Recovering from a Csection

I don't know that what you are describing is completely "normal" however I had a C-Section over a year ago and I still haven't gotten complete feeling back from across my belly. Some people have told me it may never come back b/c they cut thru nerves and things like that. If the numbness is just starting, then I don't know. Maybe you are just now noticing it. It shouldn't be real red though. That might be signs of an infection. You might want to get that cheked. I ended up with a staph infection and trust me, you don't want that....lol Good Luck

1 mom found this helpful

Hi! I wanted to let you know that I have had two c-sections, 23 months apart, and I still have numbness around the area. My doctor said it may remain numb due to nerve damage, but it is not a big deal. If it is uncomfortable or bothering you, you can check it out more. Hope that helps :). Congratulations on the new baby and good luck with two boys!!

V.,

I had a c-section almost 3 years ago, and I feel weird numbness-related sensations that go from about 1 inche below by belly button to the incision, and about 4 inches from left to right. I have a friend that has had numbness for 20 years! I hate to tell you, but it will probably never go away. When they cut through nerves like that, you can never tell how they will or will not repair themselves. Wish they told be that before they cuit me open! Whenever my daughter brushes up against me there, it just feel irritating - not totally numb - but rather a very annoying sensation when it gets touched.

S.

The numbness is common. The redness is not, especially since it's new. Call your dr and get it looked at sooner rather than later.

Hi V.

My name is C.. I have sustained 3 c-sections and yes numbness ocurred for me after each surgery at the incision site. I cannot recall redness or other complications. It felt really weird. But sensation has returned and all is well.
Has swelling also accompanied the redness? If so go immediately to the doctor don't wait.

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Our sons are now grown and growing into manhood.
I am a education administrator in Bahamas formerly born and raised in Baltimore City.

I had a c-section with my daughter and definitely had a bit of numbness off and on at the incision site for a very long time. My OB said it was from the nerve endings healing. You're probably ok, but you could call your OB is you're concerned and don't want to wait for your appt.

V.,

I had numbness for a long time after my C-section - and remember being startled when it first started (especially after all that initial pain!). My OB told me it was normal and it eventually went away.

Good luck and congratulations on your new son!

Mine did that too, stayed numb on one side for quite a while. (like, if i felt it from the outside -rubbing my scar with my finger...)

i also had a small part of a stitch come through (the knot)
it disintegrated over 6 weeks or so after it popped up but the numbness comes and goes, still a year later and it is normal.
as long as there is no pain, bleeding, etc.

Hi V.,

Unfortunately, yes the numbness is, now the redness I don't know about. Just about everyone I know who has had a c-section has it to some degree. Neither mine or my sister's numbness has ever gone away (my c-section was 7 1/2 years ago) but it's just where the scar is and doesn't bother me anymore. If it's still red I might call your dr. just to let them know since your appointment isn't for another 2 weeks & see what they have to say about it.

Hi V.,

I had a c-section 4 months ago and still have some numbness around my incision. My doctor said it's because the nerves there were severed. They'll grow back and feeling will be restored at some point. My incision was also red for awhile and my doctor wasn't worried.

M.

Hello,

I also had a c-section and yes, the numbness at the incision site is very normal and it may last a while. The numbness lasted months for me.

Hope this helps!

V.,
I have had 3 sections and my last one was over a year ago and I have numbness all the way across my incision. I have talked to other moms who had sections and after 5 years some still have numbness. I would be concerned with the lump and redness, this could be a sign of infection, I would recommend calling your ob and not waiting for your appointment, it is better to be safe than sorry.

Yup, very numb, I'm still numb from my 3 and the youngest is over 3 years old! As for the redness, is it warm/hot to the touch? If so, that is a sign of infection. Just keep an eye on it. If it's getting warm or there is pus, get thee to a doctor stat!

yes, it is totally normal. i had numbness on one side for months. during the c-section superficial nerves are cut and it takes time for them to grow back together. not to worry. :)

I had this same issue with my son 6 years ago. To be honest, I still have a numb spot. My sister has experienced the ams thing with her two children. Apparently,it is fairly common to numb in spots & it was nothing to be concerned about. I had a cyst removed from my shin about 15 years ago & that spot is still numb as well. I guess it depends on how they hit the nerves in the cut. Good luck
T.

I did not have a c-section, but I did have surgery on my abdomen 12 1/2 years ago from a car accident. To this day, touching my lower belly has that strange numb feeling - not totally numb but just enough to always feel funny when touching it. It was explained to me that cutting into the body, everything gets cut including the nerves which would explain the numbness. It has gotten better than in the beginning though. When you see your doctor I would ask about when a good time would be to apply vitamin E lotions. This is supposed to help with scarring and dryness in that area. Sorry I can't help with the redness - I would have that checked out.

I had a cesarean birth 16 weeks ago, and I still have numbness around my incision. My actual scar has periods or more and less redness, but I haven't had much redness around it. I also had a lot of soreness and it feels lumpy around my scar, both of which the doctor said were from scar tissue. I did notice the soreness happening around 4-5 weeks. It sounds okay to me, but if it gets worse, I would call the office and run it by a nurse.

Good luck!

yes I have had two my last one 7 1/2 years ago. I'm still numb around the cut and down to the pelvic bone. For along time I couldn't stand my honey to even touch around the area as it was numb feeling and didn't feel wright. I just posted last week about pain I was having at the cut area. I would like to have another child if it didn't mean going through that all again.

Yes, there will be numbness. It will come back eventually. It took me about 1 yr to totally recover.

I had ac-section back in march and some complications with it. It just finally healed in July. My skin is still numb above the incision and that is because the nerves are affected by the anestisia. I seens as thogh those nerves reain the sense of numbness longer. I asked my dr at Hopkins and they told be that it is normal and that it will eventually go away in 6 months or so.if you incision is tender or sore in the area that is red that may be a sign of infection. Good luck and congrats!

My scar looked pretty gross for a while (probably a year or more). I also still have numbness at the incision site and my last baby was born in November 2006. I'm not sure if the scar tissue ever gets total feeling back??

If you even halfway suspect any of the incision is getting infected, please have your dr look at it NOW. I am speaking from experience.
I had my only c-section 13 years ago. The incision stayed numb for years. It went away very gradually.
Best of luck.

Yes this is very normal. I had my c-section in April, teh 15th to be exact and mine is still numb. The redness is the scar healing. No worries, it will probably be numb for awhile.

Yes, it's very normal. After 3 c-sections, I am still numb in part of it. It does change from red to a white, thin line. It almost looks like someone took a pencil and drew a line on me. LOL! My doc said that the numbness for some women never goes away.
Not to worry! Have fun with that baby! They don't stay little for long.

Take Care,
N. ;) SAHM homeschooling 3 boys 12, 7 & 2 yrs old married to Mr. Wonderful for almost 15yrs. Did you know that 92% of all poisonings occur with common household products? There is a sfer, healthier alternative than shopping at your local store. Email me at ____@____.com for more info today.

I've had 2 c-sections and numbness is perfectly normal. I will say it was a lot more pronounced after the first one, but I guess that's just because of the "newness" of the whole experience. I would ask about the redness though. I think mine stayed pretty red along the incision for a good little while after, but I couldn't see it, my husband checked it every day for signs of infection or anything, so I can't really say what it looked like. Just what it felt like.

It's totally normal. I still have some numbness and I had my C-section 9 months ago. Some feeling has come back, but my understanding is that it takes a while; don't forget your midsection was sliced open. Give it time. :)
Also, don't get freaked out when it feels lumpy underneath your scar. That's normal too.
And if you work out (once you're given the okay), realize a lot of things that were super easy before the C-section become near impossible. I've just now gotten most of my ab strength back, and I can FINALLY do a pilates plank again. Just be patient. I tried to rush my recovery and ended up hurting my back early on.
But, if you are really concerned, talk to your OB.
Good luck and take care!
L.

Hi, V. - The numbness is definitely normal. I had my second C-section 20 years ago & am still numb there!!! Not sure about the redness........you may want to put some Neosporin or triple antibiotic ointment on it. If it gets worse instead of better, I'd call the doc. Good luck! N. B.

I did after my first. I was told that you are cut through nerves and they need time to heal. I ended up getting feeling back about a year later. I didn't have that problem on my second c-section.

Hi V.,
I experienced something similar to that after having a c-section, but in addition to the numbness that area was warm/hot to the touch and it looked very bruised. I requested an sonogram of the area just to make sure nothing was left in there that shouldn't be. What we found was that there was a small pocket of blood that was not suctioned out before closing so it got infected. The doctor gave me some antibiotics and it cleared up pretty fast. No lasting effects. Making an appointment with your doctor.

The numbness is totally normal and may last from months to years. Make sure the doctor evaluates the redness.

Another csection mom.

I had a hysterectomy and felt numbness along the scar for awhile.

C-sections may be the norm but they are still MAJOR surgery.
Doctors need to cut out relying on it to the degree that they do.

Yes I did, I had it above my scar, the full length of it. I talked to my OB about it at my 6 week and she told me it's normal because of all the layers of nerve you are cutting through and while the majority of people eventually regain all feeling, some never do. I think it was almost a year before I noticed feeling again. Good luck and congratulations!

Hello,

My name is A. Marie, yes I also had that numbness and still do sometimes, I thought that maybe it was because of the cut. Maybe you should ask your doctor and see how long it will last. Good luck with your new baby.

I think that it is normal. I specifically remember having numbness (not sure about the redness - it was 4+ yrs ago) mainly on the left side and my incision looked puffy. My dr didn't seem concerned about it and the numbness eventually went away.
You should definitely speak with your dr about it at your 6 wk appointment and see what they say.

I think it's normal but you should also double check with your doctor. My incision site is still red (the scar) and I had my boy in March. The numbness is gone but occasionally at the end of a long day it will feel prickly. I asked a doctor about it and apparently it's the new sutures they use. It will take a couple of months for it to feel normal from what I'm told. Good luck~

Just to give you more piece of mind, I am just going to say what everyone else is saying. I had mine almost 6 months ago and it is still numb and itchy.

I had a c-section Oct 2002 and still have a line of numbness around the incision. No one told me either that there may be numbness so it was weird when I realized it was there. It started out completely numb across the incision plus a little above and below but over the years it has slowly reduced. I still have the numbness but more on the right as the left side feeling has almost completely come back. It's a matter of the nerves rewiring themselves after the surgery. The only time I even think about it anymore is when I get an occasional itch in the numb zone and when I scratch, it doesn't quite get it!! Talk to your doc but ultimately, it's normal.
The redness may or may not be normal however. Make sure you discuss this with the doc to make sure you do not have an infection. It will be red for a while while it is healing, but it should be slowly fading if it is healing properly.