C-section births accounted for 46% of the births in NHS Lothian in September 2023. For a lot of women this is a positive experience, but many feel they aren’t given with information about supporting their c-section recovery in the first six weeks.
Here’s what I’ve gathered from listening to new mums and physiotherapists.
- Your six-week postnatal period is for recovery and beginning to adjust to life with your baby. Don’t aim to do anything else.
- Lean in to pain relief. Don’t be afraid of the drugs – unlike in pregnancy, it’s safe! Please don’t try to struggle it out, it will only wear you out and make life harder.
- When you need to cough sneeze or laugh, support your wound with a hand or a rolled up towel.
- Of all the layers of tissues that are cut during a section, your muscles are not cut. They are eased out of the way and connective tissues are cut instead.
- You need to get your bowels happy again, so consume fibre, drink water and poo when you need to – don’t delay.
- When you can, stand up tall. Instinctively you’ll want to hunch, but your body needs to unfurl.
- You might get “shoulder tip pain” after a C-section. This is thought to be related to diaphragm pressure and can be treated with warm compresses, pain relief and gentle movement, as well as drinking peppermint tea to reduce trapped air.
- Can you lie down and get air on your scar? Even if it’s just for a few minutes. Once dressings are off, Water wash the area (no soap), pat it dry, if possible, get air on it. You may have to move the soft tissues of your tummy and lie on your back to allow this to happen.
- You’ll still be bleeding from your vaginal so you’ll need to use pads.
- Fresh air is very helpful, but that needn’t mean a walk. It helps even if all you do is stand in the garden or a park.
- Underestimate yourself. This is not the time to be told “you’re stronger than you think you are!” It’s better to walk round the block twice than walk for 10 minutes and realise you’re too sore/uncomfortable/tired to get home.
- Pain can mean that you’ve done too much. Don’t beat yourself up, just do a bit less for a while. Pain that doesn’t reduce requires a call to the medical professionals.
- Controlling your intra-abdominal pressure while you recover is essential. This means exhaling on exertions – like lifting your baby, going from sitting to standing, lifting a kettle.
- Always roll on to your side before getting out of bed/up from the floor, and use your upper body to push yourself up.
- Arnica tablets are good for reducing bruising and promoting healing but check their safety if you’re breastfeeding.
- Silicone scar strips are excellent when the wound has healed (available on Amazon or big branches of Boots)
- The best movement to support recovery is 360-degree breathing: move your tummy and all round your ribs and your pelvic floor as you inhale. A couple of these breaths with each feed is a good idea.
- I recommend anyone to make an appointment to see a Women’s Health Physiotherapist for when they’re 12 weeks postnatal.
- Your GP may not routinely check your scar at your six-week check. If you want checked, ask. You are entitled!
- Care package ideas for visitors/friends include avocados and salmon, nuts, seeds and nut butters for your healthy fats, and high protein snacks like high protein yoghurts, jerky, hummus and veggies.
- Get yourself a picker-upper so you don’t have to reach the floor. You can usually find them in pound shops.
- There’s a general wisdom that you can resume exercise 6 weeks after a vaginal birth but 12 weeks after a c-section, but there is no research showing why this should be the approach for a section. Post 6-weeks, the approach I prefer is ‘when you’re healed and feeling like it, proceed with caution’.