just had a c-section question

thebubble09 · March 2011

hi everyone,

i'm not up to vbac yet, but i did just have a section on wednesday and i have a question so i hope it's okay if i ask it here? my belly is pretty swollen and misshapen and i'm just wondering whether that's swelling, my uterus, fluid retention, or how much of it is really just loose skin an d muscle. in your experience, how long did it take before verything fell back into a reasonable place? aka, how long before you felt like your insides werent falling out??

caprocornia · March 2011

One big thing I noticed was my hips being very swollen. I'd say it took at least a week if not a little longer for that to go away. I was feeling pretty good around a week and a half after, and driving again after 2 weeks.

Traycee1242 · March 2011

10 days was my magic number... I had SO much fluid pumped into me during a grueling 22 hour labor and then section I looked like Shrek from the waist down. Horribly swollen. On the 10th day I woke up a new woman. gL!

iris427 · March 2011

It's probably all of that, plus maybe some gas. I never had the insides falling out sensation after my c/s but you should start feeling back to normal in the next few weeks. I hope you feel better soon!

luvbeingmom · March 2011

i agree with pp's, and all the things you listed as well...

i'd say less than 2 weeks for you to start looking normal, but i really do think it took almost up to 4 weeks to just FEEL normal. including, coughing, sneezing etc without pain.

i drove within a matter of days after my cs (big no no, i know, but i REALLY wanted carl's jr)

just try not to look at your tummy for a while... you'll feel better... lol

nosoup4u · March 2011

Aw, hang in there, it's still really early, and it does take some time for the swelling to go down and for you to get your body back. You might want to look into a belly band (you can get them at drug stores) to help, especially if it seems like things are falling out.

babyike · March 2011

This board welcomes all questions related to VBAC or C/S or RCS Smile

I was pretty swollen from fluid retention (similar to the previous poster I was like an elephant from the hips down for over a week!) As far as my insides, I would say it took about 2-3 weeks before the "floating" feeling went away. I was feeling mostly normal for sure by 4 weeks pp. HTH.

BarefootContess · March 2011

It is likely all the fluids they pumped into you during a long labor. With my first, long, long labor followed by c-s, I actually weighed more leaving the hospital than when I arrived. I say two weeks time I felt better.

Ritzy19 · March 2011

thebubble09:
hi everyone,
i'm not up to vbac yet, but i did just have a section on wednesday and i have a question so i hope it's okay if i ask it here? my belly is pretty swollen and misshapen and i'm just wondering whether that's swelling, my uterus, fluid retention, or how much of it is really just loose skin an d muscle. in your experience, how long did it take before verything fell back into a reasonable place? aka, how long before you felt like your insides werent falling out??

I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one that felt that way. For me, every day I'd feel a little bit better. After a couple weeks, I was feeling back to normal again. Although the soreness/sensitivity took a while to go away.

Ritzy19 · March 2011

luvbeingmom:
i agree with pp's, and all the things you listed as well...
i'd say less than 2 weeks for you to start looking normal, but i really do think it took almost up to 4 weeks to just FEEL normal. including, coughing, sneezing etc without pain.
i drove within a matter of days after my cs (big no no, i know, but i REALLY wanted carl's jr)
just try not to look at your tummy for a while... you'll feel better... lol

Hahaha.... for real.

mamaregan · March 2011

I agree with pp to try a belly band, I wish I had known about them during my recovery. But it took probably a good 4-5 weeks before that feeling went away, I was probably sore until 6 weeks pp and here and there after. I'm 6 months out and I still am sensitive, I have numb spots and it is pretty tingly. It gets better with time just take it easy and know that your tummy will not look like that for too long. 1ht

A37licia · March 2011

If this hasn't been mentioned, wear the support wrap that you got post surgery (I'm sure you wore one at the hospital....did you bring it home? I forgot mine and could have really used it). You could buy another one like it, and it can give a lot of support to your middle as you heal both from surgery and from pregnancy.

You could also look into the book Maternal Fitness for some very slight, but helpful, ab contractions to start bouncing back.

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