Ouch...C Section

My advice to you is that you take it easy. I had my third and last child/c-section in Jan this year. It is common to have some (a lot) of pulling and pressure and of course to feel as if your insides were going to fall out, but in time you will feel brand new. If you are breastfeeding then the swelling will go down. You could try light excercise as long as your doctor gives you the okay, don't over do it because you could hurt yourself more than you think. As with pregnancies, they are all different, so think of recovery the same way, not every ones body will bounce back as quickly as the next. Keep your head up, it will pass, just be patient.

Congrats on the new baby! I had a C with my first and I remember having sensitivity in the area of the scar for several months, although it eventually went away (or I got used to it). As for the abdominal sensitivity and appearance, it may be that this time it's just taking your insides a little while longer to bounce back than the first time 3.5 years ago. Maybe there is some swelling that is part of the healing process? If your primary complaint is abdominal tenderness and sensitivity, maybe you could go back to your doctor for that specific complaint. It never hurts to check things out, just to be on the safe side. I hope you feel better soon!

May I suggest a real girdle! It still might be a little soon until the c section area isn't so sensitive. I had a store" Hip mama Couture" and I swore by a surgical grade girdle that was able to be taken in as you needed! It also never interfered with breast feeding and wearing a bra! But it worked, if you wore it faithfully. Let me know if you'd like more info, ###-###-####
best of luck, and be patient with yourself and body.

I looked pregnant for at least 6 months after I had each of my babies, and that nasty c-section took forever to heal! I actually still feel a bit of soreness if my underpants press against the scar line. Some people seem to heal so quickly and completely and some of us don't. I know it isn't fun, but it sounds normal to me.

I've had 2 c-sections, 2 VBAC's and 1 hysterectomy. They all take time to recover. The more physically active you are while you're supposed to be resting, the longer it takes to start feeling good again. You just need time to heal. The scar will be sensitive for a long time. It will lessen, but when you touch it, it will never feel like it did before the scar was there. There's always some kind of numbness or sharpness when touched. You do get used to it though. Ab exercises do not help at this point. They will later on, but it's still too early for that. Just try to take it easy. The inside heals a lot slower than the outside. You're not just recovering from surgery, you're recovering from pregnancy as well. Give yourself at least as long as you were pregnant to start feeling back to normal. Good luck and hang in there... it will get better!

Hi, My first pregnancy was twins, and I had one each way. Livy's was born the normal way, Morgan was an ER c-section and It took almost a full year for the scar to not hurt, pull and to have pressure on it. My son was born by c-section in Feb. 08, and by about 3 months I didn't have any problems at all. I really believe it's how rough the doctor is while doing the c-section and weather it's an ER c-section or a planned one. The sooner you stand up straight and walk more you'll start to feel better. I hope you feel better soon.

Hi K.,
I have 3 children, all born via c-section. The tightness and pulling sensation is normal. Feeling sensitive inside and out, normal too. You shouldn't feel like your insides are falling out at 9 weeks post partum, although every woman may be different. I only felt like that after the first 24 hours. Your belly will look "pregnant" for some time, especially if you put on weight during your pregnancy, which you most likely did. Once you get the okay from your OB to do ab exercises, be warned that it will be uncomfortable. When I resumed exercising, I was only able to do 1-2 crunches a day but I slowly worked up to do three a day and then four a day and so on until I could finally do 10. It will take time. It's been 3 years since my last c-section and to date, my scar, though has disappeared, is still sensitive especially if I rub it with my nails or if my toddler jumps on my lower abdomen. I can do well over 300 ab exercises with NO pain whatsoever but intially, you will need to do them slowly and not do more than you can tolerate.

Hi K.!
I am so sorry for the pain you are in....I had a complete hysterectomy(sic)and was back at work within 5 weeks...I had at the time a 5 speed trans on my Audi, and I needed to be able to shift it comfortably...when it did not hurt I was off. I minded the p's and q's no lifting, bending, stooping, no vacume (like I cared)I was more worried about a hernia. That my dear was in 1981 and I haven't looked back! I would definitely get a second opinion there. 9 weeks out you should not be feeling like that at your age I would think. I was 39 when I had that surgery..J.

give yourself a chance to heal!! ask the doc who did the surgery when it is ok to start exercising again....that may help the fullness, but not the other symptoms which just require time. Some of what you see is actually your uterus which takes time to return to its normal size. And unfortunately, some of it just happens when you are a mom!! I looked pregnant for months after my c/s. finally i had to have liposuction to remove that tummy bulge....but i waited at least a year. Again, your doctor is the best person to ask!

As for the four months preggers belly, unfortunately that was true for me too. But the pain was not. I was over the worst of my pain within a week, and able to do short jogs after a month. At nine weeks, I would be concerned too. However, maybe I just healed fast.

I am guessing this is your 1st c-section, 2nd baby? I had 2 c-sections and the first seemed to take a lot longer than the 2nd to feel better. I wore dresses an awful lot, lose fitting clothes. Nursed, too, which helped the weight, though on the 2nd baby I didn't lose it as much, nor as fast, as on the 1st. Since this may be your 1st c-section, I think this is probably normal. I think I started feeling better after about 12weeks.

It took 6 months for the swelling of my stomach to go down after my c-section. I was losing weight but I still looked pregnant. I definitely didn't feel normal after 6 weeks. I noticed the numbness around the scar and that lasts for quite a while and feels weird. It takes some getting used to. I started exercising seriously at 6 months walking 2-3 miles a day with the baby in the stroller and he would nap. That's when I really started to feel good again. Then I started to do Zumba which was great for my abs. You don't want to do anything like that before 8 weeks, especially if you are feeling like your insides are falling out. Most doctors will tell you it takes a year to fully heal from a surgery and a c-section is no different. Give yourself time. One day the swelling just went down. There was nothing I could do to speed up the healing.

Hi K.,

I am certified to work with prenatal and post partum moms and you have JUST gotten out of the zone where we do not advise working out; As someone who has had a c-section, you should not have been working out until after 8 weeks, AND after your doc has cleared you, so don't get all bent out of shape about your belly. Like everyone else has just said, you need time to recover! If your doctor has said it is ok to workout, start doing some walking with the kids. Then depending on what you had been doing before giving birth, just gradually, as YOU feel fits, begin adding more exercises into your routine.

When I work with postpartum moms, and they had been previously working out, I start them out walking and using light to no weights working through each body part, one exercise per part. As far as abdominal work, (now i have not had a c-section) start out with just regular crunches and work from there. There are alot of youtube videos that show some great exercises. But if there is discomfort, discontinue or just try again in a day or two. Your muscles need to be reconditioned, and again, it is going to take some time. If the discomfort is too excrutiating, then by all means, please call your doctor.

Check out youtube and look up baby boot camp. I know that those girls have been certified to work with moms, and they have some great tips on exercise!! :-) --I hope its ok that I told you that, its just that I dont want you to trust all that you see online.

And always remember..listen to your body!! :-) good luck

Hi K.: The same thing happened to me. It takes a while to fully heal. It's gradual so you'll feel better and better but to feel "normal" took me around 5 months. Regular ab workouts actually hurt. I attempted to work out the first time like I previously did before pregnancy and saw stars afterwards. I asked my doctor and he told me to start out doing 10 crunches every morning for 3 weeks. Then increase it to 20 for three weeks and so on.

if it were me i would get a second opinion
check with an infection control doctor.
you might have an infection.
never take the word of one doctor.
you know your body better then any doctor
so keep pursuing this until you are satisfied..
good luck

I remember wondering the same thing as you after I had my CS...when will I look and feel normal again??? Well, expect to stay sore for awhile longer. Remember, you had MAJOR abdominal surgery. You won't start to feel like yourself for a few more months. I even remember at 6 months post CS having tenderness and soreness at the incision. At 12 months, it was still sensitive, even though there was no pain per say. My Dr. gave me the OK to do abdominal exercises after my 6 week check-up, but they hurt like heck and I had no desire to do any real exercising until about 4 months post-CS. Oh, and you'll have that lovely lumpy belly for a few more months, too. Just give yourself some time, and credit, and you'll be back to your old self before you know it. Congrats on your new baby!

Hi K., I have had 3 c-sections, and my last one, about 9 weeks ago, my belly still look like I'm preg too, and I do all kinds of exercises. Found nothing that works, the pain, thats odd, you should still be having pain. Try going to a different Dr and tell him your pains..

Everything you described is normal. I too had a c-section and it takes a long long time to feel completely normal. Remember you had Major abdominal surgery. The awesome plus side is you got a baby out of it! :) To this day (my son is 22 mos.) if one of my kids climbs on me the wrong way my stomache muscles pinch and there is a lot of discomfort. I think some of the nerves and muscles in there take a while to heal. If you have any bleeding, pus, extreme redness, or heat coming off your scar that isn't normal and you need to get seen right away, but all of the insides feeling like jello is right on the mark. And I had that 4 month prego belly for a bit too. It WILL go away. Just continue to eat right, breast feed for as long as you can and when it's possible get some good excersize. Even walking with your baby or swimming in the pool for 30 minutes will do it. And be gentle on yourself. It took 9 mos for you to gain the weight don't expect to lose it in 6 weeks. Only very, lucky, very few women experience that. The rest of us don't have personal trainers! :)

I feel your pain! This is my second c-section. THe first is the worst. I am in not so much pain this time around but still feel bruised and sharp pains periodically.

The first time it took a long while for me emotionally and physically to get better. I also had a blood transfusion due to the placenta fusing to the uterus, so that might have hindered the healing time too. I still had a little belly on me. One car salesperson asked me how far along i was and the baby was a year old.

This time I didn't so much- no sweeping, moping, vaccuming, bending down unless absolutely necessary. NO carrying laundry just taking it easy. My second baby is 2wks old now so i got a minimizer bra for its the only thing that fits comfortabley (I am a 38DD adn very petite). THen I got a tummy supporter and minimizer. It helps alot on my back and my stomach doesn't feel so ready to fall out. I have my dad helping out as i have a 3.5 yr old too.

So my advice is to get as much sleep as possible, drink your milk, watch the soda intake, and try that Yoga Booty Ballet. ITs not taxing on your physically and even the 3.5 might join in too. That is what i am trying and I have already seen a improvement in belly reduction, emotion happines, and pain.

Good Luck!

Any surgery is a trauma to our energy field/biofield. To help foster optimal healing it's good to receive energy healing sessions with therapies like healing touch, reiki, therapeutic touch, pranic healing, etc. Using foods with lots of antioxidants and other healing properties is also helpful to speed up the body's recuperation. By the way, I'm a mental health counselor myself, applying a lot of holistic therapies, mind-body and energetic healing therapies, etc. I offer free healing groups every month and teach people to practice reiki for themselves and others.

Best wishes,
J.S.

Yeah, the c-sections hurt...so does a vaginal birth...but you may not be getting proper rest to recover due to the fact you have another child to chase after. Personally, I would recommend you get the kids in the stroller and take a leisurely walk around the block, or the park; but nothing strenuous.
And give yourself all the time in the world to get back in shape. Ab exercises may just make you feel worse.
The abdominal pain is normal, so allow yourself to heal with time.