There’s no better advice when it comes to recovery after a c-section than from the professionals.
That’s why we’ve got a whole range of articles on this online and in our publications!
However, sometimes you just need some reassurance and ‘cheat’ tips from your mum friends who have been through the same thing.
And that’s where we’re here to help. We’ve spoken to our Bounty mums to get some ideas of what they recommend for recovering after a c-section.
1. Do pain management Jedi style
That’s the recommendation from Samantha, mum of one year old Owen, who advises mums to think ahead.
‘When the pain gets too much, just think positively each day you will feel better than the previous day and the next and the next,’ she advised.
2. Use products that will help your scar to heal
Hayley Welllson, mum of three tells us, ‘Arnica tablets to reduce the interior bruising and swelling, while peppermint tea helped reduce wind pain.’
And it seems a range of mums are also recommend using a product that helps keep scaring down and make recovery quicker.
Get ready for the medical bit.
According to experts, silicone gels can help minimise scars that are red, raised, hard, sensitive and often itchy by enhancing your skins natural healing process. Silicone also helps aid healthy collagen production by the skin which is essential for scar healing.
Charlie, mum of one year old Lucy says her midwife recommended silicon based Silgel to help keep her scar from becoming raised.
‘Once my wound was heeled I massaged a small amount of Silgel over my scar. I started by applying it twice a day for the first couple of months and then moved to once as the redness began to fade. Not only did it stop the itching it made me feel like I was doing something to get my body back to normal,’ she says.
Silgel is clinically proven to reduce the appearance of scars and have been used by plastic surgeons for 15 years.
To find out more either speak to your midwife Or visit silgel.com.
3. Don’t be scared to use the loo and do what you can do get things, erm moving…
‘I didn't have a bowel movement for three days post-surgery. I was scared to push. Big mistake! I was backed up for weeks. I'm not back to normal not even now. So be sure to walk and try to go to the bathroom as soon as possible!’ says Kirsty mum of 5 month old Ava.
‘I drank warm prune juice at bedtime to help keep me regular. It really helped soften things and made me less worried about going to the loo straight after my C-section,’ says Emily, mum of Jack.
4. Nick your boyfriend’s boxers or your granny’s pants
Well not literally, but the recommendation from a lot of our mums is to wear big pants, which sit over the C-section scar.
‘I'd be lost without the granny knickers’, says Jodie Wood, while Claire James ‘seconds’ these claiming there’s ‘nothing worse than underwear rubbing and sitting on the wound.’
‘I nicked my boyfriend’s boxers,’ admits Caroline Eckru. ‘They were much more comfy than my knickers at sat perfectly over my scar.’
And while we’re at this type of advice – Jayne Reatre suggests wearing a girdle that really supports your incision and your stomach, while Hatty Gerhen advises placing a sanitary towel over your incision to ‘keep it dry and free of infection.’
5. Never say no to the drugs
That’s the advice from a range of mums who advise never to stop taking pain relief until your doctor recommends it.
Emma Jane Bird says, ‘If you use pain killers properly it's easily manageable. I've had 3 and after my third had him Thursday came home Saturday.'
Jodie Wood agrees telling mums, ‘I had paracetomal and ibuprofen regular and hardly any pain once they kicked in’.