When does swelling go down?

sharksfan

I had a scheduled C-section last Friday (Oct 7), and I am still pretty swollen.  Is this normal?  The pain has gotten a bit better each day, but I still need to take the medication.  It's a good thing I asked the hospital for a lot of extra pairs of the mesh panties b/c those are the only underwear that I can fit into right now (not even my granny panties fit).  I still look about 4-5 months pregnant.  I thought this was normal, but my husband is concerned.  Granted, he's been pretty clueless about a lot of things throughout the whole pregnancy but now I'm questioning things.  So, please put my mind at ease-how long were you swollen after your C-sections?

sabrina69barnes

I was swollen for a good two weeks with both boys. I had to send my mom to walmart to buy me bigger underwear because what was fitting in the hospital didn't fit once we got home.

pitterpatter129

For fun, here were my feet two weeks after my csection!  They were so swollen, I couldn't wear my shoes for almost a month.  They give you soooo much fluid in the hospital that I wouldn't expect any swelling to go away soon.  If you are like me, I had an induction that included fluid and pit, plus all the fluids with the csection, plus more pit and fluid and antibiotics afterward.  I was horrified at how much swelling there was!  You'll feel better soon!

 

kcvasquez

Mine was horrible for 2 1/2 weeks after my section! I could barely bend my ankles without feeling like the skin was going to stretch to it's breaking point! It will get better soon!

MrsCali_Bride

It took about 2.5 weeks for all of my swelling to go away and then it was gone overnight. As for the granny panties, I bought them in a size or so up from my pre-pregnancy size and they worked perfectly while I was swollen.ETA: my feet and legs looked just like pitterpatter's did and then suddenly were back to normal if not a little skinnier than pre-pregnancy.

ChiTown Bridget

I was swollen for about a week and a half. My feet and ankles were actually the worst. I think that is where I was retaining the most water

Mrs.DeliaMarieP

It took me at least a couple of weeks for the swelling in my legs and feet (I was filled with fluid from the IV) to go down, and longer for my belly to stop looking pregnant.

Basically, your belly isn't swollen from the C-section, your uterus is just still large from stretching so far during your pregnancy. It's totally normal for you to still look quite pregnant for at least a few weeks, as your uterus needs time to contract back down to its tiny normal size.  It took 9 months for it to stretch that far, so it needs plenty of time to go back down.

Also, if your are bf-ing, that will help to contract your uterus back down to normal (and you might feel it contract a bit when you are feeding the baby).  If you are not, it may take a bit longer for your uterus to reach normal size again.

ktshafra

My swelling last two weeks, too. Once it started to go down, it went down very quickly. I noticed the swelling most in my feet (huge elephant feet!).

mamajanna28

It took 2 weeks for me! It seemed like one day I was soooo swolen and the next I woke up nearly back to normal.  It seemed really sudden!