Recovering From A C-Section
When it comes to having a c-section, one of the biggest concerns women have is how they will
recover.
Recovering from a d-section will take longer than recovering from a vaginal birth, after all, it is surgery.
However, recovery doesn't have to be as bad as it sounds.
Your c-section recovery time can vary from person to person. Your tolerance for pain, your mood, your
ability to heal, all play a part in the equation. Some women spring back right away, others take a bit longer. The average healing
time is about two weeks.
Here's a general, and I do mean general, breakdown:
- C-section surgery 45 minutes to an hour.
- Recovery room stay about 2 hours
- Hospital stay about 3 days
- Home Recovery about 2 more weeks, for some it may be as long as 4 weeks.
So what happens at each step?
Once your surgery is over, you will be wheeled to a recovery room where you may have your baby with you
or you may not. This depends on you and what you have requested.
If a mom had a long labor before needing her c-section she may be very tired and sleep in recovery. One
thing to be aware of in the recovery room is that this may be the time when your anesthesia will begin wearing off. The key here is to stay
on top of your pain. The moment you sense pain coming on, you need to request additional pain meds. This is something that you should
plan out beforehand making sure you receive the proper pain medication so that the pain does not get ahead of you.
Once you leave the recovery room, you will be transferred to your hospital room. If you haven't already
begun breastfeeding or bonding with your baby, this is the time it will begin.
It may be difficult finding comfortable positions for feeding. Typically, the football hold or laying
baby down next to you works well for most women.
Next you will need to begin walking. This is the single most important thing you can begin doing to
gain strength and energy, and believe me the nurses will be showing up to make sure this happens! You'll be sore, but the more you keep
moving, the better off you'll be.
Soon it's time to head home. Of course you will be walking but you may be slow. You'll have guidelines
that you need to follow and things to watch out for but for the most part, you will be slow, but that's ok, just keep a consistent
pace.
Your next challenge is caring for baby. That's often the biggest challenge because you're
sore, you're tired and you have a baby that needs you every two to three hours.
Don't panic, make it easy on yourself. Keep the baby in bed with you and if you are breastfeeding do it
laying down. If you have someone that can help out with chores and housework, take the help, this is no time to be super woman. Keep
up your walking routine but take adequate rests when you can.
Let the housework go for awhile. Your job for the first month should be to take care of you and your
baby and that should be your only priority.
For More Information on Having a C-Section
For More Information on C-section Risks
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