In almost any aspect of life it is often said that “experience is a degree”, and in the case of giving birth by cesarean section I think that would also apply. Obviously, you always have to take into account the circumstances surrounding this operation and that can be very different each time, but in general I would say that the second recovery from cesarean section is much more bearable and faster than the first .
As a mother who has given birth by cesarean section on three occasions, I share with you what my experience has been and what differences I have found between the first, second and third recovery.
The recovery after my first cesarean section was very painful and slow
I learned that I would deliver by cesarean section in the middle of the third trimester of my first pregnancy. My baby was breech, and due to a uterine malformation that I have, my gynecologist did not recommend the external cephalic version, so I could only wait for my son to turn around on his own, helping him from the outside with other methods that in my case, they were not effective.
For this reason, I had time to read about caesarean sections, ask other mothers who had gone through the same thing, and prepare myself physically and mentally to face the moment in the best possible way. Even so, living the experience in the first person had nothing to do with what I imagined, and the recovery was very difficult for me.
In addition, until that moment he had never had to undergo surgery, so he was completely unaware of what a postoperative period of such magnitude could entail. All this coupled with inexperience as a new mother and initial breastfeeding and health problems in my baby made the postoperative period of my first cesarean section very slow and painful .
One of the main mistakes I made , and one that I think undoubtedly interfered with my recovery, was not moving . She was so afraid of pain that she preferred to lie down or sit as long as possible, and although it is not advisable to overdo the activity, it is advisable to walk and move in order to promote the elimination of gases, blood circulation, and eliminate retention of fluids and contribute to a speedy recovery.
Recovery from the second cesarean section was much easier
On the other hand, the recovery from my second cesarean section was much faster and more bearable , although no less painful. The postoperative pain is the same – at least in my case – but the way of facing recovery when you already have experience contributes in a very positive way.
So, from the first moment I knew how important it was to walk, take care of postpartum nutrition to avoid gas and constipation that added more discomfort, as well as resort to other types of medication that would help me fight the pain .
And I say this because the first time I barely took any medication out of ignorance and fear that it might interfere with my baby’s breastfeeding. But on that second occasion, the e-lactation website and the support of my doctor trained in breastfeeding were of great help.
The third cesarean section and the happy wrongdoings
When I faced my third cesarean section, deluded of me I thought it would be “sewing and singing” (and never better said), but I am not exaggerating if I say that the first two nights after the operation were the worst of my life , and not precisely because of the pains of the intervention.
And it is that in my third postpartum the painful wrongs made an appearance, something that I had not experienced in the two previous postpartum and that left me totally exhausted.
The wrongs are uterine contractions that take place after childbirth and that help the uterus to involution. Normally, women do not usually perceive them after a first birth, but as the number of children increases, the frequency of mishaps also increases, and they can become very painful in the first 24-48 hours of life.
So to the pain of the operation itself were added the terrible mishaps, a severe anemia that required intravenous iron for several days and three children to take care of, two of them babies. Perhaps all this contributed to the fact that the third recovery from the cesarean section was , in my case, the worst of all.
So, in general, I do believe that although the postoperative pain of cesarean section is more or less similar every time, recovery is easier and more bearable when you already have experience , although logically many other factors may influence.
In any case, it is important to be very clear that cesarean section is a surgery that should only be performed for justified medical reasons . In addition, in the event that the woman knows in advance that she is going to give birth by cesarean section, I recommend that she inform herself in advance about how to face the recovery in the best possible way.
If you have also undergone several cesarean sections, how have your experiences been with recovering from each of them?
Photos | iStock
In Babies and More | Caesarean section scar care: what you need to know, Caesarean section on demand: can the mother request a cesarean section? Cesarean section step by step: how this operation is carried out so that the baby is born
