Coming home after a C-section

Becoming a parent is a major, life-altering event, whether your baby was born vaginally or via C-section. But if you had a C-section, life after your baby’s arrival will look a bit different, because you’ve also just had surgery. And of course, that will place some different demands on your body.

How does the wound heal?

The body is amazing, and even though you’ve just gone through an entire pregnancy, it will make sure the wound in your skin closes right away. It usually takes about 10–12 days for the wound on the surface of your skin to heal up, and another month or so for the rest to heal completely. The wound from your C-section might itch, which is part of the healing process. If the itchiness is bothering you, try moisturising the skin to keep it soft, which may make it less itchy. Otherwise, remember to keep the wound clean and dry. Clean it with ordinary soap and water in the shower.

Caring for your scar after a C-section

Naturally, you’re going to have a scar after a C-section, but it’s hard to know what it will look like beforehand – it will be about six months before you have a sense of how it will look. During those first six months, keep in mind that you should not expose your scar to direct sunlight, so keep it covered with surgical tape to make it less visible once the wound has healed. About six months after the procedure, you can slowly start to expose your skin to the sun again. But be very mindful to use a high SPF on your scar, and if it turns red, put on a shirt, or use something else to cover and protect your stomach.

You might end up with what’s known as an overhang after a C-section, which is skin that hangs over the scar. If the scar feels very hard, it might aggravate the overhang and cause discomfort at the incision. Try massaging the scar and getting some movement, which will increase your blood circulation. The overhang usually returns to its original state after some time. For obvious reasons, the skin is very stretched out at the moment, but it’s possible that you will always have some amount of overhang as a reminder of childbirth.

Exercise, running and recovery from a C-section

Your recovery from childbirth won’t be that different from what it would be like had you given birth vaginally. No matter how you gave birth, your body has been carrying a baby and you’ve experienced constant downward pressure for months on end.

Something especially important to remember is to be extra cautious when lifting things those first 4–6 weeks. Do not lift anything heavier than your baby, and ask your partner or someone else nearby for help if anything becomes too much of a physical strain. You should also remember not to strain your stomach now, early on. Little things, like using your hands to push yourself up from a reclining to seated position, are also important in the beginning. But that said: it isn’t good to be stationary, so be sure you try to move – gentle exercise alleviates pain, kickstarts your blood circulation and helps you heal. Walks are the perfect place to begin, regardless of how you gave birth, because running and all other exercise after childbirth should be stepped up gradually in order to prevent that sensation of pressure and urine leakage.

Complications after a C-section

It is quite rare for a C-section to lead to subsequent problems, but you should always contact your doctor if something doesn’t seem right, for example if the incision seems to be infected or if lochia discharge has a bad odour.

Any of the following symptoms after a C-section are indications that immediate medical attention is necessary, and you should contact emergency care:

• fever, especially paired with pain in the lower abdomen.
• Increased, fresh bleeding from the wound.
• Heavier vaginal bleeding, i.e., a significant increase in discharge.
• Swelling or tenderness in the calves should always be taken seriously, because this could indicate a blood clot.

An emergency or immediate C-section might be a shock

If you needed an emergency C-section, a lot of thoughts and feelings might be spinning around in your head; the experience could be very difficult to process emotionally. It is common to feel relieved that everything concluded with a baby in your arms, but you might also feel robbed of the childbirth experience or of the first contact with your baby. You might also have trauma from the delivery room: the way the atmosphere in the room changes in an emergency is often frightening, and that feeling might linger for a while before passing. Of course, everyone will experience this differently. Some people will adapt to the situation with ease and others might need more time. But what you should know is that having many and contradictory feelings in a situation like this is normal, so allow yourself to have them! Most people do adjust emotionally after a while; it usually helps to talk about what happened, first and foremost with the care provider who was present at the birth in order to understand what happened and why they made the choice they made. But sometimes, thoughts and feelings arrive later, after you’ve had some distance from the experience. In that case you can talk to your regular doctor, who can refer you to a counsellor or therapist.

It depends on why you had a C-section, but it’s usually possible to give birth vaginally next time if you decide to get pregnant again. The number of C-sections you can have depends on how your uterus looks after each procedure, because scarring increases each time. This is something that your doctor or midwife can go through with you if it becomes relevant in the future. Until then, allow your body to arrive, heal and recover.

Please note that all information above is based on Swedish recommendations.