C-Section Recover: 13 Great Tips

Writer Julie Revelant, a health journalist, interviewed Marianne Ryan PT in an article for FOXNEWS.com that gives 13 tips to use when recovering from a C-Section Delivery. Here is the outline of the tips:

1. Take your prescribed painkillers.
2. Take probiotics.

3. Learn how to care for the incision.
 Ask your provider about massage techniques which can help decrease the pain, improve healing and encourage the abdominal muscles to work more efficiently, said Marianne Ryan, a physical therapist in New York City and author of “Baby Bod: Turn Flab to Fab in 12 Weeks Flat.”
4. Start walking.
 As soon as your doctor gives you the green light, you should get out of bed with help.
5. Eat right.  Nutrition is also very important for healing. Focus on eating foods that are anti-inflammatory and have vitamin C, like berries, kale and broccoli.
6. Combat constipation. Try a toilet stool or prop up your feet on yoga blocks which will straighten the colorectal angle, instead of cramping it so your bowel movements will be easier, Ryan said.
7. Breastfeed with support.
 Try propping the baby up on a nursing pillow.
8. Forget the abdominal binder.
 After a C-section, you’ll be given an abdominal binder which provides sustained compression meant to help ease the pain. Yet these binders take over the work of the abdominal muscles which will make them weaker over time, Ryan said. A binder can also put pressure on the pelvic organs and increase the risk for urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. Instead, look for a graduated compression undergarment that will ease the pain and swelling without causing other problems. (Look for an example at the end of the article summary.)
9. Don’t lift anything heavy.
 Try not to lift anything heavier than your newborn baby for the first few weeks. You can then increase your activity as long as you don’t have any pain. If possible, have someone bring your baby to you and prop the baby up on pillows or a nursing pillow for feedings.
10. Avoid crunches. Doing crunches too early, can work against healing and can cause injuries.
11. Ease back into sex. Women who give birth via cesarean section are about twice as likely to experience painful intercourse.Not only can pregnancy put stress on the muscles of the pelvis, but scar tissue from the incision can reduce the mobility of the pelvic organs, which can cause muscle spasms and pain, Ryan said.To prevent painful sex, devote plenty of time to foreplay and use a lubricant. A pelvic floor massage wand can desensitize painful spots too. If pain persists however, seek treatment from a women’s health physical therapist.
12. Ask for help.
 Although you need to care for your baby, realize that your body needs to heal too. If you don’t get help, you’ll be exhausted and it will take your body longer to recover.
13. Get emotional support. Don’t suffer in silence. Seek out an online or in-person support group for new moms.

Here is the link to the full article: Click Here Comment by Marianne: The postpartum abdominal band I recommend is made out of graduated compression and should not fit as tight as shapewear garments.

If you find that the abdominal band is uncomfortable against your incision try placing a sanitary napkin against your scar with the sticky side facing outwards and attached to the garment.