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C-Section Recovery questions

amc80

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jun 18, 2010
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5,765
I've heard varying answers to these questions (from my friends who have had Cs). I'd love any input!

1) Were you on restriction from driving? If so, for how long? I've heard everything from no restrictions to two weeks.

2) How long until you could lift things? The baby? Other children?

3) How long until you could comfortably go up and down stairs?

4) Did any of you use a Belly Bandit? They make a bamboo one that is supposed to be really good for c-sections.

DH and I are trying to figure out how much time to have him take off work. B will still go to day care, but that requires both me driving and lifting a kid who will be over 35lbs by that point.

Thanks!
 

JGator

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Nov 27, 2010
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1) I think a week or 2.

2) I was allowed to lift the baby, but nothing heavier - not sure how long. Probably 2 weeks.

3) I went up/down stairs when I got home from the hospital. No issues. I just took it slow. It was comfortable probably after 2 weeks.

4) No.

Good luck. Mine was pretty smooth and uneventful. I was really worried about the stairs, but they weren't an issue. It was weird standing up and having pee/blood pour out of me onto the floor in the hospital the first several times I got out of bed, but I'm not sure if that also happens with a vaginal birth or not. I would avoid carrying B for a month or so if you can since he is BIG!
 

amc80

Ideal_Rock
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JGator|1412286913|3760879 said:
1) I think a week or 2.

2) I was allowed to lift the baby, but nothing heavier - not sure how long. Probably 2 weeks.

3) I went up/down stairs when I got home from the hospital. No issues. I just took it slow. It was comfortable probably after 2 weeks.

4) No.

Good luck. Mine was pretty smooth and uneventful. I was really worried about the stairs, but they weren't an issue. It was weird standing up and having pee/blood pour out of me onto the floor in the hospital the first several times I got out of bed, but I'm not sure if that also happens with a vaginal birth or not. I would avoid carrying B for a month or so if you can since he is BIG!

Thanks, JGator!

OMG, I remember standing up from the hospital bed after having B...so much blood. And pee, since I had no bladder control. Such a lovely time :)

Okay, so lifting the baby is okay but nothing heavier. Hopefully B doesn't freak out.
 

Munchkin

Brilliant_Rock
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Nov 3, 2004
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540
My OB actually recommended a month without driving. Her explanation was that my ab muscles couldn't handle the stress of having to make an abrupt stop/slam on the break.

I could carry nothing heavier than the baby for a month, too.

No.

I was going up and down stairs as soon as I went home. I went slowly, and I tried to minimize trips. Once B and I were up for the day we would park down-stairs for the majority of the day. It was very helpful keeping a second boppy and a pack n play downstairs. I had a little daytime base camp going.

I honestly do not recall any c-section site pain except the time I slipped on ice and did the windmill arms/grab the car mirror thing. THAT hurt. Taking it easy meant I had NO day to day pain from the section and my scar is practically invisible.

ETA - Realized I switched questions there, sorry!
 

packrat

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Dec 12, 2008
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10,614
I wasn't supposed to drive until I took the kids in for their 2 week check.

Lifting things, I lifted the carseat w/the kids in it, the day I got home b/c nobody else could be bothered. And I carted the kids around (not all over in the carseat) right after we got home. I did stairs and I vacuumed, vacuuming a few days after being home I think, stairs same day we got home, but carefully, holding onto the railing. Nobody else was gonna be doing the laundry or sifting the litter..and yes I hauled laundry baskets probably after being home a couple days.

JD took a week off w/each of the kids. I still did all the work. His taking time off work was more the "thought" that counted type a deal.

Recovery sucked, I had little twinges in the muscle there for a long time, possibly b/c of all the shit I was doing but eh, what do you do?

Didn't have one of those belly things...mine were almost 11 and 8 years ago, kind of "back in the day" anymore, w/all the new/fun stuff they have available!
 

livannie

Shiny_Rock
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Jul 10, 2013
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315
I have had 2 c-sections and for me they weren't too bad. I think I recovered quickly. I would say after a week, I felt pretty good, though I know my sister in law took like a month to feel better after hers. With my second baby my total time in the hospital was like 2 days, I couldn't wait to go home. My husband didn't take any time off work at all with either baby. When I had my first baby, my mother in law came over and cleaned my house a couple times. With my second, I didn't have any help at all with anything. But I didn't really feel bad. I remember driving after a couple days, I think I do remember hurting a little walking up and down stairs.
 

Dandi

Ideal_Rock
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My insurance company told me if I had an accident within 6 weeks of my section that I wasn't covered in the event of an accident, so I didn't drive the whole 6 weeks. DH took two months off work so I didn't need to drive anyway. If we have another baby I think I'll be telling him to go back to work after a week :cheeky:

I was able to lift things at about the three week mark. My belly would ache if I overdid it, so I'd take it easy for a bit if that happened.

I used a belly bandit and would absolutely next time around, it felt so much more comfortable and supportive. I hated when it was in the wash and I had to wait to put it back on!
 

jstarfireb

Ideal_Rock
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Mar 24, 2007
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6,232
About the belly bandit, my friend who had a C-section last year asked for a hospital abdominal binder and loved it. Supposedly binding things up helps your ab muscles come back together faster. If I ever get pregnant, I'd use a Belly Bandit and a Shrinx Hips, no questions asked!
 

amc80

Ideal_Rock
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Thanks everyone, this has been really helpful. Such a wide range of responses! I will ask my doctor at my next appointment and see what she says.
 

SMC

Ideal_Rock
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2,035
Are you getting a c-section because you have PTSD from your first vaginal birth?
 

amc80

Ideal_Rock
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SMC|1412355519|3761425 said:
Are you getting a c-section because you have PTSD from your first vaginal birth?

Yes. Not sure if I actually have PTSD (I hate to overuse that term, I don't want to minimize it for the people who have been through unimaginable things), but the thought of going through it again completely stresses me out. Not to mention, I don't think my pelvic floor could take another 3-4 hours of pushing...
 

SMC

Ideal_Rock
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amc80|1412357715|3761443 said:
SMC|1412355519|3761425 said:
Are you getting a c-section because you have PTSD from your first vaginal birth?

Yes. Not sure if I actually have PTSD (I hate to overuse that term, I don't want to minimize it for the people who have been through unimaginable things), but the thought of going through it again completely stresses me out. Not to mention, I don't think my pelvic floor could take another 3-4 hours of pushing...
Understandable. Well, FWIW, my friends who have had c-sections seemed to recover just as quickly as my friends who had babies vaginally.
 

Dandi

Ideal_Rock
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SMC|1412358314|3761452 said:
amc80|1412357715|3761443 said:
SMC|1412355519|3761425 said:
Are you getting a c-section because you have PTSD from your first vaginal birth?

Yes. Not sure if I actually have PTSD (I hate to overuse that term, I don't want to minimize it for the people who have been through unimaginable things), but the thought of going through it again completely stresses me out. Not to mention, I don't think my pelvic floor could take another 3-4 hours of pushing...
Understandable. Well, FWIW, my friends who have had c-sections seemed to recover just as quickly as my friends who had babies vaginally.

I've seen much the same thing. Several of my friends delivered vaginally and suffered tearing, pelvic problems, or even just a lot of swelling, and my recovery after 20 hours of labour and a caesarean was a piece of cake compared to theirs.
 

amc80

Ideal_Rock
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DanDiAnDi said:
I've seen much the same thing. Several of my friends delivered vaginally and suffered tearing, pelvic problems, or even just a lot of swelling, and my recovery after 20 hours of labour and a caesarean was a piece of cake compared to theirs.

It was probably a month before I could walk any decent distance without pain. Four months (and physical therapy) to get me back to any sort of normal.
 

megumic

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
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Messages
1,647
My Cs was emergent so that may be a factor in my responses.

I couldn't drive for two weeks and didn't want to drive for two weeks either.

Could lift baby right away. It was probably two months before I could lift something more than 20 lbs.

Stairs right away but slow. Minimize using them if possible you want to heal and rest the first few weeks.

Hospital gave me an abdominal binder and I loved it. Wore it for six weeks and needed the extra support.

Since I've had both a vaginal and Cs birth I can say that both have legit recovery periods. I think the biggest difference is that two weeks post vaginal birth I could walk a mile or two. Two weeks post Cs I could not even walk around the block. I also need exercise and couldn't do anything but walk for a full 12 weeks after Cs which was hard. Everyone is diff though so hopefully your recovery will be smoother and quicker. Let me know if you have other questions since I've been through both!
 

Dandi

Ideal_Rock
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amc80|1412436917|3761970 said:
DanDiAnDi said:
I've seen much the same thing. Several of my friends delivered vaginally and suffered tearing, pelvic problems, or even just a lot of swelling, and my recovery after 20 hours of labour and a caesarean was a piece of cake compared to theirs.

It was probably a month before I could walk any decent distance without pain. Four months (and physical therapy) to get me back to any sort of normal.

Oh amc that's awful, you poor thing.
 

NewEnglandLady

Ideal_Rock
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6,299
Realize I'm late to this party, but had a c-section with both kids, so thought I'd chime in.

) Were you on restriction from driving? If so, for how long? I've heard everything from no restrictions to two weeks.
Doc said that if I felt I could slam on the brakes if necessary, then I could drive. But if I was in enough pain that slamming on the brakes would hurt, then don't drive. I felt I could drive right away, but DH took a week or two off both times, so he mostly drove while he was home. I drove our older child to and from daycare as soon as he was back at work.

2) How long until you could lift things? The baby? Other children?
Lifted other kid while I was in the hospital. Not sure if that was a no-no, but I couldn't help but pick her up. She was about 33lbs. at the time. I tried not to lift anything heavier. With my first c-section, I lifted our 150lb. paralyzed dog about 2 weeks after surgery. Bad idea--I hemorrhaged and ended up being rushed back to the hospital for a blood transfusion. So no heavy lifting!

3) How long until you could comfortably go up and down stairs?
I was up and down comfortably about 4 days post surgery. Our house is set up so all the common areas are on the main floor and the bedrooms are on the second floor, so I was up and down a few times a day as soon as I got home.

4) Did any of you use a Belly Bandit? They make a bamboo one that is supposed to be really good for c-sections.
Didn't use any myself, but have heard good things!

I know c-sections are different for everybody. I had a very quick and relatively painless recovery with both of mine and hope that your recovery is quick!
 

amc80

Ideal_Rock
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5,765
SMC|1414014692|3771213 said:
amc, seems like your fears of giving birth vaginally are totally justified given your first birth experience: http://www.whattoexpect.com/wom/pregnancy/0810/giving-birth-causes-ptsd-symptoms-in-one-third-of-moms.aspx

Interesting! That definitely makes me feel a little less....crazy? Not sure if that's the right word. Wimpy? Over-sensitive? I like that they used the word "flashbacks." I try not to think about the delivery at all, because if I do, it immediately stresses me out. Thank you for sharing.
 

parrot tulips

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Feb 13, 2007
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642
amc80|1412271973|3760687 said:
I've heard varying answers to these questions (from my friends who have had Cs). I'd love any input!

1) Were you on restriction from driving? If so, for how long? I've heard everything from no restrictions to two weeks.

2) How long until you could lift things? The baby? Other children?

3) How long until you could comfortably go up and down stairs?

4) Did any of you use a Belly Bandit? They make a bamboo one that is supposed to be really good for c-sections.

DH and I are trying to figure out how much time to have him take off work. B will still go to day care, but that requires both me driving and lifting a kid who will be over 35lbs by that point.

Thanks!

1) I wasn't supposed to drive for about 2 weeks, but drove the 2nd day after I was discharged. I had a preemie in the NICU. Everyone i knew worked. Nuff said.

2) I don't remember how long it took until I could lift things. My preemie weighed next to nothing, and I didn't have any kids who needed carrying/comforting at the time. I did make my husband carry the laundry basket to the garage for nearly a month (he asks so many questions, it's easier to load the washer/dryer by myself). But that was more because I hate carrying the laundry basket - it's so heavy!

3) I was going up and down stairs within a few days. I was sore (like I had done a vigorous ab workout the day before), but not in any pain. Getting up and down, or in and out of bed was far more difficult.

4) Never heard of a Belly Bandit. But I did wear fold over yoga pants with the fold over part covering my belly, and the light pressure did make me a bit more comfortable.
 

MrsDarcy

Rough_Rock
Joined
Nov 8, 2014
Messages
58
amc80|1412271973|3760687 said:
I've heard varying answers to these questions (from my friends who have had Cs). I'd love any input!

1) Were you on restriction from driving? If so, for how long? I've heard everything from no restrictions to two weeks.

2) How long until you could lift things? The baby? Other children?

3) How long until you could comfortably go up and down stairs?

4) Did any of you use a Belly Bandit? They make a bamboo one that is supposed to be really good for c-sections.

DH and I are trying to figure out how much time to have him take off work. B will still go to day care, but that requires both me driving and lifting a kid who will be over 35lbs by that point.

Thanks!

1.) If you're on pain pills, you can't drive. I personally have had two c/s and didn't drive for 2 weeks both times. I just didn't feel comfortable doing it.

2.) 6 weeks for older kids. You can hold the baby right away! I think it was a 10lb max for 6 weeks.

3.) Probably 2 weeks...I had rough deliveries.

4.) Yes. Didn't like it, and I didn't think it did much.
 
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