The Importance Of Regular Exercise After A C Section

Exercise after c section will be one of the most distant things from your mind if you have just given birth, but neglecting this essential part of c section recovery will slow down the healing process and virtually eliminate your potential to ever have a flat stomach again.

The tendency for many new moms wanting to quickly lose pregnancy weight is to start immediately and do as much as they can physically do, but this has a number of potentially serious drawbacks: -

PROBLEM #1

Being tired all the time. If you have just had a c section, you are actually recovering from major surgery, so you simply won’t be able to do what you could have done even just a few weeks ago. If you try to do too much, you will just end up feeling drained and emotional and unable to cope with even the simplest of challenges.

PROBLEM #2

Tearing your scar. In effect your skin is trying to knit itself together over the wound, two edges attached either by staples or stitches. If you attempt to do any sort of exercise after c section that means you need to stretch or twist in any way then you will be regularly pulling both sides apart.

This will mean your scar takes much longer to repair and may lead to a greater build up of scar tissue, leaving you with a deep ridge instead of a flat line which is hardly visible in a few weeks.

PROBLEM #3

Not Doing The Right Things. For most new moms the biggest area of concern will be the stomach, and what do most people do when they want to tighten their stomach, that’s right you’ve guessed it - sit ups.

Hopefully You'll have more awareness than to try doing sit ups during the early stages of your c section recovery, there are a number of stomach tightening or pelvic tilting exercises that you can do and are in fact extremely vital to do practically straight after giving birth.

In fact it is no exaggeration to state that not doing these stomach firming exercises regularly in the early stages could result in a rounded and bulbous tummy, with no structure or definition that’s yours, not just for the next few weeks, but for the rest of your life.

Any type of exercise after c section other than just walking and certain, safe tummy tightening exercises should be avoided until at least your post pregnancy check up, but even then you'll need to judge yourself if you feel up to it or not.

Being active and frequently doing your pelvic tilting and pelvic floor exercises will really improve your c section recovery time and enable you to start being more active much quicker.

C Section Side Effects – Knowing What To Expect

 

Most women will be affected by c section side effects of some kind or another after the operation and you should be aware of the most universal of these so you can act accordingly.

The most frequent problems directly after surgery are: -

Itchy skin

Some women sometimes complain of itchy skin straight after a c section, which is a side effect of the drugs given for the duration of the anaesthetic.

Sickness

Due to the medication used this can yield feelings of sickness and nausea. These feelings should quickly go away over a day or so.

Back Pain

Occasionally you may be aware of pain in the upper back or between the shoulders which is caused by an air pocket in the abdominal cavity at some stage in surgery. This typically only lasts for between 24 - 48 hours.

Headaches

Some women suffer from headaches caused by the epidural. If the needle goes in too far this can be quite severe and may last longer than a week if left untreated.
This risk of being affected by this kind of headache is quite low, affecting approximately 1 in 200 women.

Shivering

You may also start shaking, another side effect of the anaesthetic, not serious and a few extra blankets can help this.

Blood Loss

Abnormal blood loss during and after the operation could lead to the need for a blood transfusion or emergency hysterectomy.

Internal Organs

Injury to the internal organs such as the bladder or intestines which can sometimes be caused during surgery, especially if it was an emergency section.

Uterine or bladder infections

In order to avoid any bladder complications try to urinate every 2-3 hours on the first day.

Blood Clots

Possible blood clotting in the veins of the legs or pelvis. In rare circumstances these can move to the lungs leading to life threatening pulmonary embolisms, try to remain as active as possible. Being sedentary increases these risks.

Keep an eye on your wound and your well being, looking for feelings of new or different pain, extreme lethargy or any of the c section side effects described above. It’s usually much less of an issue to treat problems in their early stages than if they are left to grow to be worse.

‘The Essential Guide To Exercising After A Caesarean’ is an easy to read guide designed for new moms recovering from c section side effects. You will discover techniques that help to minimise pain, lose weight, improve energy levels, give you more confidence and speed up your recovery times.

C-Section Recovery - Try Using Use These Great Tips To Make Things Easier

A full c-section recovery may take many months, and it usually takes about four to six weeks for a c-section surface incision to heal fully.

Whilst the superficial scars may heal rapidly the damage to the deep tissues will take much longer for total recovery, so don’t hurry back to playing any kind of sports or activities which involve a lot of twisting, bending or impact.

Just because the superficial part of the wound shows no signs of pain this doesn’t mean the lower levels are totally healed. Several experts suggest that full healing of the area may take between 9 -18 months!

Use these Techniques to help you through the early stages of recovery: -

#1 Give yourself time to have a rest, get organized. Keep all the things that you might need close to hand. Until your six-week check up, don't lift anything heavier than your baby.

#2 When you stand and walk try to stand tall pulling your stomach muscles in and your shoulders back and upright.

#3 If you suspect that you are about to sneeze, cough or laugh then restrain and support your stomach near the scar to avoid sudden discomfort.

#4 Use pillows or rolled up towels for extra support whilst breast-feeding.

#5 Too many visitors in the first few weeks will keep you from getting the rest you need to recover.

#6 Until you can cope the driving position or any of the movements that driving requires, don’t attempt to drive.

#7 Monitor your wound and general well being on a regular basis. Contact your doctor immediately if you see any signs of infection such as tummy pains, redness, swelling or any form of discharge.

#8 Postpartum depression may be a factor. If you are constantly feeling low without any signs of enhancement in moods or energy levels, it may be worth mentioning this to your doctor.

Although your c-section recovery will take longer than it would from a vaginal birth, the end result is still the same, you should take comfort in the fact that in similar circumstances 100 years ago, neither you nor your baby would probably have survived.

‘The Essential Guide To Exercising After A Caesarean’ is an easy to use guide for any new mom that wants a flatter tummy, toned legs, bottom and thighs and to lose her baby weight after just having a c section, all in just a few weeks from now. An essential tool for promoting a rapid and pain free c-section recovery.