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.

The insurance thing is a complete myth. Your insurer doesn't even need to be informed that you've had a c section and you don't need anything signed off by a doctor. Most doctors won't do that anyway, they don't have time and they can't vouch for that fact that you're okay, it's how you feel. Everyone is different.

I started running 10 weeks after my EMCS.

Other than that, I don't really remember. I know sitting and standing up from a lying position was painful for a few weeks.

Oh and I don't live in the UK and no medical professional has ever said anything to me about not driving after a C-section.

It will be different for everyone OP, you'll get an idea of an average on here but your experience could lean one way or the other and that's ok. Keep up the pain relief (write the schedule down on the boxes, because you'll be sleep deprived and won't know which end is up) and don't push yourself. You are entitled to more pain relief than paracetamol/ibuprofen if you need it, but you might have to make a fuss. The second day hurts more than the first. If it hurts more after that you might have an infection so get checked out.

*

Go on an hour's walk - I could have done a slow hour's walk after a couple of weeks, but I was definitely still feeling a pull in my stiches after a month when I tried to walk fast. Probably six weeks? I had a forceps c section like a pp so I think my recovery took longer because of that.

Pick up baby in car seat - about two weeks I think, but he was little

Drive - wasn't driving

Resume exercise such as running - I started exercise classes after about six months, which were fine. I don't think I would have wanted to do anything sooner, I wasn't getting enough sleep and needed rest rather than physical exertion.

Have sex - wasn't in the slightest bit interested for months.

Sit up in bed/on sofa without pain - I was in pjs like I was 'ill' for a week, then went back into maternity clothes, so probably a week.

Resume normal household tasks such as washing and hoovering - two weeks, though I made my partner do the bins for a while because that type of heavy lifting was painful.

Move about normally with 0 pain - about six weeks, I remember feeling fine at my six week check.

Here's mine:

Go on an hour's walk: probably around 4 weeks
Pick up baby in car seat: I didn't until 4 weeks because DH had paternity leave so he did it until then.
Drive: I only tried from 6 weeks - was absolutely fine
Resume exercise such as running: I started running again after 10 weeks
Have sex: 6 weeks
Sit up in bed/on sofa without pain: a week or so
Resume normal household tasks such as washing and hoovering: a couple of weeks
Move about normally with 0 pain: about a month until there was no hint of pain at all.

Emergency c section

Could do all the above immediately But was in pain for months and months

Chose not too
Drive - for 6 weeks as insurance is void

Resume exercise such as running - a month as wanted to heal

Have sex - 6 weeks due to common sense to lower chance of infection

Go on an hour's walk - one week, was mooching about with the dogs before that though
Pick up baby in car seat - 24 hours ish I guess? We never had him in a carry type car seat but I lifted the pram carrycot with him in.
Drive - 1 week, DH was about so did all the driving before then
Resume exercise such as running - back on my horses after 5 weeks, DH wasn’t keen before then so had kept them ticking over for me, I was desperate to get back!
Have sex - 8(?) days
Sit up in bed/on sofa without pain - same day, with very little pain anyway
Resume normal household tasks such as washing and hoovering - only had need to after a week or so
Move about normally with 0 pain - within the first week. Mild discomfort before that, there was never really any pain as such. I didn’t take any painkillers after day 3.

I loved my whole C-section experience. Good luck!

Long walk/ back in the gym a couple of months. Weightlifting in gym not cardio but under physio guidance.
Didn't bother with car seat out of car for my second baby because they are heavy and awkward.
Driving could have done after a couple of weeks.
Running the womens health physio said people do way too early and she had read recent studies suggesting 10-12 months. I'd say even running around after kids in a park felt slightly odd until a year.
Sex maybe a month both times.
Housework a couple of weeks
Sitting up with minimal pain 2-3 weeks.
No pain of any kind a couple of months but it still felt weird for a long time after and things like yoga were a v v slow journey back to a functional core.

Oh not elective though.

Emergency CS -- this was my experience:

Go on an hour's walk 6 weeks, and not easily--
Pick up baby in car seat -- more than 1 month
Drive medical advice was (is?) 6 weeks --
Resume exercise such as running a couple of months
Have sex
Sit up in bed/on sofa without pain 3 weeks anyway
Resume normal household tasks such as washing and hoovering-- ooh, it's been a few years, no sign of being able to do this ever again...
Move about normally with 0 pain
Had very bad pain for 2 weeks or so. First time I've actually needed painkillers. Probably about 9 months before O pain, but minor enough after a month or so.

No idea why some of this is crossing out, assume none of it should be!

Both mine were emergency, but not sure there’s any difference.

Go on an hour's walk - within 1-2 weeks
Pick up baby in car seat - day 1
Drive - day 1
Resume exercise such as running - within a few weeks
Have sex - within a week
Sit up in bed/on sofa without pain - day 1
Resume normal household tasks such as washing and hoovering - day 1-3
Move about normally with 0 pain - within a week

A few days, with the exception of having sex and running.

Hours walk: I don't know but I was doing it by three weeks (but guess I could have done it earlier)
Car seat: day I left hospital (so technically day 4)
Drive: I waited the six weeks recommended, but if I had to I could have driven right away.
Exercise: a few weeks
Sex: three weeks
Sit up without pain: day 3
Resume tasks: day 4, though with care
Move normally: within a week.

Mine were both emergencies but

Go on an hour's walk: probably 4-6 weeks for that long
Pick up baby in car seat: nearly 3 months old
Drive: couldn't drive
Resume exercise such as running: don't run
Have sex: first baby tried at 5 weeks, was agony. Waited till about 4 months after that with both
Sit up in bed/on sofa without pain: about 2 weeks
Resume normal household tasks such as washing and hoovering: waited 6 weeks
Move about normally with 0 pain: I'd say around 8 weeks

I know you said you are sure you want an ELCS however following my vaginally births:

Go on an hour's walk- next day/ day after
Pick up baby in car seat- that day
Drive- I didn't drive at the time but could have driven home from hospital, didn't use a wheelchair or anything afterwards.
Resume exercise such as running- did yoga at 2 weeks, cycling at 4-6 weeks.
Have sex- 2 weeks
Sit up in bed/on sofa without pain- straight away
Resume normal household tasks such as washing and hoovering- next day
Move about normally with 0 pain- within hours

One of the highlights of the whole experience was getting out of bed no longer pregnant and taking myself to the shower after giving birth. Just felt so light and free.

I appreciate you mean well, but I would assume OP has a reason for wanting an elective c section, and trying to convince her to go for vaginal birth is unnecessary and rather unfair. The NHS make it very clear that you're opting for major surgery.

It's great that you had such a good outcome from vaginal birth. It is also by no means guaranteed.

Go on an hour's walk - 1 week

Pick up baby in car seat - few days

Drive - 1 week

Resume exercise such as running - LOL

Have sex - six weeks as I was bleeding a lot

Sit up in bed/on sofa without pain - straight away

Resume normal household tasks such as washing and hoovering - got a cleaner - but would have been able to immediately

Move about normally with 0 pain - a week maybe

Wow that's harsh! ELCS aren't always completely elective for no reason whatsoever. If I hadn't had one I would have ended up in serious difficulties. It was a planned Elective C section.

And also why were you hoovering 1 day after giving birth!

Totally agree. I had a section because of two third degree tears. Neither me or the doctors wanted to risk another one. A c section was safest option for me.
Recovering from a third degree tear was as difficult as a c section and sex was off the table for longer.
Some women fly though recovery from childbirth and other have a much tougher time.

Trouble is, there's no guarantee what state you'll end up in after a vaginal birth. You got lucky, and it is down to luck, no matter how prepared you are. My experience of a 'standard birth' was far worse and I was in pain and unable to do things far longer than any of the ELCS experiences outlined above.

And I have two friends with life changing injuries because of vaginal birth.

Go on an hour's walk = three weeks. Do shorter walks before though

Pick up baby in car seat = 1 week

Drive = 2 weeks

Resume exercise such as running = don't run, yuck

Have sex = 4 years ha

Sit up in bed/on sofa without pain = less than a week

Resume normal household tasks such as washing and hoovering = 3 days

Move about normally with 0 pain = less than a week

So true, but if you go for a vaginally birth you have at least a 50% of little/ no problems afterwards (I did have stitches both times, but no other problems).

Whereas with a cesarean there is a (more or less) known amount of incapacity. It is wonderful to get up off the bed having given birth feeling less uncomfortable than you did when you went in.

I had no problems after any of my 4 csections? I don’t think it’s a 50% chance at all tbh.