C-Section Recovery Essentials — Bethan Taylor-Swaine

Hello! There’s been radio silence around here for the last few weeks (months?!) because I had a baby! Evie was born at the end of August by emergency c-section following an induction and 3 days in labour, and while it was intense it was also a really positive experience and I am thrilled that my little mate has now arrived. I’ve shared my birth story on Instagram and it’s fair to say that a c-section was not what I imagined bringing my baby into the world, but at the end of the day it was absolutely the right way for Evie to arrive and I wouldn’t change a thing.

It’s now been nearly six weeks since Evie popped out the sunroof and I’m generally feeling pretty good, in fact some days I need to actively remind myself that I had surgery just over a month ago!

A cesarean section is a major operation that comes with a significant period of recovery which can be pretty challenging when you have a newborn to look after, especially if like me you didn’t anticipate an abdominal delivery. Over the last month there’ve been a few things that have helped me navigate my recovery physically and emotionally.

Prioritise Rest

Rest really is the best medicine when it comes to recovering from something as gruelling as a c-section, try to do too much too early and you could set back your recovery. It makes sense, a c-section is enormously stressful both physically and mentally and we don’t have unlimited capacity for stress in any form. If you’re not getting enough rest you’re not going to have much energy and you might find that your body’s ability to heal diminishes. This is why rest is essential.

For the first few weeks after Evie was born we made my rest a priority and put in place some practical measures to help make this happen:

Our Mums helped out with practical things like food and laundry

We asked a friend to look after our dog until we go our heads around looking after the baby
Mike looked after Evie through the night so I could sleep, I’m mindful this only works if you choose to bottle feed, but for us it made a massive difference
We arranged for our flat to be professionally cleaned while I was still in hospital so it would be easier to keep on top of things
We made sure our freezer was fully stocked and we had lots of snacks in

Look After Your Incision

How you look after your incision will depend on how the doctors close your wound and it’s really important that you follow the guidance that they give you when it comes to wound care. My incision was closed with dissolvable stitches and surgical glue so I didn’t need to have my stitches removed and my dressing could come off after a couple of days. Since then looking after my incision has been pretty straightforward and so far seems to be healing really well.

Dress for Comfort

After giving birth my biggest priorities were feeling supported and making sure nothing I wore would irritate my incision and I’ve ended up with a few things that’ve been on constant rotation for the last 5 weeks:

really massive cotton pants, seriously the bigger the better. Specially designed c-section underwear is also great as it tends to have a little extra support around the incision site.
Natal Active Lux and Swift leggings - I wore these leggings through my whole pregnancy and they are so soft. Postpartum I particularly love the Swift leggings because they have lots of support around the middle which really helped me feel more confident while my incision was healing and no seams that could chafe my wound. If you fancy giving them a try use the code BETHTAY for 10% off on non-sale items [I am an ambassador for Natal Active, but I do not receive any commission on sales].

Keep On Top Of Pain Relief

Even if you ignore everything else I say do not ignore this - keep on top of your pain relief! Cesareans are major surgery with a significant incision, let the pain relief slide and things are going to get painful very quickly. Pain isn’t just physically uncomfortable, it can also be mentally really challenging and when you’re already in a vulnerable emotional place you really don’t need any more to deal with. To help me stay on top of things I found it useful to organise all my medication in a pill box and to set alarms so I’d remember to take everything at the right time.

Don’t Be Afraid to Move (but move with care)

I was up and walking within a few hours of my surgery because I wanted my cannula out and I needed to prove I could move unassisted before that could happen which proved good motivation! If you’re not as freaked out by cannulas as I am so need different motivation there are recovery benefits to mobilising early after a c-section as it can help ease gas pains, encourage bowel movements and prevent blood clots.

While it’s good to get moving you also need to be careful not to overdo things. For the first few weeks after delivery my doctors encouraged me to go for walks as long as I stayed within my comfort zone. I was also careful around how I got in and out of bed, rolling on to my side and pushing up with my arms rather than trying to use my (now non-existent) stomach muscles, and avoided bending to pick things up or lifting anything heavier than the baby. I also found that holding a pillow or my hand against my incision and applying very gentle pressure helped me feel supported as I moved.

Show Yourself Kindness

C-section recovery is tough, you’re not just recovering from pregnancy you’re also recovering from a major operation and it’s going to take time to get back on your feet and feeling yourself again.

One of the best things I did after giving birth was giving myself absolute permission to do nothing more than rest and feed my baby. It can be so easy to get wrapped up in the idea you need to be out and about soon after birth, receiving lots of visitors and on top of all the housework but you don’t need to do any of this. Allowing myself to say no, to stay home and not to see mess made a big difference to my state of mind in the first few weeks. When I did do things I gave myself permission to do them on my terms, in my own time and to take a step back if I accidentally over did things and above all to put my recovery first. Some days I felt great and was out and about, other days I needed more rest and that was totally ok.

Taking the pressure off and giving yourself permission to do what you need to do in the moment can help reduce your stress levels so that you can channel your energy where it’s really needed - recovery.

I’m not a medical professional and everything I’ve shared in this post is based on my own experience and circumstances, if you have any questions or concerns about your c-section recovery talk to your doctor or midwife who can give you tailored advice.