Having a csection is a major surgery; yet after we have one our doctors send us out into the world with a brand new baby & expect us not to lift anything and get on with our life…what?! There are two ways a csection happen, planned or not planned & women are not provided with enough recovery tips.
This post is going to go over a csection recovery timeline and what to expect.
What to expect Csection Recovery:
You will need more time to recover from a csection than those who had a vaginal birth, and this is due to the nature that presents itself with major abdominal surgery taking place.
Having help lined up to support you while you are home is very important for c-section recovery.
The only thing you should lift is your new baby, and that needs to be done with extreme care to protect your incision.
You will still bleed vaginally & need to care for this as well as you incision on your abdomen. Coughing, laughing, bending, getting out of bed and a chair will also feel challenging as you use your core to do these moves.
Following the instructions the nurses provide for you at the hospital are so helpful & do not be afraid to ask questions relating to your c-section recovery.
Is csection recovery painful?
Recovery from a c-section feels different for everyone. It can feel painful because of the challenge that presents with caring for you and your new baby. LIke any wound it will continue to feel better & better each day. Staying on top of your medication that is provided will help reduce the pain of your c-section incision and reduce healing time.
What are the steps for csection recovery:
Here is a c-section recovery timeline that might be helpful to be aware of:
- Know your option & advocate for yourself. If you want to have skin to skin right away, delayed cord clamping, a slower hands off approach for your baby, ask all those questions! It is okay to ask them in advance even if a c-section does not happen, but knowing your options will put you at ease.
- Advocate for yourself: If you are having a planned c-section be sure to ask the questions & keep in mind that it is YOUR birth and you do still have a say in the matter. Discussing scar stitching, a clear drape, & how this looks is important.
- Eat nutritious foods leading up to the csection (if it is planned). Even better is to focus on nutritious foods throughout your pregnancy so you can be prepared for anything while feeling your best.
- Be sure to learn how to connect to your deep core & breath through your diaphragm. This will help with healing after your surgery allowing increased blood flow.
- A csection is a big surgery, be sure to rest, drink fluids, and give yourself grace. In time you will heal as long as you don’t rush it.
How to prepare for your c-section:
Preparing for your c-section starts during your pregnancy! Early on in your pregnancy you will probably not have a c-section on your mind, and many of you will not have it in your mind heading into the hospital either, but sometimes a c-section does need to happen even when we have not planned for it.
SO with that being said, preparing for your c-section recovery starts with staying active during pregnancy, building strength in your upper & lower body as well as developing strength in your deep core and transversus abdominus. Staying hydrated and fueling your body with whole foods throughout your pregnancy will also support your body in a a faster csection recovery.
Here are some questions you can discuss with your doctor that are very important to bring up before the event comes:
- Ask for a play by play narration: The doctor’s might be performing the surgery but YOU are still the one giving birth, you can ask them to narrate/walk you through each action so you know what is taking place.
- You can ask for a clear drape, they need to use a drape to prevent infections while keeping everything sterile & clean. A clear drape would allow you to see more of your birth if you feel comfortable watching.
- If there are no immediate medical concerns you can ask for immediate skin to skin if this is important to you. You can even breastfeed your baby while they are stitching your surgical site closed.
- You can discuss the stitching procedure with your doctor. This might be out of control, but its important you ask and see what type of stitching is used. You can say something like “ Can you take your time closing this incision, the appearance of the scar is important to me.”
- Lastly, make sure your birth team (doctor, spouse, doula, family) are aware of your wants & needs during this time. It’s important that you are comfortable with the procedure & how things take place.
What are csection recovery exercises you can do to promote healing?
The first exercise you can start with while in the hospital recovering is your diaphragmatic breathing. This is going to reduce your stress overall while bringing more oxygen into your blood cells which is going to promote healing to your incision. It also provides more oxygen to your brain which will dramatically reduce your stress; having a new baby AND a major surgery is stressful!
About a week after you can start to connect to your deep core by performing a belly pump and activating your transversus abdominus. This is going to help with your core connection while supporting your insides & putting things back into place. Remember that your intestines, stomach & more physically move to make room for your growing baby!
You can also begin to do different breathing exercises with your deep breathing, for instance breathing out for 5 seconds, inhaling for 5 seconds & repeat that. Allows you to meditate in a way that doesn’t feel pressure to meditate if that makes sense. These are two great exercises to begin after a c-section.
How to care for your csection scar.
Caring for your c-section scar is very important but also very rarely discussed by your provider. Again, each provider, midwife shares different information but this is something that really needs to be shared to moms who have csection surgery.
When your incision is completely healed you can begin scar massage to break up scar tissue while bringing feeling back to this area and to reduce adhesions from the inside. This is usually done at the 6/8 week mark. Scar massage helps:
- scar tissue from forming in unwanted areas
- Increases blood flow
- Expands flexibility and elasticity
- Lessens pain and sensitivity in surrounding areas
- Smooths thick scar formations
- Helps prevent infections.
You will want to use different grades of material, for example a cotton ball, a thick piece of cloth with ridges (like a pillow cover) a silky piece of material and you can also use a gua-sha stone to break up scar tissue. You can use vitamin E oil or coconut oil to support the massage of skin.
Using one piece of material at a time you want to rub around your scar, top & bottom, go up and down over your scar and also in circles around it. Doing this 3-5x a week, or even daily if you can will support healing of your scar.
In Conclusion
Having a csection is a major surgery. You will need more time to recover from a csection than those who had a vaginal birth, and this is due to the nature that presents itself with major abdominal surgery taking place. Having help lined up to support you while you are home is very important for c-section recovery.
Recovery from a c-section feels different for everyone. It can feel painful because of the challenge that presents with caring for you and your new baby. LIke any wound it will continue to feel better & better each day. Staying on top of your medication that is provided will help reduce the pain of your c-section incision and reduce healing time. Nutrition, hydration, rest and scar massage with diaphragmatic breathing will support faster healing & recovery time with a c-section.
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