Looking after yourself and recovering from a caesarean is very different to care after…

Looking after yourself and recovering from a caesarean is very different to care after a vaginal birth.

Everyone will have a different recovery experience, but remember, it is major abdominal surgery, therefore your body will need sufficient time to heal.

If you know you are going to have a caesarean, it's easier to be prepared and get things in place for postpartum recovery but if you have an unplanned one it can take you by surprise a little!

Most women are in hospital for 1-4 days after a caesarean, and depending on the hospital guidelines, you may be offered compression socks and blood thinning injections to administer yourself at home for a few days.

This helps to prevent blood clots whilst you are not particularly mobile.

Take one step at a time - you may hear some people talk about how they were up and running around within hours of their surgery with little discomfort but for most people, the first couple of days can be pretty uncomfortable.

Many of us will find walking around a lot after surgery very uncomfortable - I did! Do try and mobilise when you can but listen to your body and rest appropriately.

You may find you are constipated after surgery. Drink plenty & eat lots of greens! If you are struggling, your doctor may prescribe a laxative.

Your midwife will visit you at home within after the birth and remove the stitches unless they are dissolvable; make sure you ask what kind you have! The dressing can usually come off within a day or two and it's easy to remove it in the shower whilst it's wet. Your care provider will give you more information on when to do this. Keep an eye out for any oozing coming through the dressing and once it's removed, keep an eye for signs of infection including: high temp of over 37.5, increased pain around the scar, oozing or gaping wound. Contact your care team if you notice any of these.

You may develop a small bump around the scar site where the skin meets and this is usually scar tissue. When it's totally healed, which takes around 6 weeks, you can massage it gentky to encourage it to flatten. Scar numbness & itchiness may be present too.

Do you have any additional tips for caesarean recovery?