Did you have a C-Section?

Question

I had an emergency c-section 6 weeks ago and my doctor really beat me up. She said it can take up to 3 months to heal. I was just wondering how long did it take you heal and does your stomach ever go back normal?

Answer 1

It is almost 7 months later and I am still having pain.  I can't do any abdominal exercises at all so my stomach isn't even close to being the same.  I went from weighing 140 and wearing a size 4 (pre-pregnancy) to weighing 120 and wearing a size 8 (as of this morning), it's kind of depressing.

Answer 2

It takes a while to heal. I had my son 14 months ago and it I could feel weird stretching pains around the incision for a few months. I agree with the dr. It takes a little while to stop hurting completely. It also takes about 6 months for your hormones to adjust and for you to start feeling like your old self. However, at about 4 months after my son was born my hair started falling out like crazy. It happens to most women since you stop talking your prenatal vitamins and whatnot. I don't think my hair stopped falling out until about 6-7 months post. At about a year I started to noticed how much my scar had faded. It definitely fades pretty well, starting with the outer corners and going inward. The inside, about 2 inches is still puffy and pink, but nothing like it used to be AND even some of the outer part is so healed you cant really even see the scaring. It's great! I still have 10 pounds to go so, I'd say you really have to work on the tummy to make it get back to normal, but you will always have that little flab that folds over the scar. That's what everyone tells me, anyways. Good luck with everything and don't worry! You will get back to normal before you know it!

Answer 3

well i had 2 c-sections and it pretty much healed quick i would say less than 3 months but it depends how much you contribute to the recovery if your lazy and weak it might take long but if your willing to be strong and positive and willin you will be fine just walk alot not excessively just start slow then gradually increase your daily activities and everything will be fine and congrats on the baby its a blessing...and its worth it...and yes my stomach went to normal not as exact but pretty much close..

Answer 4

it can take a long time it took me about 6 weeks before I felt normal and properly 2 or more months before I was fully healed ...you will have the scar ,depending on how good a job they did ..,I have had 4 natural births and one C -section and I really can not understand how any one would CHOOSE to have a C-section ,I was like you it was an emergency but some women actually choose it ???

Answer 5

3 month is about right. After 10 years the scar will be invisiable

Answer 6

i had a c-section 5.5 weeks ago and i'm still sore... mine ended up breaking back open because they took my staples out too soon. my stomach is almost flat again except where the skin is still being held together since it opened back up. i still feel a little pain every now and then and i still have no feeling right above it. i had a bikini cut. i had one because she was too big and i would never dilate so i was scheduled two hours later

Answer 7

it c section healed in 2 weeks. my stomach went back to normal the first month. but it was because i was breastfeeding and eating healthier and walking 30 mins. I gained a few pounds after i stopped breastfeeding, my stomach is not completely back to normal yet, it's been 3 months. But i just look chubby, i have 10 more pounds to lose. but i dont have the time now. but dont worry its not impossible, and it will go back to normal soon enough!!! just try to eat healthier and workout for atleat 30 mins while the baby sleeps. good luck

Answer 8

The lazy and weak comment is very wrong.  I had a c section 4 years ago and it took me some time to heal.  In maybe the 6 month range.  I was up and walking back and forth to the NICU the day after.  Being active too soon after a c section can be just as bad for you as "being lazy"  

Answer 9

I had to have an emergency C-section also.  I had pre-eclampsia that went untreated for like 2 months, maybe more, my doctors kept telling me I was fine, NP that my bp was 170/120.  Anyways that turned into HELLP Syndrome and the only doctor on the team that had any sense, sorry to say, got me in for an emergency c-section.  They had to cut my stomach the old fashioned way, up and down, and because he had to try to miss as many blood vessels and veins as possible he had to do it in a sort of zig zag pattern.  It is awful.  I will never forget the pain of waking up after surgery, with no pain killers yet, and having them move me from the operating table to my bed/stretcher.  

As to answer your question, It can definitely take a while to heal.  Even after I had gotten my staples out my dr and grandmother warned me to only do light lifting because your c-section incision/scar can still rupture.  I was even told not to walk around with my daughter.  I am sure you will always have your scar there and your stomach may always look uneven.  If you do stomach exercises when you are completely healed it will help.  But don't worry too much about it.  I like to think that every major scar has a story behind it, and this scar is how you brought your amazing baby into the world.  Good luck with being a new mommy :)

Answer 10

I had a c-section over two and a half years ago...all things considered, I am glad I did...it was so smooth compared to the labor.

But, of course, it is major surgery, so no matter how you look at it, you will be recovering for some time.

I felt pretty crappy for at least 2 and a half months afterwards. Unfortunately, my incision site got infected and I had to go back into the hospital for a couple of days and the checking the doctors had to do (of the stiches) was very painful...

I was told that happens to a lot of women after c-sections...I hope it doesn't in your case.

Remember to take lots of warm baths - just water, no bubbles or anything. Check the incision site regularly for a clear discharge - it's not a good sign if there's a lot.

Otherwise, things weren't too bad and I started to feel better around the three month mark, and every day after that I felt better and better. It took about a year to get back to absolute normal - feeling and looking. It takes a little longer for c-sections, I think, because your insides have been moved all around, not everything is going to settle back to the way it was before.  I still have the odd sensation, every now and then, of tingling around the incision. I was told that was normal - a lot of people who have any sort of surgery feel things like that.  Plus the numbness is weird - I see a few other women have mentioned that here - just a little numb spot above the incision...oh well, so it goes (the trade-off is soo worth it :)

Considering it was an emergency - I hope everything is okay!

God bless.