C-sections
MarnieMS
member
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What was your recovery like?
MarnieMS
member
in C-sections
How long were you in the hospital?
How long before you could drive?
How long before you felt back to normal?
Just in general what was your recovery like?
Thanks ladies!
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Re: What was your recovery like?
I was in the hospital for five days including the day of the C section. I had severe pre-e and I was in the hospital for a couple of days before the section as well. I did ask for the fifth day so my baby (he was in the NICU) could room in.
A week after I came home from the hospital my doctor said I could do whatever I felt up to.
It was four weeks and I still don't feel back to normal and I think it will be weeks before I do. I am still on half a vicoden every few hours. I had to call for a refill-- this hurts.
At first it was really hard-- I had to take it easy going up and down stairs, lifting, doing anything really. Then I was ok just sitting but doing housework was still a bit much and running errands for a couple of hours wore me out. Now I can do some light housework or take baby to an appointment ok. But the incision does still hurt and I'm constipated and I know I will be off of work (I have to be able to physically correct ten year olds, or chase after them) for at least another six weeks before I am probably able to do everything, to be on the safe side. my back hurts. For me the recovery has definitely been difficult, especially compared with other surgeries I have had like gall bladder removal.
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How long were you in the hospital? I delivered Thursday at 9;57pm and went home Monday morning. The normal discharge day was Sunday, but I called my insurance company and they said they would cover me another day so I stayed (baby was staying one extra day for jaundice so I didn't want to leave without him).
How long before you could drive? The instructions were 2 weeks. I felt like I could've driven before then, but I had no reason too.
How long before you felt back to normal?After being home for one week I felt 100% back to myself. The first few days were hard just getting out of bed and up off the couch, but that didn't last long.
Just in general what was your recovery like? My recovery was great. I recommend c-sections to everybody haha. The recovery was short and it was totally worth it. I am so happy that next time I will just schedule my c-section for 39 weeks and not have to worry about labor.
This!! I was feeling great after one week, driving after my 2 week follow up.
How long were you in the hospital? - 3 nights; went in at 2pm for scheduled cs at 4pm; on the 4th day/discharge day they said we had the room until midnight but could leave once my OB gave me the okay. OB gave me the okay around 9am but we stayed until about 4pm as we wanted to take advantage of the LC again and also take advantage of the meals while we had already paid for them.
How long before you could drive? - OB said 2 weeks but I've seen that varies from doctor to doctor.
How long before you felt back to normal? - I am almost 4 weeks PP and still not back to normal but am probably 60-70%. Still having discomfort when lifting more than the baby and still having discomfort getting up from sitting and getting in and out of bed. Still wearing maternity clothes as my incision area is very sensitive and is right where all my regular pants waistline is. I'd say the majority of people from what I've read feel close to normal around 2-3 weeks but it will take many more weeks to be 100%.
Just in general what was your recovery like? - The first week I definitely needed the pain meds but right at 1 week I was able to go without taking them regularly and only take them when I had over-done it. One side effect I was not aware of is possible swelling, it doesn't happen to everyone but I had severe swelling of my legs, ankles, and feet that lasted a little over a week. It concerned me, but I found out it was perfectly normal so don't worry about it if it happens to you! Overall, recovery was harder than I expected as I just didn't realize that I would also have emotional issues (had the baby blues); but overall it really isn't that bad especially since you feel so much better after just 2-3 weeks. I could definitely do it again.
How long before you could drive? My OB said I could drive as soon as I felt strong enough to slam on the brakes. That's different for everyone. I didn't drive for 2 weeks just because I didn't have to. I would have felt up to it by one week.
How long before you felt back to normal? Not long at all. By Saturday when I left the hospital, I was feeling 90%...my mom and SILs commented on how well I was recovering. Within a week I'd say I was back to 99%...I'd just sometimes feel really sore getting out of bed. After 2 weeks, I felt great!
Just in general what was your recovery like? Fantastic. I know I had an easier recovery than some friends who had rough vaginal deliveries. Honestly, I took pain meds at the hospital but I stayed on top of them so I never really felt pain...I just felt sore. At home I took Vicodin at night for the first two or three days and some Motrin (just a regular dose) during the day...but I was off the meds in less than a week.
How long were you in the hospital? 4 nights
How long before you could drive? 2 weeks per OB
How long before you felt back to normal? Um, 9 months? I still am a little sore around the incision.
Just in general what was your recovery like? Not great. I didn't have any issues with infection or my incision opening or anything, so I try to tell myself often that it could've been a lot worse, but I just had a slowww recovery. I never had any bad incision pain; I was expecting severe pain and was surprised that I didn't have it. But I was very sore and achy and couldn't stand up straight for weeks, which made my back ache like hell; I couldn't hold DD standing up for more than a couple minutes without my back tying up in knots and having to put her down. It seriously makes me wonder if I was stitched wrong or if they cut muscle they weren't supposed to or something. I remember seeing another c/s mom strutting around the hospital like she just had a tooth pulled rather than a major abdominal surgery. I could barely walk 20 steps without stopping at first. Then again, I labored for 23 hours and pushed for 3.5 before having my c/s. Some people think that makes a difference, some don't. I dunno, it was just strangely slow, and considering I was very active and fit before getting pregnant, it was hard on me to be down and out for so long. I didn't feel up to running until about 7m pp.
How long were you in the hospital? 3 nights
How long before you could drive? A week and a half (when I was off pain meds)
How long before you felt back to normal? Around 3 weeks - a month before I didn't feel a twinge.
Just in general what was your recovery like? It hurt in the beginning, but got better fast. I felt like hell for about a week - but it was manageable with the pain meds.
How long were you in the hospital? I was checked in at 6am, had DS at 8am. I was able to leave by Friday right before lunch. I wanted to go home to get settled but the OB said I could stay until Saturday if I needed/wanted to.
How long before you could drive? I can drive now @ 2 weeks. I probably could have before but I had no reason to since H was home.
How long before you felt back to normal? I'm feeling pretty good now. I have a little residual pain every once in awhile but other than that I'm great. I am waiting though to do any real exercise.
Just in general what was your recovery like? It was great! Some people don't like to but I made sure that I stayed on top of my pain medication so that I could get out of bed and shower and walk ASAP. If I was in pain I know that I wouldn't have wanted to get up. I took a shower and walked the halls unassisted, standing tall on the next morning. I think it helped my recover so well.
I was in the hospital for 48 hours.
I drove at about 11/12 days pp. My clinic recommends 2 weeks.
I guess I felt pretty good at the 2 week mark. I was still sore but nothing like that first week.
I was induced and ended up stalling out at 8cm and my LO never came down. It was decided, after attempting to push and see if I could get her down, that c-sec was best (had some heart rate fluctuactions and she wasn't budging). So, on top of it being my first, I had labored before having it.
The hospital stay wasn't too bad - I consider myself pretty good with pain but I had to ask MANY times for them to bring me some pain meds in. At home, my recovery was pretty rough that first week. I didn't expect that at all. DH was luckily home and would help me get up but there were plenty of times where I still moved wrong and it felt like my scar was tearing - other times it was like a really intense bee sting.
After that first week I did much better. I'm 6.5 months pp and have some numbess and tenderness still but nothing big. Wishing you the best!
How long were you in the hospital? I had my son at almost midnight on a Monday and was home that Thursday. I could have stayed another night but I just wanted to be home.
How long before you could drive? I believe they told me to wait 2 weeks or whenever I was not on painkillers.
How long before you felt back to normal? Only a couple weeks.
Just in general what was your recovery like? I was very fortunate to have a very easy recovery. I stopped taking painkillers other than Tylenol by the 2nd day in the hospital. I was able to get around really easily by the time I got home on Thursday. I don't know if it makes a difference but apparently I had a really good Dr. Every single nurse commented on how good my incision looked, one even said it was the best she'd ever seen haha. The worse part for me was right after the c-section when they had to push on my stomach to make sure your uterus shrinks. That hurt pretty bad.
love is for every her, love is for every him, love is for everyone
How long were you in the hospital? Admitted Monday night around 9 pm after water breaking earlier in the evening. Induced Tuesday around 8 am. C-Section at 10:30 pm due to not dilating past 5, and DS was in distress with every contraction towards the end. Discharged Saturday morning.
How long before you could drive? OB cleared me at 2 weeks PP, but I can't honestly remember when I actually drove for the first time.
How long before you felt back to normal? Maybe a month later?
Just in general what was your recovery like? It sucked. I am not going to lie! After was I was discharged, I was retaining so much water. OB prescribed me something the Monday after to help with swelling. I was also in a lot of pain. Even 2 weeks pp, I still couldn't move very well. I dread the next time, if I there is a next time!
How long were you in the hospital? DD was born on Thursday morning, I was discharged Sunday afternoon
How long before you could drive? I got cleared to drive after 2 weeks, but didn't actually start for 3
How long before you felt back to normal? Still not??? Seriously, I felt somewhat back to normal at 8 weeks pp. I was up and moving around very quickly, and was back to my normal routine but I still had random pain in my tummy and soreness for about 2 months. I am still not back into my pre-pg clothes and have 20 lbs still hanging around, but I feel about as normal as could be expected.
Just in general what was your recovery like? Initially my recovery was really good. I was up and walking 6 hours later. I made sure to drink a ton of water and stay moving around, which helped. I also kept taking my meds for a couple weeks, so I wasn't in a great deal or pain. But after 6 weeks, I kind of plateaued and didn't keep feeling better. I was still having some pain after being too active or when I was a little constipated (sorry, TMI). I would say in general that my recovery was pretty good.
How long were you in the hospital? I went in on Wednesday to have my son and came home before lunch on sunday.
How long before you could drive? I preferred sitting in the back with him for the first month and half bc my son spit up so bad so I was driven around a lot by my boyfriend and family members.
How long before you felt back to normal? It depends on what you think is normal. My son is 6 months old and something's still don't feel normal to me I have hot flashes and it is 30 degrees outside. Body wise I felt normal with my incision in about a month or two.
Just in general what was your recovery like? Not bad at all. After the day I had my son I never took pain medicine. I took ibuprofen for my back (had two spinal blocks not just one!). I would walk a lot at the hospital, and when I came home. Moving a lot keeps pain from settling in. I would go sit on the porch too and rock my son during the day when it was pretty so I wouldn't be stuck inside on a pretty day (he was born in August) I would have to say the hardest thing to do with a csection is get up from laying down but after the first few times you get a strategy
after 6 weeks when I was released by my doctor I went to the fair rode rides and everything felt like my old self with a little more weight & a beautiful baby boy 
just remember everyones body is different some heal faster than others so you can't base yourself off of someone else's experience.