Recovery in the hospital

After a C-section, most mothers and babies stay in the hospital for 4-5 days.

Soon after the C-section, you'll be encouraged to walk — with assistance. Getting up and moving around can speed your recovery and help prevent constipation and potentially dangerous blood clots. The catheter and IVs will likely be removed within 12 to 24 hours of the C-section.

While you're in the hospital, your health care team will monitor your incision for signs of infection. They'll also monitor your appetite, fluid intake, and bladder and bowel function.

Breast-feeding after a C-section

IVs and discomfort near the incision can make breast-feeding somewhat awkward. With help, however, you'll be able to start breast-feeding soon after the C-section. Ask your nurse or the hospital's lactation consultant to teach you how to position yourself and support your baby so that you're comfortable.

Your health care team will select medications for your post-surgical pain with breast-feeding in mind. Continuing to take the medication shouldn't interfere with breast-feeding. In fact, trying to breast-feed when you're in pain may only make the whole process more difficult. If you're in pain, you can't relax — and your baby needs you to be calm and low-key when he or she is learning to breast-feed.

Going home

It usually takes about four to six weeks for a C-section incision to heal. Fatigue and discomfort are likely. While you're recovering:

• Take it easy. Give yourself time to rest. Keep everything that you and your baby might need within reach. Until your six-week checkup, don't lift anything heavier than your baby.
• Support your abdomen. Use good posture when you stand and walk. Hold your abdomen near the incision during sudden movements, such as coughing, sneezing or laughing. Use pillows or rolled up towels for extra support while breast-feeding.
• Limit company. Too many visitors in the first few weeks will keep you from getting the rest you need to recover and care for your baby.
• Drink up. Extra fluids can help replace those lost during delivery and breast-feeding, as well as prevent constipation. Remember to empty your bladder frequently to reduce the risk of urinary tract infections.
• Avoid sex. Many doctors recommend waiting six weeks before resuming intercourse. But don't give up on intimacy. Spend time with your partner, even if it's just a few minutes in the morning or after the baby goes to sleep at night.
• Don't drive. Until you can handle the sudden movements driving might require, let someone else drive. When you think you're ready to drive, practice sudden moves in the driveway to make sure you won't be slowed by discomfort near your incision. Before you drive anywhere with the baby on your own, make sure you can comfortably manage the baby's car seat or infant carrier.
• Take medication as needed. Your doctor may recommend acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) to relieve pain. If you're constipated or bowel movements are painful, your doctor may recommend an over-the-counter stool softener or a mild laxative, such as milk of magnesia.
• Know when to contact your doctor. Promptly report any signs of infection — such as severe pain in your abdomen; redness, swelling and discharge at your incision site; or flu-like symptoms accompanied by pain in one breast — to your doctor. Postpartum depression may be a concern as well. If your mood is consistently low, you find little joy in life or you have trouble summoning the energy to start a new day, seek help promptly.

If you're disappointed that you had a C-section rather than a vaginal birth, remind yourself that your health and your baby's health are more important than the method of delivery. Although it takes longer to recover from a C-section than from a vaginal birth, the end result is the same — and the adventure of caring for your baby is likely to overshadow it all.