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Sleeping after a c section

SmithL35SmithL35 Regular
edited Oct 5, 2020 9:57AM in Labour & birth
Hello, 

I had an emergency c section on Wednesday evening, my little boy is now 2 and a half days old nearly :)

We were discharged from hospital last night and thankfully I have managed about 3 hours sleep. My main issue is that I am in pain from the surgery that I just don't know how to get comfy in bed at all. I am either sitting up and trying to sleep or lying on my back but i have woken up with such a sore neck. I don't feel like I can roll onto my side without it being too sore. 

If anyone has any advice it would be great! X

Replies

  • Iv had 2 sections, the 1st one was more painful than the 2nd... With the first one I just kept taking all the pain killers I could also the hospital have me morphine to take home, by day 5 I was not in pain any more just a bit achy and numb but the numbness lasted nearly 2 years anyway for me, it helps if you put somthing near the bed that you can pull on to get up, try and swing your legs out first and then do like a roll to stand up so you don't do like a sit up and pull on your stomach, the second time round I was fine again by day 5, everybody is different but hope you are feeling better in the next say or so, it's easier to sleep on the sofa, if you have an arm chair you can sleep sat up and to get out have your partner pull you up or use your arms to lift your self out, every day that passes your healing more, the pain will go soon x 
  • I found sleeping sitting up propped with pillows the easiest but you are hitting the worse days it does get easier after day 5 ... sleeping on your side won’t return for a while in my experience as it just pulls too much. Hope that helps 
  • Thank you both @Rebecca1992 and @Lillian2410
    I found that last night was the first time I felt like I actually had some sleep, so that was good! X
  • Looks like your sorted now, but just in case anyone else reading has the same issue, I slept in a reclined chair for the first few nights which was a massive help! 
  • Ah it’s not fun, c-section recovery, I’ve had 4. 
    My best advice, isn’t sleeping positions sorry, it’s get up and move ASAP after surgery, (especially if scheduled, emc you may be exhausted from long labor), it promotes healing thanks to blood circulation. Keep yr head up and walk as straight as possible, slowly and shuffling rather than lifting feet. 

    Have a pillow handy to hold over tummy if needing to cough laugh sneeze. Vomiting after my 3rd c-section was scary and uncontrollable, lol avoid that, if you can, hospital food gave me gastrointestinal flu, scared the nurse with my fever and blood pressure drop, ED surgeon bedside fast. 
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