walks. Good luck OP.

I think all complications are more likely with an emergency as they’re obviously having to rush. The problem with reading the official ‘risks’ of a section is its the risk of all sections. This includes risks of people who have been in labour for days before it, people who have been losing so much blood before it, people who have really risky health issues, babies with existing health issues etc. The true risks for a healthy low-risk individual going for a controlled elective section aren’t available and when you go for one you have to sit through meetings listening to all these risks which most likely won’t apply to you. I think that’s a lot of what puts people off.

I had an elective, it was so amazing, very little pain, the main ‘sore’ bit is after it but it’s not sore as such, it’s just like uncomfortable. I wasn’t in any pain lying in bed, walking slowly or sitting on the sofa, it was things like going to sit up or trying to awkwardly roll out of bed that were annoying and a bit painful. Probably nothing in comparison to your recovery though! I have no pouch and I’m doing it all again this summer 😊

I had an emergency and had an infection which I had to take antibiotics for, however after a few weeks I felt fully recovered. The first few days are the most uncomfortable and after that it’s fine. I have no pouch but I wonder if that’s more a body shape/weight issue. It’s been 1.5 years and my scar although still visible has faded a lot.

I’m trying for a second and plan to have an elective one so it certainly didn’t put me off.

I had an EMCS, scar got infected on one side but cleared up quickly with antibiotics and it healed well. I had both numbness and hypersensitivity which went using silicon strips on the scar and within a couple of months all sensation was normal.

No pouch at all. It’s from hip to hip as it was complicated but it’s very low down and with even small knickers on you’d never know it was there.

I’m having an ELCS in a few weeks and expecting a smoother quicker recovery as I won’t have been awake and in pain in labour for days and the procedure will hopefully be a bit gentler.

I have had both. A emergency c section which was fine and no issues with the recovery at all. Then a natural birth with episiotomy which was fine at the time bt healing was way worse than section.
Cant really see my section scar and there is no shelf. Everyone different i imagine depending on lifestyle and body size. Good luck x