You'll probably feel some soreness in the incision, and you may have bleeding or discharge for up to 6 weeks after the C-section. That's expected. However, the following symptoms warrant a call to your doctor, because they could signal an infection: redness, swelling, or pus oozing from the incision site.
Week 2 of C-Section Recovery
Although you're only two weeks out from a major abdominal surgery, you should expect to feel tremendously better by this stage. But keep in mind that you'll feel C-section pain and cramping for several weeks.
Any pain should decrease after 2 or 3 days, but your cut will remain tender for up to 3 weeks or more. Most women need pain medicine for the first few days to 2 weeks. Ask your provider what is safe to take while breastfeeding.
Your Recovery
You may have some pain in your lower belly and need pain medicine for 1 to 2 weeks. You can expect some vaginal bleeding for several weeks. You will probably need about 6 weeks to fully recover. It's important to take it easy while the incision heals.
Some women do experience symptoms related to their C-section scar long after the operation. Some women feel pain, restriction, or a pulling sensation on or around their scar months or even years after surgery. This is normally due to the build-up of scar tissue which can stick to muscles or even organs and cause pain.
Things to Avoid:
The use of tampons or douche. Taking baths until your incision is healed and you are no longer bleeding. Public pools and hot tubs. Lifting anything heavier than your baby.
The healing process also varies from person to person. Some people may experience tenderness and discomfort for up to eight weeks after a C-section.
About six to eight weeks after baby's birth, your c-section incision should be completely healed, and you'll be able to gradually resume most of your normal activities, including exercising, driving and lifting items heavier than baby.
The classic back sleeping position
While back sleeping isn't recommended once you're more than 20 weeks pregnant, this position is recommended for those recovering from surgery. It places the least amount of strain and pressure on your incision site and ensures that your body is aligned in a neutral position.
Usual activities such as walking, climbing the stairs and light housework are safe, but do not lift heavy objects for approximately six weeks. As with a vaginal delivery, we recommend waiting at least three weeks before having intercourse.
Always sit well back on a supportive chair, your feet should be able to touch the floor in order to support your posture. Use pillows to support your back and to rest your baby on your lap to bring them into a comfortable feeding position. You can then use pillows to support your own arms.
The most common cause of surgical scar pain after surgery is a nerve that is injured or stuck in scar tissue. You may not only experience pain from scar tissue, but may also have swelling, itching, and increased sensitivity. Some common causes for surgical scar pain are: Tightness.
gently clean and dry the wound every day. wear loose, comfortable clothes and cotton underwear. take a painkiller if the wound is sore – for most women, it's better to take paracetamol or ibuprofen (but not aspirin) while you're breastfeeding.
In the first few days after a c-section, your scar will be sore to the touch, and it may hurt to move around. It will look red and slightly swollen, and you'll be able to see the stitch or glue they used to close the wound. Your doctor will give your instructions for taking care of your scar at home. Pain relief.
You might feel contractions, sometimes called afterpains, during the first few days after the C-section. These contractions — which often resemble menstrual cramps — help prevent excessive bleeding by compressing the blood vessels in the uterus.
3 weeks post-cesarean delivery
After you've been home from the hospital for 3 weeks or so, you might be walking for up to 15 minutes, gradually building up the time if it feels good. Keep up your daily pelvic floor exercises too.
Since you'll receive two incisions — one in your abdomen and one in your uterus — your surgeon will close both incisions.
Some people are ready for pre-pregnancy activities like taking a bath within a few weeks after the C-section. But for others, it may take 4 weeks or longer for the surgical site to heal. The decision to take a bath comes down to the incision site. It needs to be well healed before submerging your body in the water.
Here are some things you would need to let your doctor know: Your incision is red, swollen, hot to the touch, or leaking discharge. You have a fever higher than 100.4 F. You have a lot of vaginal bleeding, it smells bad or has unusually large clots.
Coughing and Sneezing Will Hurt
Eskridge, who underwent two c-sections of her own, experienced the same thing—and offers some useful advice: “Splinting (holding a pillow against the abdomen over the incision) is very helpful in preventing pain with coughs, sneezes and laughing,” she says.
Your wound may open wide enough to see internal organs or tissues. You also may have tissues bulging out of the wound. If this happens, cover the area with a moist sterile bandage and call 911.
During a C-section, your organs are usually just moved aside so that the doctor can see your uterus better. But the organs stay within the abdominal cavity and aren't taken out. In rare cases, the intestines may be temporarily lifted out for better visualization and space to operate, but not permanently.
Dehiscence can be identified by the feeling of a sudden pulling pain. If you're concerned about possible dehiscence, check how your wound is healing. A clean wound will have minimal space between the edges of the wound and will commonly form a straight line.
Scar tissue forms when the body heals from a wound. However, scar tissue is not the same as skin tissue. It is less elastic, which may lead to tightness, limited movement, and pain for some people. Scar tissue pain can occur years after an injury or surgery.