For the csection mamas

MamaMandy2015 · September 2015

Alright ladies, how are you faring after your csec? I'm 12 days PP and I'm able to do most things I did before, however sleeping is hell. Whenever I get into bed on my side it feels like my tummy muscles are stretching and it hurts! Also I have the oh so lovely pooch shelf thing going on. So what totally awesome things are y'all dealing with? *insert sarcasm* let it all out, all your bitches, comaints, etc!

jesselayne8 · September 2015

My skin all around the incision is discolored. I am still healing from the blisters I got from the steri strips. Shelf is still there but getting better. I still can't wear my normal underwear because the top of them settles into the shelf. Wahhhhhhhhhh. Csections suck. I need amnesia to take over so I can have a 4th section.

jlsweets · September 2015

3 weeks here and I was feeling really good so I started just walking 1 mile a day but now the incision area is super sore

. Frustrated because I desperately want to start getting some excercise in but I know I need to take it easy and that I'll only be making it worse in the long run. I also despise my "two-part" stomsch as I call it but it is gradually getting better. I can't wait to start doing ab workouts in hopes that it will go away ha

JSmith42514 · September 2015

17 days PP here and I have been great since about day 5 however I'm trying to ween myself off the pain meds and only taking one motrin at night and this morning I feel like I got hit by a bus. My bleeding has let up quite a bit but it's still bright red which is making me paranoid. I just want more of the mesh underwear so I can be comfy again

emmacake08 · September 2015

I've had a pretty good recovery. It was my second CS and I was off narcotic pain meds 2 days later and just taking Motrin which mainly helped the uterine cramping. I had a weird pulled muscle feeling in the side of my stomach the 3rd day home but I think that was from rolling in and out of bed all night past the cosleeper to wash pump parts. I guess the only complaint I have is the CS shelf. I feel like I can't complain though because my recovery has been easy and my lady parts were spared any agony.

tarheelgirl8 · September 2015

I'm pretty much back to normal at almost four weeks PP. Every once in a while I will twist the wrong way and will get a sharp pain but it's pretty rare. I haven't yet started any exercises other than my everyday cleaning. I'm really looking forward to ab workouts too. I want my core back!

Kimk1616 · September 2015

7 weeks out and feeling good. Going for long walks but am a little scared to start running again. Besides all the jiggle, I'm afraid it's going to make my incision sore. My incision also hurts a little when I get cold, I hope that ends soon!

jesselayne8 · September 2015

@emmacake08 I keep telling myself that a csection is better than a 4th degree tear to my lady parts. My lady parts are in pristine condition and I don't pee myself when I jump or run.

blovemama · September 2015

I'm 7 weeks PP. The incision looks completely fine--just a pink line. My only complaint is that it kind of itches.

lethanne · September 2015

I'm 4 weeks pp and have been doing 2 mile walks about 4 days a week for the last two weeks. My incision feels fine but my abdomen and sides get sore sometimes. I think still a lot of internal healing occurring. The "shelf" is still there and going strong

( but I have noticed that the sweeping has continued to go down so it doesn't appear to be "hanging" as much. Still lots to go to make the midsection better- right now Im very self conscious! This is my second baby and csection and Im definitely not bouncing back as good as I did with my first.

tarheelgirl8 · September 2015

lethanne said:
I'm 4 weeks pp and have been doing 2 mile walks about 4 days a week for the last two weeks. My incision feels fine but my abdomen and sides get sore sometimes. I think still a lot of internal healing occurring. The "shelf" is still there and going strong ( but I have noticed that the sweeping has continued to go down so it doesn't appear to be "hanging" as much. Still lots to go to make the midsection better- right now Im very self conscious! This is my second baby and csection and Im definitely not bouncing back as good as I did with my first.

Is it bad that part of me wants to not even bother getting my stomach back in shape right now? Due to the way my c section occurred and some complications during the procedure a VBAC is completely out of the question for me. We plan on having another baby in 3-4 years. Maybe I should just wait until after that to worry about getting my abs back? LOL

pabeybaby · September 2015

2 weeks and 2 days here. Cut back on the pain meds around day 10. Before that was pretty bad, and this was my first surgery ever. It's hard for me to hold my bladder, which bothers me because I one time had to put DD down and run to the bathroom. Ugh. The swelling finally went down a couple days ago too which was way worse than pregnancy swelling. I've still got some of that liquid bandage stuff plus some kind of netting stuff over my incision, which is starting to peel a little. Got my first check up appointment on Tuesday.
Hubby's wanting us to go walking at the park as soon as my doctor clears me to. I'm looking forward to losing some weight but I'm not looking forward to getting started on it. Went grocery shopping yesterday for the first time in weeks and I was exhausted afterwards and this morning my calves were killing me. I've gotten super lazy

ChristyM87 · September 2015

I also had pain with sleeping for the first couple weeks. Take the pain meds, I only took them before bed but it was a godsend.

Otherwise, I am 5 weeks post partum and occasionally get some burning like pain, primarily on the ends of the incision. The incision is a pink line, and seems to be healing nicely.

My skin is all weird and flabby and poochy. I am still up 15 pounds pre pregnancy.

malamaza · September 2015

This was my second c section and recovery went great, much better than my first which was a bit traumatic for me (first one was an emergency cs after an entire day on pitocin med free) so this time had me feeling happy and excited to be bouncing back so quickly. Stopped taking any pain meds about 5 days pp, was able to sleep on my side after about 2 weeks And now I can even sleep on my stomach! Basically my only complaints would be difficulty establishing breastfeeding (LO made my nipples squirt blood, ouch) and now low milk supply due to letting nipples heal, ect. Oh and about 19 days pp, I developed my first external hemerroids - that hurt for 3 -4 days worse than after the surgery and literally made it more painful and difficult to get into bed and up again or sit/stand than the c section.

cseley321 · September 2015

I am 2 weeks PP and I can't really complain. I've been off the pain medication since I left the hospital and I feel great. My shelf is still there but has gone down A LOT and other than being jiggly, I actually don't look too bad at all anymore. I still have 25 lbs to lose, but the weight is flying off.

The only thing that sucks is I still can't do exercises, I have numbness in my butt and stomach, and my tummy is still tender to the touch. I think in a few months I'll be back to my old self. I've come a long way since I first saw myself in the mirror after the surgery when I almost broke down in tears

missmarissa711 · September 2015

8 weeks PP and everything is finally feeling good. I was in agony the first week but after that I was improving daily. I was up walking and on hospital strength motrin after day 2. C sections are no joke. It still weirds me out that I'm numb along the incision line and I'm unfortunately still bleeding

(thought it had stopped weeks ago but nope)but on a better note, sex is enjoyable again, I'm back to working out(yayyy) and feel like my old self again finally.

p.s. ladies....what is this "shelf" you are talking about?

netters625 · September 2015

I'm 1 week out, and I never felt any real pain back to normal activities, just have to tell my self to take it easy as I am not experiencing pain so its easy to get carried away.

cseley321 · September 2015

Marissalynn0620 said:
8 weeks PP and everything is finally feeling good. I was in agony the first week but after that I was improving daily. I was up walking and on hospital strength motrin after day 2. C sections are no joke. It still weirds me out that I'm numb along the incision line and I'm unfortunately still bleeding (thought it had stopped weeks ago but nope)but on a better note, sex is enjoyable again, I'm back to working out(yayyy) and feel like my old self again finally.

p.s. ladies....what is this "shelf" you are talking about?

The shelf is a pudgy area that appears below your stomach that is basically scar tissue I believe. For me it just dangled down below my belly like gross loose skin, but it starts to tighten up. Now the shelf is at my belly and is barely noticable if I'm wearing clothes.

emmacake08 · September 2015

Yes it's the fact that your saggy deflated belly just hangs over right where your incision is. When your uterus gets sticked back up, they do it tightly so then the normal postpartum pouch looks worse since it pours over the incision.

MamaMandy2015 · September 2015

My incision still is a little sore, but not that cold burning feeling like it used to, I'm still flabby but owell I keep telling myself it will disappear. This was my 3rd and final csec and because of the previous two the doc on this one cut a lot of scar tissue out and the and result wasnt pretty. I too have a lot of weird discoloration that cropped up a few days after. All in all its not too bad but being limited is frustrating, not to mention I'm hornier than a rabbit during mating season lol Igggh still have another 4 weeks!

Lalala2326 · September 2015

My incision feels like a sunburn again (lasted 18 months with the first one

) I have a random 2 inch diameter numb patch to the left and slightly above the incision. I have a horrible internal tearing feeling to the left of my incision. The nurse said it sounds like scar tissue that is more common with second incisions. She said it will likely get better, but if not, the doctor can send me to physical therapy or to get injections to help

It hurts to rotate right if I'm laying on my left side and if I make any sudden movements. Even lying next to my daughter and side-lie nursing her hurts

I also still have my linea nigra in full swing both above and below my belly button but it is really dark in my belly button. Which brings me to last complaint. The doctor was unable to do any corrections to my herniated belly button like she was hoping, so I now have a very popped out belly button that is really dark in color

Why oh why did my first daughter have to stay footling breech till her due date!

SouthernYankee87 · September 2015

I am 2 weeks, 5 days PP and feel like a million bucks! Compared to the 4th degree tear and cervical lacerations I endured during my first DD's delivery, the c-section recovery is an absolute breeze. I felt better 2 days PP than I did 2 months PP last time!! I've been off all medicine since 3 days PP. I started my daily 2-mile walks with the dog & 2 kids earlier this week. I've even picked up my 2-year old a few times and didn't have any pain. My incision looks great and my stomach is back to being flat, still a bit mushy though. I'm SO happy with the c-section recovery. The doctors and nurses told me that what I went through the first time was essentially a vaginal c-section so this was much, much easier.
And the best part- no risk of bowel incontinence!

dkizz82 · September 2015

I am 6 weeks out and I was doing great up until 4 weeks. For two weeks now I've had some drainage around incision. I feel I probably should call the doctor. It's only a drop or two a day but still....

Klynne91 · September 2015

Am 1 week PP and feeling pretty decent, this is my second c section so I was more prepared for it this time around. I've been using my belly bandit to get rid of my "shelf" but it's still there enough that I hate seeing myself in the mirror before/after a shower.
Plus sometimes depending on how I'm positioned it feels like my vagina is being pulled up towards my incision. Which is weird.
On occasion I've picked up my 13 month old and carried her down the stairs without hurting myself. However sleeping still sucks. I've been forced to sleep on the couch if I want any sort of comfort.
Worst part is the development of PUPPPS rash, I'm going insane trying to deal with that as well as recovering from being cut open.

Laurmi · September 2015

I'm 17 days PP and loving life, for the most part. Sleeping on my belly is magical. I am still bleeding a tiny bit and I wish that would stop so I can stop wearing pads. My incision looks pretty good. I have the little shelf but luckily I'm actually 8 lbs less than I was prepregnancy....one benefit to having gestational diabetes was that following such a strict dirt made it impossible to eat anything fun and/or gain weight. I'm hoping the shelf will eventually go away but I suppose it's not the end of the world if it doesnt. I'm actually shocked at how I look. I thought it would be 10000 times worse, given how much my lower stomach stretched during pregnancy but it's really not horrible. I just keep thinking how lucky I am that my lady parts are still in tact. Silver lining, right? It was an unplanned csection and came as quite a shock at the time and I had a very hard time getting used to the idea but I ended up with my little munchkin and we are all healthy so cheers!!

malonc2 · September 2015

I am almost 4 weeks pp and I feel great! I forgot that my c section even happened... Mine was not planned and I was very nervous at the time but I would definitely do it again. My incision healed within two weeks and although I am a little more mushy down there, my stomach doesn't look that bad. Can't wait to start working out though!

e1223 · September 2015

I'm almost 6 weeks post scheduled Csection, and feeling good now. I never took anything more than ibuprofen and haven't had anything for 3 weeks or so but still am in pain sometimes, after a busy day of activity. I don't really have a noticeable "shelf" but am still up 10lbs. Still bleeding minimally which is really annoying.

I had 2 previous vaginal births and the recovery from this was much, much worse, but I'm finally feeling more normal now.

daniellepanda · September 2015

4.5 weeks PP and feeling totally normal. I stopped bleeding at 3 weeks and stopped medication/Motrin after the first week. I'm down 10lbs to my pre-pregnancy weight but still have a bit of the shelf belly

glad to hear that's normal because I didn't get that with my first c/s and was pretty bummed as to what was going on with my belly area. Only hiccup was getting ductal yeast on my left boob( start of thrush) a week ago, but luckily it went away quick with natural remedy and that the baby never got thrush.

gmd88 · September 2015

I don't know if it's related to the c sec but on Saturday some lady asked when I was due (I wasn't with my LO)... that was a bit discouraging... I know I don't look great but I didn't think I still looked pregnant. Also my abs get sore but I also think that might be from them being stretched out when pregnant. Around my scar gets sore too when I walk but it seems to be getting better and I have been taking longer walks. I'm 5 weeks PP today.

gulimz · September 2015

4 weeks pp and my incision stopped bleeding 3 wks ago, stopped taking pain meds 2 wks ago. But for some odd reason last night I had horrid pain in my spine that shot throughout where the incision is. Weird. But it's gone. I feel pulling every once in a while. The shelf is there and I want to get a belly bandit. I feel like so much time has passed for it to work though? But I was so sire up until 2 wks ago to even wear pants and normal underwear.
I walk at the park almost everyday with LO and DH or LO and my mom. Csections are no joke.

MamaMandy2015 · September 2015

I'm glad to hear all you ladies are doing well! Planned or unplanned csecs.,

jeremiah3019 · September 2015

16pp and doing fine with no pain medicatios. This was my 2nd c-section and definitely more painful but I'm getting through it. What saved me this time is to wear the hospital girdle ALL THE TIME... Night and day. Last time I didn't wear it and had much harder time with the incision (and getting back to shape).

jennl28 · September 2015

Tomorrow marks 4 weeks post c section and I'm feeling almost normal again. Recovery time in NL though is 6 weeks where you are unable to lift anything except baby. I was given morphine for the first 24 hours and after that paracetamol but I managed to stop taking that at week 3. Week 3 and a day I started massive bleeding which was not pleasant but it stopped in a day and a half. Bleeding is nearly stopped now and I only feel pain at night. Am able to sleep on my stomach as well but only in the last few nights

MouseMama817 · September 2015

3 weeks PP. The incision has healed really nicely and the "shelf" is starting to go away. I can finally sleep on my stomach! But the skin between my bellybutton and my incision is super sensitive to the touch. Weird.

Wering · September 2015

10 days PP here.

I'm feeling pretty good overall. I can't stand for longer than 20 minutes (holding baby) without my abs starting to scream (might be related to pregnancy, not the CSection?) so I'm generally trying to limit my activity still. Those of you walking long distances - GOOD FOR YOU! Not working so well for me

I started driving again (shh, don't tell my doctor!) short distances yesterday. Didn't seem to bother me. I've been off the narcotics for probably 3 days and only taking Motrin every 6-8 hours. Definitely respecting the lifting restriction, including my toddler, much to her dismay.

This was my second csection, and I feel like I was up and moving better and faster this csection than the last one, which is interesting. I've heard that to have a csection after laboring is harder to recover from, but my first I didn't labor and my second I labored (med-free!) 27 hours. The weird thing is that my vagina hurt quite a bit the first few days which didn't happen with my first. Turns out THAT's the fun of a csection after laboring!

Wering · September 2015

P.S. When it comes to sleeping - make sure you're sleeping on a bit of an incline if you're sleeping on your back to keep the pressure off your incision. Secondly, if you're sleeping on your side, make sure you tuck a pillow or a blanket underneath your belly (I hate the PP belly!) so it is well supported.

seandik · September 2015

15 days since my c section... The doc never closed me up properly so now I have a big hole in my stomach!.. Yes, my c section cut is open so now I have a nurse coming to my house every day to stuff it and band it until it heals... Urghhhhhhh

lethanne · September 2015

@seandik shut up really?!

kelseyrayay · September 2015

seandik said:
15 days since my c section... The doc never closed me up properly so now I have a big hole in my stomach!.. Yes, my c section cut is open so now I have a nurse coming to my house every day to stuff it and band it until it heals... Urghhhhhhh

That is my biggest fear that my c sec area is going to just open up.. Omg that's crazy!

MamaMandy2015 · September 2015

seandik said:
15 days since my c section... The doc never closed me up properly so now I have a big hole in my stomach!.. Yes, my c section cut is open so now I have a nurse coming to my house every day to stuff it and band it until it heals... Urghhhhhhh

@seandik
I feel your pain mama, my 171st I had a small infection, they lanced it and I had to pack it with the steri tape. My 2nd csec was a disaster, the incision opened up the same night (doc never stiched me properly either) and because of her negligence it became infected. I wore a wound vac for 6 months PP and visited the wound care center 2x weekly so they could scrape out the dead tissue and clean it up. This time around everything went smoothly, however a couple days after removing the steri strips (about 10 days pp) I now have a round red spot that looks like it could be an infection (God I hope not) or maybe an ingrown hair or possibly a rash spot from the steri strips. I'll find out tomorrow at my 2 week checkup

MamaMandy2015 · September 2015

Wow, lol edit it was supposed to be 1st not 171st lol

For the csection mamas

Re: For the csection mamas

Choose Another Board

Search Boards