Do:

• Take time to sit and bond with your baby.
• Rest when you’re tired.
• Walk every day. Walking helps prevent blood clots and constipation.
• Hold a pillow over your incision when you need to cough or laugh.
• Shower normally.
• Reach out to a lactation consultant if you have trouble breastfeeding.
• Whenever you have to sneeze or cough, hold your abdomen to protect the incision site.
• In addition to pain medication, you can use a heating pad to relieve discomfort at the surgical site. A hot water bottle works too.

Don't:

• Lift anything heavier than your baby.
• Use tampons or douche until you have your doctor’s permission.
• Take baths until your incision is healed and your postpartum bleeding has stopped.
• Participate in rigorous activity or do core muscle exercises until your doctor clears you for activity.
• Have sex until your doctor says you can.
• Be afraid to ask for help — friends and family can assist with naps, laundry, or caring for the baby.
• Take the stairs repeatedly. Avoid them when possible.
• Soak in public pools or hot tubs.
• Keep necessary items close to avoid getting up too often.

Diet

Do:

• Drink enough water and other fluids.
• Eat a well-balanced, healthy diet.
• Take a fiber supplement daily to avoid constipation.

Don't:

• Crash diet. Ask your doctor when you can start trying to lose the baby weight.

Incision Care

Do:

• Keep the area dry and clean.
• Use warm, soapy water to wash your body daily. Pat the incision area dry afterward.
• Allow tape strips to fall off naturally — usually within a week.
• Clean the incision with a spirit swab three times daily.
• If you have skin folds, lift the area and dry with a fan or under air conditioning.

Don't:

• Use soaps or products that slow wound healing.
• Use disinfectants directly on your wound.

Call Your Doctor If You Notice:

• Depression, sadness, hopelessness, or troubling thoughts.
• Signs of infection — pain, pus, swelling, redness, swollen lymph nodes, or a fever.
• A fever above 100.4°F (38°C).
• Difficulty breathing.
• Foul-smelling vaginal discharge.
• Severe abdominal pain.
• Bright red vaginal bleeding that soaks through more than one pad every 2 hours.
• Vaginal bleeding that worsens or remains bright red after 4 days.
• Signs of a blood clot — pain in thigh, groin, behind the knee, or calf.
• Your incision opens up.
• Nausea or vomiting.
• Vaginal clots larger than a golf ball.
• Trouble passing urine or stool.

Manage Postpartum Changes

Your body will continue to experience changes even after your baby arrives. These include:

• Afterpains as the uterus contracts back to its original size
• Breast engorgement or swelling
• Lochia (postpartum vaginal discharge)
• Vaginal dryness
• Diastasis recti (abdominal muscle separation)
• Hair loss
• Loose skin or acne
• Night sweats
• Headaches

Try these remedies:

• Lubricants or estrogen-based creams for dryness
• Exercises for diastasis recti and loose skin
• Supplements and topicals for hair loss
• Topicals, birth control, or isotretinoin for acne
• Lightweight clothing and pajamas for night sweats
• Over-the-counter pain relief for headaches

For Breast Engorgement:

• Warm compresses or warm showers
• Cold compresses or ice packs
• Frequent nursing
• Breast massage during feeding
• Over-the-counter pain relief

Note: Taking care of yourself after a C-section is just as important as caring for your newborn. Rest as much as possible and walk gently to encourage healing and prevent complications. And remember — your recovery journey is unique. Don’t compare yourself to others. Focus on your own healing and give your body time to fully recover.