Recovery from c-section

Hi all,

Just popped back into this newsgroup, as I know so many of you are helpful!

I had a c-section 7 weeks ago, and I am still not able to do much, I was
just wondering if this is normal or that I am just very unlucky? I am
nearly healed (I am on second lot of anti-biotics but don't think this is
the problem!) I am very numb still, up to about 2 inches below my belly
button and it feels quite painful to walk. As i suffered quite badly from
SPD i am not sure whether it is partly that still too? I am hoping it is
just the muscles rebuilding and will gradually go, but it certainly is
taking its time. Can any others whom have had a section relate to this? I
was so hoping to be back to normal by now as I was immobile for 8 weeks
before having Eloise, so it is now 15 weeks in total (although I am so much
better than before giving birth)

Eloise is so lovely, I am still trying to feed her, but have supply issues
so each feed she has both breasts and a bottle! She doesn't have any
problems with nipple confusion etc, I just don't make enough to satisfy her,
which is such a shame, but I give her what I have, and thats the best I can
do. I have tried every suggestion possible to increase supply but to no
avail, and I will just keep on this way as long as my milk allows. So for
all you ladies whom have ample supply think yourself lucky!

Look forward to your replies.

Shaz

shaz wibbled

I had a c-section 7 weeks ago, and I am still not able to do much,
I was just wondering if this is normal or that I am just very
unlucky? I am nearly healed (I am on second lot of anti-biotics
but don't think this is the problem!) I am very numb still, up to
about 2 inches below my belly button and it feels quite painful to
walk. As i suffered quite badly from SPD i am not sure whether it
is partly that still too? I am hoping it is just the muscles
rebuilding and will gradually go, but it certainly is taking its
time. Can any others whom have had a section relate to this? I
was so hoping to be back to normal by now as I was immobile for 8
weeks before having Eloise, so it is now 15 weeks in total
(although I am so much better than before giving birth)

I could have written this entire paragraph. If you're after sympathy
from those who've been there, you've got it! ;-)

I am now at 15 weeks post-section and TBH I'm still getting the odd bit
of pain, still suffering SPD (much improved), still slightly numb and
suffering the post-section 'overhang' (poochy stomach). It *is*
improving, I am no longer hugely sensitive about pressure on the area,
I came off antibiotics in week 10 when it finally knitted together, and
although it's not totally healed yet it looks much better than I feared
when I knew it was infected. Being immobile sucks, I know, but it
really is for the best that you don't overdo things, you don't want to
wind up with *six* lots of antibiotics and wind up in hospital again
like I did, with the threat of non-BF-friendly drugs, or make the
scarring worse by overdoing things and stretching the wound. Enjoy your
baby and take things easy. In the scheme of things you'll wish you had,
if you don't. :-/

Jac

Hi Shaz,
I think that you should talk to your DR. I had a c section as well and I
was recovered in about 10 days. I did have troubles with my bladder, but
thats about it (it hurt really bad when I urinated). You might see if you
have a utirine infection, although being on your second lot of antibiotics,
I doubt this is the case. My scar is still numb, but I dont know if I will
ever feel that area again!

As far as the milk supply goes, I know how you feel. Im not able to nurse
my son because of feeding problems with him (he uses an NG tube to eat most
of his feeds) but I pump and I have to supliment with formula as well. I
felt really bad doing that but I feel like you, I can only do what I can.

HTH
Daisy
"shaz" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

Just popped back into this newsgroup, as I know so many of you are
helpful!

I had a c-section 7 weeks ago, and I am still not able to do much, I was
just wondering if this is normal or that I am just very unlucky? I am
nearly healed (I am on second lot of anti-biotics but don't think this is
the problem!) I am very numb still, up to about 2 inches below my belly
button and it feels quite painful to walk. As i suffered quite badly from
SPD i am not sure whether it is partly that still too? I am hoping it is
just the muscles rebuilding and will gradually go, but it certainly is
taking its time. Can any others whom have had a section relate to this?
I
was so hoping to be back to normal by now as I was immobile for 8 weeks
before having Eloise, so it is now 15 weeks in total (although I am so
much
better than before giving birth)

Eloise is so lovely, I am still trying to feed her, but have supply issues
so each feed she has both breasts and a bottle! She doesn't have any
problems with nipple confusion etc, I just don't make enough to satisfy
her,
which is such a shame, but I give her what I have, and thats the best I
can
do. I have tried every suggestion possible to increase supply but to no
avail, and I will just keep on this way as long as my milk allows. So for
all you ladies whom have ample supply think yourself lucky!

Look forward to your replies.

Shaz

"shaz" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

Just popped back into this newsgroup, as I know so many of you are
helpful!

I had a c-section 7 weeks ago, and I am still not able to do much, I was
just wondering if this is normal or that I am just very unlucky? I am
nearly healed (I am on second lot of anti-biotics but don't think this is
the problem!) I am very numb still, up to about 2 inches below my belly
button and it feels quite painful to walk.

Why are you taking anti-biotics?

As i suffered quite badly from
SPD i am not sure whether it is partly that still too? I am hoping it is
just the muscles rebuilding and will gradually go, but it certainly is
taking its time. Can any others whom have had a section relate to this?
I
was so hoping to be back to normal by now as I was immobile for 8 weeks
before having Eloise, so it is now 15 weeks in total (although I am so
much
better than before giving birth)

What's SPD?


Eloise is so lovely, I am still trying to feed her, but have supply issues
so each feed she has both breasts and a bottle! She doesn't have any
problems with nipple confusion etc, I just don't make enough to satisfy
her,
which is such a shame, but I give her what I have, and thats the best I
can
do. I have tried every suggestion possible to increase supply but to no
avail, and I will just keep on this way as long as my milk allows. So for
all you ladies whom have ample supply think yourself lucky!

Look forward to your replies.

Shaz




I've had 3 c-sections and besides getting in and out of the car and bed, I
felt fine in just a couple/few weeks.

--
Sophie -
#4 due 7/18/04

"Sophie" wrote
I've had 3 c-sections and besides getting in and out of the car and bed, I
felt fine in just a couple/few weeks.

I know I bring this up like a broken record every time the subject comes up,
but I STILL *can't* believe my sister-in-law says she felt nothing, no pain,
after her c-section and never used pain medication. "Feeling fine in a
couple of weeks" is the *best* report I have ever heard from a c-section
other than my sister-in-law's claims. I marvel....I guess she is really
really tough or lucky. I just know that I was sore for a whole week just
from a tiny laparoscopy incision, a VERY very tiny incision- well 2
actually, 1 in the navel, one very low. But even with that being a very
simple and relativelt painless procedure to get over, I was still sore
enough to need pain medication for several days, and for the remainder of
the week would still need to take 1 pill on occasion, such as if I moved
around more.

"Jill" wrote in message
.com...

"Sophie" wrote
I've had 3 c-sections and besides getting in and out of the car and bed,
I
felt fine in just a couple/few weeks.

I know I bring this up like a broken record every time the subject comes
up,
but I STILL *can't* believe my sister-in-law says she felt nothing, no
pain,
after her c-section and never used pain medication. "Feeling fine in a
couple of weeks" is the *best* report I have ever heard from a c-section
other than my sister-in-law's claims. I marvel....I guess she is really
really tough or lucky. I just know that I was sore for a whole week just
from a tiny laparoscopy incision, a VERY very tiny incision- well 2
actually, 1 in the navel, one very low. But even with that being a very
simple and relativelt painless procedure to get over, I was still sore
enough to need pain medication for several days, and for the remainder of
the week would still need to take 1 pill on occasion, such as if I moved
around more.


I dunno, some people just recover from different things at different rates.
For example, c-sections are fine for me yet I **NEVER** want to have another
root canal - absolutely excrutiating.

Thanks for your replies, I know some people recover quicker than others. I
am just getting a bit impatient! I am fed up being stuck indoors most of
the time, but will just need to be patient, and hope that by Xmas things
will be much improved. I am pretty sure most of the pain is muscular so I
am going to try and increase my activities gradually.

Shaz

"Jill" wrote in message
.com...

"Sophie" wrote
I've had 3 c-sections and besides getting in and out of the car and bed,
I
felt fine in just a couple/few weeks.

I know I bring this up like a broken record every time the subject comes
up,
but I STILL *can't* believe my sister-in-law says she felt nothing, no
pain,
after her c-section and never used pain medication. "Feeling fine in a
couple of weeks" is the *best* report I have ever heard from a c-section
other than my sister-in-law's claims. I marvel....I guess she is really
really tough or lucky. I just know that I was sore for a whole week just
from a tiny laparoscopy incision, a VERY very tiny incision- well 2
actually, 1 in the navel, one very low. But even with that being a very
simple and relativelt painless procedure to get over, I was still sore
enough to need pain medication for several days, and for the remainder of
the week would still need to take 1 pill on occasion, such as if I moved
around more.

"Jill" wrote in message r.com...
"Sophie" wrote
I've had 3 c-sections and besides getting in and out of the car and bed, I
felt fine in just a couple/few weeks.

I know I bring this up like a broken record every time the subject comes up,
but I STILL *can't* believe my sister-in-law says she felt nothing, no pain,
after her c-section and never used pain medication. "Feeling fine in a
couple of weeks" is the *best* report I have ever heard from a c-section
other than my sister-in-law's claims. I marvel....I guess she is really
really tough or lucky.

She probably just feels pain differently. After my section I never
asked for pain relief, and the nurses kept coming in and strongly
recommending that I take something. So I would take whatever it was,
and not feel any change. Mind you, I didn't feel *good*, no stomach
muscles et cetera, but my body didn't register it as pain. Nor does
my body register some narcotics as relief; I've got a whole bottle of
vicodin around here somewhere from the discharge prescription which I
stopped taking a day after discharge when I realized it didn't seem to
be helping. Thinking that was just some sort of weird section-related
response, I took one with a throbbing headache a few months ago, and
never noticed a decrease in pain level.

Now tendonitis -- *that* hurts, and ibuprofen makes it better...

--
C, mama to one year old nursling

Jill wrote:

I know I bring this up like a broken record every time the subject comes
up, but I STILL *can't* believe my sister-in-law says she felt nothing, no
pain, after her c-section and never used pain medication. "Feeling fine in
a couple of weeks" is the *best* report I have ever heard from a c-section
other than my sister-in-law's claims. I marvel....I guess she is really
really tough or lucky.

I think it is just a case of everyone is different. People have very
different pain tolerances and some people recover from illness/surgery at
very different rates.

In my experience (with 2 c-sections). I didn't 'feel fine in a couple of
weeks', I felt GREAT within two weeks. Totally back to normal.
Seriously. In both cases I was off of the Percocet within 2 days and only
taking a single tylenol about once or twice a day after about 3 or 4 days.
With my most recent C-Section, I was driving and grocery shopping when he
was 5 days old.

Tracey in CT