The key to recovering faster after a c-section is good post-partum care. So do not allow healing to take a backseat just because you have a baby to attend to. Here is what you can do to recover sooner and gain strength after a c-section:
Take Your Pain Medications
This is something most women tend to ignore. They discontinue pain medications too early. This ends up more pain and discomfort. Taking medications only when the pain occurs will become a cycle. The idea is to take them until the time prescribed. Let your doctor decide when you can go medication free.
Pamper and Care your Body to recover faster after c-section
The more you care for your body, the sooner it will heal. So take the following precautions and recover faster:
– Avoid stairs as far as possible.
– DO NOT lift anything heavier than your baby.
– Hold your abdomen while coughing or sneezing. This will protect the stitches/incision.
– Do not exercise, go back to work or drive before 8 weeks after the surgery. Speak to your doctor about when it is fine to get back to routine.
– Wait to have sex or using tampons until the doctor says it is right to do so.
Seek Help for Household Tasks
Learn to take things easy. It is true that you need to care for your baby and the household cannot be ignored. However, your body needs time to heal too. If possible, get some help with household jobs. This way, you won’t get exhausted and your body will recover sooner.
Seek Emotional Support
Whether it is C-section or vaginal birth, new moms require emotional support. The body goes through a lot during birth, which makes women physically and emotionally drained. Post-partum depression might take a toll on your physical and mental health. Why suffer in silence? Seek out assistance through an online or in-person support group. These days, you will find many such groups available to support new moms. You may also talk to a friend about your feelings. Making yourself a priority is not a sin. In fact, this is important to make yourself a priority to be able to feel good and care for your baby in a better way.
Get Ample Nutrition
To recover faster after C-section, you must focus on having a healthy diet. This is important for faster recovery of tissues that went through trauma during surgery. Mothers are prone to constipation after a Caesarean. So make sure you add loads of liquid to your diet (water, healthy juices, milk, and soup) and continue with the prenatal supplements. Also, include a high fiber diet comprising of vegetables and fruits. Consult your doctor for taking stool softeners, if required.
Foods rich in vitamin C, antioxidants, and proteins help to repair the tissues and gain strength quickly.
Incision Care
This is an important part of the recovery process. Always keep the area dry. In case, you observe redness or sharp pain, call the doctor. These are symptoms of infection. You may also apply powder or some medicinal cream on the area after the bath as prescribed by the doctor. To reduce the pain in the area, ask for massage techniques from your doc, which will also improve healing and relief in the abdominal muscles.
Move Out of Bed
This might sound crazy but getting up as soon as you can and moving around is the key to recover faster after C-section. Walking slowly and steadily will help you feel better physically. In addition, you will feel stronger emotionally. Initially, take the help of someone to move out of bed, as you might not be able to do on your own. Take shorter trips to the bathroom. Also, consider walking around the floor in the hospital. The idea is to move as far as you can to build up the required strength.
