Topics:
Caesarean recovery
How to help your body recover after surgery
You are recovering from major surgery, which means you need plenty of rest, but you’ve also got a new baby to care for. It’s a challenging time!
Your post- surgery body
Right after the surgery, gas that accumulates in the upper chest and shoulders may be quite painful. Avoid pop and very cold or spicy food, and try these simple exercises: Shuffle your legs, circle your ankles and do Kegels (tightening the vaginal muscles). Hold your breath for three to five seconds, then exhale slowly through pursed lips. Short, slow, frequent walks, though difficult at first, will do wonders. Over the next few weeks, gradually increase the amount of exercise you do, walking a little further and perhaps adding some pelvic tilts to your daily routine.
Your incision will be sore, itchy and sensitive. Use a pillow held against the area when you cough, sneeze or laugh. Make sure you or your partner looks at it every day, to watch for changes that don’t seem normal.
As the incision heals, expect itching and pulling sensations for six weeks or so, and sometimes long-lasting numbness. The scar will gradually fade from red to a paler line.
Just as with a vaginal birth, you will bleed from the site of the placenta. This blood is called lochia and will gradually fade by six weeks.
Common miscarriage questions
What supplies do I need for a home birth?
Home birth: Is it for you?
Party of Five's Scott Wolf is expecting baby #2
Lisa says: I'm a soccer mom
Seasonal preparation checklist
Common miscarriage questions
Tween and teen issues
What do you think?