For those of you who had a c-section

I had my twins on monday- the 23rd, one by vaginal, and one by emergency c-section. My questions are : approx. ho long does it take for the incision itself to heal? My stitches are all on the inside, no staples. #2 approx how long untill ur tummy "goes down" i still look about 4 months pg, im assuming its still swollen.? #3 Did you experience swelling in ur feet and legs/ankles after the surgery? i didnt have any swelling during the pg, then on friday it started and has been like ballons (feet /ankles) all weekend.
Over all i think im doing pretty well, im up moving around, just sore and have times when my tummy just hurts- this is normal right?? Thanks in advance

 

#1 I can't remember, sometime in the blur before the first check-up at 6 weeks pp.
#2 It takes awhile for your uterus to return to it's normal size...again, can't remember, I am helpful aren't I?
#3 Yes, I had lots of swelling, most came(I think!) from the enormous amounts of IV fluids that they gave me before, during, and after the birth. I think as you start getting up more it all gravitates toward your feet, hence the giganto calves, feet, and ankles, aka cankles.
You are going to be sore for quite awhile.:hug99:

This post might be better off in the First Year forum, would you like to move it? Everyone there has BTDT!

 

Yes plz double to the fy forum for me :0 thx

 

I had all my kids by c-section
#1 --I think it takes a good month for the incision to heal pretty well, I had a lot of pain with my second birth because of scarring and I picked up the twins a lot and possibly ripped my stitches a little
#2-it takes quite awhile for your stomach to go down, and than it probably won't go back to the way it was without some exercise and diet
#3-I did not swell at all with my pregnancies but swelled really back in the ankes after I had the twins, it goes away...

it will get better in another week or so

 

The feet/legs swelling - with my son I actually ruined a pair of shoes! Yes - it is normal to have LOADS of swelling after a c-section.

With my second c-section I had the same kind of incision you have - it took four months to heal. I went back to work at 10 weeks and my insision was still open.

Angel

 

#1 - I really don't remember, I think I was pretty sore for about 3-4 weeks afterwards, then it really started to subside.

#2 - I think about 8 weeks and I could squeeze into pre - preg clothes, and at about 3-4 months I could comfortably fit in most of them. The belly goes down pretty fast though, at 2 weeks PP, I went to a 4th of July BBQ, and looking at pics, I looked A LOT better then I did even 1 week PP.

#3 - Yes! They told me the swelling would get worse before it got better. They told me caffiene helps, lots of it! Not sure if your Bf'ing, but I couldn't so caffeine intake wasn't a problem.

 

#1 Incision was healed by the first doctors visit.
#2 Tummy was swollen for a couple of months and I am still trying to work the loose skin into being tighter like before....I think I will always have a tummy after the boys. Part of it now is the swollen uterus.
#3 I did not swell to much until the day of my inducement....preeclampsia.....I was swollen for about a month in the ankles and feet.

You are going to hurt; your body has been through a major shock. Try to take it easy. Do not make the mistake I did and get up and do to much. I paid the price with pain in the vaginal area for about six months after their birth because my MIL sent my mom home and she stayed for two weeks to help. The only problem is she did not help at night. My DH had started a new teaching job and so he needed sleep at night and my mom was helping me at night ( she basically lived with us for 3 months and saw my dad on weekends) when my MIL came she did not get up with me at night and I was up and down every 2 hours feeding babies. It was hard on me and them. I eventually had an emotional and physical breakdown. I was SOOOO happy to see my mom come back up when they left. So, really let others help you while you heal.

 

Hi,
The incision did not take long at all to heal. My stomach was down to almost normal size at 7 weeks, just some loose skin, nothing bad though. My feet were so swollen after the c-section I had to wear flip flops for at least 2 weeks after. I did not fit in any normal shoes or socks.

 

My doc left the staples in until 1 week after the surgery.... The incision itself was pretty much healed from that point on.... I mean I was careful with it, didn't let my dd bounce on my belly for a long time.... It probably ached most severely for the first 2 weeks..then it got significantly better. As far as my tummy....it took me 2 years to get back to pre-pg...but part of that was b/c I was nursing, and I just can't lose weight while I'm nursing. Swelling.. I had a little bit at the hospital but it was pretty much gone by the time I got home... I'd try to keep your feet up as much as possible...

 

My feet were soooo big afterwards, I could not even fit in my shoes. That took a good week to go away. I also had a suture closing and it took about 1 month to heal. My belly is finally back where it was before I was pregnant and my babies are a little over 3 1/2 months. Good Luck!

 

Hope you heal well soon! :hug99: It is not easy, I know, I have done it twice. I think it's about 6-8 weeks total for healing, but I always noticed a difference at about 3 weeks. The pain for me this time subsided much quicker than my first c-section because I moved around a lot but I was careful about not doing too many things that would cause me more problems.

 

What a trooper to give both vaginally AND c-section! I didn't experience any post-surgery swelling, but I know it took a while for my tummy to go back down. In fact, I'm still waiting for it to return to normal!

My incision was completely healed by 6 weeks.

 

First of all...CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR TWINS!!!!

Answers to questions:

1. It took a long time for my insicion to heal because I also had the same kind of closing you did but unfortunately, there was a small opening that didn't heal well and I ended up with a trip to ER and eventually back to my obgyn but it finally healed after about a month or so.

2. Don't remember exactly but it took me I would say at least a few of months before I was down to just looking overweight and not pg anymore. But everyone's body is different. If you are/were an avid exerciser or if you generally have always had a good metabolism and you are eating right, your body will probably bounce back quicker.

3. Same exact thing happened with me with the swelling. I had absolutely NO swelling ever during my pregnancy and then after I gave birth, they blew up like freakin balloons. It was AWEFUL!!!! They said it was from all the iv and pain killer meds. I had to wear slippers everywhere I went...even to the Dr.!!! The swelling didn't go down for about a month. It really sucked and was probably one of the worst parts of my recovery (other than the insicion and problems with that)

 

#1 I will be at 6 week post partum this Friday, and I'd say the incision felt healed at about the 4 week mark...I had staples removed after the first week, then had steri-strips that stayed for a while...incision feels fine now, and is barely visible (not that I'll be showing off that area! )
#2 My tummy is still not "down" completely, but I think I'm mostly just skin and some fat buildup at this point...am feeling like I could start doing some crunches this week...I dont' really "stick out" of my shirts anymore, and can wear some normal shirts in bigger sizes, as opposed to the maternity clothes.
#3 I had bad swelling at the end of my pregnancy, and also after...I think it actually got WORSE after I had them and took a week or two to go away...just keep drinking fluids and keep your feet up, especially when you sleep...that helped!