C-section Recovery Guide

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor! I’m just a mom who has experienced a c-section three times and offering advice on what has helped me recover faster and with less pain each time. What works for me might not work for you, and any medical questions should be directed to your doctor.

Are you having a C-section and scared of recovery? While there is bound to be some pain involved with recovering from a major surgery, your recovery doesn’t have to be full of pain for weeks on end. As a mom who has had three c-sections, I know my way around recovery, so I’ve put together a c-section recovery guide to help you recover faster and with less pain!

My recovery was faster and less painful with each c-section simply because I had experience and knew what to expect and what things would help. I want you to have a good recovery experience the first time!

According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, nearly one in three births are cesarean deliveries in the United States. While that number is high compared to other countries around the world and will hopefully decrease in the future, a woman planning to have children should be given as much information about both types of birth (natural and cesarean) as possible.

Part of that information should involve recovery because you don’t just have a baby and immediately go back to your pre-pregnancy body (wouldn’t that be nice)! C-section recovery is a whole different ballgame than natural birth recovery, so let’s dive into this c-section recovery guide that will hopefully have you healing faster and with less pain!

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Get Up and Move

But I just had major surgery, what do you mean?!

I remember after my first cesarean being so caught off guard when my nurse said, “Okay, let’s get up and go to the bathroom”. The look on my face probably said it all!

I also remember being so surprised by how unsteady I felt during that walk to the toilet.

Even though you will feel unsteady at first, I promise movement is your best friend. After you get the hang of getting out of bed, try to take short walks as much as possible.

I know with my first birth I probably didn’t walk enough. With my second birth I probably walked too much (my son was in the CVICU across the hospital while I had to stay in recovery. So the first four days after his birth I went over there as much as I could. No rest for the moms with sick babies, unfortunately). With my third birth, I was smart about my movement and listened to my body.

With my third birth, I would start with walking back and forth in the room after I would use the bathroom or after nursing my baby. When I felt steady I started walking the small loop outside of my room. When my body felt tired I would immediately stop.

Movement is going to help with blood flow, which will help with recovery. Also, blood flow will help reduce the risk of blood clots in your legs. So, while rest is important for recovery, movement is as well.

Hydrate

Just like in pregnancy, stay as hydrated as possible. Keep your water bottle topped off at all times.

We all know the benefits of drinking water, but it is so important after birth. When you have a cesarean you will have a catheter placed. After a couple of hours the catheter will be removed and you will be expected to go to the bathroom.

Getting yourself to pee after a cesarean and after a catheter is removed can actually be really tricky and not having a full bladder can make it even more tricky. If you can’t get yourself to pee after whatever time frame the nurses give you then you would have to have the catheter put back in.

The best tip a nurse gave me was blowing bubbles into my water through my straw while I sat on the toilet! Sounds silly, but it really worked, and going to the bathroom was no problem after that.

Depending on what type of c-section you have (scheduled, emergency, unplanned) you could end up with a lot of swelling, mostly in your feet. The longer you are on IV fluids the more you will swell. With my second birth, I labored for 42 hours, pushed for 4, then had a c-section, so my swelling was severe.

I could barely put my slides on to go across the hospital and see my son in the CVICU after my second birth and it also made my breasts swollen as well (it wasn’t just the fact that my milk was coming in).

My feet were also badly swollen after my first birth where I labored for about 12 hours before having a c-section. I remember with that birth my movement would be a walk down our driveway and back up to the house with bare feet because the concrete, for whatever reason, felt good on my swelling – almost like it was breaking it up.

In the end, though, movement, elevation, and lots and lots of water are your best friends for swelling.

Items for Bleeding

Yes, you will bleed after a c-section. I don’t know why my brain didn’t make that connection the first time around, but I was quickly aware that there would, in fact, be blood.

The hospital will provide you with mesh underwear, huge pads, smaller pads, and a peri bottle. Some women prefer Depends. I tried those with my third birth and had one on for about thirty seconds before I decided I hated it. The mesh underwear felt much more secure to me.

You will not be in the giant jumbo pads during your entire recovery – maybe only the first couple of days. You will probably be in the smaller-sized pads by the time you get discharged.

I always thought the peri bottle was only used when you had a vaginal birth because you wouldn’t want to be wiping down there afterward, but it was actually really helpful for the first couple of days after surgery.

My incision would sting if I twisted or bent slightly too much to wipe after using the bathroom, so I would rinse with the peri bottle instead. You don’t even need to try to pat yourself dry with toilet paper after using it because your pad will soak it up anyway.

By the time I got home after my third birth, I was comfortable in regular high-waisted underwear (sized up!) and Always ultra-thin overnight pads. The amount of bleeding you have will vary. I bled the most with my first birth but the longest with my second birth (because of all the traveling back and forth to the CVICU).

Tip: If you do like the mesh underwear option, on the day you know you’re being discharged, tell the nurse you are out of mesh underwear and they will give you a new pack. Then you’ll at least have some extra to take home with you.

Getting Up from Sitting or Lying Down

DO NOT try to use your stomach muscles to pull yourself to an upright position, especially from lying down. You just had major abdominal surgery (they cut through seven layers)!

If you are lying down, either have someone help you sit up, or roll to your side first and use your arms as much as possible to push yourself up to sitting. The first time you try this will feel difficult and you might understandably be scared that it might hurt, but you will get the hang of it.

Exerting yourself too much could cause sutures to open. Remember you are stitched up (or stapled) on the outside AND the inside.

This is not to scare you. I remember with my first birth being so afraid to move and adjust because I thought it would hurt. Take it slow, do it smart, get help if you need it, and you will be okay.

Take Your Pain Meds

This will help with the movement you need! There will always be a little bit of discomfort at the beginning when you’re trying to move. Getting out of bed, adjusting in bed to either get comfortable or breastfeed, going to the bathroom, showering – all these things are bound to be a little uncomfortable the first few days.

I remember with my third birth saying my pain level was a 1 out of 10 for several hours and then all of a sudden I was really struggling to get out of bed. The nurse asked if I wanted some oxy . . . yes please!

With my first two births, I knew that was just a part of the pain meds they brought me every so often, so I assumed they had already been giving it to me the third time around. They inform you of the meds they are having you take, but I clearly was not paying attention and just took what they handed me. As soon as I took the heavier pain meds all my pain went away and I was fine to get in and out of bed by myself again.

You will not be on heavy pain meds long, and you don’t HAVE to take them if you don’t want to. You can stick with alternating between ibuprofen and acetaminophen. By the time I went home with my third birth I didn’t need the oxy they sent home with me (and I only stayed at the hospital for two days). With my second birth, I took the entire prescription worth because all the traveling to the CVICU didn’t allow me to rest as much as I should have so I was in more pain. Based on your pain tolerance, don’t feel bad or be afraid to use the medicine that is prescribed to you – it’s there for a reason.

Stool Softener

Speaking of meds, a stool softener will be your best friend when you realize it’s time for that first bowel movement.

A lot of times we think of going to the bathroom after birth hurting because a woman has had a natural birth (and it does), but it can also be difficult (maybe not painful) after a c-section.

Your abdominal muscles have just been completely cut through, so tensing up to push can feel impossible and can cause some pain if you put in too much effort. You want to have to put as little amount of effort into it as possible.

While at the hospital you will receive stool softener along with your regular medications. Depending on the hospital, they might also want to ensure you have a bowel movement before you leave. I never had to, but they did constantly ask me if I had had a bowel movement yet.

On my third birth, I continued taking my stool softener until I had my first bowel movement (two days after I got home, four days after birth). Once it had passed I determined it had been easy enough that I didn’t need to keep taking any stool softener.

If you feel like you struggle with your first bowel movement, you might want to keep taking your stool softener until your second bowel movement and compare it to the first to determine whether you are okay stopping. Just don’t overdo it!

Compression

After birth – natural or c-section – your stomach is going to feel a little weird. You have had another person taking up a lot of space inside you for the last 9 months and now they are out. It feels like your organs could just slide around in there, and you don’t have a lot of control of your abdomen area after birth (especially after a c-section!).

An abdominal wrap can help your midsection feel held together and the compression is surprisingly comfortable. The hospital provides very basic wraps, but a lot of moms prefer to buy their own.

I bought this one from Amazon and it made a huge difference. I also had terrible diastasis recti after my third birth and this definitely helped with that.

Incision Care

The last thing you want after your c-section is for your incision to get infected. It needs to stay dry at all times (showering is fine). When you do shower, make sure to pat dry your incision site (don’t rub!) to ensure it is completely dry before getting dressed.

I never kept anything on my incision site and it healed just fine, but I do know some moms like to wear the silicone scar patches. They can help improve the color and texture of scars – you can even use them on old scars!

You should be inspecting your incision site daily to monitor the healing process. If it grosses you out, then have someone else look at it for you. Look for signs of infection like seeping, excessive redness, or foul odor. You would want to call your doctor immediately if any of those are detected.

Comfortable Clothing

Speaking of incision care, don’t let clothing (waistbands) rub against your scar all day! I wore high-waisted + stretchy everything.

Your belly will probably still be pretty big when you come home – I know mine was! So instead of immediately pulling out my pre-pregnancy clothes I went straight back to my maternity pants.

I didn’t want anything sitting on my scar. That hurts and you’re putting yourself at risk for infection.

The high-waisted underwear I initially bought were a size too small and kept rolling down and pressing on my scar, so I wasted no time ordering the next size up (thank God for Amazon overnight delivery). I kept wearing my maternity leggings for a few weeks and still wore stretchy, high-waisted items once my belly had gone down some.

Nutritious Diet

As often as possible, try to give your body nutritious food during those first couple months postpartum. Nutrient-dense food will help your body focus its energy on healing rather than trying to break down sugar.

I am in no way saying I was perfect – I may or may not have sent my husband to Crumbl twice in my two and half day stay because I wanted a cookie, dang it! I just had a baby and deserved it, and it’s okay for you to indulge a little bit too!

Just remember to balance that out with healthier choices that can give your body the proper energy it needs for the massive amount of healing it is trying to accomplish.

Rest

I know the first point was to move, but the last point is to rest. Yes, movement is important, but rest is equally, if not more, important.

The extent of your movement in the first few weeks should be walking around your house and picking up your baby – that’s it. There’s no award for doing more! The moment your body starts feeling tired, it is telling you to STOP.

Post coming soon:

How to Heal from a C-section with a Toddler at Home

Too much movement means you will bleed longer and the internal healing process will take longer. Remember that you have a dinner plate-sized wound in your uterus. You might think you’re feeling pretty good, so you push yourself a little too much one day and see more blood than normal the next time you go to the bathroom.

That means you’re overdoing it and you need to sit down, hold your baby, and relax! Drink your water and let your body heal.

I know this can be difficult to do, especially if you don’t have enough help, but prioritize sleep whenever you can. If your baby is asleep and you’re trying to decide between dishes or napping, always choose napping. The dishes will still be there tomorrow. And actually close your eyes and try to rest, no doom scrolling social media!

Conclusion

I hope this c-section recovery guide helps you have a recovery that is faster and less painful than you anticipated! I hope you are able to spend that time snuggling your baby, perfecting feeding, and getting a tiny bit of sleep instead of being stuck in recovery mode the whole time.

Veteran moms, what other advice would you add to this list?

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