Doctors usually recommend that you avoid driving a car until your caesarean wound has healed and you can brake suddenly without feeling sharp pain. This is usually around 4-6 weeks. It's best to talk with your doctor or midwife about when it's safe to start driving again.
Don't drive a car for at least 2 weeks. It is OK to ride in a car, but make sure you wear your seat belt. Don't drive if you are taking narcotic pain medicine or if you feel weak or unsafe driving.
As long as the doctor has given you the all clear and you feel OK to drive, then it's absolutely fine.
Why you need to wait. The concern regarding having a C-section and driving too soon centers around your physical capabilities and the risks associated with being under the influence of pain medication. A C-section is a major surgery, which means it comes with serious risks and aftereffects during the recovery period.
You should avoid driving for at least 6 weeks after your caesarean, and will need to contact your insurance company for more information about when you can return to driving. It is important to know that having one caesarean section will not determine how your next baby might be born.
Walking after c-section is encouraged and should be your go to for the first few weeks. You'll start to notice day to day movement getting easier and less discomfort lifting baby or moving around.
Women should be advised that the period of recovery after surgery is variable. It may take 1-6 weeks before women are ready to resume driving after abdominal surgery such as caesarean section.
A C-section is a major surgery. Don't lift anything heavier than your baby for the first couple of weeks, and keep everything you might need within reach. Support your stomach. Hold your belly when you sneeze, cough, or laugh to keep it still.
Doctors usually recommend that you avoid driving a car until your caesarean wound has healed and you can brake suddenly without feeling sharp pain. This is usually around 4-6 weeks. It's best to talk with your doctor or midwife about when it's safe to start driving again.
When Can I Drive After a C-Section? You should wait until you're healed—which is typically around two weeks.
Ask your doctor when it's fine to exercise, go back to work, and drive. Also wait to have sex or use tampons until your doctor gives you the green light. Avoid strenuous exercise, but do take gentle walks as often as you can. The movement will help your body heal and prevent constipation and blood clots.
10 days post-cesarean delivery
If you had an emergency C-section then you may need to wait a few extra days before you start walking outdoors. Your abdominal incision takes AT LEAST 6 weeks to heal, so it's important to avoid straining your tummy while healing is occurring.
Recovering from a caesarean
You'll be offered painkillers to help with this. When you go home, you'll need to take things easy at first. You may need to avoid some activities, such as driving, until you have had your postnatal check-up with the doctor at 6 weeks. The wound in your tummy will eventually form a scar.
Rushing into things too quickly and even sex four weeks after a C-section can lead to complications such as infection. Six weeks is the average amount of time it takes the uterus to return to its normal size, cervix to close, and C-section incision to heal.
“It's recommended that you get up and walk around,” says Dr. Higgins. “We don't want someone lying in bed for two weeks.”
Wait on going back to work: Typically, it takes six to eight weeks or more for moms to be ready to return to work after a c-section. If you have maternity leave, take full advantage of it. Give yourself time to physically and emotionally heal.
For A C-Section Recovery
It's safe to walk, go up and downstairs and do very light housework, but only when you're feeling up to it! Avoid anything that will put strain on your body or incision which won't have maximum strength until 4-5 weeks postpartum.
Wait a week to drive a car after a vaginal birth, says Robert Atlas, M.D., an OB-GYN at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore. "You use your abs to move your foot from the gas to the brake." If you've had a C-section, expect to wait two to three weeks before getting behind the wheel.
After a C-section, she recommends women take eight weeks off and to avoid heavy activity to prevent complications.
At the beginning of a caesarean section, six separate layers of the abdominal wall and uterus are opened individually. Once the baby is delivered the uterus is closed with a double layer of stitching.
Many guides suggest that full recovery from a C-section takes 4 to 6 weeks. Yet every person is different, and much research suggests a significantly longer recovery time. Some studies , for example, have found that 60 percent of women have some pain in the incision 24 weeks after delivery.
Recovering from a C-section requires that you give yourself space and time needed to heal properly. This also means that some activities and behaviors may need to be avoided or adjusted until you're at least 6 weeks postpartum, you're fully healed, or your doctor has confirmed it's OK to do so. Avoid: stomach sleeping.
As a cesarean section is an abdominal surgery, your doctor will likely advise you to not lift anything over 8-10 lbs, depending on the doctor as well as the details regarding your cesarean and your personal health. Lifting restrictions typically last anywhere from 6-8 weeks.
Most doctors suggest not lifting your toddler or anything heavy for at least the first week or two after birth. Why is this the case? Overall, heavy lifting can create intra-abdominal pressure. After birth, the pelvic floor is weak (which is why strengthening it after pregnancy is so important!).
Do: Keeping the area dry and clean. Use warm, soapy water to wash your incision daily (usually when you shower). Pat the area dry after cleaning.