Recovery After Cesarean Birth
Remember, recovery is not linear…
Whether having a planned or unplanned, having a cesarean birth means you will have to be a little more intentional about your recovery process.
Each recovery looks different for every person. No matter your journey to get your baby in your arms, your priority in cesarean recovery matters!
Rest, Rest, and more Rest (Easier said than done!)
We know this seems like a given. You know you need to rest. What’s the big deal right?
If your cesarean was not planned, you may also be emotionally and physically exhausted from labor or your plans and expectations changing quickly. Our bodies undergo a surge of adrenaline after birth or any experience where we are on high alert. You may be feeling so excited you finally have your new baby— or even, “What just happened?!?”. This surge of adrenaline can keep us from getting rest soon after birth when things tend to start calming down. Try slow breathing, calm music, turn the lights down and even just closing your eyes for a few minutes will help tremendously!
In the following days and weeks it is still important to keep rest a priority as your body is healing. We can’t expect our body to do the incredible job of healing while running on an empty tank. It may not feel like it now, but eventually running on empty is going to lead to more problems not only physically but emotionally too!
Getting rest with a newborn sounds counterproductive right? This may be a time where priorities and schedules may need to temporarily shift. You may be napping throughout the day versus getting a full nights sleep. Having a plan with your partner to get more rest and being clear about what tasks you would like them to be responsible for is essential. Outsourcing other household responsibilities to family, friends or hired help can have the biggest impact. You were not meant to go through this time alone! Postpartum doulas can be incredibly crucial during this time too!
Stay on top of your pain relief and nourishment!
After your birth, you may feel nauseated, groggy or even itchy from drugs that were given to numb you during the surgery. The days following your birth, it is normal to have afterpains that feel like menstrual cramps. Talk to your provider about pain relief options. You may need to be prescribed an over the counter pain reliever or even just ibuprofen may help relieve incision pain. Regardless of your pain level, your pain is valid! Be upfront and honest about how you are feeling physically to your providers. It is better to stay on top of pain relief versus suffering! In addition to pain medication, a heating pad for pain relief can also help!
One thing not talked about enough is the nourishment that your body needs to recover from birth. Did you know that the average amount of blood loss after the birth of a single baby in vaginal delivery is about 500 ml (or about a half of a quart)? However, the average amount of blood loss for a cesarean birth is approximately 1,000 ml (one quart).
Your body just went through something major to bring your baby into the world! Be sure to remember to keep drinking fluids to replenish your body. Iron rich foods like red meat, poultry and beans are great for replenishing your iron. Fiber is also super important as well for cesarean recovery. Try adding lentils, black beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, chia and pumpkin seeds to your diet. Almonds and peanuts are also a great source of fiber too! Healing soups with broth (bonus points for bone broth!), protein and soft cooked veggies are a great to be eating following your cesarean birth!
Go easy on yourself!
During a cesarean birth, 7 layers of tissue are cut into for your baby to be born. The incision area may be sore for the first few days. Your provider will recommend not lifting anything heavier than your baby during your first few weeks postpartum. Immediately after your cesarean birth it is important to walk around within the first 24 hours postpartum after surgery to help ease gas pains, to aid in having a bowel movement and prevent blood clots.
It is still recommended to slowly build up walking over time once you are home too but over doing any physical activity can have negative effects for your incision site and also long term healing. Having postpartum baskets or carts within reach around your resting spots in your home can help you stay resting as much as you can so you can also care for your newborn.
Gentle exercises like deep breathing techniques can help you begin to start to reconnect with core and aid in clearing any congestion from surgery. Take 2 to 3 slow deep breaths every half hour.
Don’t forget about pelvic floor therapy…
After a cesarean the incision site may be healed but deep scar tissue that forms in the seven layers that were cut can cause pain, stiffness, tenderness and other uncomfortable sensations. Scar tissue can continue to form weeks after your incision site is healed. Pelvis physical therapy can help reduce pain and improve motion by breaking up this scar tissue that has formed! In addition to healing any scar tissue problems, being pregnant in itself separates the abdominal walls in carrying a pregnancy. Many postpartum people can have diastasis recti which is the separation and stretching of these abdominal muscles regardless of their mode of giving birth. A pelvic floor therapist can aid in helping you recover from any ongoing issues but also help you prevent any long term issues occurring in your postpartum healing journey!
