If you have had a cesarean birth, you may be looking for the best way to navigate your C-section recovery to optimize healing.
As a c-section mama, you have been through major abdominal surgery to give birth to your beautiful baby. You are back in your own home and the hospital staff left with you with little to no guidance on how to properly heal your body.
I get it, mama.
Recovery from a cesarean birth is no joke. The pain from the incision, paired with sleep deprivation, figuring out breast- or bottle-feeding, and possible other pain (nipples, perineum, muscles) can be a lot!
Especially those first 2-4 weeks, you are going to need all the rest and nourishment you can have to properly heal. Give your body time and you will feel like yourself again sooner than you think.
I have put a lot of thought into my c-section recovery. Beyond basic incision care, your medical team may not have helped you much on the road to recovery, so it is important to create a solid plan for a holistic recovery.
Below are my top 6 tips that helped me recover effectively and had me “back to normal” 4 months postpartum. Please note that healing will take time and everyone’s journey will look different.
This page contains affiliate links, and I may earn a commission if you use them, at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
1. Rest
I know you might want to rush back into all the things – family visits, Target runs, exercise, cleaning, and of course lifting that adorable new family member of yours! But in those first weeks post-delivery, it is very important to properly and fully rest.
Rest does not always have to be full-on sleep. Rest could look like sitting or lying horizontally, with or without your baby. Enlist the help of your partner, family members, or friends to run errands and help with household chores. Paid help can also be helpful if you can afford it. This could be a cleaner or postpartum doula or meal delivery service.
Rest is also important to process your birth experience and to allow for emotional healing. Whether the c-section was planned or unplanned, you have accomplished a monumental feat! And you deserve to fully savor the beauty of being a mother without stressing about work, chores, and errands.
2. Breathe
Correct breathing in those early days post-c-section is crucial for your recovery. By breathing deeply into your belly, you will engage your transabdominal muscles and literally “knit” your midline back together.
Breathwork is important to relearn proper engagement of your abdominal muscles and ribcage mechanics. It can be as easy as sitting in a cross-legged seat and breathing for a few minutes a day. To engage your transabdominal muscles, inhale deeply into your belly and exhale completely, while hugging your belly button towards your spine. You can find a helpful step-by-step tutorial video on YouTube.
3. Eat Your Collagen
Did you know that collagen can increase the strength and elasticity of your body’s tissues, and consequently help with scar healing? Your skin, muscles, bones, and connective tissues rely on this vital source of structure, support, and strength.
Try eating lots of animal protein (fatty fish, red meat, chicken, bone broth, or algae) postpartum to help the layers of tissue that have been cut heal properly.
You can also take a supplement such as a powder or a pill to increase your collagen intake. I have liked using this collagen powder in my protein shakes and smoothies as it is tasteless. In addition, I started taking these collagen supplements when I was 38 weeks pregnant and until 6 weeks postpartum.
4. Use Homeopathy for C-Section Recovery
Cesarean birth is painful. It is important to manage pain, so you can be fully committed to taking care of your baby and to feel relaxed enough to establish breastfeeding if that is a priority to you. The hospital will likely leave you with copious amounts of pain relief such as Tylenol or Motrin (or a combination of both!). I have taken a combination of both while in the hospital and Motrin for up to 2 weeks postpartum in declining quantities.
I have found homeopathy to be helpful in managing my pain, and it has significantly reduced my reliance on pain medication. For those looking to try it out, arnica is a great remedy to start with as it can alleviate various types of pain. I have also been obsessed with this homeopathic childbirth kit, which offers a variety of homeopathic remedies relating to pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum. It includes a booklet with suggestions for usage, which is essential if, like me, you are not a trained homeopath.
Homeopathy has helped me reduce pain from the incision as well as breastfeeding pain.
5. Massage Your Scar
Scar massage is crucial to good c-section recovery. It can help keep your scar tissue soft and prevent it from sticking to the underlying tissues.
Scar massage does not have to be complicated. As soon as you feel ready, you can start massaging around the scar and then later on directly on the scar. Work up to 5 minutes daily, as many times a day as you would like.
- 0-2 weeks: best to leave the scar alone to allow healing.
- 2-6 weeks: you can start light massage around the scar to help mobilize it
- 6 weeks onwards: you can massage directly on the scar with a massage oil and increase intensity as you wish
Any oil can be used for scar massage but an oil with ingredients such as arnica or CBD can help with pain relief and healing. I have really liked this scar trauma oil as well as this arnica hemp salve (which doubles as an awesome nipple balm!).
6. Strengthen Your Muscles
The single most important thing I did to recover from my c-section was strength training as early as possible. In the first few weeks, “strength” training will look very different from what it was like before birth. Simple sitting and breathing will likely take a lot of effort. Yet, this is a great way to start knitting the abdominal wall back together and priming your midline for more exercise.
At the 2-week postpartum mark, I started taking short walks (with baby in her Sollybaby wrap.). I worked my way up from 10 minutes to 30 minutes by 2 months postpartum. Walking can help strengthen and tone abdominal muscles and can get you used to moderate cardiovascular exercise again
After I was cleared to resume exercise at my 6-week postpartum appointment, I started light bodyweight training to retrain my muscles. Before attempting any workout, make sure you are physically able to do so and don’t overdo it. If you, for example, have diastasis recti, your recovery will focus on healing the diastasis first, before resuming any regular workout routine.
At 10 weeks, I felt strong enough to start weight training with VERY light weights (5-10 lbs max). It is important to take it very easy and to focus on proper form before loading up on the weights. Your body has been through a major transformation and things such as balance and posture have changed during pregnancy and postpartum, so it is important to retrain correct movement patterns before training with higher weights. I used our Tonal to re-assess my strength and adjust my weights accordingly.
The Bliss of Full Recovery
At roughly 16 weeks postpartum I finally felt like myself again. I could use my abs to get up out of bed (the bliss, no more ninja rolling to the side!) and finally felt comfortable touching my scar and laying on my belly again. At that point, I could even do a 30-second plank again, wohoo!
I attribute my quick and full recovery to taking good care of myself through rest, internal and external incision care, and a careful but early return to strength training. The key is not to rush back into things too early and to really try to heal from the inside (muscles, tissues) out. I hope you got inspired on your way to recovery and wish you the best of luck!
