Caesarean section - what to expect from your recovery

Recovering from a caesarean

Having been woken up by the dog at 5.30am this morning I spent some time mindlessly scrolling through Instagram with a cuppa in bed and came across this article discussing c-section recoveries. It really brought it all back for me, having experienced one emergency caesarean with Billy and two further planned sections with Keira and Jack. I'm glad that there are resources out there now for expectant and new Mums to read, giving them straight talking, honest information about what to expect if they do end up having a caesarean delivery. We attended antenatal classes while pregnant with Billy and were told all about a natural, vaginal delivery but nothing around caesareans. So when I ended up having a very traumatic emergency c-section I felt completely unprepared.

Look after you

My biggest piece of advice is to make sure you (Mum) take your recovery as seriously as you take the care of your baby. You will have been through major surgery, often for the first time. Mine certainly was, I had never stayed in hospital before let alone experienced major surgery so really had no clue about what to expect from my recovery. I was in hospital for 5 days with Billy, 3 with Keira and just one night with Jack (I’d become a pro at them by then!) Once home and feeling a bit better you will start to feel like you can do more, which is true, but take it slowly. Just because the pain has eased doesn’t mean that you aren’t still healing. With major abdominal surgery comes a pretty deep wound, which will take longer to heal than is visible. So please listen to the experts when they tell you not to start hoovering or lift anything heavier than your newborn baby. Ask for help, accept help when offered and don’t try to run before you can walk (quite literally in this case, have you tried running with a catheter in?!)

Following on from this it’s also really important to listen to your body. If you start to feel unwell then take notice of it, talk to someone. I’ve had to send countless Mums off to the Doctors, sometimes A&E because they have turned up for their newborn photoshoot unwell, having ignored it assuming it would get better on its own. If you start to experience a fever, or have a high temperature but feel cold and shivery get yourself checked out immediately. It could be a sign of infection, which caught early is easily treatable with some antibiotics. If ignored it can turn into sepsis and end up with you back in hospital. This has happened to my clients on more than one occasion and now I can spot it a mile off. (Please don’t be offended if I nag you to get yourself checked out, it’s because I care!)

Top tips from a caesarean Mama

Something I found really useful with Jack was a Chicco Next2me crib. I was able to feed him without lifting him in and out, and found it much more comfortable than getting in and out of bed when I was still in a lot of pain.

A sports bottle of water was also a game changer for me. I am notoriously rubbish at remembering to drink water, but knew how important it was both for my recovery and for breastfeeding that I kept myself hydrated. Having a water bottle next to me on the sofa or bed meant that I didn’t have to get up or lean (ouch!) to get a drink, and also meant that I could drink easily while breastfeeding (which I seemed to be doing for at least 20 hours of the day!)

Useful resources

I did find this article published in The Bump magazine an interesting read, and a pretty true reflection of my own experience of recovery from my caesareans. It doesn't sugar coat it but it's also not going to put the fear of God into you either. If you've elected to have a caesarean or have perhaps gone through an emergency c-section I'm always happy to answer questions so do get in touch if you're unsure about anything. Obviously everyone's experience is different, which is why I think it's important to share our stories and why I think that articles like these are really useful. As a newborn photographer I work with a lot of women who are recovering from a caesarean, either emergency or planned, and it’s amazing how different all of our stories are. Having experienced both emergency and planned c-sections myself I can relate to a lot of what they tell me.

I’d love to hear from Mums who have had a caesarean. How was your recovery? Do you have any tips or pieces of advice for any new Mums reading this? Please do share them in the comments below.

Rachel x