1 Week post c-section… what is it really like?
Baby is here and that means it is time for “the last 6 weeks of pregnancy” to be “the first 6 weeks post partum”!
My labour was induced and went for 12 hours, bubs got stuck so I ended up with an emergency Cesarean.
Definitely I felt a lot more nervous about adapting to have a new baby and healing from surgery!
1 Week post c-section – The actual c-section experience…
I really enjoyed my c-section experience genuinely.
It may have just been because I had been through really intense labour, that the spinal offered some amazing relief.
Plus after laboring and not meeting my baby I was desperate to hold her and know she was ok!
The actual c-section itself is quite peaceful, the doctors are chatting away. I tried not to listen too much.
You can hear the suction and you usually have some amazing anesthetist up thee front with you.
There is a bit of jiggling around and before you know it you have your baby in your arms.
You don’t even notice anything after you have that little baby in your arms it is sort of surreal.
The minute I heard my baby crying I was so happy, I don’t even think happy is the right word.
My fiancé got to hold her and cut the cord and in no time at all she was in my arms.
My gratitude to the world for my c-section experience is like no other, I had such a great team in that theatre.
Pain:
The pain in the first week was pretty intense in the days following the surgery.
It is really important that you manage your pain killers perfectly in the early days. The sooner you get on top the more comfortable you will be.
If you take them properly for the first few days then in no time you will hardly need them. Making sure you aren’t in pain helps you to sleep better and heal faster.
Personally I found the pain tolerable but tough to manage if I got behind on painkillers in the first 3-4 days.
About day 4-5 I started to feel a lot better, at this stage though I was managing my own painkillers and I think that meant I was resting better when I did, so healing quicker.
Make sure to listen to your medical team as they will be able to help you out with the best ways to manage any pain after.
Being tender and feeling sore does pass and it makes you super grateful when it does.
1 Week post c-section scar:
SCAR/WOUND WARNING BELOW
My scar was actually smaller than I thought it was going to be!
It definitely stings a bit when I would cough, or sneeze early on. This has got a lot better quickly.
The scar itself has healed really well, and also a lot quicker than I thought it was going to.
I took my dressing off on day 7, it was really cool to see how well it was healing externally.
It is super important to remember that your body has a heap of healing to do internally.
I have now had my dressing changed, but really I am in awe of my body and it’s healing ability.
This scar in the photo believe it or not is all sealed up and doing well with only one weepy spot!
Mobility:
Mobility is a tricky one when recovering!
C-sections cut through a good few layers of your body and when your healing you need to consider all the work that is going on inside to make you as good as new again!
6 Weeks of no driving, no lifting (other than your babe), and essentially just allowing your scar to heal as well as possible with as limited scar tissue as possible.
Make sure you ask for help sitting up, ask for help getting up.
My favorite piece of advice was to get your feet under you, lean forwards and stand using your legs. That technique definitely helped in the early days!
1 Week post c-section that is still my fave advice although I am far more mobile now.
Bleeding:
The after bleeding for me has been really good.
Similar to just an average period. I am more than grateful for that, I had heard horror stories so thought it was going to be a whole lot more than it really has been!
Apparently a bit less is quite common with a c-section? I don’t know that for sure though.
It is definitely getting less everyday so that is great!
I think talking about it is super important as I had a total misconception of what it might be like.
My current favorite’s pad wise are the U by Kotex super slims! They are light and comfy and make wearing one constantly more bearable!
I also have the Libra maternity ones and they are awesome too just a little more heavy duty.
Other notes:
I wanted to add this section for anything else I feel like you should know, really there isn’t anything. From the start of week 1 to the end of week 1 I saw a huge difference in how I was feeling.
That is exactly what I wanted to hear when I was researching what it was like to have a c-section. Overall I found the experience really special!
A lot of how you will handle it is mindset based! Always remember no matter what happens you got this mumma! <3
So that is everything you need to know 1 week post c-section!
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