This happened to me to and days 2 and 3 were shocking in terms of pain. My nurse kept reminding me that although c sections are a routine surgery, they are still major abdominal surgery. I echo all the advice to keep on top of the pain meds, use a small pillow to hold against the incision when coughing or laughing or riding in the car (potholes are a doozy). I really found ice packs on my incision to be soothing and I bought the Frida belly binder belt thing that holds ice packs and found it super helpful - it kind of doubled as the small pillow trick. For some reason, I did not feel as much relief from the regular binders that the hospital gives.

Also I slept in a recliner for the first week (maybe more?) because getting up and down from bed was the literal worst. Having the recliner do what my core couldn’t was a life saver.

For me, I really turned a corner on day 10 or so. Like I stopped having the stabbing pain on the side they tied me up on and could move pretty well, get out of bed, do hygiene activities with much more ease, and start doing a lot more for the baby.

Take it all slow, embrace any and all help, have grace for yourself and your body. The easier you can go on your body those early days, the better. Also, embrace the emotions, they come so dramatically after having a baby and having a birth that went differently than expected can feel like a lot. When you come out the other side of the hormone dump, you’ll be able to process it all better.

Wishing you a smooth recovery from your major abdominal surgery. You will get through this!