C-section Guide

What is a C-Section?

Commonly referred to as a caesarean section or C-section – it is a surgical procedure were you deliver your baby via an incision in your abdomen & uterus by a surgeon.

There are 7 layers that the surgeon needs to get through to get to the baby during a C-Section:

Skin.
Fat.
Rectus Sheath.
Rectus Abdominis Muscle.
Parietal Peritoneum.
Loose Peritoneum.
Uterus.

Usually your rectus abdominis muscles don’t have to be ‘cut’ as they have already stretched during pregnancy so they can in essence, be ‘moved apart’ to get to the tissues underneath. There are some circumstances were the muscles need to be cut and if that happens – they will be stitched back together during the operation.

During the surgery:

Generally, a 10cm incision above your pubic bone will be made to get through the seven layers discussed above, however, usually only six layers will actually be cut as your abdominals will generally be split down the middle.

The pressure you feel during the surgery is due to one surgeon applying pressure on the upper abdomen to push the baby down as the second surgeon cuts through the uterus to lift the baby out. Without this pressure your baby will not come out!

The primary surgeon will generally lift out your uterus to repair it before placing it back where it belongs!

The uterus is then stitched back together with dissolvable stiches & the outer skin can be sealed a number of ways e.g. stitched, glued or stapled depending on your surgeon’s preference.

As you can imagine…

You may feel like your recovery is taking longer than you expected & you’re not back to normal as quickly as you wanted to be. That’s normal!! Don’t feel disheartened – remember a lot of stuff happened down there very quickly, and in some cases, you may have already been through labour too. Your body will need time to heal, which is very tiring for you!

This means you need to rest. Don’t beat yourself up – your mind needs a break too.

Generally, tissue healing is at its fastest during the first three months and then after that it slows a little but continues for a good 12 months onwards – so you are always improving.

Remember a C-section is major abdominal surgery, where you’re expected to stand up, walk around & care for your new born baby a few hours later.

Symptoms post C-Section:

Extreme fatigue.
Vaginal bleeding.
Abdominal cramping as your uterus shrinks.
Abdominal pain.
Pain over your scar.
Low back pain.
Struggling to lift.
Struggling to stand tall.
Pain standing up from sitting or getting out of bed.
Abdominal bloating.
Digestive issues.
Generally feeling weak & tired.

Worrying Symptoms that need medical attention include but not exclusive to:

A fever or low temperature.
Pus or oozing from scar.
Increased pain redness or swelling in any part of the body but mainly in calves.
Shortness of breath.
Dizziness or confusion.

Always consult any symptoms you are concerned about with your midwife or GP.

Activities to avoid:

Strenuous activity.
Heavy lifting.
Serious abdominal training.
Any activity that causes increased pain.

Tips! What’s the best thing you can do!?

1. Walking – taking a short walk everyday & slowly building up works wonders for your body.

After you’ve delivered your baby vaginally or via C-section blood & fluid can pool in your lower legs – walking helps to prevent this.
Walking improves your overall body circulation which reduces your risk of a DVT!
It strengthens your body & builds cardiovascular fitness.
Pushing the pram strengths your core, upper & lower body too.
Burns calories – need I say more!?
Walking promotes the release of endorphins – these are chemicals in the brain that are produced when we exercise. Endorphins stimulate relaxation & improve mood & no matter how slow the walk is – we still experience these stress relieving benefits!

2. Gentle core/pelvic floor work:

Diaphragmatic breathing & gentle pelvic floor activation (unless told not to by your healthcare professional). However, wait for your 6 week check for any other exercise – let your body rest & recover!

3. Drink lots of water!

Your body needs water all day long – it makes up more than half of your body weight & it is crucial for proper functioning of all your bodily systems. After a C-section, water is needed to aid healing, help your digestive system, prevent dehydration & constipation, it helps to keep you alert & is important during breastfeeding. How much I hear you ask? The rule of thumb is – one third to one half of your body weight in fluid ounces a day – OR check your pee – it should be a very pale ‘straw’ like colour & you should be needing to go every few hours.

4. Lift only generally the weight of your baby.

This protects your internal stitches, but when you do lift anything try to avoid bending over at the lower back and putting added strain through the spine, instead use your legs and bend at the knees to reduce to pressure & help prevent spinal injury.

5. Drink peppermint tea.

If your health professional agrees – drink peppermint tea!
- It aids digestion & stomach upsets, also reduces bloating (more on this later)!
- Studies have shown that the peppermint aroma can ease pain and may relieve headaches & migraines.
- Peppermint tea may improve energy levels despite being caffeine free.
- Can ease muscle cramps due to peppermint having a muscle relaxing effect.
- Studies have shown peppermint to fight several types of bacteria.
- May improve concentration due to the peppermint oil.

6. Rest.

Take it easy, do the bare minimum, take the pressure off, do as advised. It’s a short time period to let the house get messy & only wash what’s absolutely needed. Accept help if offered & don’t be afraid to tell people not to visit or not to over stay their welcome. You won’t get any medals for over doing it.

7. Take your pain medication as prescribed!!

Again – you won’t get any medals for not doing. Seriously though, take it as advised by your healthcare professional. It’s not forever, the pain won’t last forever, but it needs to be controlled.

8. Keep a check on your mental health.

Be aware of your mental health – this can be an issue postnatally especially if you’ve had an unexpected C-section. Keep track of your feelings & speak to someone if you need to.

9. Scar massage once safe to do so.

We have a whole section on this!

10. Wear loose clothes.

Don’t have things over your scar or too tight on your tummy – no one enjoys that on a normal day! Let alone after major surgery.

11. Support underwear.

Nothing fancy needed – just a little hug round your abdomen goes a long way, but as stated above, not too tight!

12. Start a specialised postnatal exercise programme when your GP gives you the go-ahead.

Hello Mamma Pro Fit!

Your C-section Scar – it matters!

What is a scar?

A scar is formed when the skin is cut & the body forms new collagen fibres, which lay down in a criss-cross pattern to close the wound. This new scar tissue will have a different texture & quality to the surrounding skin as it is completely new skin, it tends to be red in colour to begin with and fades over time to pink & then white. The nature of scar tissue is that it isn’t very stretchy or mobile & can also develop adhesions, which stick to the structures underneath your scar.

These adhesions are pretty annoying & in some cases can stick to your abdominal muscles, pelvic floor muscles, ligaments & tendons, which can cause postnatal problems like back pain, reduced active range of movement & flexibility in your hip flexors & pelvis (which can also contribute to low back pain) & tightness when returning back to your normal training, which can alter your posture during training, again causing further issues. They can also contribute to the ‘mamma pooch’ as these adhesions can stick to your skin and cause tightness altering the appearance of your stomach.

Adhesions in some cases can ‘stick’ to nerves & organs in your abdomen, which can cause bladder & bowel issues. They can also stick to your uterus which can lead to painful sex too. I will go into further detail below BUT If you are suffering with digestive issues or painful sex I urge you to speak to your GP and a women’s health physiotherapist to help you solve these issues ASAP.

Low back pain:

You have ligaments in your uterus that connect to the lower spine & sacrum. If you have adhesions/tightness in your uterus from your scar this can potentially pull on your lower spine & pelvic region, which could change your normal biomechanics & over load other areas of your body to compensate, thus causing spinal pain.

Needing to urinate frequently:

If your scar tissue from the uterus attaches to your bladder it can give you the sensation of needing to pee more frequently OR actually make you pee more frequently. This is because the ‘pulling’ of the bladder by the scar tissue recreates the mechanics of your bladder feeling full and thus makes your brain think you need to empty it through clever little things called receptors! The scar tissue on the bladder can also irritate it & effect how it can stretch to allow it to fill with urine – which can make you need to pee more too.

Painful sex:

This can be caused if during penetration an area of tight scar tissue is touched – scar tissue isn’t very mobile and If stretched can cause significant pain.

Tightness & adhesions in your scar can also cause increased sensitivity & pain on & around your scar tissue.

Some people suffer with heightened sensitivity of scar tissue & struggle to look or touch the scar – this isn’t normal & if this is case with yourself & you cannot complete the scar massage we teach in this guide – please speak to a healthcare professional so you can be referred to someone who can help you. I have provided at the end of the Scar massage tutorial desensitising treatments for a hypersensitive scar – please have a look at this and give it a go if you feel the above resonates with you!

Benefits of Scar massage:

You can only start tissue work when your scar is completely healed – but it is extremely important & not routinely taught post C-section. Scar massage will help with a number of things:

Reduce the adhesions we have discussed above & the associated symptoms!
Reduce tethering – it can loosen adhesions below the surface & surrounding structures.
Reduce hypersensitivity, pain & itching.
Soften the scar tissue & increase pliability.
Flatten the scar.
Improve scar aesthetics.
Help with mental health post C-section with acceptance of the scar & birthing experience if needed.

What happens biologically when we complete scar massage?

By applying external & mechanical forces to the scar we:

Release the feel-good hormone of oxytocin (combine this with your endorphins & you’re onto a winner)!
Increase your blood flow to the area, speeding up the healing process, reducing inflammation and sweeping away any toxins.
Starts mechanotransduction – the activation of molecular signalling in the scar which aids in ironing out the criss-cross formation of the collagen laid down to make the scar.

Let’s get down to the massage!

At this point I need to remind you – only do this when your scar is healed! This should not be painful! Minor discomfort, pulling sensations or minimal burning is commonly reported, but not pain – so if you’re suffering any symptoms of pain it’s advisable to get checked out with a Women’s health Physiotherapist. Always check with your GP before starting any new treatment.

Please complete your tissue work! It’s super important & often not taught to C-section mammas! Tight scar tissue can cause a whole host of problems but with the right management they can hopefully be avoided or minimised!

To Get Started: Superficial scar massage.

1. Lie on your back in a comfortable position, bend up your knees to take the strain off your lower back and the stretch off your scar tissue.

2. With your two fingers pointing downwards, start to work the tissue above your scar going from side to side, up and down & finishing in circular motions down the full length of your scar (remembering your working the tissue above – not the scar itself)! You want to do this for around 1 – 2 minutes, applying a gentle pressure to begin with and then progressively adding to that as able within your limits of pain – not too hard! Remember to relax & breathe! If your holding your breath or bracing, stop, have a minute and try & start again – it’s a marathon, not a sprint!

3. As you are moving your fingers around & getting to know your scar you may come across areas of tightness, when you do hold your fingers down over this area with added pressure, after a minute or so you should feel this tightness release, at that point you can move onwards.

4. After you have worked above your scar, repeat this process, below and at the ends of the scar too.

Deep tissue work:

Once we have completed the superficial massage we can go deeper!

1. Complete the same technique above but OVER your scar. You need to imagine you are going a layer deeper & trying to target your abdominal muscles. Make sure you’re pushing down with enough pressure so you can feel your muscles below the scar, again remember this shouldn’t be painful! Work in the same pattern, side to side, up/down & circular motions.

2. If this feels ok – try to go one more layer deeper. This is really going to help to loosen your scar & free up any internal adhesions & their subsequent symptoms. This time instead of imagining & feeling for your abdominals, you want to go deeper to your abdominal cavity organs. Again, remember your body position, knees bent & lying on your back push down with your fingers and try and really mobilise the scar imagining your lifting it away from your organs and completely freeing it. Remember; add comfortable pressure, work the tissue side to side, up/down & in circular movements for a few minutes over the scar.

Finally, to finish:

Massage in any remaining creams/oil you may have used over the scar & stomach & give yourself a high 5 – you earned it.

Special note to add:

Some mammas as mentioned earlier will suffer with scar sensitivity – if this is you & your struggling to look at your scar, touch it or it even brings feelings of nausea or hypersensitivity – give these desensitising treatments a go, generally it’s best to start with these before you work your superficial layers.

Reducing the sensitivity of the Scar:

try these four methods for one to two minutes each on your scar to desensitise it if needed.

1. Tapping:

gently tapping with your fingers over & around your scar.

2. Heat/cold:

Heat & Ice used together can be very therapeutic! Ice will vasoconstrict your vessels reducing swelling & pain. Heat will vasodilate your blood vessels – increasing your circulation aiding healing, using them together alternatively has great results in improving range of movement, speeding up healing and reducing pain & inflammation! Remember, always wrap any heat or ice in a protective layer to prevent skin burns.

3. Different moisturisers/oils:

Using different massage mediums really helps when desensitising a scar – you can use oils, lotions, creams, even just your fingers. You can even change the temperature of them so it really helps reduce your sensitivity. Try keeping them in the fridge or really warming the oil up between your hands before you start.

4. Different textures:

This can be anything, silk, velvet, tissue, fur, hair brush etc. just get a few different textures and rub them gently over your scar until it feels desensitised.

The above won’t always fix the problem straight away & will take a few sessions – but if you’re suffering from hypersensitivity – they are a really good trick in your tool box to reduce & heal that for you!

What else is in the Physio tool kit!?

The amount of trauma your abdominal cavity goes through during a C-section is massive! They cut a whole into your body to birth your baby, take your organs out & replace them, pull apart your abdominals & then stitch you back up again. This naturally causes a lot of inflammation. A lot! The body is very clever & protects its self from trauma – generally via muscle spasm & tension. The not so clever bit is that your body can hold on to this trauma & spasm and eventually cause shortening and tension in other areas of the body having a knock-on effect – this can be referred to as the kinetic chain. For example, trauma & tension in the abdomen can cause a tightness in the hip flexors, tight hip flexors will put added pressure through the lumbar spine which will naturally change your posture causing your body to overload in other areas. This creates a cycle of inflammation & pain – which can be very hard to undo.

There are however many ways to help heal your body – this is what Physios are for! Keep reading to find out what other important techniques & treatments there are to really help aid your recovery! Remember everything has a knock-on effect & symptoms can crop up years after your surgery even if you suffered with zero issues to begin with, so if you don’t have any worries about the below now – that’s great! But be aware just in case they develop later on – you can be in control of your body with the right knowledge & seek the right care & attention if needed!

Myofascial release:

What is Myofascia?

Myofascia is very strong tissue that wraps around all of your muscles and bones in a spider web like fashion, imagine it being a complete body suit that runs from your head to your toes. It is extremely strong & has a tensile strength of over 2000LBs! Normally its very flexible & soft & can stretch & release as your body moves through motion.

However, when the body experiences trauma such as a fall, surgery or prolonged poor posture it can become tight & lose its flexibility in certain areas & as we’ve mentioned before – your body is all connected together. The tightness you experience in one area can pull and snag your myofascia down the rest of the myofascial chain, causing issues in other areas of the body.

What is Myofascial release?

A specific type of tissue therapy to ‘loosen’ your myofascia.

Why is this important to me?

After your surgery your myofascia can be affected due to the trauma itself or the associated poor posture afterwards. It’s always important to be aware of these things so you can look out for the signs & treat them before they become a big issue. It’s also good to be aware of your own body! Be the expert in you!

Myofascia issues can cause the below symptoms:

Muscle pain.
Chronic spinal pain including your neck.
Headaches.
Reoccurring injuries.
Breathing issues.
Altered sensations.
Poor posture.
Reduced flexibility.

Important to remember!

When working with scar tissue we must remember to be kind to our bodies, practicing patience & being gentle. A C-section is traumatic, your body went through trauma, & this will have left its mark through the body whether or not you are consciously aware of this! You do not want to make any of that trauma worse for your body, so is essential you listen to your body, take it slowly, learn to tune into your body and its response through your hands! Always consult your GP before starting a new treatment.

How do I do it?

1. Lie on your back – knees bent.

2. Apply pressure with your fingertips over each end of the scar.

3. Gradually build this pressure over a couple of minutes, pressing deeper down when you feel the structures below loosen. Although this feels like nothing you are stretching the myofasica between your fingers – you just can’t see the structures you’re working on. Sometimes you will notice a red line appear between your fingers – that’s ok! That shows the myofascia is being stretched.

4. Move around your scar in different sections to apply pressure & create the stretch of the myofascial under your skin to improve its elasticity.

Another way you can complete your own myofascial release is foam rolling, foam rollers are designed to allow you to self-treat to enhance your recovery & exercise performance. As discussed above your body can pick up multiple areas of tightness due to the nature of myofascia itself & your C-section surgery. For example, you may find you have tightness in your hip flexors & quads which would benefit from tissue work also. When used properly in conjunction with a strengthening & stretching exercise programme, using a foam roller has been said to:

Improve your workout performance.
Reduces post workout DOMS (delayed onset of muscle soreness).
Increases joint mobility & range of movement.
May lead to better vascular function & parasympathetic nervous system function.

It’s important to note here that recent research & evidence base generally states that any physiological improvements made to the body are short lasting unless combined with a stretching & strengthening programme. That being said it’s a great habit to get into & helps to again teach you about your own body & what areas you need to work on. Foam rolling is a very accessible self-treatment & if it’s something you would like to incorporate into your recovery routine it’s definitely worth the investment.

Lymphatic drainage:

Lymphatic drainage Is a type of gentle massage that helps to remove the build-up of lymph fluids (waste & toxins) out of the body. After a C-section, lymph fluid can build up due to excessive inflammation, adhesions & digestive issues. There are a large number of lymph nodes around the stomach and groin area – this is obviously were your scar lies & will have associated trauma – thus lymphatic drainage post section can be very beneficial if completed by a healthcare professional – there are some major contraindications to lymphatic drainage so I am not going to teach you here without being able to individually assess you. But, I can make you aware, I can advise you to do your own research & I can list the symptoms that may mean you need to focus on speaking to a professional about lymphatic drainage.

Prolonged swelling.
Prolonged localised swelling around your scar site.
Itchiness around the skin.
Increased fatigue/lack of energy.
Feeling the inability to fight off infections.
Sports injuries.
Prolonged pain around the scar.

So, have a think – do your own research & if you think you would benefit – go and talk to a women’s health physio – it really can work wonders if done correctly!

Digestive issues post section.

After having baby some Mammas are surprised that their digestive system can be a little sensitive – no wonder, no one tells you about it & not many people like to talk about it! It’s important though – it really makes you feel rubbish & not yourself, so it’s important to sort it out! What you eat effects the whole workings of your body! Here are few things that irritate your digestive system & things that you can do to help.

Most women suffer from constipation postnatally due to:

Your digestive system slowing down during labour.
Anaesthetic use in labour or surgery.
Reduced muscle tone in abdominal area.
Fear of going to the toilet due to stitches etc.
Pain medication.
Lack of fluids.
Pain in general from C-section over abdominal area.
Pain from vaginal birth.
Reduced mobility/activity post birth.
Changed diet post birth.

Wind: especially after a C-section:

The muscles & nerves around your bowls have been irritated.
Air may enter the abdomen during surgery & takes time to work its way out of the body.

Stress:

Stress plays a huge role in most areas of our body however the digestive system is a biggy. The digestive system is controlled by the enteric nervous system. This system is found in the lining of your gastrointestinal system. When we are stressed our bodies can activate the ‘fight or flight’ response in the central nervous system – when this happens the blood flow to your digestive system reduces which can cause digestion problems. Stress can cause nausea, diarrhoea, constipation, indigestion & reflux.

It very important to try & reduce your stress levels post birth as best you can & to eat a varied protein rich diet.

What can I do to help?

When you’ve just had a baby it’s hard to do anything, let alone eat a gut friendly diet! Let’s be honest – even if you haven’t just had a baby, it’s hard to have a perfect diet, so don’t put pressure on yourself to – life is too short! But you can make a few goals or a few swaps to help aid your digestion & get you feeling more like you after a baby.

1. Try to eat your 5 a day, if you can manage that everyday you’re not stopping yourself from having any of the treats – but here are some of the benefits:

Fab source of vitamins & minerals including folate, vitamin C & potassium. Folate helps to make healthy red blood cells & prevents anaemia! Vitamin C helps to repair tissues amongst other things & potassium is good for the heart & removing waste toxins out of your cells. So, as you can see, especially after a C-section eating your five a day is so beneficial in helping you heal! Not to mention – if you’ve fuelled your body on the good stuff – you won’t feel the need to keep reaching for fast sugar – so treats stay treats & not the norm.
They’re a great source of fibre, which helps you go the loo & helps to maintain a healthy gut!
They can help to reduce your chance of strokes, some cancers & heart disease.
There really is a huge variety & so many ways to get your 5 a day into your diet

2. Eat a protein rich diet:

Protein is very important in our diets – it’s the building blocks of our whole body. Our body is built on protein, our body requires protein to heal. So, after a C-section when our body is healing & creating scar tissue, protein is essential. Benefits of protein are:

Helps your body heal after injury.
Helps you stay fit as you age.
Aids with weight loss.
Helps with fat burning & boosting metabolism.
Helps to lower blood pressure.
Keeps you fuller for longer.
Needed to increase muscle power & mass.
Good for your bones.

3. Drink a lot of water!

Cannot say it enough – if you do one thing, drink enough water for your body weight (one third to one half of your body weight in fluid ounces). You need water to digest your food & get rid of waste – it’s essential, so you can’t regulate your digestive system without having enough water in your system.

4. Eat healthy fats:

Healthy fats are good for you! Generally, these are referred to monounsaturated fats & polyunsaturated fats & research has said they also fight off inflammation (great for a postnatal women)! They give you energy, keep you warm, support your cells to grow and protects your organs! Fat soluble vitamins, A, D, E & K need essential fatty acids found in healthy fats to be absorbed into the body & fats also help with hormone production! Fat is one of the body’s basic building blocks & makes up the membranes in your body. Fat is good for the brain, your heart & your eyes, plus all those extra vitamins & minerals you’ve been eating need fat to be absorbed into the body. So, eating the right type of fat won’t make you fat! It can actually do the complete opposite – make you stronger, healthier & leaner. Healthy fats can be found in the below foods:

Avocado.
Whole eggs.
Oily fish.
Nuts (small amounts).
Chia seeds.
Full fat Greek yogurt.
Coconut oil.
Cheese (small amounts).
Dark chocolate.
Extra virgin olive oil.
Flaxseeds.
Nut butters.
Olives.
Grass fed butter.
- See below.
Grass fed beef.
- See below.
Spirulina.

A note on grass fed beef & butter – Why Is it healthier?

Grass fed beef is higher in CLA, a polyunsaturated fat that forms in linoleic acid, which is found in plant oils like grass. It’s also higher in stearic acid & omega 3 fatty acids – which again are healthy fats found in plants. This is because grass contains ALA which is alpha-linolenic acid, the most common omega 3 fatty acid – which is extremely important & healthy for the human body. Grass fed beef is lower in unhealthy palmitic acid & naturally leaner with less calories than corn raised beef. Corn does not contain ALA so corn fed beef does not have all the added health benefits listed above & it really does make all the difference – especially when recovering from a C-section!

So, it makes sense that grass fed butter would again be the healthier option because it’s made from cows eating grass containing all the good & essential fats we need! Grass fed butter is also a great source of vitamin A & beta carotene – an antioxidant. It is also rich in butyrate, another fatty acid that can help your digestive system by fuelling good bacteria in your tummy, which can help to relieve inflammation, bloating, IBS or stomach pain. Again, great for after a C-section & the above can be such a minimal change to your diet.

5. Make your own meals & avoid processed pre-made were possible:

This is a hard one when you’re a parent & juggling life, but it’s important. Processed pre-made food is full of the bad stuff & it’s just not what your body needs right now. Try cutting it down one meal at a time making small changes, swap cereal for porridge oats & fruit, instead of sandwiches try a tuna salad & Greek yogurt for lunch, start batch cooking meals & freeze them, this will save time & money in the long run.

6. Foods to limit:

I am all for a varied & well-balanced diet! But, we are all well aware that there are things we should keep to a treat only basis, after all – you really can have too much of a good thing! But LIMIT is the key here – I’m not saying cut them out (unless you have an intolerance) life is for living!

Sugar: sugar causes weight gain, dental issues, increases your risk of heart disease & diabetes, it’s been linked to acne & skin ageing processes, & it actually drains your energy. Not only all that, current research says it may increase your risk of cancer & depression.
Processed foods.
High in saturated fat foods.
Alcohol.

7. You must eat!

You have to eat enough food to fuel your body to allow it to function & repair itself. If you start dieting & restricting calories your body will hold on to its fat because ‘starvation mode’ has kicked in and your body is biologically designed to keep you alive. Not to mention, as soon as you start eating again any weight lost will be put straight back on.

8. How to make a habit? How long does it take?

Research has shown that on average it takes around two months or 66 days for your body to get used to a new habit, so it won’t take long for new eating habits to become the subconscious normality for you.

9. Keep a food diary to:

1. Monitor your food intake & see If you can improve it & 2. To note if you have intolerances you hadn’t realised before.

10. That was a lot to take in right? So, to summarise…

Drink more.
Eat your 5 a day.
Have your treats but keep them as treats.
Make some small changes to your usual diet that have BIG impacts overall.
Fuel your body with food! Do not go hungry!

Supplements

I am not your GP & do not know your past medical history so I am not telling you to take these supplements, but I can make you aware of some positive ones so you can have that discussion with your GP/pharmacist to see if they’re suitable for you.

Postnatally we need extra support to keep our bodies healthy in the form of postnatal vitamins, but there are other things that can really help our bodies, especially for C-section Mammas!

Collagen:

has loads of health benefits – it provides your skin with structure, it strengthens bones, it’s a massive part of your connective tissue including skin, muscles, tendons & ligaments. It helps with tissue repair and keeps your gut healthy – amongst a lot of other things!

Probiotics:

they give your stomach the ‘good bacteria’ it needs, they have lots of benefits including (but not exclusive to) keeping your digestive system healthy, aiding weight loss & helping our immune system.

Postnatal vitamins:

these are important – they provide the body with a lot of essential stuff – remember to take them!

Your Mental Health post C-section.

At this point its important to check in on your mental health. Not only is a C-section a major abdominal surgery, it’s a huge trauma for your body AND your brain as well. Everyone is different, but the mental aspects of a C-section can be huge & very hard to deal with on top of sheer fatigue, baby blues, upset & disappointment, birth trauma & all the rest that’s involved with giving birth. In the first 6 weeks postnatally, this is checked up on with your midwifes & your GP at your six week check, but after that – it’s really not talked about. It’s important you keep an eye on yours, if you’re feeling upset or confused after your C-section here are a few things to consider:

De-brief conversation with the birthing unit & team.
Writing feelings down & keeping a journal to keep track of your thoughts.
Positive affirmations daily.
Local mum groups.
Meditation.
Discuss any worries with your health visitor or GP.
Consider talking therapies.

Symptoms that mean you need some extra help:

Nightmares or flashbacks.
Feeling like you don’t enjoy the things you used to OR not wanting to do them at all.
Feeling angry & irritable.
Suicidal thoughts.
Thoughts to harm yourself or others.
Anxiety.
Sleep issues.
Loss of appetite.
Comfort eating.
Feeling like you haven’t bonded with your baby.
Negative thoughts.
Palpitations.
Feelings of shame or low self-worth.
Feeling tearful a lot.

Having a baby can be isolating as well as amazing, everyone responds to it differently – if you experience any of the above issues – it’s time to speak to a health care professional to get some advice & help. Do not suffer alone.

Finally, I hope this helped you in some way, we as women are not provided with enough support & resources post C-section. Hopefully one step at a time we can create positive change to empower & inform women for generations to come.

Helen

Mamma Pro Fit Founder