Recovering from a caesarean

The NHS says pain after a caesarean can last several weeks for some people. Ask for help with everyday tasks. Make sure you know who to contact about your wound or pain relief.

A simple wound-care routine

Your midwife or surgical team can explain how to look after your wound. NHS advice is to clean and dry it gently every day, and wear loose, comfortable clothes and cotton underwear. Ask which instructions apply to your dressing and how your skin was closed.

MedlinePlus advises against scrubbing the wound. Wait until your clinician says it’s safe before you soak in a bath, use a hot tub or go swimming. Don’t try to wash off wound glue or sticky strips.

Ask your doctor or pharmacist about suitable pain relief, including if you’re breastfeeding. Have your discharge instructions to hand when you ask. Tell the clinician about pain that is severe or getting worse so they can check it.

Moving without rushing the recovery

Gentle walking is part of recovery. The NHS recommends staying active to lower the risk of blood clots, but not overdoing it. MedlinePlus also suggests short walks and slowly doing more. A walk can be as short as the help and energy you have allow.

You may be able to hold and carry your baby once you’re home. Heavier lifting and harder activities need more time. Ask someone else to do jobs that go beyond the limits your team has given you.

Lifting and driving: the guidance differs

The NHS lists driving, exercise, carrying anything heavier than your baby and sex among things you may not be able to do straight away. It advises starting again when you feel able and they don’t hurt, which may not be for 6 weeks or so. Ask your midwife if you’re not sure.

US MedlinePlus gives different timings. It says not to lift anything heavier than your baby for 6 to 8 weeks, and not to drive for at least 2 weeks. It also says not to drive while taking narcotic (opioid) painkillers, or if you feel weak or unsafe behind the wheel. You may still need longer before you’re ready to drive.

Ask your care team which limits apply to your operation and what would mean waiting longer before an activity. Check who will review how you’re doing, and keep the answers with your discharge information.

Bleeding and follow-up still matter

You can have vaginal bleeding after a caesarean too. Use period pads, not tampons. Get emergency medical help now for sudden or very heavy vaginal bleeding, even if you don’t feel faint. Call 999 (UK), 911 (US), or your local emergency number if you can’t get to emergency care safely. Don’t wait to see whether another pad fills. In the US, ACOG recommends contact with your care team in the first 3 weeks after birth, and a full check-up no later than 12 weeks after birth, with more care as needed.

Get help for wound changes or clot symptoms

Contact your midwife or GP now in the UK, your obstetric clinician in the US, or your local doctor or midwife if the wound opens, gets more red, swollen or painful, or leaks pus or bad-smelling fluid. Call now if you have a fever or feel more and more unwell, even if the wound looks the same. Call too for severe pain, pain when you pee, or a painful, swollen leg.

A blood clot in a deep vein is called a DVT (deep vein thrombosis). It can travel to the lungs and cause a pulmonary embolism, which can be life-threatening. Call 999 now (UK), 911 (US), or your local emergency number for new chest pain or severe difficulty breathing, even without leg symptoms. Call emergency services too if leg pain or swelling comes with breathlessness. For new breathlessness, get urgent medical help now through your maternity service or NHS 111 (UK), obstetric clinician (US), or local urgent service.

Call 999 now (UK), 911 (US), or your local emergency number for confusion, very fast breathing, or skin that is blue, pale or blotchy.

Get urgent medical help now for a severe headache that won’t go away, changes to your eyesight or pain below the ribs. Contact your maternity service or NHS 111 (UK), your obstetric clinician (US), or your local urgent service.