C-Section Recovery

I know, I know.....

You do have to be really careful not to put any pressure on your healing stomach muscles....but you do need to get the blood flowing to all parts of your body again so it is important to do some gentle exercise - like walking and pelvic floor exercises - as soon as you feel able.

Getting back up and doing special exercises will allow essential nutrients to be delivered to the cells that need them, increase your circulation and allow the heart to fully recover from the pregnancy, the shock of the anesthetic and the surgery.

There are also specific exercises that you can do that will speed this time frame up and ensure that you do not end up with the c-section bulge that most end up with - even when they are back to their 'normal' weight.

For those that would like a program to get them back on their feet and feeling fab faster, then my friend Jago Holmes has put together a plan that works just great. Click Here To Go Meet Jago and see what he can do for you.

One of the biggest worries for Moms faced with having a c section is the size of the scar that will be left behind.

Your scar is something to be proud of - in many cases it shows just how hard you have fought for your child (or children!), but this said, it also doesn't need to be a massive knotted obvious mess either.

Now the surgical team will do their best to minimize the damage that is done to your tummy, but sometimes there can be such urgency to save you or your baby that the cut may be more rushed than normal. The size and shape of your scar also depends greatly on the person who stitches you back up. They may be less experienced than the person delivering your baby.

This said, no matter how the surgery goes, there are things that you can do that will help to minimize your scar.

By doing things like exercising appropriately, not overstretching and tearing the wound and caring for your wound properly right from the time you leave the operating theater you can make sure that your scar becomes virtually unnoticeable.

In fact this is a massive part of the program that UK personal trainer Jago Holmes has put together as part of his 'Exercise After a C Section' package. Click Here To Find Out How Jago Can Help Minimize Your Scar

I have had three c-sections for four children.
All were performed to save the lives of my children. My scars are something that I am secretly quite proud of as each tells their own amazing survival story. But thanks largely to Jago's program my three scars are barley visible despite the youngest scar being only 6 months old!

In fact when I showed my scars to a couple of friends recently they could only spot the most recent one - I had to show them where the other two were!

Believe it or not, the number one thing that hinders a new Mom's ability to heal quickly is her feeling that somehow she has already 'failed' as a mother because she needed a cesarean section.

Now we know that emergency c-sections are done quickly to save the life of the baby and/or the mother and can be incredibly traumatic for the whole family.

But there is also a common misconception that having an elective 'C' is the easy way out, or that a mother has this because she is 'too posh to push'.

This is sooooo far from the truth and creates a lot of unnecessary anguish for the mother. Elective C-sections often aren't actually 'elective' at all in fact most are done for a variety of valid reason such as;
- previous c-sections make a normal delivery untenable,
- there is substantial risk to baby or mother to deliver naturally,
- it is a multiple birth,
- baby needs to come out early,

Any of these are their own drama without adding the complications of a c-section to the situation.

If you are having or have had an unplanned c-section then please be assured that it is being done with your safety and the safety of your baby in mind

This is major abdominal surgery so you will need to be on some sort of pain relief for at least a few days after the op.

You will have had a spinal block, usually followed by morphine for a few hours, but after that it is just up to good old paracetamol to get you through. If the pain gets really bad, then there are stronger pain killers that the medical staff can top you up with that are also safe for baby if you are breastfeeding.

Do Not Try and Tough This Out
It is literally minutes between not feeling too bad to being in excruciating pain, so while in hospital at the very least take your paracetamol when it is offered. If this is not enough then tell a nurse.

How long the pain will last largely depends on how the surgery went, your ability to heal, prior c-sections and how you approach the days post c-section.

The biggest tip to a full c-section recovery is to
take it easy and not lift anything heavier than your baby for 6 weeks following the operation.

And No lifting means NO LIFTING!

If necessary get in someone to help you or see if hubby can stay home for a while - especially if you have other young children.

It is really important not to do anything that may cause the wound to re-open.

Believe me, it happens very easily and is not a pretty picture! Vacuuming, hanging washing and anything that makes you twist, turn or risk an impact - like playing sports are definite no no's.

You will be surprised at how much you still end up doing, so enjoy not being able to do much.

Now I know that this may be the last thing on your mind right now, but at some point you and your partner will need to rekindle some physical lovin'. Not only will this help you to recover at an emotional level, but when done properly it may even help you to heal faster physically too!

Before you begin to even think of actual intercourse, you will need to check on how well your tummy muscles are healing, so most professional advice is to wait until after your 6 week check up. But once you are good to go there are 3 things that you can do that will help to make sex after a cesarean more comfortable for you.

1 - Exercise - This is the number one thing that you can do to help yourself feel better physically after your cesarean, but the internal muscles also need to start working so don't forget your Kegels/Pelvic floor exercises.

You may not have had the physical trauma of a natural birth, but your uterus has still been stretched by the weight of the baby, so not only will doing pelvic floor exercises help your c section recovery internally it will help to tighten you up and make sex far more enjoyable for both of you.

2 - Sleep - Hands up how many of you completely ignored the advice that you got in ante-natal class to 'sleep when baby does'? Me too - at least for the first one. For the next two I made sure that I got at least one 'Nana Nap' an afternoon and boy what a difference that made!

Remember that sleep deprivation can affect all areas of our lives. From our emotional state to our physical ability to heal and our hormone levels, they are all are regulated and affected by the amount of sleep that we get.

3 - Diet - As discussed, diet plays a huge factor in how we feel. The more junk food that we eat, the less good foods we eat, so our bodies miss out on all those essential nutrients that it needs to heal with. But if we are eating well, we will also look and feel better faster, which definitely has a positive impact in the bedroom!

When you do start making love again, take it gently and slowly.
During your pregnancy and the surgery some things will have been moved around and stretched so it may feel funny for a while. So go slow and feel your way. If anything becomes too painful stop.

Surprisingly, the program that Jago Holmes has put together will also help you in the bedroom. Not only will it get you feeling better, but it will get you looking better too, which does wonders for your self esteem and the bedroom - believe me!

One of the biggest mistakes that new Moms make is to go on a crash course of dieting once they have had baby.

But let's think about it for a moment.......

If you are breastfeeding, your body needs extra nutrients to help you to feed baby with the best quality milk that you can give it right?

On top of that, thanks to the surgery, you have a whole heap of damaged cells that need an extra nutrient boost to enable them to repair themselves.

By decreasing the food that you eat you will be literally starving yourself and making the road to your c-section recovery that much longer but by increasing the amount of the right foods that you eat you will substantially decrease your recovery time as well as providing baby with the best possible start.

I know that the last thing that you probably want right now is anything anywhere near your wound - but take it from me - I didn't do this until after my third C and I so wish that I'd found it out sooner because it would have made my previous two c-sections far more bearable!

I am talking about a belly band/post-partum support band.

These are great just for keeping a bit of pressure on the area and holding things together for you. They also remove the need for tight trouser waistbands that tend to irritate your wound.

There are special knickers available - some are disposable and available from your hospital - use them - they are fantastic!

Also there are belly bands that you may have used when you were pregnant - keep using these now to support your tummy muscles.

If you want to recover from your c-section as simply as possible and are not worried about any lasting effects that the surgery may have, then yeah, that's it.

BUT....

If you want to return to the shape that you were in BEFORE you got pregnant - with minimal scarring and no unsightly bulge hanging over your jeans - then there is more that you can do.

Jago Holmes is one of the UK's leading personal trainers. After being inundated with new Moms like us that had had c-sections and who wanted to get back in shape quickly and safely with minimal scarring he decided to design a program especially for us.

The 'Exercise After A C Section' program is the essential guide to recovering from your c section. Even if you have an older scar or have had several cesareans Jago's program is a proven way to make you feel fantastic faster and ensure that you have the optimal c section recovery experience.

At $29.99 it is also fabulous value when you compare it to your average gym membership, plus you also get support from Jago Holmes himself at no extra charge!

But don't just take my word for it, go and 'meet' Jago and see what you think.

Click Here To Meet Jago