If you have a Cesarean birth

A Cesarean birth recovery will be more uncomfortable and longer than a vaginal birth recovery because it includes major surgery.

Although your recovery may take a little longer than recovery from a vaginal birth, you can help yourself by moving around as soon as you can. Remember that you will be more tired at first, so take it easy and keep a positive attitude.

Right after surgery

Here is what to expect following a Cesarean birth:

You'll be moved from the operating room to the recovery room. You'll be there for about 1 to 2 hours or until the anesthesia wears off and you are stable.
Your health care provider or a birth center nurse may press down on your belly several times. This will help your health care provider know that your uterus is returning to normal. It will also help you pass blood clots from your uterus that would have passed during labor. If you feel uncomfortable, try using your relaxation or breathing techniques.
You will still have the IV and the catheter from birth.
You'll also have a blood pressure cuff, a finger clip to measure your body's oxygen level, and possibly an oxygen mask.
A nurse will check you about every 15 minutes to assess the firmness of your uterus, the amount of vaginal bleeding, the bandage on your incision, your vital signs, how the anesthesia is wearing off, and your pain relief needs.
You may have visitors, and if your baby is doing well, your baby may be with you. (Check with your hospital to see if this service applies.) Try to hold your baby and to breastfeed, if you plan to do so.
When your nurse feels that you are ready, you'll be moved to a room for the rest of your hospital stay.
If your baby is in a special care nursery or a newborn intensive care unit, you may be taken there to see your baby before you are moved to a room for the rest of your hospital stay.
If your baby is moved to another hospital for special care, you may have an opportunity to see and touch your baby if you are well enough and awake, before your baby is transported.

The days after surgery day

Usually, your catheter will be removed the morning after your surgery.
The IV will be removed as soon as you are drinking liquids and taking food.
If there are no complications, the average hospital stay after a Cesarean birth is 3 to 4 days, not counting the day your baby was born.
If your baby is in a special care nursery or transferred to another facility, you'll be kept informed of your baby's progress. You may even be discharged early to go to the hospital to see your baby.

Pain after surgery

Pain after surgery is a reality. Even if you will be breastfeeding, take the pain medicines offered so that you can walk, move, feed, and care for your baby in comfort. If you don't take the pain medicines, you won't feel like walking and moving. If you don't walk and move, you won't recover as well.
It's typical to also feel stiffness, soreness, a dry throat, incisional pain, uterine cramping, and abdominal gas pains. Take your pain medicines and walk.
Sometimes it helps to place a hand or a pillow over your incision when you move, walk, laugh, or cough.

Comfort measures

Raise your hospital bed and use pillows to get into a semi-reclining position.
Put a pillow under your thighs to prevent you from sliding too far down in bed.
Place another pillow across your incision to help you hold or feed your baby.

Getting out of bed to walk

Walking is one of the most important things you can do to speed your recovery.

Within 8 hours after surgery, your nurse will help you out of bed to walk around the room.
The next day, you'll be up to go to the bathroom and walk in the hallways.

The first few times you walk after surgery will be hard, but it will get easier. A good way to get out of bed:

Have your nurse lower your bed as close to the floor as possible.
If you are lying flat, roll onto your side and prop yourself up on one elbow.
Use both arms to push yourself up into a sitting position.
Edge toward the side of the bed and use your hands to lift your upper thighs one at a time over the edge of the bed.
Dangle your legs over the side for a few moments.
As you stand, support your incision with a pillow or your hands.

Getting back into bed

Have your nurse put the back of your bed in an upright position.
Support your incision with a pillow or your hand while lifting your legs, one at a time, back onto the bed.

Walking and standing

You may want to lean forward or stoop over to help protect your incision. But:

Stand up straight so the weight of your abdominal organs will be off of your incision, making it less painful.
Gently support your incision with your hands or a pillow to ease the pain.
Tighten your abdominal muscles when changing positions or standing. This is using your muscles as a "supportive splint," and will encourage healing and lessen pain after surgery.

Muscle spasms

Right after a Cesarean birth, you'll find that it's hard to move. When you do, you may feel muscle spasms or painful abdominal contractions. Your muscles will be tightening to protect themselves from further injury. Relaxing those muscles will be very important for comfort. Here's how:

Close your eyes and breathe gently, slowly, and deliberately into the painful area.
Place your hands gently over the incision and focus your breathing into your hands, allowing the spasm to soften. With focused breathing, you'll soon find that your discomfort has decreased.

Painful gas

Gas pains after surgery are common. Usually this discomfort peaks on the second or third day after surgery. If you can provide gentle movement and pressure on the abdomen, the pain of gas cramps will be reduced. Try:

rocking in a rocking chair
drinking hot lemon water
walking

Incision care

Your incision does not need any special care.

If your health care provider used staples, the staples will likely be removed before you leave the hospital.
You will have Steri-Strips (thin paper strips) over the incision when you go home. (The strips will fall off in about 10 to 14 days. If they don't fall off on their own, remove them at this time.)
Look at your incision for drainage, redness and swelling. Call your health care provider if you have any of these signs.