The coloration of the c-section scar should start to fade from red to pink, and it should look pretty uniform. The c-section scar should become less tender to the touch as this happens. You shouldn't see anything seeping out of your scar, if so contact your healthcare team to ensure it's healing correctly.
The wound may feel sore for a week or two. The muscle surrounding the wound may also feel weak. A doctor may prescribe pain medication for the first 2 weeks. People should ask their doctor about the safety of nursing while taking pain medication.
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.
It takes about six weeks to recover from a C-section, but each person's timeline will be different. An incision — typically a horizontal cut made in your lower abdomen — can take weeks to heal. During that time, it's recommended that you avoid lifting anything heavier than your baby.
At first, your cut (incision) will be raised slightly and pinker than the rest of your skin. It will likely appear somewhat puffy. 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.
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.
Common signs of an internal or uterus infection after a C-section include: A fever over 100.4ºF degrees. Increasing abdominal pain. Chills, fatigue, body aches, or flu-like symptoms.
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.
C-section pain typically spikes 18 hours after delivery.
Since you'll receive two incisions — one in your abdomen and one in your uterus — your surgeon will close both incisions.
Lifting more than your baby, stretching, straining and deep bending are not recommended until about 4-6 weeks post-delivery OR until you are able to do these movements with no pain or strain and your incision feels like it has healed.
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.
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.
The diet chart after C-section recovery should also eliminate anything that takes a longer time to digest. Items like carbonated drinks, citrus juices, coffee, tea, and spicy food should be avoided as they increase bloating and gas. Fermented and fried food can cause heartburn and indigestion.
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!). This pressure and weakened pelvic floor can lead to the drop and protrusion of organs, which is a much more serious health situation.
Side sleeping position
For people recovering from abdominal surgery, it's a great option since it doesn't put additional pressure on your incision, and makes getting in and out of bed easier.
Women should walk for about 20 minutes at a moderate pace to increase circulation and speed up healing. Fit mothers recover quickly and can be back on their feet in a matter of weeks. Walking after a cesarean delivery is regarded as an important part of recovery exercise.
It's important for mothers to care for themselves after a a cesarean delivery. After any delivery, a mother needs to allow her body to rest and heal. Ideally, this means little to no housework, and no running after other little ones.
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.
Remember, that first 6 weeks you are still dealing with uterus and fluid. For up to 12 weeks, muscles are naturally accommodating and shortening. C-moms can also have mild swelling up to 12 weeks.
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.
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.