C-section when overwight

I had an emergency c section, went home the next day and I was walking around 2 hours after my op. Felt normal after a week and my scar healed amazingly x

My scar became infected but I believe that was more because I was given incorrect advice about how long to leave the dressing on for rather than the apron belly. It does make caring for the scar slightly harder I used the hair dryer on a cool setting. I was in 24 hours after the op for monitoring but I would say there wasn't anything about my weight that made any difference tbh

I had a superb recovery, I put it down to walking loads. I would have gone home the next day, but my baby went to nicu so we were both there for a few days - I had to keep walking up and down the wards in the night to feed her. Keeping scar clean and dry was harder but was fine because I took more care to do it. Everyone is different but I had a better experience than I expected. A resistance band tied to the bed to help you get up without using your abs was a really good tip someone gave me. Hope it goes well x

I’ve recently had one, 4 weeks ago on Tuesday! I was up 5 hours after walking around, had to stay in hospital 3 nights, but that was only because I didn’t wee within the first 6 hours of having catheter out as I didn’t realise I was supposed to! Had I weed I would have been out the next day! In regards to recovery, I’m pretty much recovered, back driving short distances. Took paracetamol and ibruprofen consistently for a week, but after that, I was just taking as and when I’d had a big day! Walked round to the pub (1/2 mile down the road) the night we got out of hospital for a change of scenery, walking daily after a couple of days. Getting out of bed was the hardest for the first couple of days though

I just had a C-Section 16 days ago, I have an apron belly! I got staples externally, dissolvable stitches internally! As a plus size person, I was given a pressure dressing, for seven days, it’s a little box that is quite noisy! Half stitches out on day seven and the other half on day ten! First few days were honestly not great, I was in from the Friday until the Wednesday, however my baby was (and is) in the NNU so take that discharge time with a pinch of salt as they were asking me a few days before that if I wanted to go home!

I also was able to walk the next morning and able to get my catheter out in the afternoon, however it is totally different for everyone!

I had to dab it dry often. I’d use tissues or a towel. It was annoying but it’s what had to be done because I didn’t like to to be sweaty. I don’t my Weight played a part in recovery but because my son was so big I think that’s what affected it

The 1st time I was up and walking around as soon as the spinal wore off with very minimal pain... you will need something under the belly to keep it dry... if you can get InterDry from the hospital get it otherwise you can get it on Amazon.... the 2nd time was way more painful for me and took almost 2 weeks to move around freely...

I would ask about a PICO dressing… it’s a negative pressure vacuum dressing which keeps the incision dry. I have an apron, and had a section 7 weeks ago, and was given a PICO dressing (it stays on for the first week) and I know without it I would have struggled to keep my wound dry. NICE guidelines advise the use of it to minimise risk of infection in higher risk patients but not all trusts use them as standard

I agree with all these ladies! As soon as you get the all clear, start c section scar massage (you can Google it) to bring back sensation and get the scar tissue mobile. Otherwise it feels tight and painful when you move after healing. C sections can take up to a year to fully heal. Make sure you take it easy, try to limit stairs and use lots of pillows for support when holding baby.

Recovery was great. I said 3 days and walked out of the hospital. Went shopping 5 days PP.

@Millie AFTER A WEEK ??? How the heck....?

I had an emergency c section and have an apron belly, I was walking around after 2/3 hours and out the hospital after 24 hours and healed really well! When you’re home and shower I suggest using a hairdryer on a cold setting to make sure your incision site is really dry, I’ve had no issues at all and I’m now 8 weeks pp

8 months pp, ask for a pico dressing, i sear it really helped my recover. My baby was in NICU for 5 weeks, so I was walking a lot, but i also think this helped my recovery, but i do recommend rest but also getting up and about slowly. Shower every day once dressing is off, cleaning the area gently, make make sure scar is dry under the belly. Hairsryer on cold was great for this. Also, i used maternity pads on my scar daily to keep it swaet free. Good luck x x

I had an emergency section 6 weeks ago. My blood pressure was low afterwards (standard for me), I was a little wobbly the next day, but I was discharged in 24 hours n walked out with minimal discomfort. I was able to carry on with normal everyday stuff in about 2 days, but everyone heals differently. Id say back to normal (cleaning, driving, etc) in a week, just a little slower than normal as was purposely being careful. Keeping the incision dry was difficult, especially with the weather at the time. I had a vaccum dressing on to begin with, which caused me no bother at all. I used sterile gause between the incision and my tummy as well as cleaning morning and night, which worked well for me. Only time i really felt discomfort with the incision was when the stitches were due to come out and it felt quite tight and like it was pulling, but as soon as they were out it felt loads better. You'll be absolutely fine I'm sure. Hust take your time with recovery, everyone heals differently! X

Baby measuring big is a strange reason to need a c section…

@Genevieve its not really as bigger babies, especially ones over 10 pounds can cause injuries, or problems like getting stuck and distressed. It's actually recommended here in the UK to have a c section if the baby measures big. Different regulations I guess?

Hello lovely! I had my planned C section on 16th June, for reference I’m size 24 UK and baby was also measuring big, oh and I have a biiiig overhang! I am now 19 days post op and my wound area doesn’t really hurt at all… I stopped my painkillers a couple of days ago as realised I was just taking them out of habit and didn’t really need them. I was SUPER stressed about recovery and having an overhang, the best thing I invested in was mini handheld fans! I wash my wound at least 2 x a day with a clean damp cloth and then pat dry and dry with fans. I had read so many said they used sanitary towels to keep the area dry and this was my plan - but I found they rubbed against it and made it super uncomfortable so I scrapped them! The theatre doctor then told me this is a bad idea as it means bacteria will just harbour in the area. Anyway I’m waffling! All in all it was an amazing experience and I would do it all over again. If you do have any questions please feel free to message me! ❤️

Oh ps, I had my section Friday morning, I could have left Saturday but I decided to stay an extra day and left Sunday lunchtime! 😊 x

@Paula-Marie yes the regulation must be different here. Sometimes baby measurements are just an estimate in my country

My baby is estimated 8 lbs at 36 weeks so far and my dr. Said I might have to get one as well.