How long did it take you to get going after c/s? Advice?

4510heather

I am having a scheduled c-section and I am wondering how long it will be before I am going again.

I was VERY active before pregnancy (triathlete, did weights, ran/swam/biked regularly) and I am itching to get going again.  I did IVF and wasn't allowed to exercise much during my IVF cycle, and as soon as they discovered I was having twins, I was restricted to walking and spinning only.  I haven't been on my bike trainer in months due to logistics (my belly is huge), so my activity level has been very low (although I have still walked an hour or so 3x a week, and half an hour a day every other day).

I have had abdominal surgeries before and recovered quickly (I ran my first 5k ever only 17 days after an abdominal surgery and felt great), but I am curoius about others' experiences, as well as any advice you all may have for getting active again!

TIA!

 

 

 

2bearichards

Congrats on the babies!

I have had 2 c-sections and was not at all active during either pregnancy.  After my 2nd c-section, I started running after my 6 week appointment with my doctor (wanted to get her clearance).  I ran my first 1/2 marathon 6 months after having my daughter.

Becky262

I was up and walking around hours after my surgery.  Although I needed a lot of help getting in and out of bed, everything else was fine (driving, getting up and down stairs, picking up DS, ect)

I walked 3 miles the day I got home from the hospital.  I started running again at 5w pp (I used Cool Running's Couch to 5k program to ease me back into it because I did not stay active during my pregnancy), and finished a 5k at 7w pp (it took me 40 minutes but there were two girls from the Air Force ROTC that quit halfway through, so I was still pretty proud of myself  lol).  

Although it took me a while to feel comfortable doing ab workouts again, my doctor said I could have started at 6w pp.  Same for swimming.  For some reason, I just mentally couldn't handle getting back into a swim suit and into a pool until months after my c/s.

GL! 

tomkat35728

I was up and moving about a day after my surgery.  I would have been up sooner, but the surgery was done in the middle of the night and my tired butt needed some sleep!

I was walking around the neighborhood within about a week, housework around 2 weeks, doing some light stretches and yoga around 3 weeks, and 30 day shred around 5 weeks.  I felt good enough to do more, but I was nervous about messing too much with my healing. 

I started running after my 6 week appointment as well.  I didn't do too much during my pregnancy - prenatal yoga, light weights, and walking.

GL!

runblondie26

Congrats on your babies! I'm not sure if it was a good surgeon, good genetics, or good luck (probably a mix of all three), but my emergency c-section recovery was very easy. I was sore for certain, but I never intolerable so I even refused a Motrin.

Since you were so active before, that is definitely in your favor . I was taking walks around the neighborhood within a week of delivery. I eased back into a gym routine doing the elliptical, etc at 6 weeks pp, and was running again by 8 weeks.

You hear the horror stories, but not all c-sections are bad. Now finding the energy with a colicky newborn is another story...