C-Section Recovery: A Timeline
A C-section is abdominal surgery that requires anesthesia and ample recovery time. Every woman’s c-section recovery is different, depending on your care, complications involved, if any, and your mental attitude, however the first few days will be critical in getting off to a good start.
Below is a c-section recovery time line that will help you understand the post-delivery period:
Delivery
The C-section procedure is slightly easier than a vaginal birth on both mom and baby in that there is no pushing or physical strain. The lower half of your body will be numbed using a spinal tap or epidural and the baby is delivered from the womb through an incision in the lower abdomen. There isn’t much for you to do except lay comfortably. Usually your anesthesiologist will be sitting beside you and s(he) will fill you in on how things are going with the delivery.
Once baby is delivered the nurse will wrap the baby and bring her over to you so that you can make eye contact. Some hospitals will allow you to begin breastfeeding at this time however most will not. After a few minutes of visiting the baby will be taken to be cleaned up. During this time your doctor will deliver the afterbirth and close the incision.
You may get staples or stitches, it depends on what your doctor prefers , the incision will be about 6-8 inches long. After your doctor closes your incision you will go to recovery. Depending on your preference or hospital rules, you may be able to hold baby while you are in recovery, if not you may have to wait until you are brought to your room. This can take anywhere from one to two hours.
A few hours after delivery
A few hours after deliver you will be able to go from recovery to your room where you will be able to breast feed your baby. Do not worry about the anesthesia affecting the quality of your breast milk, you should be able to breast feed right after delivery. A lot of women are worried about the drugs affecting the quality of their delivery experience and this is one aspect you can put out of mind.
You will have to adjust the position of your body for breast feeding to avoid upsetting your sutures, however don’t be afraid to ask your nurse to assist you with this.After delivery, your anesthesiologist will leave the epidural in for a period of time to allow for more medication to be prescribed, or you may be given medication into your IV to help with easing your pain.
There will be some discomfort a few hours after the birth, just like with any surgery. This discomfort may make movement and getting out of bed a little more difficult than it might be for vaginal births. The best thing to do within the first few hours of surgery is to lay back and relax, there’s no need to jump right up. Try to focus on breastfeeding and bonding with your new baby.
You can expect to be in the hospital about three days. Your doctor will continue to prescribe systemic or oral pain medication to keep you comfortable, nurses will be available to assist you with the baby and breastfeeding techniques. If you have small children at home this will give you a little extra time to recover and bond.
If you become nauseous or your skin feels itchy right after delivery, speak up! Let your nurse or doctor know that you are experiencing discomfort and they can help you feel more comfortable. These are normal post-partum symptoms, but while you are in the care of the hospital staff make sure to speak up if you have any discomfort.
Day one
You will be expected to get up out of bed and start walking within about 12-24 hours. The first time up is the hardest but I promise it gets easier. Your catheter may also come out today as well. You will be feeling a little sluggish the first day so this is a good time to focus on breastfeeding.
Day two
You are probably going to feel a little tired and sore today, as you recover, however remember to continue your walking. Remaining mildly active will speed your recovery and make it easier to adjust after you leave the hospital.
Attempt to take at least one walk consisting of a couple of laps around the nurses’ desk Avoid the temptation to stay in bed. You might experience some gas pain or bloating which is totally normal, surgery often makes the intestine lethargic causing gas to build up. Moving around will sometimes help to wake the intestine back up and relieve this gas pain.
Continue to do your respiratory and abdominal exercises, urinate frequently to relieve any extra pressure on the abdomen and uterus, and enjoy the forming bond between you and your baby.
Day three
Today you will probably be going home. It depends however on your progress. Sometimes the physician will decide that you need an additional recovery day, in this case make sure you continue to focus on your recuperation. If you do remain in the hospital keep up your walking. You will also probably get your stitches or staples out today as well. Most stitches come out the day you leave, so if you stay a day or two longer then your stitches will remain in until that time.
Going home
Before going home your doctor will prescribe pain medications and possibly a stool softener if constipated ( avoid constipation by drinking plenty of fluids), and give you some final instructions.
Take it easy at home and expect to be somewhat dependent for the next few days. Don’t lift anything heavier than your baby, and pay special attention to your incision area as a c-section incision infection because this could delay your recovery.
If you have discomfort getting out of bed or moving around try using a C-Section Abdominal binder , it can make a tremendous difference in your comfort level as it supports your tummy and minimizes pain. They can help you do more without injury and discomfort.
Use this time to bond with your new baby and any older children you have. Enjoy the excuse you will have to relax with your family and really focus on an adequate recovery so you can enjoy more time being a mommy and less time recovering from delivery.
In the coming weeks
Within in about 6-8 weeks of your surgery you will have your first checkup. If everything has gone well you should get the OK to resume normal activities such as exercise, going back to work, sexual relations, etc.
Note that because some nerves were cut during the c-section procedure you may notice some pulling and numbness and even a little burning around your incision. These things are all normal and part of the healing process.
If you will be starting any type of exercise within these coming weeks be extremely careful. Exercise after a c-section is important however some exercises can cause injury, not all exercise is appropriate for post c-section moms. Any vaginal discharge should lessen over the coming weeks and have completely disappeared by about the 6th to 8th week.
Also pay attention to your hormone levels, a little bit of the post-partum depression or baby blues is normal but be leery of full blown post-partum depression. Don’t be afraid to get help should you experience more than normal bouts of depression and hopelessness.
I just had my first C-section 10 days ago after having 3 great vaginal births, two of those WITHOUT any pain meds. I would much rather have gone “natural” but it was determined that she wasn’t thriving and so it was in her best interest to be born early and by Cesarean since we weren’t sure how her heart was going to take an induced labor.
Your recovery timeline seems, so far, to be spot on, although the possibility of severe pain is skimmed over. Within hours afer birth I needed a strong med to help me cope with the pain, and as I mentioned, I gave birth naturally without anything to dull the pain so I consider my tolerance to be quite high.
The sensations I experienced the first time I got up were very intense and painful, but thankfully passed by the 3rd day. By the 5th day, I found that I didn’t even need acetominophen, as I only had minimal discomfort.
Hi Beth, Doctors are generally modest with that first dose of pain medication immediately after surgery. I didn’t know that with my first c-section but I knew it with my second, so as soon as I started feeling pain I asked for more relief. I figured if the doctor would allow me to have more pain med, I was going to take it
hi,had my c-section 8 weeks ago as a result of intra partum eclampsia,i still feel sore all around my abdomen and pain at one side of the operation site,what should i do
Pain in your abdomen area at 8 weeks is not uncommon. For some women it can take six months or more to feel completely healed. I’d wait a few more weeks to see if the pain doesn’t subside, if it does not check back with your doctor. If the pain is unbearable then I’d check with your doctor immediately.
Is it normal to experience sharp burning pain on the left size above the incision? I am 17 days post delivery.
Hi Tania, a sharp burning pain is not normal and could be a sign of internal infection. I’d check with your doctor about this. You can simply give the office a call and ask. They’ll be able to ask you a few questions to help determine if this is an infection or not, but please do call