C-Section Recovery: How Long It Takes, Week by Week, Scar, Driving, Lifting

How long does C-section recovery take?

You should be able to do most of your regular activities 4 to 8 weeks after a C-section, according to MedlinePlus, the US National Library of Medicine's health site. Cleveland Clinic puts recovery at about six weeks and says each person's timeline is different. The NHS says you may need to take things easy for several weeks.

ACOG says the hospital stay after a cesarean birth is usually 2 to 4 days, depending on the reason for the surgery and how quickly you recover; the NHS says most women in the UK leave after 1 or 2 days. What happens during a caesarean covers the operation itself.

What does C-section recovery look like week by week?

MedlinePlus says pain should ease after 2 or 3 days, the incision stays tender for up to 3 weeks or more, and bleeding can last up to 6 weeks. The NHS says driving, exercise, carrying anything heavier than your baby and sex may have to wait 6 weeks or so, and that you can ask about them at your 6-week postnatal check.

In the hospital, the NHS says you will be encouraged to get out of bed and move around as soon as possible, a catheter stays in your bladder for at least 12 hours, and the wound stays covered with a dressing for at least 24 hours. ACOG says a nurse or another adult should help you the first few times you get out of bed.

After you go home, the NHS says your midwife usually takes out non-dissolvable stitches or staples after 5 to 7 days. ACOG recommends contact with your ob-gyn or other obstetric care provider within the first 3 weeks after the birth.

At home, MedlinePlus says getting up and walking around helps you heal faster and can help prevent blood clots, short walks and light housework are OK, and the bleeding slowly turns from red to pink, then yellow or white. MedlinePlus advises against soaking in a bath or hot tub, or swimming, until your provider says it is OK, which in most cases is not until 3 weeks after surgery.

MedlinePlus says some people feel relieved after a C-section that followed a difficult labor, while others feel sad, disappointed or even guilty, and that you should talk to your provider if those feelings do not go away or get worse. Postpartum depression explains how to tell low mood from depression.

How do you look after a C-section scar?

The NHS advises gently cleaning and drying the wound every day, wearing loose, comfortable clothes and cotton underwear, and watching for signs of infection. MedlinePlus says to wash it with mild soap and water and that you don't need to scrub; often, letting the shower water run over it is enough. If strips were used to close the skin, MedlinePlus says not to try to wash them off; they should fall off in about a week.

The NHS says the scar is usually horizontal, about 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 cm) long and just below the bikini line, and will probably be red at first and fade with time; on darker skin it may fade to a brown or white mark. MedlinePlus says it starts slightly raised, darker and puffy, then becomes thinner, flatter and closer to your skin color. ACOG says you may have pain or numbness in the incision while you recover.

When can you drive after a C-section?

MedlinePlus says not to drive for at least 2 weeks after a C-section, and the NHS says you will not be able to drive for a few weeks, so plan for someone to drive you home from the hospital. MedlinePlus also says not to drive while taking narcotic pain medicine or if you feel weak or unsafe. The NHS says to start again when you feel able and it is not uncomfortable, and to ask your midwife if you are unsure.

How much can you lift after a C-section?

MedlinePlus advises lifting nothing heavier than your baby for the first 6 to 8 weeks. The NHS says you should be able to hold and carry your baby once you get home.

MedlinePlus also says to avoid heavy housecleaning, jogging, most exercises and anything that makes you breathe hard or strain your muscles, and not to do sit-ups. ACOG says to ask your ob-gyn when it is safe to begin exercising again after a cesarean birth. Your body after birth covers the other changes in these weeks.

What helps with pain after a C-section?

ACOG says the incision may be sore for the first few weeks, and suggests pain medicine as recommended or prescribed by your ob-gyn, a heating pad or an abdominal binder (a compression belt), and breastfeeding positions that put less pressure on the incision.

On medicines, ACOG says ibuprofen is usually the preferred first step while breastfeeding because little of it passes into breast milk, and that acetaminophen is also safe while breastfeeding. The NHS gives the same two (acetaminophen is called paracetamol in the UK) and says aspirin, and the stronger painkiller codeine, are not usually recommended if you are breastfeeding. ACOG says to talk with your ob-gyn before combining two or more pain medicines. Check with your doctor, midwife or pharmacist before you take anything.

When to call your doctor or midwife

• A cough, shortness of breath, or swelling or pain in your lower leg. The NHS says these can be signs of a blood clot or infection and to contact your midwife or GP straight away; ACOG says to call your ob-gyn right away for leg pain or shortness of breath. MedlinePlus also lists swelling in one leg that is red and warmer than the other, or pain in your calf.
• A fever: over 100°F (37.8°C) that does not go away, according to MedlinePlus, or over 100.4°F (38°C), according to ACOG. ACOG also lists chills.
• The incision becomes redder, more painful, swollen or warm, leaks fluid or pus, smells bad, or opens (NHS, MedlinePlus, ACOG).
• Heavy bleeding (NHS, ACOG), which ACOG describes as soaking through two pads an hour for more than an hour or two. MedlinePlus also lists bleeding that is still as heavy as a period after more than 4 days, light bleeding that lasts beyond 4 weeks, large clots, or discharge that gets heavier or smells bad.
• Severe or worsening pain in your belly, pain when peeing, or leaking urine (NHS, ACOG, MedlinePlus).
• A tender, red or warm area on one breast (MedlinePlus), or red streaks or painful new lumps in your breasts (ACOG).
• Nausea and vomiting that do not stop (ACOG).
• A headache that does not go away or gets worse, or vision changes (MedlinePlus, ACOG). MedlinePlus says to contact your provider right away for these, swelling in your hands, face or eyes, sudden weight gain (more than 2 lb, or 1 kg, in a week) or body aches, because postpartum preeclampsia can happen after delivery. Preeclampsia symptoms has the full list.
• You feel very sad, depressed or withdrawn, have thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, or are having trouble caring for yourself or your baby (MedlinePlus). ACOG also lists feelings of hopelessness that last more than 10 days after delivery.