# C-section recovery. Please be honest. Who followed advice re lifting/ driving etc



## KayCee114

I had my csection nearly 4 weeks ago and I'm really wanting to get back to normal.

My insurance company have said they are fine with me driving as long as my doctor has said it's ok for me to do so. 
I'm just wondering if anyone followed the hospital advice of not driving for 6 weeks despite feeling ok and able to drive?
Is the advice there because they don't expect you to feel up to driving within that time or because you could damage yourself by driving before that time.

Also, with regards to lifting (sort of ties in with the driving thing for lifting the carseat and pram in and out of the car)

I was told not to lift anything heavier than my baby for 'a few weeks'. From day one, I was already lifting 2-3lb more than an average size baby, and last week she weighed 11lb 9 at less than 3 weeks old.
So adding the weight of the car seat, and having to lift it into the car which would mean being off balance a bit with having to lean forwards whilst lifting.

My questions are...
Did everyone follow the advice, and if not did you have any problems?

How long did you wait before driving and also lifting your LO's in their car seat?

If you waited the 6 weeks before driving, was this because you were still too uncomfortable / in pain to drive or just because you had been advised to?

My hubby goes back to work tomorrow and I'm looking forward to being able to go out place with Grace and also meet hubby for lunch some days.

Hope that all makes sense. I think I have babbled a bit!

Thanks in advance!

Xxx


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## pa2k84

afraid i don't have an answer for you but i will be watching the thread as am in same position. OH back to work tomorrow and think i will go mad stuck at home for another 4 weeks. Live out in country so nothing here and buses very minimal


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## babydevil1989

I followed the advice on driving and lifting but only because i hurt jus lifting toby so knew i couldnt handle driving or anything. i think it is up to u if u feel ok have a go but start slow and build the weight up dont go straight for the car seat. i didnt go out for 6 weeks but mainly because of the weather (in november!) but its up to u no one can tell u otherwise hth xxxx


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## PitBullMommy

I didn't really follow any of the precautions. I felt GREAT when I left the hospital. Then I went to have my staples out and the wound hadn't healed and I ended up with a VAC attached to me for weeks. LITERALLY. It sucked (no pun intended). I would follow advice, just to be on the safe side.


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## Scally

I didnt follow the driving advice, i was driving again at 4 weeks as it felt fine. The lifting of the car seat with her in it was soooo heavy, i didnt do that for ages after.


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## kermie219

I drove for the 1st time Friday, as for lifting I do tend to be careful only because it aches by the evening time and bleeding gets heavier when I do too much. I do lift her in her seat though but always pay for it later with heavier bleeding and lifting the pram does hurt a bit so only done that once or twice. Just be careful if it hurts don't do it! but do be careful and be prepared that it may not hurt at the time but it could be quite painful later that day....


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## twinklestar

i drove at 4 weeks with the doctors say so, i couldnt lift the carseat without pain though so put that in the car first and then carried him to it after, problem solved

i also did some hoovering bending, lifting etc at 2 weeks as i felt fine, i knew about it if i did far to much though and it would put me back a few days so i didnt get back to my normal cleaning routine till 6 weeks

x


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## velvetina

I drove at about 3 weeks after checking with ins company. My scar was fine, sore yes but was for weeks on end par for the course I guessed and I have a hernia on top of that so was cautious. I only went local, taking my son to nursery and supermarket. I put the car seat on my pram chassis to walk my son into nursery but did lift it in and out car, light compared to my 3 year old.

Just take it easy hun and do what feels right for you . x


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## shaunanicole

Ok so to answer your questions...

Did everyone follow the advice, and if not did you have any problems?
I did not follow the advice of the doctor that pertained to me not lifting anything heavier then the baby or walking up stairs. My first night home I went up the stairs because I live in a two story and me and the baby's room is upstairs. I did limit myself to that though and slept on the couch and kept the baby next to me for a week but it was pure hell. When my mom and stepdad woke up in the morning for work they would wake me and the baby up. So I put up with it for a week and then I was done with it. I did have really sharp pains a few weeks later but my OBGYN said it was my uterus healing. :shrug: I also had really horrible back pains for about 2 months because I wasn't taking things slow.

How long did you wait before driving and also lifting your LO's in their car seat?
I waited to drive because I am not a good driver as is and I didn't want to take the risk of it. But I did lift the baby's car seat because I am a single mother and sadly I don't have a strong man to help me lift the car seat or carry the diaper bag. 

If you waited the 6 weeks before driving, was this because you were still too uncomfortable / in pain to drive or just because you had been advised to?
Like I had said, I am a really bad driver, and I did not want to take the risk. Especially with the baby in the car.

Hope you have a fast recovery hunny. :hugs:


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## Foogirl

I was told 4-6 weeks for driving and drove at 4 weeks.

The lifting thing was easier for me to avoid as Abby wasn't home with us for 6weeks, and was only 6lbs at that point so that wasn't considered "heavy lifting":haha:

I did take the advice not to do housework, gardening or heavy lifting for 12 weeks very seriously. After all, how often do you get to have an excuse not to lift a finger for 3 months. :happydance:

I think it comes down to how you feel in yourself. I was really quite fragile for a good while after my C-section. I could barely get out of bed or walk for a couple of weeks. When I spoke to my doctor about driving, he said "as long as you feel up to it, could you do an emergency stop" and I thought I could so I drove. Even at 3 months, too much movement or lifting etc left me quite twingy and achy. But some women are up and about a lot quicker and as long as you remember you have to allow your insides to heal too, you could pretty much go at your own pace I reckon.


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## jolou

my section was 3 weeks ago and i feel i could drive next week but my OH doesnt want me to because i did too much the first week home and set myself back by about a week. he wants me to wait an extra week or if i can until i see my doc for 6 week check up. with my first c-section i was driving by 4 weeks after speaking to my HV.

As for lifting the whole reason i set myself back in recovery was because i lifted the car seat with LO in it, so now i am doing as i am told. only lifting something as heavy as LO if possible, which it has been atm and i only have a few weeks left.


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## ellie27

I was not given any advice on what to do/not do etc after my c-section.

I done things when I felt comfortable.

I did have a very postive c-section experience and was out of the hospital bed, walking around and in the shower within 12hrs of having Anna and got out of hospital within 24hrs too.

I felt comfortable going up/downstairs so was doing that several times a day when we got home.

I was up/down on my knees plenty of times a day changing Anna on the floor.

I started driving around 4wks and was lifting the carseat/pram etc then too. I checked with my insurer re driving and they said when I felt comfortable.

So, given no advice I done things as above and felt comfortable. I have not felt pain etc after doing anything :flower:


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## Freyasmum

I had a pretty easy recovery from my section. I was driving (with clearance from mw) after 2 weeks - although felt I would have been fine even earlier. I was told that the concern over driving is if you have to make an emergency stop. You have to be comfortable that, should the need arise, you will be able to just slam on the brake, without hesitating. To prove I was OK I stamped my foot a few times, and jumped up and down! :rofl:

With regard to lifting, I did try to limit that to things not too much heavier than baby, or else I was very careful about how I lifted. I think it's more the motion of lifting, rather than the actual carrying that causes problems. Basically, if it hurt even a little then I didn't do it.

Just make sure you listen to what your body is telling you.


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## Marleysgirl

My insurance company also told me that they were okay with me driving so long as my GP said I was okay ... But my c/section didn't heal correctly, so I didn't actually receive the all-clear until 6 weeks. Baby was in SCBU during that time, so I wasn't having to lift him - but I really could have done with driving even if uncomfortable, as getting the train & bus was awful.


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## Quartz

I think listen to your body it will tell you what you can and cant do. In the first 4-6 weeks after my c section if I did anything I would get heavy bleeding straight after so rested afterwards.


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## chele

I followed the advise on driving and didn't for six weeks. As we live on the third floor with no lift my mum/DH did all the lifting of the car seat etc
I do it all now but can feel the car seat pulling on my scar


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## Heavencanwait

I had a C section, and initially I felt well when I bought DD home from hospital, and couldnt understand why everyone kept commenting how surprised they were that I was up and about so soon. What I didnt realise was that as the first couple of weeks passed, I was overdoing it by trying to stay on top of housework and generally doing too much. This left me physically and emotionally drained each evening and I was in a mess after a couple of weeks. I really struggled with having a baby in the house and having my life turned upside down, and the fact that I was wearing myself out was not helping my state of mind. Then about 7 weeks later I lifted a heavy load of laundry and really set myself back. I had alot of pain and soreness, and at 11 weeks I am still not completely better. I actually went shopping this weekend and after carrying a few bags of new clothes and shoes around the shops for a couple of hours, my scar is sore and swollen again. So be careful that you dont underestimate how long your body will need to heal. Rest helps the body to heal itself, and with a new born baby, rest is the last thing we usually get. 
I didnt drive before 6 weeks. Instead I just walked the pram around to get out of the house. And the girls in my antenatal group came and picked me up if we were meeting in town for a coffee morning.


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## vegasbaby

I live in the US and they told me no driving for the first two weeks, but I did have to drive somewhere about 12 days after and felt fine. It took me several more weeks to feel well enough to put baby and carseat into the car. Just too much bending and twisting to feel comfortable. I also tried not to lift anything too heavy for the first six weeks as advised, but I did do a bit of housecleaning. I would have thought DH would have pitched in when he saw the house was getting dirty, but oh no. Guess he thought everyone got six weeks off from cleaning duties. Even though I did do more than what was recommended I did it all gradually and if it hurt I stopped. I had read a lot of comments from people who didn't follow the guidelines and really hurt themselves. With a new baby to take care of I knew I couldn't risk it. So take it easy and only do things when you feel confident that you can do it without harm.


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## jodi_19

Did everyone follow the advice, and if not did you have any problems?

I didn't follow the advice as closely as they advise but I didn't have any issues because of it.

How long did you wait before driving and also lifting your LO's in their car seat?

My OH works away and left to go back when DD was 10 days old. I started driving then, but honestly I think I probaby felt up to it at around 5 days after my section. My doc never mentioned anything about driving when I left the hospital. I tried not to go out too much to avoid lifting the carseat, but if I had to go Somewhere I did. I was really careful about it, but probably shouldn't have been doing it. My recovery was pretty straight forward and didn't take a full 6 weeks. I was pretty much feeling back to normal after 2 or 3 weeks!


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## angelstardust

My C section with DS2, I couldn't do much for 6 weeks anyway. 

With Amber I was driving after 2 weeks, having to carry a 4 year old (he is disabled and falls a lot), run around after 2 boys and a baby. Felt fine. 

It really does depend on how you feel, stop if it hurts co sit usually means it will hurt more later on. 

I've never heard that you shouldn't walk up stairs? I'd be screwed, no loo down stairs!


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## dogmom

I was driving as soon as I got out of the hospital. I have no idea why we're not supposed to drive for 6 weeks but I assume it's because of the pain meds, and maybe also because the lap part of the seatbelt would dig into your incision if you braked hard. But letting my husband drive would stress me out more  so I just went ahead and drove and it was never a problem. I was only taking Motrin at the time though, and if you're on something heavier then it might impair your driving. 

As far as the car seat goes, why not just leave it in the car and carry the baby back and forth? I was lifting LO in his car seat at 4 weeks post surgery but if you don't feel comfortable then I would wait until your 6 week checkup. Everyone heals at their own pace.


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## Lazy Leo

I was driving again after 4 weeks. I was given the same advice as the OP from my insurance company. I didn't go to the GP though as the mw and health visitor had been very happy with my progress. I think it was nearer 7 weeks though before I could put the car seat and baby into the car together. It was just way too heavy. I was sorting washing etc at 2 weeks, but I would sort it on the counter top and just bend to put it in the machine. 

Each of us is different and will have different pain thresholds, and healing times. I think its really important to trust your body and listen to it - you'll know when you are overstepping the mark. I remember the one thing that really caused me pain was getting out of bed too quickly (or trying to!!!) one morning. It wasn't the bending or lifting!!!


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## Alias

I'm 6 weeks out from my section on Wednesday, and I haven't driven yet. I took that one seriously only because of the insurance implications - I called my insurance company and they said I had to have a GP note to drive before 6 weeks. I was rather sick for about 2 weeks after the section (major blood loss, anemic, 2 infections) so I don't think she would have given me one. I am looking forward to being able to drive, and not relying on people for lifts!

In the last week or so I have been lifting LO and car seat into cars, but she's also still under 8lbs (5lb6 at birth) so she's not as heavy as some. No one said anything about stairs, and I've been up and down them since a a day or two after birth. Otherwise I think the heaviest thing I've lifted is a load of laundry, and even that I get others to do if I can. I haven't done much housework otherwise. DH has been great at keeping the place ticking over!


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