Wednesday 24 July 2013

My recovery after a c-section

I had a c-section because of health complications during labour. I didn't expect to be having a c-section as my pregnancy was very straight forward! 
I didnt know anything about caesareans because I didnt look up anything about them before I gave birth. 

I thought I would tell you about my experience because I didnt know what was normal and what wasn't normal to experience after this sort of operation. So incase any mums to be out there have to go through a c-section, you know that some things are very normal.

The actual operation was fine, they gave you so many 'drugs' and pain relief that you don't feel a thing. I wasn't really aware of what was happening during the operation at all. It was quite sad because I can barely remember seeing my baby for the first time :-(. After all the stitching up and everything they wheeled me back to my room. I felt quite normal really, even though I just had quite a serious operation. Because I was sat in bed I didn't realise how much I couldn't work the bottom half of my body until I tried to sit up. I couldn't use my legs at all so I couldn't push my self up, the midwives had to help me by pulling me around! If you've read my birth story you will know I was bedbound for a couple of days so didnt realise the extent of what was happening to my body at this point. 

When they moved me down to the post natal ward, you have to do everything by yourself so I forced my self to get up! It took a while but I got up in the end. It did me good really, my legs were like jelly. I felt absolutely terrible because I hadn't really picked up my baby by myself or changed his nappy till I made myself get out of bed. I think getting out of bed and moving around short distances actually helped me get the feeling back in my legs.

The 2nd day after birth, my wound was leaking, It was like water but I wasn't sure what it was so I can't really tell you. They said it was fine and just put another dressing on it so it was nothing to worry about and obviously happens to a few people.

Everything was quite straight forward after that, I was aching but nothing out of the ordinary! My wound healed really quickly, I do have quite good healing skin though, which was a bonus. 

When I got home I didnt want to sit and do nothing, I'm the sort of person that has to be up and about doing things. You are meant to 'rest' for 12 weeks but how is that possible when you have a baby to look after and our partners only have 2weeks off? 

I wish I wasn't naughty and did what the midwives told me though because 2weeks later my scar came open. a&e patched it up and gave me more anti-biotics!! It took a couple of months to heal after that. 

Your wound site will ache for quite a while. Your body will have a way of telling you that you've done to much if you do. Your wound site will start to ache and hurt a bit but that's normal. Just take it easy and listen to your body! 

It's healed now but my tummy still feels numb, this is likely to be the case for 2-3 years apparently! I suppose if you think about the severity of the operation it's understandable, as they cut through lots of layers of skin. 

Don't let it scare you, people are alot straight forward than me. My body couldn't cope with the birth at all. 

Hope this helps mums who have a cesarean because I didnt know anything about cesareans or recovery afterwards and worried about every little thing.

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