If you have an emergency c-section or planned, definitely take her tips to heart. After three c-sections I can attest that spending time with your newborn is the most important tip of all! Emotional recovery is just as important (if not more important since your mind affects your body) as physical healing. You will remember holding your baby’s soft skin close to yours and feeling his/her tiny fingers wrapped around your pinky, not what the dishes looked like or how wrinkled your shirts were.
Here is her article! Enjoy! I know I did!
Sarah & son Dustyn, 10lbs 4 ozMy name is Sarah and I write over on Nap Time Mom Tog. First of all I wanted to say congratulations to Annie. I am so honored that she is having me guest post during her baby moon. I am so excited to see her new little girl. She sure is adorable! I wanted to share a few tips that helped me recovery from my c-section 3 years ago with my 1st son Dustyn. He was 10 pounds 4 ounces via a scheduled c-section.
Having a C-Section is not easy. It takes a big toll on the new mom physically and emotionally, which can affect the new baby. After you have a c-section you are suppose to relax for at least 2 weeks and not lift anything too heavy for 6 weeks. That is so hard to do, especially if you have other kids. Don’t be afraid to ask others for help. You need rest, fluids, good food and only light physical activity. If someone comes over to visit, let them know what you need done around the house like laundry or dishes. Your job is to relax with your new baby, not entertain company. They should help you around the house not just come over to hold the baby. I had such a hard time with this. I wouldn’t ask for help and they would hold the baby and that left me to do everything. It was so difficult.
Breastfeeding can be more difficult because your baby will probably be a little drowsy from the medicine. On top of that it is painful to hold your baby in the cradle hold. The best way I found to hold my baby was the football hold. Then he was not laying on my incision. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from a lactation consultant. They are trained for this. My boppy was a lifesaver.
I also wasn’t able to lay down for the first few weeks. I slept in a recliner, so make sure you have a comfortable recliner with a table beside it to hold your water, snack, phone, burp clothes, etc. That made it so much easier and I didn’t have to bug my husband.
Just make sure that you take the time with your new born baby so that you can form that special bond. Don’t stress over the small stuff. Everything can be done by someone else or at a later date.
If you have had a c-section, what are your tips for recovering well?
Ease back into exercise. I did wait the allotted 6 weeks, and then tried to get right back into exercising, and herniated myself. Which required another surgery. My stomach is not the same. I probably could have recovered from just the C section, but now I’ve had 3 surgeries, all on different areas of my abdomen. It’s like a roadmap of scars, all connected by globby fat which won’t go down. I’m scared to death to exercise, lest I pop the hernia spot open again. In short: do everything you can to avoid a C section. (I did everything right, my water broke 3 weeks early, then my baby was turned the wrong way and we only discovered this after pushing for FOUR hours, and I was nearly passing out from being up for 2 days straight, so they did a C section to get her out of there)…
Oh wow Jill!! I will ease back into exercising for sure. Like you, I am really looking forward to week 6 when I can go back to lifting normal things (like my 25lb son) and doing aerobics. But from your story (and others I have heard) I need to go slow. *sigh* I don’t WANT to go slow. But it will save me a lot of trouble if I do. So I shall.
Honestly, thank you for your story. It might have saved me 🙂
Thanks for posting it. I just linked up to it on my blog. 🙂
Great tips! With the focus on baby it’s easy to overlook that a c-section is major abdominal surgery and requires special care in recovery to avoid complications.
My own son was born by emergency c-section and from that I learned how inadequate much hospital care can be for c-section recovery.
So I developed the Abdomend Bikini Belt, a compression binder that can be worn immediately after delivery. I remember all too well the first time I got up after delivering my son and the feeling that my insides where going to fall out. I’d like no other woman to have to feel that so they can focus on bonding with their new little one.
Thank you for sharing! I too remember the pain and feeling like I was cut in half. What a great product!
Great suggestions. I never had a c-section but my sister did so I know how difficult it can be. You have some really useful tips!
Christina mentioned the need for compression to the incision. This is absolutely necessary for a swift and successful recovery. A belly band would be great and convenient, but you can also use a thin pillow or a folded towel. You just place it flat over your incision and press against it as you walk and move to support your incision. If you don’t, at the very least you will have pain and soreness longer. You can also develop adhesions to your incision, which are uncomfortable and make future c-section deliveries more difficult. Nurses should teach this technique in the hospital, but I have met many woman that were never shown.
I wish someone had told me about compression!!! It would’ve been so helpful 🙂 As it was, after my c-section a tiny part of the outer portion of my incision opened and became infected after I thought I was well enough to get around. It was an easy fix, but I’ve learned my lesson for the next time around. Needless to say, but I’ll remind you anyway, take your time when your energy starts to come back 🙂 I remember thinking that I was okay, a clueless new mom trying to do anything I wanted, and every evening the physical and mental exhaustion would hit my like a ton of bricks, just in time for my daughter’s witching hour. Hang in there!