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Recovering from Cesarean Sections
What To Expect From Cesarean Section
People recover differently from cesareans. You will recover at your own speed. Don’t let other people’s birth stories confuse you or make you feel badly about the speed of your healing. Instead, listen to your body carefully and respond to its needs. Almost everyone experiences some or all of the problems listed below:
- Pain with coughing or deep breathing
- Soreness around the incision
- Severe gas pains
- Difficulty rolling over and getting out of bed
- Difficulty straightening up and reaching overhead
- A Pulling sensation in the belly when standing up
- Pain or difficulty when emptying bowels and bladder
- Discomfort when nursing from your baby’s weight and movement
You may also experience itching, numbness, or both around the incision site. This is because the nerves that were cut during the operation are beginning to regenerate. Nerve recovery is a slow process and the sensations will probably continue for some time. The scar tissue itself will remain numb.
Immediate Care
You can expect excellent post-surgical care from the nursing staff at any hospital that performs cesareans. If you don’t get it, demand it. Here is one of the things they should suggest and then help you with.
Move As Soon As Possible
The first, and most important, step in the recovery process is to begin moving by walking around. It helps to have two people supporting you as you begin, one on each side. You may have to push yourself to move through the discomfort. Movement helps prevent fluid settling in your lungs, which contributes to respiratory infection. It also gets your circulation going, starts your muscles healing, and helps keeps your bowel and bladder working well.