C-section Moms

DS2 was born August 14 via c-section and I have a few questions. I will be calling my OB this week to ask the same things but wanted to hear your experiences too. DS1 was a vaginal birth so this is all new to me.

1. When did you start driving again?

2. When did you start lifting heavy objects or in my case, 28 lb. DS?

3. When did you wear pre-pregnancy pants/jeans that fall right on the incision/scar?

4. Were you out of work 6 weeks or 8 weeks?

5. How long before you could comfortably move around without getting the feeling you're going to pop a stitch?

6. How did you care for your incision?

7. How long before you felt back to your old self before the c-section?

My c-section was not planned at all but was my only option being 5cm with a breech baby and failed attempts to turn him. I hear about people getting sections done all the time but never imagined it would be this hard recovering. I have no more pain thank goodness. Now it's just a matter of healing. But I am going nuts needing a babysitter (family help) to make sure I don't over do it or lift up DS1. It's killing me bc he wants me to pick him up but we still snuggle next to each other. I just feel like I'm cutting him off a bit and we didn't prepare for this change. It's also making me crazy needing to rely on someone to drive me places. I have my brothers wedding in 3 weeks and still need a dress. Now I'm fearing I won't find something that will be comfortable enough or that I won't be healed enough to dance my butt off like I normally would. I've been living in soft clothes above the waist with a maxi pad going across the incision (nurses said I could once the dressing came off on day 2) bc the thought of the stitched wound rubbing against my clothing skeeves me. My dr also said she will see me at 6 weeks pp. so I don't know if I'll be going back to work after that appt or wait another 2 weeks.

This was my first surgery and of course a healthy baby was our number one priority but this recovery is slow ad I'm not one to "take it easy" normally.

Any advice or help is appreciated. Thanks!

Re: C-section Moms

I don't remember the answers to all of your questions, but I had staples, and remember feeling uncomfortable until they came out (I believe 3 days after I got released from the hospital), a few days after that I stopped resting the maxi over my incision and started to feel more normal. I know I washed my incision w/ regular soap and water and just took extra care to blot it dry. I think by 3 weeks I was feeling a world of better, bc we moved at that point, and I don't remember feeling uncomfortable at all.

I didn't drive until my Dr cleared me... I think it was 2 weeks.

HTH. and that you have a speedy recovery!

C-section Moms

1- I drove one week after my c-section. I had to take DS to his first ped. Appt.
It was awful but had to be done. It snowed and I ended up slipping and falling down the stairs at the office. DS thankfully was still resting on the top step in his carrier.


2- I want to say probably about 2 weeks after. Maybe 3.

3- within 6 weeks I was back completely in pre-maternity clothing. Before that I did what you are doing with the Maxie pad.

The rest:

I felt back to my old self about 2 weeks after. I still had some pain, but it wasn't the unbareable pain of the first couple of days. I remember I would wash my incision (I had stitches) with warm, soapy water, then let it air dry before putting a pad on it to help mostly with sweat.

I had my csect the beginning of November and was doing the thanksgiving feast for my students a few weeks after, so bounced back with mild soreness quickly.

I second you a speedy recovery, especially to be able to dance your butt off at your brothers wedding :)

Re: C-section Moms

1.i don't drive so I can't answer that
2.lifted things prob a week later
3.at least two weeks till I put any tighter pants on
4.i am asahm
5.i did nothing till I saw my doc 2 weeks after and he said it was healing great and took the coverings off.
6.i think I was lucky and felt great when I left the hospital so home I was feeling back to normal within a week

Re: C-section Moms

1. When did you start driving again? 5 days after i came home with DS and with my DD the next day after i came home

2. When did you start lifting heavy objects or in my case, 28 lb. DS? with DS when i got him, when i had DD, DS came to the hospital and i picked him up that same day

3. When did you wear pre-pregnancy pants/jeans that fall right on the incision/scar? about 6 months

4. Were you out of work 6 weeks or 8 weeks? didnt work at the time

5. How long before you could comfortably move around without getting the feeling you're going to pop a stitch? about 5 days

6. How did you care for your incision? soap and water

7. How long before you felt back to your old self before the c-section? about a week or 2 with DS and immediately with DD

C-section Moms

driving- a month
heavy objects-a month
pre pregnancy pants- about 8 weeks
out of work 12 weeks total
about a week before i could move without popping a stich
cared for the incision with peroxide and then with gauze
back to my oldself--- about 2 months.

C-section Moms

I drove probably within a week. Had zero pain within days lifted things within a few weeks. 8 weeks out of work. Just kept the incision clean but didn't do anything special. I could wear whatever within a week or two. It was weight not my scar that kept me out of my clothes.

Re: C-section Moms

1. about 2 weeks after

2. didn't have another child to lift

3. um, my prepregnancy pants didn't fit for a while but i think i would've been able to wear pants pretty quickly; though i was wearing a compression band so that was between

4. n/a

5. i think by 2 weeks i felt pretty good, maybe just a little sore. by 1 month i think i wasn't feeling any discomfort

6. nothing special

7. probably a month? don't really remember, but i'm about 7 months pp now and i still have numbness on the scar itself. no biggie though.

C-section Moms

1. When did you start driving again? 2 weeks after

2. When did you start lifting heavy objects or in my case, 28 lb. DS? I don't remember.

3. When did you wear pre-pregnancy pants/jeans that fall right on the incision/scar? I wore leggings/yoga pants for about 2 months. Nothing felt comfortable b/c I still had a lot of weight to lose and none of my pre-preg. clothes fit me.

4. Were you out of work 6 weeks or 8 weeks? 8 weeks

5. How long before you could comfortably move around without getting the feeling you're going to pop a stitch? About a week.

6. How did you care for your incision? Nothing special. Didn't wash it directly.

7. How long before you felt back to your old self before the c-section? I don't remember...maybe about 2 or 3 weeks?

Re: C-section Moms

1. I waited until the doctor cleared me to drive, which was 3 weeks.

2. I think I started doing laundry and lifting and walking up and down stairs about 2 weeks after

3. I started wearing non-maternity clothes about 3 months after, but it still bothered me when I wore low rise pants until about 5 months after.

4. I'm a SAHM

5. About 5-7 days.

6. Just regular soap

7. About 2 weeks I started to feel so much better.

C-section Moms

Thanks everyone. This was just a very unexpected experience and your answers have helped give me an idea what the next few weeks/months will be like.

Re: C-section Moms

1. When did you start driving again?
2 wees after i left the hospital

2. When did you start lifting heavy objects or in my case, 28 lb. DS?
not other kids... but I can I went for a walk and I lifted DS alot in the car seat 2w&2d after and I hurt like hell immediately after until the next day

3. When did you wear pre-pregnancy pants/jeans that fall right on the incision/scar?
he is almost 6 months.... work pants as soon as I went back to work with the belly band... jean, one pair last week

4. Were you out of work 6 weeks or 8 weeks?
12 weeks, 8 were disability

5. How long before you could comfortably move around without getting the feeling you're going to pop a stitch?
atleast 5 weeks

6. How did you care for your incision?
cleaned with soap and water in shower, rinsed and patted dry.



7. How long before you felt back to your old self before the c-section?
around 7 weeks maybe?


so I am not scaring you... I had an incredibly crappy recovery and I don't think it was the norm. I think the fact that I was vomiting during my induction, during my c-section and like 15 times in recovery put a ton of stress on my incision and made it that much more sore, painful and uncomfortable.

Re: C-section Moms

Re: C-section Moms

1. When did you start driving again? 6 weeks, but dr said I could have sooner.

2. When did you start lifting heavy objects or in my case, 28 lb. DS?5 days

3. When did you wear pre-pregnancy pants/jeans that fall right on the incision/scar? 5 days

4. Were you out of work 6 weeks or 8 weeks? N/a

5. How long before you could comfortably move around without getting the feeling you're going to pop a stitch? 5 days

6. How did you care for your incision? Ignored it really

7. How long before you felt back to your old self before the c-section? 5 days


This was my first surgery and of course a healthy baby was our number one priority but this recovery is slow ad I'm not one to "take it easy" normally.


My advice is don't take it easy then, don't be a mad woman but don't treat yourself with kid gloves...


Eta: I'm not trying to make myself out to be super awesome but I was absolutely ready to play sports again once I left the hospital... I had an easy recovery but I also pushed myself. Except for driving LOL, people were telling me left and right not to drive bc of the push/pull with the gas pedal. My milk drying up was way more painful.

Message edited 8/26/2013 10:53:40 AM.

Re: C-section Moms

1. When did you start driving again? About 2 weeks later.

2. When did you start lifting heavy objects or in my case, 28 lb. DS? Ugh, this was the hardest part for me. My 2 year old liked to be rocked to sleep at the time and when I came home from the hospital he had the flu and just wanted me to hold him. It hurt holding him for several weeks and I could finally lift him (extremely carefully) by 4 weeks.

3. When did you wear pre-pregnancy pants/jeans that fall right on the incision/scar? My prepregancy jeans fit after 2 weeks. But I hated wearing jeans and never felt comfortable in them for a good 6 weeks. I just always felt like they were rubbing on my scar. But i still haven't worn anything that sits on the scar. I still have a weird sensation by my scar.

4. Were you out of work 6 weeks or 8 weeks? 10 weeks.

5. How long before you could comfortably move around without getting the feeling you're going to pop a stitch? 4 weeks.

6. How did you care for your incision? Showered daily. After washing incision, always patted it dry. Nothing special really.

7. How long before you felt back to your old self before the c-section?By 8 weeks, I felt like my old self. But, sometimes I still don't feel normal. Certain movements bother me. I still have numbness in spots.


I had an emergency c-section as the baby's heartbeat dropped when I got the epi and then they couldn't get a reading.

The best advice is walking, walking, walking. Do it as much as possible. I will say that when I came home I had no choice put to go up and down stairs. But it was definitely the best thing. Gotta keep moving.

Re: C-section Moms

First off.. my C/S was planned but she came early. I never had to push and I NEVER let them try to turn her.


1. When did you start driving again?

3 weeks I think. My dad was with me so I didnt have to nor was I allowed to, but we did have stairs so I was doing those since day one more than twice a day.

I felt TOTALLY fine to drive then I didn't think and twisted to look back and BOY did I remember I had surgery!



2. When did you start lifting heavy objects or in my case, 28 lb. DS?

I think the same around 3 weeks



3. When did you wear pre-pregnancy pants/jeans that fall right on the incision/scar?

I can't recall.



4. Were you out of work 6 weeks or 8 weeks?

I was GIVEN 8 weeks for c/s but I was OUT for 15w



5. How long before you could comfortably move around without getting the feeling you're going to pop a stitch?

Same as other poster, I had staples. And they were out in 3 days or so.



6. How did you care for your incision?

Nothing special.



7. How long before you felt back to your old self before the c-section?

6 weeks or so.