Thank God everything went well after my c-section and I only had to spend two full days in hospital. My C-section recovery was smoother than most. It was definitely one of the more positive c-section experiences that I have heard of. Particularly since it was an emergency.
The first for the delivery and the second because it took an entire day for them to discharge me. For no apparent reason except that they were understaffed so only a couple of doctors were doing the rounds. I suspect it was also partly for another reason that has to do with a certain midwife but that’s a story for another day -_-.
You may also like: My Emergency C-Section Story
How long did it take for me to feel normal?
On the morning of my discharge day, I felt myself start to itch. Badly. I think as whatever medicines they gave me wore off and I was gaining back all the feeling, I was feeling no pain at all. Only severe itching. I would have scratched my eyeballs if I could have! They gave me some Piriton and told me it would go away within a few hours. The doctor who eventually discharged me said it was a reaction to the anaesthesia I had been given.
The itching certainly reduced after I’d had a long warm shower at home and taken another Piriton but it didn’t completely go away for another few months. I couldn’t keep popping Piriton as I was breastfeeding so I learned to live with it.
I’d read online about mums saying they didn’t stop bleeding for up to six weeks after birth. I also have a friend who only bled for a few days after birth. Six weeks sounded horrific to me and I prayed I’d go maximum 2 weeks. You know how long I bled for? Eight weeks. My doctor and health visitor couldn’t figure out why. C-section recovery time differs for everyone. When it finally ended, I felt like I had a whole new lease on life!
How long did the incision take to heal?
The incision healed fairly quickly I believe. Every doctor who saw it said “oh how neat” so I assume it really must be neat. However, I couldn’t stand straight for about a month. I had a pain in my abdomen which got progressively worse for weeks even though internally I was healing as I should have been. Maybe this is normal. I’m not sure. I only know that by week 8, I was able to stand straight again even though it still hurt a bit. Applying a wet heated towel to the incision area a few times a week may have sped up the healing process a bit but don’t quote me on that and do not try it without speaking to a doctor please.
How much blood loss is normal after C-Section?
I’d lost a lot of blood in surgery apparently. I don’t remember exactly how much but it was probably the reason why I lost so much weight pretty much from the moment my baby was taken out of me. I became skinnier than I had been in high school. My weight went from 66 kg during pregnancy to 48kg. Some would say this should have been an upside for me but it wasn’t because it very obviously an unhealthy loss and I’m still working on it today. The only thing I’m happy to have lost so much of is my belly which, as I breastfeed, continues to go down each day. I know I’m going to have to sign back up to the gym ASAP. I only have breastfeeding as a weight management technique for so much longer.
Overall, my C-section recovery experience wasn’t an awful one. I’ve heard some c-section horror stories and this is certainly not one of them. I’d do it all again if I had to and that’s a big deal coming from me who is so scared of pain and never imagined having a surgery of any kind. My little girl came out healthy and strong and that’s all that matters.
Have you had a C-section before? Was yours one of those horror c-section stories?
If you’ve had more than one C-section, was your healing process the same for each?
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5 Comments
I’ve had three! The healing process was not the same for either one. My last one was the worse though because I almost had a hole in my uterus that had to be fixed. My daughter will be one in two weeks and I still hurt sometimes.
Pain for a whole year now! I hope it only gets better and goes away completely. Were you told how long you could expect it to be painful for?
Thanks for stopping by, Ashley! See you again soon
Csection mamas are so brave and strong! So happy things worked out in the end.
Thanks, Rachel!
This is an important post for mamas that will be having a c-section. Before I had mine, all I could find was terror stories. I was so scared, but things were fine!