You may remove your wound dressing and take showers if stitches, staples, or glue were used to close your skin. Do not soak in a bathtub or hot tub, or go swimming, until your provider tells you it is OK. In most cases, this is not until 3 weeks after surgery.
You can have a bath or shower as usual. It is common for your wound to be slightly red and feel uncomfortable for 1 to 2 weeks. The redness may be harder to see on brown and black skin.
Your c-section wound
You will have a waterproof dressing covering your wound. Your midwife may ask you to take the dressing off 6–24 hours after your c-section so they can check your wound. It can be easier to do this in the shower because the warm water helps to reduce any discomfort.
Also during this period, the doctor will encourage the bathing after cesarean section. Hair washing and other personal hygiene activities such as brushing teeth, washing face... do not need to be restricted.
Gentle exercise, such as walking, will help you recover from your c-section. But avoid anything more active until you have no pain and you feel ready. For example, avoid driving, carrying anything heavy, having sex or doing heavy housework, such as vacuuming, until you feel able to.
What is the Golden Hour? After the birth of the baby, both vaginal and c-section birth, the Golden hour consists of uninterrupted and immediate skin to skin contact, limited interventions that are not necessary, if possible and desired having delayed cord clamping, and having the first feeding of baby completed.
You'll also want to wait for at least four to six weeks to take a bath if you delivered via c-section – immersing your c-section scar in water could lead to an infection at the incision site.
You should have a shower or bath daily and keep your wound clean and dry. You should also change your sanitary towel frequently. Your vaginal blood or fluid loss should gradually decrease with time but if you have any concerns then please discuss these with your midwife or GP.
After a c-section, you should sleep on your back or side. This shouldn't put too much strain on your c-section wound. You can also try sleeping on your back with your head elevated. Use pillows to keep your spine aligned and take pressure off your joints.
Swelling after a C-section is completely normal, and gas pains can be excruciating. They should pass within a week, once your bowels are moving normally again (abdominal surgery causes them to "shut down" temporarily, so pooping after a C-section might not come easy).
Dab your stitches dry with a clean towel after washing, even if the wound area did not get wet, to ensure the area is completely dry. If your stitches get wet accidentally, simply dry the area immediately with a clean towel and make sure all the moisture around the stitches is soaked up.
Start each shower or bath by washing your hair as usual with shampoo. Rinse your hair and body thoroughly to remove the shampoo residue. To prevent infection following surgery, shower the night before using an antibacterial soap, such as Dial or Hibiclens (do not use a soap with no antibacterial properties).
Do not lift anything heavier than your baby for the first 6 to 8 weeks. Short walks are an excellent way to increase strength and stamina. Light housework is OK. Slowly increase how much you do.
Once the baby is delivered the uterus is closed with a double layer of stitching. Four of the five remaining layers are stitched with a single layer of stitching, but one layer is not restitched as it heals better – with no buckling and reduced chance of scar tissue developing, without restitiching.
Try to avoid constipation and straining with bowel movements. You may want to take a fibre every day. If you have not had a bowel movement after a couple of days, ask your doctor about taking a mild laxative.
A c-section is major surgery, so it may take a while for you to recover. You may be really tired for the first few days or weeks after a c-section because you lost blood during the surgery. The incision (cut) on your belly may be sore.
Women should walk for about 20 minutes at a moderate pace to increase circulation and speed up healing. Fit mothers recover quickly and can be back on their feet in a matter of weeks. Walking after a cesarean delivery is regarded as an important part of recovery exercise.
Sleepy baby
Babies born by caesarean section may be a little sleepy. They may need some extra encouragement to stay alert during the first few feeds. Skin-to-skin contact will encourage them to latch and feed more often.
Walking after c-section is encouraged and should be your go to for the first few weeks. You'll start to notice day to day movement getting easier and less discomfort lifting baby or moving around.