A c-section is often labeled the "easy way out," but the reality of recovery is anything but easy. No one really prepares you for the physical pain, emotional ups and downs, and unexpected challenges that come with it. In this episode, we talked all about what healing after a c-section truly looks like.
Guest Speaker
On this episode we are joined by Kristy, an occupational therapist joining us from Australia. She is the founder of OT in Motherhood, a new business dedicated to supporting women through the full spectrum of motherhood. She also hosts a podcast called C Section Support. Kristy believes that a well prepared mother is a more confident mother, and that women who give birth via c section deserve far more support than they typically receive. Kristy had all 3 of her children via c-section. She was surprised by a lot of the aspects to healing and recovery.
Biggest Challenges
- Decreased mobility: Getting up and down from the couch can be challenging and painful. Leaning over to put baby in the crib can be difficult.
- Pain: Pain at the incision site and back pain.
- Decreased core strength and abdominal recovery: Your abdominal muscles were just cut through during surgery.
- Skin sensation changes: You may experience decreased sensation around your incision site for a few months.
- Looking after additional children: The physical precautions and movement restrictions can make caring for other children difficult.
- Emotional impact on the postpartum experience: Your body cannot move like it used to, limiting the activities you can do. You may experience a longer transition back to normal life than you expected. The mental load of processing not having the birth you wanted.
C-Section Post-Surgical Precautions
Precautions are movement restrictions that are given after a c-section to help protect the healing process and ensure wound closure. New moms are often told not to lift anything heavier than their baby after having a c-section, but what does that actually mean? The typical recommendation is do not lift anything more than 10 to 15 pounds for the first few weeks. It is also typically recommended to avoid frequent and intense exercise. However, each hospital may have slightly different recommendations so it is important to get the information from your doctor.
What Can You Do Before a C-Section?
Education and preparation are key! Get to know your hospital and what resources they have available on c-sections. Be mindful of where you are getting your information from. You want to ensure you are looking at evidence based information and not just someone's experience. It can be good to hear other's stories too but just remember everyone's c-section and recovery is an individual process. Research the precautions and ways to prepare your environment for postpartum. Kristy mentioned how she prepared her toddlers ahead of time to not be as dependent on her picking them up. She knew she would not be able to lift her toddlers after her c-section so she practiced different strategies with her kids ahead of time. It doesn't hurt to prepare even if you don't end up having a c-section.
What To Do After a C-Section?
- Recovery starts from day 1! You don't want to just sit and do no movement until your 6 week visit. You also don't want to push too hard and cause increased pain. Listen to your body to find the just right amount of movement.
- Wound care: Ask your hospital and doctor for specifics on when to change your bandages, when you are allowed to shower, and how to keep the wound clean.
- Scar massage: Massaging your scar helps with the healing process by preventing scar tissue build up under the skin and increasing blood flow to the area. Do not begin scar massage until your wound is fully closed and no scabs are present. Typically this is 6 to 8 weeks after surgery but ask your doctor to confirm when you can begin. It may be beneficial to start by massaging around the incision first, because the incision can be painful to touch still.
- Desensitization around your scar to help with nerve recovery: Desensitization refers to rubbing different materials on the area around your scar in order to retrain the nerves to recognize sensations and feelings. It helps with pain and hypersensitivity.
- Gradual return to daily activities instead of jumping right back into what you did before birth.
- Energy conservation: Energy conservation involves using techniques and strategies to reduce the energy you use during daily activities to ensure you have adequate energy throughout the full day and can accomplish everything you need to. This might look like organizing your environment so you do not have to walk around and get up and down as much, sitting during a task instead of standing, or using tools to assist such as a reacher.
- Watch for signs of infection: Severe abdominal pain, worsening redness of the incision, incision swelling, discharge from incision site, or fever.
OT in Motherhood
Kristy recently started her business, OT in Motherhood. She has podcast episodes specifically on recovering from a c-section. She is currently working on creating digital educational products and her own website.
Know That What You Feel Is Valid
You are allowed to grieve not having the vaginal birth that you wanted or expected.
Resources
- Scar massage after caesarean
- Video: Scar massage demonstration
- Video: Desensitization explanation and demonstration
- MedlinePlus: C-section recovery
- Raising Children Network: After a caesarean
This article is a companion to Episode 11 of the Functional Fourth Trimester podcast.