C-Section recovery is no joke. This is a major surgery and should be treated as such. Give yourself grace as you and your body recover from this. I ended up with two C-Sections despite my desire for natural births. Having a C-Section does not make you less of a mother or woman, it is a valid and beautiful form of birth. Your baby does not care how they came into the world, only that you love them!!
If you had an unexpected or planned C-Section, here are our top 10 recovery products:
Low Rise Underwear
That beautiful scar that helped to birth your baby is going to be tender for quite some time. After my C-Sections, I had to wear a patch for a week before I could take it off. After it came off, my incision site was pretty sore and itchy at times. I loved having low rise undies that did not rub on my scar. I did try some high rise ones but it put a lot of pressure on my incision site so I really gravitated towards the low rise ones! Here are some that worked well for me: Intimate Portal Maternity Underwear
I love that these come in multiple patterns too!
Boppy Pillow
This was life saving for me. I breastfed both of my babies and I do not think I could have done it without this pillow. When I tried to feed my babies without it, the pressure on my incision site brought me to tears. Being able to rest them on this and not have pressure on my belly was truly amazing. If you are breastfeeding or bottle feeding, a boppy pillow is so helpful!
Loose/ Comfy Leggings or Pants.
Similar to the undies, it is so important to keep pressure off your incision site and let’s be honest, few of us will immediately lose that baby weight so having a pair of pants that are loose and comfy is a game changer. You’ll spend lots of time cuddling that new sweet baby and want to be comfortable!
Postpartum Band
These are really helpful as your whole stomach feels like it may fall off in the days following birth. The hospital I delivered at gave me one but it did not fit right and was pretty tricky to get on and off alone. I definitely wore mine for short periods of time in the beginning because it was uncomfortable at times but I felt like it helped me feel more “put together” as my expanded belly started to shrink back down. This is the one I used, I loved that it was so adjustable!
Comfy Nursing Bra
If you decide to breastfeed, you’ll want a great nursing bra that is comfy and easy to use. I loved this Target brand!! The cups are SEWN IN!! I tried other ones that had removable cups and it was such a pain. Everytime I unclipped to nurse, the pads would get all folded and bumpy. These Auden Nursing Bras from Target were simply the best. And they are only $17!!
A water bottle that you love
You will spend a lot of time on the couch in those first few days snuggling your baby but also resting your body. It is hard to constantly be getting up and stretching your incision site. You just went through a major surgery and your body needs rest!! Invest in a water bottle that will help you reach your water intake goals! We love Owala and it comes in such fun colors and various sizes!
Postpartum Pads
Even though you had a C-Section, you will still experience bleeding and discharge. Stock up on pads of various sizes. With my son, I only bled for a week but with my daughter, I bled for almost a month. Who knows how your body will respond so make sure you have a stock of these in different sizes so you are set!
Comfy Shoes
Probably the most important tip that I read before getting a C-Section was to make sure that as soon as you are able to start walking around in the hospital, start! The more you are able to move your body, the better off you will be. The first time I took a walk around our room in the hospital, it probably took me a solid 5 minutes to walk that tiny room. I moved sooooo slow. When we walked out of the hospital, it took me FOREVER! My husband told me that my 80 year-old Grandma could have lapped me 🙂 Invest in a comfy pair of shoes that will help you to reach those walking goals.
These New Balance Slip On Tennis Shoes are amazing!!
Pain Medication.
You will need this as your body recovers. Your doctor will give you recommendations and guidelines but make sure you have some pain medication at home so you have some on hand when you need it.
REST!
This is the most important thing. You just had a baby and a major surgery! Your body needs a chance to rest and replenish. Turn on a good movie or TV show, snuggle that sweet new baby of yours and let your body rest! You did it, Momma!
With love,
Liz and Becca
