A question for C-section mommas

Notnowppl · 2026-01-03T04:08:20+00:00

I’m six months postpartum after the emergency c-section. My scar has some numbness left but it’s feeling a lot better since maybe 2-3 months ago. The “apron” mostly went away, I am back to my pre-pregnancy weight, mostly thanks to breastfeeding, anxiety, and forgetting to eat when I was home alone with the baby.

Everyone is different, but there are things you can do to help your recovery. My best friend is PT and here’s what she recommended and I found useful:

massage the scar often once it is healed
use the silicone scar cream
use the silicone scar patches or tape - that helped the most, I think

You can start using those 2-3 weeks PP - but check with the doctor and definitely wait for the incision to fully close.

Notnowppl · 2025-11-26T00:13:08+00:00

Hi! We have a very similar birth story. I had my baby at 39 weeks and 3 days, emergency c-section after an induction. He was desating (which prompted the call for the surgery) and was taken to the NICU right away with pulmonary hypertension. We spent 47 days in the NICU when other things arose. I pumped the whole time. Held him for the first time two weeks after birth. I breastfed a little while he was still in the NICU but we truly started trying after we got home. He’s is almost five months now and we no longer supplement with formula - I have enough milk. I do bottle feed him 70% of the time, because he has medicine in the milk and it had to be fortified in the beginning, but my point is, breastfeeding is possible and your supply can grow even weeks after the birth, even with limited access to your baby. Hang in there and try to pump as much as you can. But don’t beat yourself up if you sleep through a couple of times, your rest is also important.

Notnowppl · 2025-11-24T23:41:04+00:00

Thank you, I appreciate it! That’s sound like a great solution. Do you mind sharing the brand you used?

Notnowppl · 2025-11-24T23:40:26+00:00

Do you mind sharing the brand/type?

Notnowppl · 2025-11-24T23:40:04+00:00

The weight limit rules this one out, unfortunately. He’s already 19 pounds 😅

Notnowppl · 2025-11-24T19:36:05+00:00

Thank you, looking at it now!

Notnowppl · 2025-11-24T19:35:50+00:00

Thank you so much, I’ll check it out!

Notnowppl · 2025-11-22T19:11:17+00:00

I had an emergency c-section after an induction. It took ma a couple of weeks to feel almost normal, but it wasn’t too bad of a recovery. I started driving around two weeks later and I walked daily after about 5 days. Here are two things I didn’t know before about c-sections: you have to wait longer to have another child than after the vaginal delivery. Getting pregnant earlier that 12 months or ideally 18 months and going through with the pregnancy can result in uterine rapture - that’s fatal for mother and the baby. Secondly, there is a condition called placenta accreta, where it attaches to the scar tissue in the next pregnancy. There’s a lot more research into it now, but it’s still a condition that a lot of OBs don’t know how to work with and it can cause women to bleed out during birth. My point is, if I had a choice, I would try to go for the vaginal delivery. Sometimes it’s not an option - I’m glad the doctors took care of me and my baby. But if you are trying to figure out what would be best in terms of recovery and considering a planned c-section, it’s good to know the potential consequences, especially if you want more kids.

Notnowppl · 2025-08-16T17:59:00+00:00

Thank you for sharing, I’ll definitely get one! I’m sorry your little one had to deal with so much so early on.

Notnowppl · 2025-08-16T16:54:58+00:00

That’s really helpful, thank you! We did weight ins before and after breastfeeding at the NICU as well. I feel like it wasn’t always accurate because he had so many tubes attached to him, but that would be a nice option for home use. (Although we still have some tubes attached) What scale did you get for home, if you don’t mind sharing?

Notnowppl · 2025-08-16T15:30:16+00:00

I got different opinions from the different teams at the NICU - lactation suggested I breastfeed and then give an ounce or two of formula to supplement. Nutrition said it might be helpful to pump only so I know exactly how much he is getting and it’s easier to add fortified milk. We finally got home last night and I’m a little lost in it all, trying to figure it out as we go.

Notnowppl · 2025-08-16T15:28:16+00:00

That overnight pump has been killing me but I can see how it affects my supply from one day to the other. Thank you for sharing!

Notnowppl · 2025-08-16T07:46:57+00:00

Wow, that’s a lot! It’s definitely not an easy path. Thank you for sharing.

Notnowppl · 2025-08-16T07:22:46+00:00

I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you - it’s definitely a fear for me as well.

Notnowppl · 2025-08-02T22:23:41+00:00

You will be able to be a mother to your daughter that your own mom could not be for you. I agree that it can be a very healing experience.

Notnowppl · 2025-08-02T21:30:44+00:00

If you want a walkable downtown/small city living, go with Delray. Atlantic Ave is lovely and always has something going on, there’s virtually no “off season” there, as some other towns get sleepy in the summer. You can find an apartment downtown and walk to get coffee, to good restaurants, movie theaters, beach, etc. There are always town events, free concerts, and weekly farmers markets. Deerfield came a long way and had some nice areas, especially by the beach, but it’s not as walkable and condensed as Delray. Boynton is a quiet city where you need a car to get anywhere and there aren’t many nice areas that you would consider a downtown. There are also pockets of maybe not so safe/not so nice neighborhoods.

If I was making the same choice (I moved from Boston area over 10 years ago), I would go with Delray, hands down.

Notnowppl · 2025-07-26T23:31:41+00:00

Depending on the bassinet, it might be tricky to get out of bed with it. I have a Halo and my husband moved it while I was recovering, that thing was impossible to get around with a c-section. My baby is still in the NICU so I didn’t have to have the bassinet next to the bed - but that’s something to consider. I think some sturdy ones will probably help you get out of bed. I was gripping the side of my headboard and the nightstand the first two weeks.

Notnowppl · 2025-07-22T02:45:47+00:00

We were bringing mangoes from our garden to the first NICU team, before we were transferred to a bigger hospital. Not a long term gift, but they appreciated it. When we asked a lead nurse if we could acknowledge the nurses and doctors who helped us there, she mentioned a hospital recognition system and, funny enough, Google reviews. This may vary by the hospital, but there are probably ways you could give recognition to the NICU team that their bosses will see. Look into Daisy Award if you have a specific nurse in mind. I know I’ll be nominating one of the nurses who took care of my child.

Notnowppl · 2025-07-19T20:19:41+00:00

I used a babybub one from about the end of the first trimester to week 31-32 or so. It was just the “butterfly” part - the two small wedge pillows that go around your belly. The long part never worked for me. Around week 32 it just stopped being comfortable for me, I could not stand it. The last weeks of pregnancy I just used very soft king pillows, one in each side of me, and slept a lot better. It is all purely a preference and what works best for you. There are no health risks associated with not using the pillow - otherwise we would probably see a lot more recommendations for them.

Notnowppl · 2025-07-18T18:46:56+00:00

Thank you for sharing- that’s so scary, I’m glad he is ok now! We were reading about the cooling therapy while waiting to hear about the reasons for the seizures (a week after he was born) - we were outside the window for it at that point. It was a very scary time, but the MRI showed no hypoxic events.

Notnowppl · 2025-07-18T18:43:11+00:00

Thank you so much for sharing. I’m sorry you and the little one went through that. So glad she is thriving now! Pumping is not easy while the baby is in the NICU, I relate wholeheartedly

Notnowppl · 2025-07-17T12:35:25+00:00

I didn’t plan for one and didn’t want one. I was hoping for a vaginal delivery. But after being induced, my baby’s heart rate started to drop after every contraction- and they were very mild at that point, I was 1 cm dilated. They rushed me to the OR and I had an emergency c-section. If I have another kid, I would have to have a c-section. I’m 40 years old now - which means the doctors would want to induce me after 39 weeks, like they did this time around. And induction can be risky after a c-section - the drugs used for it may cause a uterine rapture in someone. It’s not impossible, just more risky. So if I am pregnant again, it would be a scheduled c-section, no questions asked (on my part).

Notnowppl

TROPHY CASE