#41 ·
Rita is a forum member living in the US who I believe used to be a very prominent athlete.
This is a repost of her contribution from Reddit.
I had a C-section 9 months ago. I was discharged after three days, and by day six, I was already out grabbing lunch with friends while holding my baby. I started carrying her almost immediately—about 24 hours after the surgery. Getting on the toilet was definitely a bit of a struggle at first, but I didn't have any issues with straining; if I had, I would've reached for a laxative. Prunes, fruit juice, and flaxseeds with yogurt were absolute lifesavers for me throughout the entire pregnancy.
The incision is still quite firm. It’s not as hard as it was on day one, but it is. It gets itchy when I sweat, and honestly, when I had a virus and a high fever a few months back, the itching actually hurt more than the surgery did, which was incredibly frustrating.
During those first few weeks, just getting out of bed or using abdominal pads was painful, but that passed quickly. The best way you can help a newborn is by burping them at night and changing them right after feeding—that was the hardest part for me. I didn't do any cooking or laundry at first since my mom was there helping with everything, but I was hands-on with the baby from day one.
I feel like doctors here tend to panic over nothing. My doctor told me that if I wanted to, I could get pregnant again just a few months after the C-section, and at my six-week checkup, everything felt completely normal. The only thing is, it *is* a major surgery, and I was extremely weak afterward; I really needed time to recover physically. I started getting back into my physical routine about a month and a half after giving birth, including skiing and other activities.
I wanted to ask you all: how did they close your incisions? They used metal staples on me, which looked pretty intense, but it went smoothly and they removed them on the third day. Generally speaking, my wounds are slow to heal, so I was pretty nervous about how this would go. It was my first major surgery and my first time staying in a hospital, so there was some anxiety, but credit where credit is due—they did a great job. I didn't even need pain meds or antibiotics.
Just like anything else, everyone's experience is different. The woman in the room next to me was moaning all night, and no amount of pain medication seemed to help her, even though we were in the exact same situation. Every body reacts differently, but mindset plays a huge role too. I had amazing support, and luckily, I didn't have a mother-in-law hovering over me to stress me out, haha.
__________________
A happy baby comes from happy parents.
This is a repost of her contribution from Reddit.
I had a C-section 9 months ago. I was discharged after three days, and by day six, I was already out grabbing lunch with friends while holding my baby. I started carrying her almost immediately—about 24 hours after the surgery. Getting on the toilet was definitely a bit of a struggle at first, but I didn't have any issues with straining; if I had, I would've reached for a laxative. Prunes, fruit juice, and flaxseeds with yogurt were absolute lifesavers for me throughout the entire pregnancy.
The incision is still quite firm. It’s not as hard as it was on day one, but it is. It gets itchy when I sweat, and honestly, when I had a virus and a high fever a few months back, the itching actually hurt more than the surgery did, which was incredibly frustrating.
During those first few weeks, just getting out of bed or using abdominal pads was painful, but that passed quickly. The best way you can help a newborn is by burping them at night and changing them right after feeding—that was the hardest part for me. I didn't do any cooking or laundry at first since my mom was there helping with everything, but I was hands-on with the baby from day one.
I feel like doctors here tend to panic over nothing. My doctor told me that if I wanted to, I could get pregnant again just a few months after the C-section, and at my six-week checkup, everything felt completely normal. The only thing is, it *is* a major surgery, and I was extremely weak afterward; I really needed time to recover physically. I started getting back into my physical routine about a month and a half after giving birth, including skiing and other activities.
I wanted to ask you all: how did they close your incisions? They used metal staples on me, which looked pretty intense, but it went smoothly and they removed them on the third day. Generally speaking, my wounds are slow to heal, so I was pretty nervous about how this would go. It was my first major surgery and my first time staying in a hospital, so there was some anxiety, but credit where credit is due—they did a great job. I didn't even need pain meds or antibiotics.
Just like anything else, everyone's experience is different. The woman in the room next to me was moaning all night, and no amount of pain medication seemed to help her, even though we were in the exact same situation. Every body reacts differently, but mindset plays a huge role too. I had amazing support, and luckily, I didn't have a mother-in-law hovering over me to stress me out, haha.
__________________
A happy baby comes from happy parents.