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I don’t know a lot of people who plan on having a c-section. For most people, it isn’t ideal. For me, the thought of a c-section was terrifying.

My first child was born vaginally. I got to the hospital at 9.5 cm, got an epidural, and had a baby two hours later. I had no reason to expect a c-section the second time. I felt like I should research c-section recovery but didn’t. I don’t known that I really would have wanted to know what to expect, but if you’ve had a c-section, know you’ll be getting one, or just want to be prepared, here are some tips.

Walk, Walk, Walk

The gas pains were seriously the worst! Apparently they are common after surgery. I’d never heard that before. I was also told, though I wish I didn’t know, that my intestines were moved around a lot. Sorry if that’s TMI! Surgery allows air into your abdomen. Air that is best gotten rid of by walking. Who knew?!

It hurt so bad to walk. I was alone a lot and afraid of getting stuck halfway around the recovery wing and not having the strength to get back to my room. I didn’t walk enough, and the air gathered in my shoulders. My nurses urged me to walk and got frustrated when I was in pain. So I moved around my room as much as I could and went on late night walks when my husband was back at the hospital with me.

     

Don’t Drive

This one was SO hard for me! I had a baby in the NICU for 5.5 of the 6 weeks I wasn’t supposed to drive. My husband had a few weeks off. He would drop me off at the hospital, take our toddler home for a nap, and come pick me up (and visit baby while he was there). When he had to go back to work, I coordinated rides and babysitting. Thank goodness for my wonderfully supportive family!

I thought the big concern with driving had to do with being on pain meds. I also heard it had to do with reaction time and slamming on the brakes. Both are probably factors, but you don’t realize how much you use your stomach muscles to drive until they are sliced open. I tried driving at 5 weeks postpartum. I wanted to be at the hospital early in the morning before my baby went into surgery. It hurt.

By 3 minutes in I knew it was a bad idea. After the 25-minute drive, I was in pain. I was lightheaded all day. My husband met me at the hospital later that day. We left my car there, and he drove me home. Thank goodness for awesome friends who helped us get our car home because I tried driving before I was supposed to.

Don’t Lean Over

Okay, lean over a little. Just don’t overdo it. I knew I wouldn’t be able to lift much after birth and especially after a c-section. But I hadn’t realized how hard it would be just to lean over. I couldn’t reach the soap in the shower. I couldn’t put my socks or shoes on by myself. It was quite a chore just to put pants on. And I swear I started dropping everything on the floor. My toddler was such a help picking up after me!

   

Take the Medicine

This seems like a no-brainer, but it was one of the biggest tips I got from everybody when I had my c-section. Stay on top of the medicine. Don’t try to be a hero. That helps no one. When I was in the hospital I was worried about using the strong drugs for too long. I didn’t want the nurses to think I was dependent or that the pain was that bad. When the midwife came to talk to me before discharge, she encouraged me to take them if I needed them. She even mentioned it to my nurse, so I didn’t feel so bad about going back on them.

I had alarms on my phone and schedules written out so I could take each pill when I was due for it. I slowly started lengthening the time between pills, but only when I was running out. Let me tell you, the medication helped. I was also still in plenty of pain. I can’t imagine how bad it could have been if I’d been a martyr.

A few more tips:

• Use the abdominal binder. You will feel so much more put together.
• Ice your incision. Not only will it help with pain, but it will also make you feel more in charge of your recovery.
• Relax if you can. If ever there were a time for you to let a few things go, this is it. Accept any help you can get. Focus on that baby!
• Don’t push yourself. You will want to start doing more before you should. Don’t. If think this recovery is rough, think about what would happen if you injured yourself more.