What to expect following a caesarean birth

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After your caesarean birth

What to expect following a caesarean birth

In the ward & hospital-supported care

Moving to the ward

You will be moved from the recovery room to the ward within a couple of hours of your baby being born depending on how you are.

First few hours in the ward

Once you are on the ward, you will be expected to observe the visiting hours. It may be useful to inform your visitors that the policy on visiting is there to help with your recovery.
You will also have a catheter put into your bladder (whilst you are in theatre). This is to allow urine to drain out easily whilst you are unable to move or get out of bed.
The midwives will offer you analgesia once back on the post-natal ward. Please take this on a regular basis to help you to move around.
Your drips and catheter will be removed as soon as you are able to eat and drink and you are mobile.

Catheter removal

Typically, the bladder function returns in a few hours. Your catheter will usually be removed after 12 hours, once you are able to walk around. There may be some pain/discomfort when weeing (or when bladder is full) as you recover from the caesarean. Sometimes the bladder needs to rest more and you may need another catheter. You may need to go home with this for a few days.

Wound dressing

You will be advised to leave your dressing on for at least 24 hours.

The midwife will check your wound daily.

If your wound had spots of blood, your midwife might call a doctor to look at it and change the dressing.

Length of time in hospital

Your length of hospital stay is likely to be longer after caesarean birth than after a vaginal birth.

Many women will go home approximately 24 hours after a planned caesarean however some will stay longer.

Prepare for your total hospital stay to be about 4 days.

Blood thinning medication

You will have an assessment of your risk of clots in your legs and lungs (deep vein thrombosis/pulmonary embolism) at the time of your caesarean.

Many women will be offered blood thinning injections to reduce this risk. These can be taken at home for 10 days – 6 weeks.

In addition, keeping active with good hydration decreases the chance to develop clots.

Feeding your baby

Both breastfeeding and formula feeding can be supported around the time of birth.

In theatre you or your birth partner may wish to have skin to skin.

Lifestyle & self-management

Pain

You will experience pain after your caesarean. This will improve over time.

Most women experience some discomfort for the first few days after a caesarean, and for some women the pain can last several weeks. Each woman is different but pain should begin to get better by 2 weeks, although your cut is likely to remain tender for longer than this.

You should make sure you have regular painkillers to take at home for as long as you need them, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen.

Aspirin and the stronger painkiller dihydrocodeine is not usually recommended if you're breastfeeding. Some over-the-counter medicines contain codeine, such as co-codamol, which should not be taken while breastfeeding. Your midwife, GP or pharmacist will be able to advise you on the most suitable painkiller for you to take.

Food and Drink

You will be able to eat and drink soon after birth once you feel up to it.

Exercise and heavy lifting

We would advise no heavy lifting for 4-6 weeks. Your body needs time to heal. You should be guided by your body in terms of exercise it may be best to wait 6 weeks to resume high-impact exercise. Try to stay mobile and do gentle activities, such as going for a daily walk, while you're recovering to reduce the risk of blood clots. Be careful not to overexert yourself.

You should be able to hold and carry your baby once you get home. But you may not be able to do some activities straight away, such as:

driving
exercising
carrying anything heavier than your baby

Only start to do these things again when you feel able to do so and do not find them uncomfortable. This may not be for 6 weeks or so. Ask your midwife for advice if you're unsure when it's safe to start returning to your normal activities.

Sexual Activity

You should be guided by your body in terms of when you are ready to resume sexual activity

Driving

You will be advised not to drive until you can do an emergency stop. This is often 4-6 weeks, but may be sooner. You are advised to contact your insurance company.