How soon could you do the following after elective c-section?

[HotSwissCheese]

I've pretty much decided on an elective CS, and have read lots on how quickly people have recovered after. I'd be really grateful though to hear how long it took people before they could do these specific things:

Go on an hour's walk
Pick up baby in car seat
Drive
Resume exercise such as running
Have sex
Sit up in bed/on sofa without pain
Resume normal household tasks such as washing and hoovering
Move about normally with 0 pain

Thanks so much ladies.

Go on an hour's walk - months
Pick up baby in car seat - about 2 months
Drive - n/a
Resume exercise such as running - 2 years
Have sex - 4 months probably could have done sooner if I'd had more sleep!
Sit up in bed/on sofa without pain - about a month bit it got less as time went on
Resume normal household tasks such as washing and hoovering - 2 months but vacuuming stairs and dishwasher was still a bit bothersome.
Move about normally with 0 pain. Hmm... if I'm honest probably about 4-5 months

Thank you so much everyone for taking the time to reply! I'm genuinely so surprised by how many very positive stories there are out there. I was expecting most responses to state that it took months and months. Obviously it's different for everyone and it could go either way for me, but this thread has given me so much hope and positivity about the section.

My heart goes out to those who had a more difficult recovery. As PP said, it's major surgery, and I think that gets forgotten very regularly! Thank you for sharing your stories, seeing both sides is exactly what I was hoping for.

Ive had an emergency and a planned c section. I had to do everything instantly as no one to help. It was awful. Get help if you can

Thing is, a c-section is major surgery. Any other abdominal surgery, you're told not to lift anything heavier than a kettle for 6 weeks, but with a c-section there is somehow much more pressure to be "back to normal" while your life is turned upside down by a small screaming baby who doesn't sleep! So you shouldn't be under pressure to be back to normal in a certain timeframe, the only focus should be allowing yourself to heal and looking after the baby

this. There seems to be some sort of “pride” in getting back to activities post section. Follow medical advice, take it slowly, heal properly. You’ll find if you over do it it’ll set you back, you risk infection, will restart bleeding etc.

this recent thread presents the other side a little. mn sometimes seems desperate to paint sections as “calm, amazing” experiences. It’s surgery, and big surgery as well. It’s not a day case with half a paracetamol to take the edge off job.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4783214-aibu-to-be-angry-about-post-c-section-pain-relief?page=11

Omg 2 months to pick up car seat!

Alright no need to make me feel shit about it!!!

After 2 weeks I could have done everything except exercise.(could have done a bit but I'm a sloth)
My recovery was much quicker than after my normal delivery with stitches 😩.I was still waddling around like a duck for weeks after that experience.

I was absolutely petrified of my stitches bursting and having to back to hospital that I took everything as easily as I physically could. The following details are for my second c section, which was elective, but which it took me ages to recover from (compared to my other cs).

Go on an hour's walk: 6 weeks, very slowly
Pick up baby in car seat: past 6 weeks. I was very scared to do any damage.
Drive: around 3 months but I just hadn't needed to before.
Resume exercise such as running NA
Have sex: 2 months
Sit up in bed/on sofa without pain: 2 weeks
Resume normal household tasks such as washing and hoovering: 2 weeks, tentatively
Move about normally with 0 pain: still have the odd twinge now, over a year later but generally from 6 weeks

6 weeks isn't just a random timeframe: I really think it's a special period of time in which the body heals. It took 40 days for my body to really turn a corner and to notice that I was pretty much back to normal. I hated my hospital experience so much that I went out of my way to avoid injury or infection, so probably could have done some of these things sooner.

Not sure about going on an hour's walk.

I was in sole charge of a 2 year old 2 weeks after my elective c-section.

I know I drove a short distance (feeling guilty) at 2 weeks.

Sitting up was fine after 4 or 5 days with the occasional otc painkiller.

Having sex was absolute bottom of my list!

I think I had a good recovery - I don't remember it with any particularly negative feelings. However I don't think I was quite as quick to do things "normally" as some pps were - I did pretty much everything fairly quickly but with some adjustments.

Go on an hour's walk - walked around the house, up and downstairs, round garden etc. no problem within the few few days. However I couldn't have walked long distances/length of time for a good 2-3 weeks. I tried a short walk after a week and struggled. Not because of pain, just post operation fatigue I think.

Pick up baby in car seat - within a week but wouldn't have carried long distance or twisted around trying to fit it into the car. As you can't really drive for 6 weeks, there is usually someone around to lift the car seat for you.

Drive - 6 weeks as Dr wouldn't sign off until standard recommended time but could easily have driven within a week.

Resume exercise such as running - 6-8 weeks. At 10 weeks I jumped on a trampoline, which was stupid but I felt good enough to do it. Didn't feel great after!

Have sex - 3 or 4 weeks.

Sit up in bed/on sofa without pain - almost immediately.

Resume normal household tasks such as washing and hoovering - did most things quickly. Didn't h
oover as the reaching etc worried me (not painful, just didn't want to push it). Was crawling around on floor with my older child and changing nappies on my hands and knees within 24h.

Move about normally with 0 pain - a few days.

It's probably also going to depend a bit on how heavy your baby is and obviously any other medical issues

I second the poster who advises that you don’t get sent home with pain relief usually so make sure you have some cocodamol at home.

I had an ELCS for DC2. Worth noting I had horrific SPD for a solid 6 months of my second pregnancy and could barely walk a few steps at the end! Any core strength I had before being pregnant was well and truly gone.

Go on an hour's walk: 5 months

Pick up baby in car seat: 5 months

Drive: I drove at 6 weeks out of necessity, it pulled more than I was expecting but it was doable for a short journey. Comfortably drove at 8 weeks.

Resume exercise such as running: I don’t run for exercise but I could run after DC1 comfortably from about 5 months

Have sex: Around 8 weeks I think? A lot of conscious effort had to go into not having pressure on my stomach! Saying that I had a natural birth with DC1 and didn’t DTD until 6 months!

Sit up in bed/on sofa without pain: Around 4-5 weeks

Resume normal household tasks such as washing and hoovering: I did it far too early at 2 weeks. Very bad idea. I should have waited!!

Move about normally with 0 pain: Hmmm 4 months I think.

I’d 2 c sections and a wheelchair was never even mentioned! I didn’t see any woman in one while in hospital.

Go on an hour's walk - 3 weeks
Pick up baby in car seat - 6 weeks (did it earlier but realised recovery would go backwards)
Drive - 6 weeks (remember not feeling ready)
Resume exercise such as running (6 months)
Have sex (gently 1 week)
Sit up in bed/on sofa without pain (4/5 weeks)
Resume normal household tasks such as washing and hoovering - 6 weeks but only lightly
Move about normally with 0 pain - 12 weeks

My recovery was quite painful and quite long. That had to use forceps in c to disengage babe so was quite a brutal procedure on my abs. Then the scar itself was very painful because surgeon tied it extremely tightly which at the time I swore at but now forever grateful. Her sewing was like a work of art 👌

Overall very pleased but kind of dreading the next one because I don’t think you could get a better surgeon and probably due a pants trainee to even that out 🤦‍♀️

Echoing pain relief advice - I was home after one night, just over 24h in hospital and no pain relief sent home. But I really kept on top of paracetamol/neurofen every 4 hours for several days, until I noticed I didn't need it so much. I didn't let it run out or wait until I needed it. Just kept myself well topped up. I don't remember much pain, more tenderness.

I'm going back over a decade but I think these are about right for my planned cs;

Go on an hour's walk - slowly, 2 weeks.
Pick up baby in car seat - 6 weeks, didn't use car until then anyway.
Drive - 6 weeks.
Resume exercise such as running - gym, very gently at 12 weeks. Outdoors running didn't feel OK until a few weeks after that.
Have sex - 6 weeks. Once to check it was OK then no rush to get back to it.
Sit up in bed/on sofa without pain - about a week. But was on pain killers.
Resume normal household tasks such as washing and hoovering - not sure. I certainly didn't rush!
Move about normally with 0 pain - was probably about a fortnight. But I was taking it easy.

Emergency section recovery took longer.

Yes you must keep on top of it

Exactly. It’s not a competition, and you should do things when you feel ready.

better to hold off picking up heavy things and risk dropping them or injuring yourself.

Ive had 3 c sections and recovery after all 3 was very different. 1st one was an ecs and the other 2 were elcs

Go on an hour's walk:
1st - went on a slow walk about 3 days after
2nd - about 3 weeks
3rd - about 1 week

Pick up baby in car seat:
1st - 3 days
2nd - 1 week
3rd - 2 days

Drive:
1st - 2 weeks
2nd - 5 weeks
3rd - 2 weeks

Resume exercise such as running: ill let you know when ive found the energy

Have sex:
1st - 4 weeks
2nd - was a couple of months
3rd - 5 weeks

Sit up in bed/on sofa without pain:
1st - a week was painful for first 48hrs then just uncomfortable
2nd - 4 weeks
3rd - 2 weeks

Resume normal household tasks such as washing and hoovering: was washing within days with all of them but hoovering was probably 3 or 4 weeks before it felt ok with 1st and 3rd, 2nd was 6-8wks

Move about normally with 0 pain:
1st - 5 weeks
2nd - 8 weeks
3rd - 4 weeks

The pain relief thing is criminal. I am in an area which is served by two trusts so it’s kind of a lottery. Thankfully ended up with the lot who send you home with a bottle of liquid morphine. I absolutely needed it!

The other trust didn’t and even in hospital you only had para/ ibu. Absolutely criminal! All manner of issues I think from that poor start like lack of milk supply, struggling with feeding, lack of confidence, depression etc. Didn’t even sterile vacuum pack the site so loads of infections. Really Shoddy trust!

Go on an hour's walk . 4 days later
Pick up baby in car seat 3 days later
Drive I didn’t for two weeks as was told not to due to insurance but could have done 3 or 4 days after.
Resume exercise such as running a week
Have sex a week
Sit up in bed/on sofa without pain 2 days
Resume normal household tasks such as washing and hoovering 3 days
Move about normally with 0 pain 3 days

These are all approximate, and I had a very good experience with mine:

Go on an hour's walk - 1 week
Pick up baby in car seat - 2 weeks
Drive - left it the recommended 6 weeks but reckon I could have done it a lot sooner
Resume exercise such as running - haha
Have sex - cheeky
Sit up in bed/on sofa without pain - 2 weeks
Resume normal household tasks such as washing and hoovering - 1 week
Move about normally with 0 pain - 3 weeks

Go on an hour's walk About a week
Pick up baby in car seat A week probably, didn't try before
Drive I was back driving 10 days PP
Resume exercise such as running No idea, I'm allergic to exercise
Have sex Physically when the bleeding stopped, not that I wanted to
Sit up in bed/on sofa without pain Within a few days, I had very little pain with my elective
Resume normal household tasks such as washing and hoovering Within first week although DH was home so did most of it anyway
Move about normally with 0 pain 10 days or so?

Go on an hour's walk - 10 days
Pick up baby in car seat - 5ish days
Drive - 3 weeks (doctor gave me the okay)
Resume exercise such as running - 6 weeks. I don't know why anyone would push exercise enjoy sitting in the sofa!
Have sex - 6 weeks
Sit up in bed/on sofa without pain - maybe just under 2 weeks
Resume normal household tasks such as washing and hoovering - 10 days
Move about normally with 0 pain - 2-3 weeks

Moving about helped with the pain hence the walks etc