If you’ve been following my pregnancy diary posts, then you will probably know that I opted for an elective caesarean section for the birth of my first child Jack. I had a low lying placenta throughout my whole pregnancy, and at my 36 week scan it had still only moved 13mm away from the opening of the cervix. Since most health professionals prefer it to be at least 20mm away to attempt a natural birth, I decided to opt for an elective c-section. I knew there was a good chance I could end up needing an emergency one anyway, and that wasn’t a risk I wanted to take.
I talked about the c-section process and Jack’s birth in this post here, but now that I’m eight weeks on in my recovery, I thought I’d share a post about how it’s all going, and in particular how the first six weeks went. I know I’ve had quite a few messages from readers saying how helpful they’ve found these pregnancy and birth posts, so if you are opting for an elective c-section then I hope you’ll find this post helpful too!
I’ve heard that an elective c-section is much easier to recover from than an emergency one, and that makes total sense. You haven’t had to go through the process of labour so the body is likely to be able to cope with an elective c-section easier. It also means there is only one area to heal, as well as being less stress and anxiety of an emergency c-section!
Also, please keep in mind this is just my recovery and everyone recovers differently and can take varying amounts of time to heal. It all depends how the operation went etc, and I was very lucky to have no complications. I know I found reading other’s recovery stories really helpful in being able to prepare for my operation, hence why I’m sharing mine!
WEEK ONE
Like I mentioned in my birth story, I stayed in Queen Mary Hospital for two nights and then transferred down to Clutha Health First Maternity Unit for two nights. My Cesearean was in the morning and I was up and walking around (albeit very slowly!), by early that evening. My catheter was removed the second morning, so I was up and about going to the bathroom and I also had my first shower (which was seriously the best feeling, even if it was super awkward with the nurse watching!). By the third day, I was moving about freely (although a little hunched over), and also made the hour long trip from Dunedin to Balclutha to the Maternity Unit. While the car ride wasn’t the most fun I’ve ever had, I felt fine during it, and just made sure to support my incision site to stop it from rubbing on the seat belt!
The fourth and fifth days my mobility improved even more and I was easily moving around the birthing unit. Getting in and out of bed and chairs was still a bit of a struggle and laughing practically killed me! Every time I laughed I had to put my hands over the incision to help support it a little. I also wouldn’t recommend coughing or sneezing – they were pretty rough too!! On the fifth day we went home and I definitely took it easy even when I got home. I spent most of my time on the couch cuddling with Jack, and avoided doing anything too strenuous. After a week I was feeling up to a trip up to Dunedin which I managed fine.
I have to be honest, straight after my c-section I looked down at my belly and I was so thrilled to see it was dead flat. I looked like I hadn’t ever had a baby in there. After 24 hours the swelling started, and by about day three I looked like I was five months pregnant again. I was so gutted. I also had a dark linea nigra line that extended out from my belly button and there were the pen marks from the surgery all over my belly. When they took the bandage off after five days, I was amazed to see how good the scar looked – I was expecting something pretty horrific, but this was a clean and well healed incision.
I had some bleeding (or lochia) during the first week, but it wasn’t really too bad at all and I was told it was a lot lighter than many other women get. I have heard sometimes it is lighter after a c-section as they do a bit of a “clean up” before they stitch you up, so I’m not sure whether this contributed to the fact!
In terms of pain relief, for the first week I took panadol and ibuprofen every 6 hours. It’s so much better to stay on top of the pain meds rather than trying to “brave it out”! I also took a couple of tramadol on the days where we travelled or if I was really sore, but I tried to keep these to a minimum. I also started my probiotics straight away to try and help prevent any gas or wind issues.
WEEK TWO
After two weeks I was moving around the house easily, and the only thing that was a bit tough was getting in and out of bed and up off the sofa while holding baby. I also still found it hard to bend over for long periods of time so changing him was a bit hard. I still took it really easy, and tried not to do anything too strenuous which was tough as there was so much I wanted to do with our renovations. By week two I was also starting to do some light chores like making lunch, cleaning the kitchen and emptying the dishwasher. I still sat down and rested as much as possible as I didn’t want to cause any issues down the track.
After two weeks my belly was still pretty swollen and hadn’t gone down much at all. The mild swelling in my feet finally started to go down and this week I felt like my body was really getting rid of a lot of built up fluid. I woke up sweating a few nights in a row (which I hear is super common, and also quite gross!) and I felt like I was on the loo basically all the time! I did try to drink as much water as I could in order to try and flush everything out!
This week my postpartum bleeding (or lochia) really ramped up, and I ended up calling my midwife one evening as I was terrified I was haemorrhaging. Turns out it was still much lighter bleeding than normal, but this girl is used to tampons not pads. Blood looks so much more scary and full on when it’s in a pad, and I had no idea just how much was “heavy”. It also doesn’t help that I hate seeing blood, so to me it looked like an absolute tonne! 😂 I felt a bit silly (but also relieved) after realising this!
This week I took panadol and ibuprofen only once in the morning and once before bed. The pain was easily managed, the only time I was a bit sore was after changing the baby, or after getting in and out of bed. Wheat bags became my new BFF and I’d pop a warm one on the incision area to help reduce the pain – it works a treat!
WEEK THREE
This was the week I really started feeling like myself again. The pain had reduced a lot, and I was moving around much more freely. I could do simple things like picking things off the ground and putting my shoes on, which were things I had struggled to do in the previous weeks as bending over was hard. I also found it much easier to pick Jack up, although I still wasn’t carrying him in his carseat.
I also found that my digestive system started working more normally. I had found in the first couple of weeks I felt quite gassy and it was harder to use the bathroom. I’ve heard this is super common with c-sections as the surgery means there is a lot of trapped air in the body and it needs to get out. The shock of the surgery also causes the digestive system to slow down, making poop far harder! It was nice to get back to normal on this front this week!
We started going out for frequent walks this week, just short 15-20 minute walks around the town. I was determined to get out and about, and I also wanted to start trying to get my fitness and body back (albeit very slowly and gently!)
This was the week my swelling FINALLY started to go down. I swear one morning I just woke up and my belly was so much flatter and smaller. I now only looked three months pregnant! 🤣 The linea nigra started to fade and my belly button is looking a lot less stretched and scary. I’m also fitting back into pretty much all of my pre-pregnancy clothes which makes me so incredibly happy! I weighed myself this week and I am only 3kg heavier than I was before being pregnant, so I’m pretty happy with that. I’d say there will be another kg gone once all the swelling has gone down, and probably a little more for my boobs (which seriously are the biggest they have ever been, I’m loving it 🤣) I’m really happy I didn’t go crazy with the overeating and junk food while I was pregnant as I think that has made all the difference in getting back to something that resembles my pre-pregnancy body and weight.
The pain came back a bit this week, but it felt more like stretching and uncomfortableness rather than actual pain. I’m guessing it was the skin and everything stretching as it was knitting back together. I took panadol and ibuprofen as needed. Some days I was fine, others I was a bit sore (especially after a bit of a walk!)
WEEK FOUR
Week four I felt pretty much fine. I was doing pretty much everything as normal, and felt great! I went for much longer walks with ease and had no issues carrying Jack around. Getting in and out of bed was completely normal and the only time I remembered that I had actually had a c-section was if Jack booted me in the tummy when I was holding him!
I was still a bit swollen and bruised on my tum, but it only affected me if I knocked it accidentally or wore clothing that really rubbed on the incision or area. My tummy went down even more this week and I was only 2.5kg up on my pre-pregnancy weight!
The only exercise I was doing was walking, as I wasn’t keen to start anything else until the 6 week mark and I had been medically cleared to do so. I didn’t want to risk anything going wrong after everything had been going so well! I also still couldn’t drive until 6 weeks (as per my hospital discharge), which was a bit frustrating as I well and truly felt well enough to drive!
WEEK FIVE
Again, I was feeling really good. I had no issues doing pretty much all of the household chores now, although anything that involves too much stretching I am still trying to avoid until the six week mark, just to be on the safe side. I was hanging out washing and all that sort of stuff without any issues though, and this week I could also carry Jack in his carseat for short distances.
This was the week I dug my pre-pregnancy jeans out of storage. They were the only thing I hadn’t tried on yet, and I was absolutely devastated to see they still wouldn’t do up. I’m not sure what I was expecting as it was still only FIVE WEEKS AFTER HAVING A BABY AND GETTING CUT OPEN, but silly me thought they would magically fit. Hahahahaha. 😂 Time to go up a size I think! In good news, I lost another half a kg this week, so I’m was only 2kg up on pre-pregnancy weight. I think I can put this down to eating super healthy during this week and drinking a tonne of water. I also made a point of doing lots of walking this week, and I think breastfeeding has helped with losing some of the weight too.
I could feel a bit of tightness and stretching of the skin this week if I moved a bit too suddenly, or if Jack kicked me in the incision (which seems to be his new favourite game). I’m guessing this was just everything knitting back together.
WEEK SIX
Finally I could drive again! Seriously, you realise what a pain in the ass it is when you can’t drive, and I was so keen to get back behind the wheel. In all honesty I probably could have driven at about week 3 or 4, but insurance is often void if you drive before what is stated on your discharge forms (and sadly mine said 6 weeks). It was so nice to have a bit of independence back and not have to rely on the boyfriend or my mum to drive me places. I drove with Jack in the car for the first time this week, which was a bit of a milestone for me too!
The scar has healed so well. It’s so thin and you can barely see it, it’s just a tiny red line that extends about 10cm across my middle, just above my pubic bone. I’d take a photo, but it’s just a little too revealing for my liking to post on the internet! It sits really low, so it’s never going to stop me from being able to wear bikinis etc which is great. I still have the dark line that extends from my belly button, but I’ve heard these do take a while to fade. There’s still a tiny bit of swelling on my belly, but for the most part my stomach is now basically flat again. High waisted undies and pants are still my saviour as the incision still feels a bit weird when clothing rubs against it and it’s not a nice feeling. I also still have a bit of numbness in the area around the incision. I’m guessing this will improve over time, but if it doesn’t it’s not the end of the world either.
My pre-pregnancy jeans still won’t quite do up and my maternity jeans are too big, so I treated myself to a cheap pair of jeans in a size 7, which is one size up from normal. Thankfully they fit, so I feel like I can start dressing like myself again rather than just wearing leggings and slouchy pants all the time! It’s amazing what a pair of jeans can do to make you feel a million bucks!
I’m still finding it a tiny bit hard if I spent a lot of time stretching or bending over, and getting the pram in and out of the car is probably still my toughest task. Everything else is manageable now, and I’m starting to mentally gear myself up to get back into exercise. I feel so weak and unfit and I’m keen to regain some of the fitness that I had last year when I was at the gym. I’ve been researching postpartum exercise, but if you can recommend any good programmes (especially for c-sections), let me know!
MY CAESAREAN SECTION RECOVERY
I can honestly say the recovery from my c-section was even easier than I had expected it to be. I really think the key is to take it super easy for the first two to three weeks – no household chores, no carrying heavy objects, and resting as much as possible. A c-section is major surgery and it’s so important to keep up with the pain meds and take it easy, it certainly makes for an easier recovery later on! When you are feeling up to it, small walks are a great way to get up and moving around again and they can get longer as you recover. Take all the help you can get and don’t be afraid to ask people to do things for you if you can’t. While I can’t compare it to a normal birth, I really wouldn’t be afraid of having another one.
Now I’m eight weeks on and I feel 100% fine and am doing everything I used to. I can carry Jack easily (even though that little boy is packing on the pounds!), and during the seventh week I was also up a ladder doing some painting on our house. I still haven’t started doing any exercise other than walking which is mainly down to a lack of time, but I wouldn’t hesitate to do some light workouts now.
TIPS FOR A QUICKER C-SECTION RECOVERY
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- Take it really easy, especially for the first 2-3 weeks
- Keep up with the pain meds for the first week at least
- Don’t stretch or reach up unnecessarily until about week 4 or 5
- Don’t lift anything heavy for the first few weeks
- Drink heaps of water
- Start taking probiotics and peppermint tea to help with the gas
- Get moving straight away, even if it’s just walking to the bathroom!
- Start gentle short walks from around week 2
- Eat lots of nourishing and healthy food
- Breastfeed for the first few weeks (if you can), this helps the uterus to shrink faster and also burns lots of calories
- Avoid clothes that rub or irritate the incision site
