Having a c-section delivery can have a hug impact in mother’s physical, emotional and mental health from right after, to weeks after delivery. It is normal that after birth mothers need time to heal, but with c-sections more precautions need to be taken.
Recovering from a c-sections is different from vaginal birth, meaning that after the operations you need to be aware of the thing you can and can’t do; starting with how to take care of yourself.
Take Care of Yourself
It usually takes six weeks to heal after c-section and during your that time it is normal to feel fatigue and discomfort. To promote healing, you need to:
Take it easy – Make rest your top priority, rest when possible. Always try to keep everything you and the baby will need within reach. Most importantly avoid lifting heavy objects.
Treat your c-section incision – to soothe the pain, take painkillers. Most care providers always recommend ibuprofen, acetaminophen and other medication that help with pain relief. If your incision shows signs of infection, becomes read, swollen, or leaking discharge; contact your doctor immediately.
Take care of your mental health – After birth a lot of emotions can be easily triggered, you could experience feelings such anxiety and depression, surround yourself with people who can uplift you and help you with the baby while you rest. It is important to have someone to talk to be it friends, family, a therapist if necessary; for no judgement conversations you can talk to other mothers who are going thought the same as you.
The biggest change after having a baby especially if you delivered through c-section, it would take you time until you can go back to doing things the best way you know how. Here are some dos and don’ts:
Dos:
Take a walk
Stay hydrated
Massage your incision
Between six and eight weeks, ease slowly into exercising
Shower normally
Take time to sit and bond with your baby
Don’ts:
Have sex until you fully recover
Use tampons until your doctors tells you it’s fine to do so
Take stair repeatedly
Take baths until your incision is fully healed
Soak in pools or hot tubs
Drive for a few weeks
Avoid sleeping on your stomach
Diet and Nutrition One of the nicest things about pregnancy is that you get away with eating ‘not so’ healthy food. However, after you give birth, taking care of yourself is crucial and that means getting the right nutrition. Below are some of the ways you can achieve that:
Eat small frequent healthy meal
Constipation is common after c-section to avoid that, consume fiber from whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, and nuts.
Have enough warm water or soup
You can choose lean proteins to get enough nutrition without having to worry about additional fats by eating Greek yoghurt, white meat, eggs, lentils, etc.
When to Call Your Doctor After c-section your is bound to go through changes, some maybe manageable others maybe need health care provider. If you experience some of these symptoms, call your doctor:
Your incision pain is getting worse
Sore or tender abdomen (tummy area)
A high temperature
Vaginal bleeding that is still heavy after a week or gets heavier
Feeling faint or dizzy, or your heartbeat is fast or ‘pounding’
Cough, chest pain or shortness of breath
Severe headache
Pain or swelling in the lower leg (calf muscle)
Discharge from the vagina that smells bad
Trouble passing urine or stool.
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