Tips for Cesarean Section Recovery | Pregnancy, Motherhood & Beyond

When my water broke during my first pregnancy we waited a few hours for contractions to start, then when it seemed that nothing was happening we called our local hospital and were advised to come in to see if anything was happening. When we arrived, we were shocked to discover that our little boy who had been head down at my last appointment, was now breech {bottom down, and since my water had broken there wasn’t enough amniotic fluid to try an external version to flip him}, and we would be heading in for a cesarean section. This wasn’t how I planned on his birth going, but in both my own birth experiences, and my work as a doula, I have learned that one must be flexible when it comes to birth.

Here are some tips that may help you through your own cesarean section recovery:

1. Accept all help that is offered.

As a momma who has a newborn AND just had a major abdominal surgery, this is not the time to let your pride rule your life. If someone offers help, take them up on it. {Extend this practice into your whole life, if someone ever offers to help you, take it!! They shouldn’t have asked if they didn’t want to follow through!} If you have trouble asking for help, make a laminated list of tasks that need to be done (this could include housekeeping, food prep, errands that need to be done, etc.), and then have people check off the items as they are done. Each week you can wipe off the checkmarks and then have people start fresh on the list again.

Allowing people to help you after your cesarean section means that you will be able to get more rest. More rest means quicker healing, a lower risk of a postpartum mood disorder, a better start to your breastfeeding relationship because you can focus on baby, and more cuddle time with your new family member.

2. Remember that you lost a lot of blood.

During a c-section you lose almost a quart of blood, and sometimes more if you have a hemorrhage. Even if you have a good blood iron level before your surgery, you will have to deal with this stress of blood loss on your body. You may want to talk to your provider about an iron supplement. Floradix is a plant based, liquid iron that is easily absorbed into the body and doesn’t cause constipation like many over-the-counter or prescription iron supplements can.

You will need rest and good nutrition to help get your levels back to normal. Foods that you can eat to help raise your levels naturally include:

Dark leafy greens: kale, spinach, swiss chard, broccoli, etc.
Red meats: venison, beef, bison, etc.
Liver: both chicken and beef

When you have foods that contain iron, you will also want to include foods that are high in vitamin C to help assist in absorption. Foods that are high in vitamin C include:

Colored peppers
Tomatoes
Citrus fruits
Strawberries

3. Make it a priority to nourish your body with healthy foods.

After your c-section you are not only recovering from major surgery, but also from pregnancy and the nutrient depletion that it cause, plus trying to build a good milk supply. All of these things require your body’s energy, and you can help or hinder your energy with what foods that you eat.

What should you include in your postpartum meals? Build your meals using:

Healthy carbs: sweet potatoes, brown rice, quinoa, sprouted grain breads, honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar, raw cane sugar. Avoid white processed flours, white sugar, white bread, and processed snacks. The white processed carbs can cause inflammation which can slow your healing process.
Protein: chicken, fish, beef, venison, liver, protein powder, dairy, and nuts are all good protein options. Protein helps your muscles that were affected in the surgery to heal quicker.
Healthy fats: avocado oil, coconut oil, olive oil, butter, flax oil, and grapeseed oil are all healthier options than vegetable and canola oils.
Vegetables add fiber, vitamins, and color to your meals. Try to include dark leafy greens at each meal if you are trying to rebuild your iron stores.
Fruits make a delicious and healthy after meal dessert. You can also incorporate them into your meals (fruit salads and smoothies) and snacks (dip apple or banana slices into nut butter.

4. Other Tips for Cesarean Section Recovery

Here are some other ideas for you that can help your cesarean section recovery to go smoothly:

Use paper products instead of glass dishes.
Hire a housekeeper to come once a week, or every other week to get the deep cleaning done.
Make a laminated list to place on your fridge with a eraseable marker so that relatives and friends can see tasks that need to be done.
Try to schedule out your visitors so that you have help every day for the first few weeks.
Create a postpartum support team before your delivery.
Have a few new and comfy outfits to wear.
Talk with your spouse about your relationship BEFORE baby is born, this can make the first few postpartum weeks so much easier for both of you.
Focus on these weeks with your baby as a newborn, they do truly go quickly, and you will eventually miss these middle of the night wakeup calls.
Check out these other survival tips for the first six weeks postpartum!

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Rebekah Thompson

Rebekah Thompson writes at Surviving Toddlerhood. She has been married for nine years and is momma to four little boys ages eight, five, three, and eight months. She is the author of The First Six Weeks: Thriving Naturally On Your Postpartum Journey and a certified birth doula through DONA International. She enjoys good coffee and tea, dark chocolate, running and learning as much as possible about healthy pregnancy/postpartum and fitness. You can check out her blog at www.survivingtoddlerhood.com

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