Cesarean Section

Recuperating From A Cesarean

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Recovering from a cesarean is about the same as recovering from any abdominal surgery. The discomforts and pain that you would have with a vaginal birth are vastly different from the pain and recovery from a c-section.

The start of your recovery first start in the recovery room: where else? You will be watched there until your anesthesia wears off. If you had a general anesthetic, your memory might be a little fuzzy. You may be alert in a couple of hours or it may take a day or two. It will take a little longer for an epidural or spinal block to wear off. You will have to lie flat on your back for around eight to twelve hours if you had a spinal block. There will be pain around your incision. Your first cesarean will be the most difficult. You might have nausea with or without vomiting. You will be asked to cough and breathe to get free you from any leftover anesthesia and to help expand your lungs and keep them clear to prevent pneumonia.

You will then be moved into you room. Once you are there, your condition will continually be monitored. The catheter will be removed and you will slowly be returned to a normal diet after a day. You might be constipated and have abdominal distress but that is normal. You will be allowed to get up between eight and twenty-four hours after the surgery. A nurse will come in and help you sit up and get in and out of the bed. You will also have to wear elastic stockings to enhance circulation and prevent blood clots in your legs. Taking a bath or shower will be replaced with a sponge bath until your stitches are removed or absorbed. The stitches won’t be removed until four or five days after delivery. If you plan on breastfeeding, that won’t be a problem.

You can even breastfeed your baby right after the surgery is done if both of you are fine. If after about twelve hours you haven’t been able to breastfeed, you should ask for a pump so that you can get lactation started. It may be uncomfortable at first, but just don’t put any pressure on your incision. You will have after pains as you breastfeed and the tenderness of your incision are typical and will decrease as days go by. Just take it slow and be as careful as possible. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it.

by Victoria Hunter

About the Author: My name is Victoria and I just had a baby.

Sheryl’s comment:
The vast majority of cesareans are unnecessary. Approximately 30% of women today have their babies cut out of their wombs. That number should logically be way under 10% and closer to 1%, although many health organizations are shooting for 10-15%. In either case, an enormous number of women are sliced open due to fear, dogma, lies or just the outright profit and schedule of the obstetrician. It is butchery plain and simple and should sicken anyone who cares about women and babies.

Needless to say, it is what it is, so please refuse to believe someone who has a financial incentive for filleting you before you agree to the cesarean. Many of the reasons for a cesarean can be prevented by avoiding dangerous interventions in the first place. Labor induction, for example can cause such extreme contractions that it causes fetal distress (you are suffocating your baby with your contractions). Breaking waters can cause umbilical prolapse. Laying on your back can stall labor. Delivering on your back closes your birth canal and wont allow the baby to come out.

What is the solution? If your pregnancy is low risk, then give birth at home, let your midwife or doctor get their car payment from someone else, and ensure the safety of yourself and your baby.

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