recovery

[HanCh]

I am almost 3 weeks after having my 2nd caesar and I was wondering how long others have left it until you started doing every day things again. I started driving last week as well as sweeping and hanging out clothes etc, but I am still not comfortable lifting heavy things eg: groceries etc. I have had a lot of people tell me I am doing too much and if i continue i will end up hurting myself. The problem is i feel fine and like I said before, the things I dont feel comfortable doing I dont do..... are these people right and eventhough I feel fine doing some things I can still hurt myself?????
Thanks in advance for your replies :wave:

[Briannabear]

Hi! :wave:Glad to hear you're recovering so well Ali!
Im really interested to know this as well. Im surprised just how good I feel and its only been a week! (very different to last time!)
It was to my knowledge that if you were feeling ok, and didnt feel like you were overstretching or over doing it than it was ok.

[lilpearl]

Listen to your body - don't over-do it though....let others help, and put your feet up whenever possible.

Wow - I was feeling wrecked three weeks after my caesarean. I had my first real outing four weeks after my caesarean, where I went to the mall for a few hours with husband and baby....and the next day I was really sore.

[SassyMummy]

I went for a full day of shopping 10 days after my c-sec, and I was fine.

I don't drive, so I don't know about that... and while I'm sure I would have been able to manage general household duties, I just didn't bother, and left it up to others. If they're willing to help, I'm willing to let them. :D

[bekkyboo]

I was out shopping 3 days after mine...

Im sure it would be different second time round tho...

I agree with just listening to your body and you will know when too much is too much.

[Buddha Bubbas]

it took me about 2 1/2 months to feel 'normal'! everyone is different... just listen to your body. After about 2 weeks i started to feel much better and therefore decided that i could do anything. So i started cleaning, etc and i ended up back to square one. Sit back and relax for a while, you deserve it.

[SilverStarfish]

Like others have said, listen to you body. It will tell you what is ok and what is too much.

I was driving again 2 weeks after, I could have done it before then too if I'd really needed to. I was washing and mowing 3 weeks later and by 4 weeks I was right as rain.

[MummyCharmzy]

With my first csect driving was never an issue, I wasn't old enough to drive until my son was 9 months old and he was in hospital for the first 6 weeks so really I can't remember not doing anything.. life just continued on as there wasnt much I had to do anyway!

After my second csect I started driving 3 weeks after birth and by 5 weeks was 100% back tomyself

With my 3rd Csect I was driving after about 2.5 weeks from neccessity but was still unable to do a lot of things until about 8 weeks.

Everyone is different and every operation is different, don't push yourself too hard though or in the long run you could really suffer, 4 months after my DD1 was born my wound split and I'm told this is from over doing it.

My midwife told me 'do half as much as you feel you can in the first 6 weeks and you should be fine'

[Ky]

I don't think that you are doing too much as long as you do what everyone else has said and listen to your body.

I felt great after my c/s's ... the first time, I was pretty much back to normal around 3 weeks and spent most of my time before that virtually pain free.

After my 2nd c/s, the midwife came in and took out my catheter the next morning and said that I was going to be able to have a shower. I just popped up out of bed and showered and passed the midwife on her way to my room to help me as I was returning from putting my wet towels in the sluice room! She couldn't believe that I felt able to shower and dress myself! Later that day (a public holiday in NZ) I had a room full of visitors (15!) and she popped her head in to check on me. Not seeing me in there, she asked my visitors if I was in the toilet or something and then was surprised when I jumped up from the floor where I had been doing puzzles with my dd!

I lived in a country area the 2nd time and neither time did my dh have any time off work, so everything fell to me as per normal. I drove myself to my first midwife appointment at 5 days post op(got roundly told off!) and drove 100km to the nearest decent supermarket the next day! I also took my dd to a play place an hours drive away at 8 days (I was going stir crazy at home!) and took dd and ds to see my dying grandfather who lived 9 hours away at 4 weeks (dh was in Australia so couldn't take me).

I think I am just one of the lucky people who heals extremely well and has a very high pain threshhold. I know that it may seem that I did a lot too soon, but I was listening to my body and never had any complications or really bad days because of what I had done. The worst thing about my 2nd c/s was that I was black and blue all around my torso (it took 4 people pushing on my belly to get ds out!) and I had a constant thumping headache for 2 weeks afterwards due to having a combined epidural and spinal.

Bring on another c/s or two ... we would love some more kids!

[jocr]

I was the same, felt fine after about 3 weeks, started doing too many things, and ended up hurting myself from overdoing things, which made my recovery longer. My advice would be to take it easy for the full 6 weeks, I drove after 3 weeks also but only short distances. I know it is frustrating, but in the long term my recovery would have been quicker if I had taken things more easier in the early weeks. I have heard that you shouldn't lift anything heavier than your baby for the first 6 weeks.

[WizzFizz]

Even though you feel fine, dont forget that a c/section is MAJOR abdominal surgery, and they have to stitch up around 8 layers of muscle and tissue. The docs advise that you dont drive, lift heavy things etc. for a reason. If you are driving and need to break suddenly etc. your foot reaction time might not be as quick as pre-surgery and you could end up really damaging yourself...

Like jocr said, take it easy for those first 6 weeks. I know its easier said than done, especially when you have another child, but you dont want to hurt yourself and extend your recovery time! If you have extra help from family etc, take advantage of it!

I'm due to have my second c/s in 2 1/2 weeks time, and I have a 12 month old... I'm definetly enlisting as much help as I can!!

Take care!

[boogernsqueak]

i thought i was fine the next day. of course the painkillers helped but after the first day i didn't have any pain relief at all.
i was walking to and fromthe shop across the road to get credit for my phone as all my 'visitors' hadto work, and i'mnow nearly 4 weeks post c/s, and i'mback to normal.i was back to normal after a couple of days.
i get the odd pain now and then, but nothing to whinge about.

the worst pain i have now is the backache from bending over so much. oh and these ginormous funbags!!!!

yur body will def tell you when your overdoing it.
good luck with everything

[~Emma~]

Last time I was okay after they took my staples out (day 4 or 5)... I dont drive and I had people to help with the washing and things like that...

I really hope this time I have the same kind of recovery because I am supposed to be preparing breakfast on Christmas morning - I think I will be doing most of the shopping before I go to hospital though or investing in a wheel chair so I can be pushed around the supermarket :detective: