Post C-Section Top Tips
Postnatal
What are the best ways to get moving after a c-section?
You will usually be encouraged to get out of bed on the day of your caesarean, unless it happens later in the day. The biggest struggle women often report is getting in and out of bed. The best way to do this is to use the hospital bed to raise your head up slightly. Bend your knees and then reach over to the side of the bed, let your legs lower to the bed and use your arms to pull yourself onto your side. Once on your side, let your legs go off the side of the bed, push with your arms and then come into a sitting position. To get back in, lie onto your side, bringing your legs up and then roll onto your back.
How to manage your c-section scar?
In the early days and weeks the focus is on keeping it clean and allowing air to it. This doesn’t require soap or lots of special products, just water when you are in the shower. After a shower try and take a moment to lie down without clothes on to allow air to the wound. Once the wound is fully healed and the scab has gone, this is usually after 6 weeks, you can start to massage the scar and area around it. Here are some videos to talk you through how to do this.
https://www.naydaya.com/blogs/naydaya-hub/scar-massage-videos
What pelvic floor exercises would you recommend after a c-section?
We should all work on pelvic floor exercises after birth regardless of how we birth our babies. It is natural to think that after a caesarean section that we don’t need to do them as the pelvic floor isn’t directly impacted by birth. However, pregnancy alone has a huge impact on the muscles and therefore they need rehabilitation. The best time to work on pelvic floor exercises after birth is when you are feeding your baby. You can start them once you have done your first wee after your catheter is removed.
To connect with your pelvic floor try and think about holding in wind and squeezing around your anus, and bringing this squeeze towards your pubic bone at the front of the pelvis. Then allow the muscles to fully relax. Do this 10 times, contracting and fully relaxing. Then try and work on the same contraction but hold it for 10 seconds, whilst you breathe in and out, before letting the muscle fully relax again. Do this 10 times as well.
When and how should mums get back into exercise after their c-section?
We often hear about waiting six weeks before returning to exercise, however this is not an exact timeline. Within the first 6 weeks after birth, working on building up how far you are walking gradually, alongside working on your pelvic floor exercises and taking care of your baby can feel like a lot! After around 6 weeks, or longer if you don’t feel ready, returning to low impact exercise, like cycling or bodyweight movements, like squats or lunges, can be a good place to start, alongside postnatal pilates or yoga. Swimming can be started around 8 weeks, with higher impact exercises like running, HIIT training or lifting weights not being advised until the earliest 12 weeks postpartum. Seeing a pelvic health physiotherapist can really help you to understand what you are ready for as individual after birth.
What do mums need to know about having sex post c-section?
Women are usually advised to wait until around 6 weeks postpartum before returning to intercourse. Whilst breastfeeding the vaginal tissues are often drier due to lower levels of oestrogen in the body as a result of raised levels of prolactin. This can make intercourse more uncomfortable and even painful for some. Therefore, using lubricant is a must and waiting until you feel ready. Share how you feel with your partner and any concerns or anxieties that you have.
Clare Bourne
Instagram: @clarebournephysio
