ELCS recovery - how long did yours take?

[Angelico]

Hi :) Had ELCS just over 2 weeks ago for first baby. Having had previous surgery (but not abdominal) I was shocked at how painful it was, especially the first week after. Wasn't helped by crap painkillers because of breastfeeding

Much more manageable now - can cook, clean, look after baby (bathing her is hard so letting DH do that) but walking for more than a hundred metres is sore and wouldn't dare push buggy etc or walk with baby yet - probably another week or two for that.

Just wondered how long it took others to recover and before you felt 'normal' physically?

[ilikesweetpeas]

I would say I was pretty much ok after a month, occasional pain after that if I tried to lift anything heavy. I found that keeping mobile helped and that I could walk but standing still hurt more. You sound like you're doing well, hope that continues and I'm sure you will feel better soon.

[JollyJackOLantern]

Watching with interest :)

Congratulations!

[RoobyMurray]

every day is better

3 weeks was great. 4 was brilliant!

(but I can still feel it when I cough 4 months later)

[Angelico]

sweetpeas - interesting, I've found standing in kitchen for too long does hurt - sort of sneaks up, feel like I'm okay doing stuff then suddenly realise I'm sore again.

[BuntyCollocks]

Maybe I'm a freak, but I had an emcs, and was pushing my buggy about town at 7 days post delivery. However, I totally over did it, and my DMIL banished me to the couch to recover! It's easy to do if you feel ok.

[Angelico]

Bunty think you are just more hardcore than me :) Thing is friends (theatre nurse and doc) warned me not to overdo it as they see a lot of ladies appearing a few years post-CS with hernias that need fixing because they lifted / pushed etc too soon. On the other hand I don't want to sit at home doing nothing Hard to get the balance right - just hoping my body will keep me right!

[Bubblebell1]

I had an emcs 2 weeks ago. 3 child but 2nd cs.
I am doing everything I was doing before.
I got up after 5 hrs and had a shower and came home the next day.
Had paracetamol and ibuprofen because I'm breast feeding and stopped those on day 5.
My wound didn't get infected this time and I took baby out for a walk to get my bowels moving on day 4 ( sorry for tmi)

Everyone is different. I had a pph this time but still have recovered much quicker.

I hope you feel better soon.

My tips would be
a maternity pad on scar to keep it dry.
Drink plenty, to avoid wind and constipation
Take it easy. If it gets too much just try again the next day

Enjoy your newborn snuggles x

[Angelico]

Thanks Bubble :) Can't believe you were up after 5 hours - my legs were still numb at that stage! :)

[Celestia]

I'm 9 days post elcs and feel I'm healing quicker than my emcs. On day 5 my dtd was taken back into hospital so was up there and yesterday ( day 8) we went into town. I was fine pushing the buggy but was shattered by the time we got home!

[Smallgreenone]

I was walking about to the park etc by day 7. Week two hardly took a painkiller. Gets better week by week but am 7 weeks now and all is normal except as someone else said coughing, sneezing and
Laughing hurt. It is major surgery remember so it does take a long time to get completely back to normal and you may find your stomach is never the same again

[Angelico]

You see weirdly I can now cough, sneeze and laugh without pain but it's walking about too much or standing for a long time that tends to make me tender. Today has been best day yet though - 2 days wiothout any painkillers - so hoping another week I'll be able to get out and about a lot more :)

[diyqueen]

I think it was a few months before I felt 'normal' - the pain mostly went by about 5 weeks, but I felt the lack of core strength for a lot longer (I can remember trying to mow the lawn about a month after and getting so frustrated that I just physically couldn't do it all - think it was another couple of months before it was easy again).

There's nothing wrong with being sensible and helping yourself recover - you will feel normal again (and I can remember thinking that I'd never feel normal again!) but it will take time.

[WitchesTit]

I felt so great that I thought I could do a cross country drive in a truck 2 weeks after my ELCS. Consequently I got an infected wound that re-opened (ugh) and put back my recovery by at least 6 more weeks. This time I'm going to lay on the sofa til I'm told to get up. It's not worth trying to be a superhero

[Angelico]

Well, 3 weeks yesterday. Can do everything I need to round house, bar lugging laundry down to basement. Went for a long walk yesterday to supermarket and felt fine, then felt shite all evening Think I overdid it.

Getting frustrated with inability to a)push buggy (it's second hand and pulls to right) and b) drive (haven't tried but like you Witches don't want to have been careful this long then fuck it all up now! Hope you take it easy this time! :)) Diyqueen can see how the core strength takes a while to come back - and tbh mine wasn't great pre-CS!

[Snowgirl83]

Ahhhh this is all so helpful. Had little snowboy by elective on Monday and although was out 24 hours later think I need to kick back and realise that it takes a while to actually heal & therefore I should take to the settee and be fed grapes whilst snuggling snowboy! Witches- that's awful. You poor thing!

Does anything help the wound with the laughing / any type of straining? I have to say I was a bit shocked at how big the scar was- it's a good 7 inches. Healing well though but am just paranoid about it coming open.

[Angelico]

Snowgirl congrats on your DS :) Now, really sit back and put your feet up as much as you can for the first week anyway! People say hold a pillow or towel against wound (or even press hand on) when coughing / laughing etc but tbh I was petrified of coughing for the first 9 days or so as it hurt. It's fine now but physio in hospital said it helps to bend over too to shorten the distance the muscles are stretched if that makes sense. I had forgotten until I coughed one night while bent over sink - and found it didn't hurt! :)

Your wound won't burst open - on day 7 when pain was easing a bit my mobile rang and completely forgetting myself I ran for it in flipflops - only to fall sideways when foot slipped. Pain was awful and I shrieked but wound was fine. Couldn't believe what an idiot I had been afterwards...

If you take it easy-ish you will heal fast. I was so sore the first week especially but by 2 weeks on things were manageable and now at 3 weeks I can do most of what I want to do. Friends (theatre nurse and doc) see women all the time with hernias because they DIDN'T REST after CS / abdominal surgery!!! So short term boredom for long term gain!

[WitchesTit]

Aaah Snowgirl, congrats! I have to say the problems with my scar were entirely of my own making. I'll know better this time, even with a 2 yo and a newborn to wrangle, I'm not going to do anything thats not essential.

[Snowgirl83]

Thanks witches and angelico for the congrats and the advice

Will defo heed the advice- might have to invest in some box sets though - ooh or embrace sky + despite vowing to DH when he got it that i'd use it over my dead body as surely noone needed so much tv

I think I'm already saturated with as many Come Dine With Me repeats as I can take and milk, but that's another story ..

[bishboschone]

It took me about 6 months for it to stop pulling , aching , being numb etc . Now a year on the scar is invisible and I have all my feeling back . Take it easy. . The more you rest now the better it will heal .

[Angelico]

Hmmm, finding that now pain has improved it is ironically much easier to overdo it - and of course you don't feel it at the time Tend to get sore in the evening and think, "Shit, I did too much today!" but it's hard not to now it's just me and baby all day

[Methe]

emcs and I felt fine on day 3 and stopped all pain relief, was driving on day 10 ( had a baby in nicu so no choice) i've never had any problems. I have friends who are still struggling 6mo after the event.

it's all normal.

Hope you feel better soon :)

[Angelico]

Did any of you develop an infection a few weeks after CS? Have been feeling really tender the last couple of days, not on the scar but about an inch above and a band about an inch wide. Don't know if it is just nerves recovering after surgery? Incision looks okay, slightly puckered at one side.

[bishboschone]

That's healing inside . Mine hurt above the scar too . No infection .

[Meglet]

For a start you shouldn't be cooking or cleaning at all at this stage. A CS is a major operation. I don't believe in rushing recovery.

I was in my pj's for 2 weeks post ELCS (I learnt the hard way after an EMCS with DC1).

Give yourself at least a months downtime. IMHO if you have to take pain relief you're over doing it.

I was fully fit and back at the gym at 12 weeks. Personally a messy house and ready meals for a few weeks is a small price to pay for a safe, problem free recovery.

[Angelico]

Had to go to GP today because of pain above wound on one side. Also had cramps and a great gush of blood - 4 weeks after CS! Bish think you are right about healing inside but it's a kind of pulling feeling (ouch), especially bad when I lift baby to shoulder to wind her. GP said she thinks it is cramps from BFing as uterus contracts but the contractions are hurting the bit of uterus that was cut open. Is annoying because it feels like I've gone backwards a bit :( It makes it hard to stand up tall IYSWIM - makes me want to hunch over a little. Have taken it as easy as possible last few days but had really been hoping to start walking more etc :(