C-section Recovery

I had an unplanned c-section almost 3 years ago and have a planned one scheduled in 7 weeks. I took the pain medicine only when I was in pain and took half of the dose. I think it was around a week or so and I stopped taking the medicine. The scar bump sounds normal. I remember up to about 9 months after the c-section doing dishes and having the incision sight still tingling feeling. It does go away. And 3 years later the scar is still very visible, but thankfully they do the incision very low now. Good luck!!

Once I was past healing of the incision, I would massage the scar area to help the build up of the bumps. It helps to do in the shower or with lotion. Does not take long and the more you do it then the tissue will break up a bit. It does matter how they did the incision but you can help the process a bit too.

Congrats, P.! I've had two babies via c-section - one unplanned and one planned. The recovery can vary quite a bit. I think that you could try going off the pain meds. See what it feels like to not be on anything. If it's more than you can handle, you can always take a dose. Not sure what you've been taking. I found that the Tylenol/Advil was sufficient and didn't need the others. The good thing about that is you can gradually reduce the dose until you don't need it any more (ie 800 mg, 400 mg, 200 mg etc). Also remember that because it was unplanned, you may be achy from having gone through labor (not sure how far you went before the decision) AND a c-section. It's a bit of a double dose on the mama.

Congrats to you! 11 days old, wow! Hope all is going well for you. I had two c-sections two years apart. My second was tougher in the hospital but amazingly easier once I got home... I think knowing that I had another child to take care of made me get through it. I took the serious pain meds for about 7-8 days, then tried to stretch how long between each pill I could go until I was just taking ibuprofen. By three weeks postpartum I wasn't taking anything, and this is after both my girls. The two week mark was a huge improvement, like many have said. Even now, two years later, my incision and abdominal area aches after a hard workout, and the skin above the incision feels a tad tingly to the touch. Some say it will always be this way! I never had any bumpiness there, but I do have the lovely "lip" of loose skin that sort of hangs over the incision (sorry, I don't want to depress you, but I wish someone had tols me about this before I discovered it because for the longest time I felt like it was just me!!). Other than that, I am amazed at how quickly the body can heal after such major surgery, plus an infant, nursing (if you are), and just life in general! Good luck with everything!

I guess I was a wimp. I don't remember how long I took the pain meds...probably a couple weeks like many of the women below. But it took me a long time to recover entirely. Maybe it was my age (almost 37) or my low pain threshold, but I still felt discomfort 6-8 weeks after the surgery. I wasn't quite back to normal till ~10 weeks. No meds at that point, but I could still feel some discomfort here and there.

Walking was the best thing for me, and listen, listen, listen to your body. No need to be a hero. But also, push yourself a little each day to get yourself back to normal.

Enjoy your new little one and his brother!

Congratuations P. on your new baby boy!
I had an unplanned c-section about 8 months ago as well, and I believe I was on the percisets for 10 days and then motrin for about three weeks. The scar tissue could that your feel could be the healing process of the incision, but if your worried about the scar tissue then I would contact your doctor.
My c-section recovery was difficult, but I think it was the shock of having the c-section, I didn't realize the process you have to go through. Sometimes when it rains my tummy incision area aches. But what got me threw it is knowing that my daugther is happy and healthy!
Hope you can use the advice...
T. C.

I only took the pain medication for a couple of days, but everyone is different. I know it is important to be in different positions as you are healing, get up walk around, sit, lie. It sounds like the bump is normal but if you feel that it isn't by all means call your doctor and ask. It was 3 years ago tomorrow that I had my planned homebirth turn into an unplanned c-section and a year ago on June 16th that I had my second son by VBAC. I thought the c-section recovery was much harder, but you will feel better and better each day. You may find that the incision site may be sensitive for up to six months. Sometimes it was uncomfortable wearing the baby in a Baby Bjorn, I thought the sling felt better those first couple of months. Congratulations, and get ready for a whole lot of fun with two boys...ha ha ha.

the bump under the skin will be there for a while. I think I took the pain medicine for two weeks. With maybe a pill here and there after. My only recommendation is to not baby yourself. Moving around helps you heal faster, so I felt. My doctor basically told me I can do most things, even stairs. Just no driving (the meds) and no laundry.

I took pain meds for about 2 weeks after my c sections but then stopped and got used to the soreness. The more I walked, the quicker I healed. Yes - the scar will be a bumpy incision for a while but will heal with time...I did even after three of them. Feel better soon.

First of all congrats on your new baby. Second of all everyone is different. I had a c-section back in 2007. I stopped taking pain meds completely by about 2 weeks because I had to be alert enough to drive my kids back and forth to school as my husband went back to work. I honestly didn't take them too much once I came home from the hospital though. As long as I let go of stuff and let my husband handle things so I could take it easy I didn't find that I needed the pain meds too much. I didn't really like the way the meds made me feel either though. Give your body time to heal though. It's definitely going to take much longer to feel like yourself again. So listen to your body.

Oh, and as far as the question about feeling a bump and scar tissue already I'm not too sure I was brave enough to feel that. I'm sure it's healing fine though and if you have any doubts you can call the doctor. I'm assuming though that you have an appointment coming up soon for a 2 week post op check.

Enjoy your new baby and I hope you have a speedy c-section recovery.

Hi P.! Congratulations on you new little boy. My experience with c-sections (had 2 of my own) is every person heals a little differently. If you are concerned about the amount of pain or bumps along the incision site, you might want to call your Dr. If nothing else, he/she might be able to give you some peace of mind. I don't really remember how long I took pain pills for, but I do know I felt a little better each day. I would think you would feel some big improvements over the next few days. Best wishes on a speedy recovery!

I just had a c on April 21st...although it seems like yesterday...anyway i took pain meds for two weeks and felt much better...my pain in the hospital only got to about a 7 or maybe an 8. but i took meds three times a day for a week or week and a half and then maybe only one or two a day after that.....i called for a refil thinking i would need it forever but it went away...don't lift..just walk and keep moving. B.

Hi P.,
Congratulations on your new baby.I had 2 c-sections.The first one,13 yrs ago,was rough.I took pain med.for about 3 days at home.Made me feel totally out of it.The 2nd one I left the hospital only taking Motrin.I guess it all depends on your pain tolerance.I'm pretty sure the scar area is normal.Good luck!!

M.

I stopped taking prescription pain meds after about a week and a half because I couldn't function on them. I kept taking iboprofen (normal dose) for 2-3 weeks after that. It was uncomfortable, but better than the haze I was in on the meds.

I don't remember when I started feeling the scar tissue, but I remember thinking that the healing was really fast.

I had 2 emergency c-sections and 1 planned. Each recovery felt different to me. I guess I knew what to expect and each recovery was easier than the previous. As far as pain medication: I refused all narcotics because I was breastfeeding and took only 800mg Ibuprofin for about 2 weeks and then I felt pretty much fine. (I could walk around the grocery store by then without being in pain). The bumpy feeling is scar tissue and the internal sutures and is completely normal.

Hi P.,

I had c-sections with both of my children. I was on pain medication for almost 2 weeks with my daughter, but was off of them after leaving the hospital with my son. My children were born at different hospitals in different states. I believe the in-hospital care I received with my son was what helped me to recover so quickly. With my daughter, I could barely stand up straight for the 1st 2 weeks or so and was in bed for 24 hours after having her. With my son, I was up and walking about 12 hours after he was born and felt great.

The scar from my daughter was very thick and had a good amount of scar tissue in it. With my son, the doctors were able to remove all the old scar tissue and give me a much cleaner scar. I would talk to your doctor about it. It may just be a result of the way the incision was made or how it was closed up. I recall mine being a bit more inflamed the 1st month or so after my daughter was born, but that went away with time. The pain medication will just depend on your body and how long it takes to recover, but I would talk to the doctor if you feel that you're relying on it too much.

Good luck to you and congratulations!

Hi P., I took the medicaiton for about two weeks after home from the hospital, but I'm pretty sure I stayed on motrin until about 7 weeks post partum, i actually had to wean myeslf off of it. I think the bumpiness is normal. let me know if you have any questions, I have a 3 year old boy and six month old boy- both by csection! Is this your first or second? My first section I recovered much quicker- by 8 weeks I was pretty normal, second sectoin took longer. My hormones were nuts in both cases and there was long lasting pain at the incision site- like stretching pain, twinges, tweaks- that lasted about 10 months or a year but this time its gone away quicker- i still get it but usually around ovulation or period and I'm now six months pp