What It’s Like To Recover From a C-Section
Key takeaways:
A C-section caught author Clare Hennig by surprise when she had her baby.
Her recovery didn’t hurt as much as she thought it would, but it was more limiting than she expected.
There are five things she did that helped her recover.
My Journey is a series of personal essays about what it’s like to cope with a medical condition.
Around one-third of babies in the U.S. are born via cesarean delivery (or C-section), but I never thought my baby and I would be part of that statistic. I was 29 years old, had a smooth pregnancy, and remained active rock climbing and hiking until almost the end.
I felt ready and excited for labor. I had read all the books, practiced the breathing techniques I thought would help with an unmedicated delivery, and even hired a birth doula. But, like most things in motherhood, there is only so much you can prepare for or control.
One week and one day past my son’s due date, we headed to the hospital for a scheduled labor induction. I’d been in my doctor’s office earlier that morning for a checkup when my son’s heart rate dropped suddenly for a few seconds. Fetal heart rate decelerations such as these can be normal, but they can also sometimes indicate fetal distress or a lack of blood flow to the baby. Combined with the fact that I was overdue, my doctor recommended an induction.
From induction to C-section
I started the process gently, with just a half-dose of induction medication to kick-start contractions and encourage dilation. For several hours, I bounced on a birthing ball in the maternity ward and chatted with the nurses. I could see the pattern of the contractions on the monitor, and they didn’t feel terrible. But I knew it was just the beginning. A nurse informed me I had progressed to 1 cm. I was 10% of the way there!
Later that evening, the baby’s heart decelerations began happening again. A particularly dramatic deceleration brought in a rush of nurses. I was flipped onto my side to encourage blood flow to the baby, and an oxygen mask was placed on my face. My doctor told me that it was too risky to proceed with the induction and that a C-section would be necessary. I’m embarrassed to say it, but I cried. This wasn’t what I had envisioned, and I was scared.
I later learned that a lack of oxygen to the baby during labor is one of the leading causes of birth injuries. I also talked to other moms — including a woman who shared her story with GoodRx in an interview with me — who had similar experiences with heart decelerations during inductions but were encouraged to continue, resulting in emergency C-sections. I’m glad that my doctor recommended a C-section when she did.
What surprised me about C-section recovery
The C-section wasn’t too bad. Not pleasant, but it didn’t hurt — I could only feel light pressure and tugging, thanks to the spinal block. My husband was allowed in the operating room with me and, at 1:37AM, my son was born.
It took several hours before the anesthesia wore off and I could move my legs again, but I didn’t really notice because I was so wrapped up in holding my baby and learning to nurse. My husband did the first diaper changes, as I couldn’t get out of bed. I was able to stand up about 12 hours later, once the catheter and IV were removed.
I didn’t experience as much pain as I was expecting after the surgery but, from talking to other women, this might be an outlier. I was prescribed breastfeeding-safe opioids for pain relief but never needed them. Extra-strength ibuprofen was enough. By comparison, I had surgery for appendicitis as a child, and that recovery was much more painful.
What surprised me, though, was how hard it was to move afterward.
It wasn’t because of the pain, as I was expecting, but it just felt like my muscles couldn’t work. Sitting up in bed from lying flat on my back was impossible, although it gradually got easier over the next week or so. Hospital beds, luckily, have a remote control to slowly maneuver oneself into an upright position. But the transition from sitting to standing was a challenge. For the first couple of days, I couldn’t do it while holding my baby. I would either ask my husband or a nurse for help to get him in and out of his bassinet and into my bed. That was my least favorite limitation, especially at night.
Several nurses mentioned that walking was the best medicine and would speed up my recovery, a recommendation that I latched on to. The first time I ventured out of my room into the maternity ward hallway was so discouraging. I could only take the smallest of steps and barely made it halfway down the hall an inch at a time before having to turn back. I had no idea how long it would take to recover, and I wondered if I would ever be able to do the activities I loved again. Sometimes, it’s hard to remember that now isn’t forever.
The second big surprise was how quickly things improved. Each time I walked the hallways, it got easier, and I could go further: down to the end of the hall, then a lap around the maternity ward, then three laps in one direction and three laps in the other. A day or two after the surgery, I was able to take a shower and could get out of bed to nurse in a rocking chair without help.
I stayed in the hospital for four nights and five days, which is a day or two longer than the average. At the time, we were living on the third floor of an apartment building without an elevator. With a note from my doctor, our insurer approved the request for the extra time to recover before going home.
C-section recovery over the long term
By the time I got home from the hospital, I felt largely recovered. I could walk and handle day-to-day activities, though a bit slower than usual. The only painful parts were sneezing, coughing, or laughing. I had to hug a pillow and do them as gingerly as possible.
The general recovery timeline for a C-section is 6 to 8 weeks, which I found to be quite accurate.
After the first week, I could do longer walks. At 2 weeks out, we went to the beach, and I used a front carrier to hold my son.
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When our son was 1 month old, we moved. I still couldn’t carry heavy boxes, and I did have a bit of soreness around my incision site after long days, but it felt manageable. At 6 weeks post-surgery, I went for an easy hike, and I was back in the climbing gym at 8 weeks out.
It took time to build back stamina and core strength, but that was also likely because of pregnancy itself.
The things that helped my C-section recovery
When it comes to recovering from a C-section, it can be different for everyone. But there are several strategies and practices that can contribute to a smoother recovery process.
Here are some of the things that helped me:
Remaining active throughout pregnancy
Walking as soon as possible post-surgery and adding in additional, gentle movement over time
Using a postpartum belly wrap. The hospital provided a compression wrap, and I also bought one for a better fit (I liked BellyBandit, but there are a lot of great brands).
Not overdoing it. I remember wanting to jump right back into what I was doing before, but it’s better in the long term to take it easy.
Seeing a postpartum physical therapist. I was fortunate to have a wonderful physical therapist during my pregnancy and afterward. She checked me for diastasis recti, or abdominal separation; prescribed rehab exercises; and taught me how to do scar massage to improve tissue mobility and healing.
Would I choose a C-section again? I would still love to experience natural labor. But having been through and recovered from a C-section, I would do it again with less fear than the first time.
When it comes to recovering from a C-section, it can be different for everyone. But there are several strategies and practices that can contribute to a smoother recovery process.
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