Following on from my last Blog post talking about the initial recovery. Over the last month I have found each day it really has got easier. It’s so easy to forget that a C section is major abdominal surgery and it blows my mind that for major surgery you are given little advice on after-care and all that is said is don’t lift anything heavier than your baby and just do what feels right for you and listen to your body.
I was told such conflicting advice on what I should be taking for painkillers, the medication the hospital said to continue with was (ibuprofens and paracetamol). When I went into the pharmacy to buy more they said that I was taking a too large dose & it could effect her as I was breast feeding. Even though that’s what the hospital had told me to take; anyway I checked again with the hospital and double checked with 111 doctor, they confirmed that it was the correct amount (massive panic over) and absolutely fine the amount I was taking for breast feeding too. They did say initially to keep taking if you’re still in pain which obviously you don’t really know when you’re taking them if you are actually still in pain so I stopped the ibuprofen on about day 7 & then the paracetamol on day 8. Surprisingly I felt no pain so stopped all the tablets after that. I did have to have injections for 10 days which go into the stomach which I got Adam to do. It felt like a bee sting but it was to prevent blood clotting from the Surgery & has to be done. Again not as bad as you would think.
In terms of the actual scar I wore a sanitary pad across it inside my Bridget Jones pants for the first week & I made sure that after I had a shower it was dried really carefully & thoroughly. They say try & let air get to it but with having to wear a sanitary pad for the first 3 weeks (due to the blood loss/ what was like a period) it was hard to do or walk around the house half naked.
At about week 2 I think I may have over done it (not sure what came over me but I had a day where I felt the need to clean the whole house & kitchen top to bottom) it irritated/ opened the side of the scar a little which resulted in a little opening & puss.
I was worried when I noticed the puss from it, I booked myself an appointment to the doctors so they sent off a swab, luckily results came back & it wasn’t infected but I still used salt water & some cream they gave me which helped & after a week was so much better.
In terms of exercise all I’ve managed to do were walks around the block for 15 minutes max, the first one was tough I felt exhausted and the scare felt a little achy! I kept stopping every 5 minutes & lent on the pram. At the end of week 3 I felt a lot more stronger, mobile and that the scare was healing so I ventured out a little further. When they say listen to your body I do get that in terms of you know if you’ve maybe moved too much. But my biggest advice is don’t lift anything, reach too high for something, move to quickly or twist until you get your doctors check or sign off. It’s a good excuse to not over do it and get some help. If you do feel like it’s not ok then I really recommend going to the doctors for it to be checked.
I have just started Hannah Johnson C Section recovery programme & will be seeing her for a scar massage at 8 weeks. My tummy feels like jelly & still abit like pins & needles when I touch is. So I will keep you updated how I get on with the programme & massage.
There has been a few products that really have made our lives for the last month a lot easier:
- The Silver Cross Pacific Autograph pram (pictured) has been really easy to push around and feels really stable. I was also using it initially like a Zimmer frame!
- SnuzPod (her bedside cot) is light and easy to move around our bedroom.
- Elvie breast pump (omg expressing hands free has saved me hours of not being able to so anything else & giving me extra sleep wahoo)
- Tommee Tippee steriliser, really easy to use and the reassurance everything has been sterilised properly.
- MAM bottles were recommended to me by a friend and they are fab, the teats are soft like a nipple and similar shape, also offer a great milk flow.
- Tony music and light star; keeps her relaxed and distracted when she has her nappy change etc
- Dyson hoover that Adam brought for my Valentine’s Day present (lols) because our old one was really heavy so this one enabled me to wizz around the house as I feel like I want to keep it extra clean (think being a mum has turned me OCD) never thought I would be saying that haha!
- Nursing pads; best I’ve come across are from Lansinoh. I’ve also been using their nipple cream & Nessa Organics nipple cream + scar saviour which is full of wonderful, natural healing ingredients.
- Sleepy Head – so nice when she’s sleepy to put her in & she lays in it next to me gives our backs a break & she’s super content in it.
- Vests – feel like we go through so many of these, with dribble and a wee accident when changing. Next, TU and M&S do some great pack ones which are also good value
- Her bath which I got from John Lewis is from Skip Hop, she seems to really like it. Also for us the Bumbo Elipad Knee Pad is a knee savour.
Hope you find this helpful, please comment on my latest instagram post if you have any helpful suggestions or how your recovery has been.
Xx
