C-Section Mama Drama 2022
I’m updating this blog that I wrote last year. It started out with me saying…
I didn’t plan to have a c-section. I watched “A Baby Story” on TLC since I was young and wanted to squat my baby out like the gypsy soul I am inside. But that was not the birth I got.
I didn’t go into labor on my own. I was overdue with a baby that was expected to be LARGE. I was induced at 40 weeks and 6 days. (Nowadays, mothers are sometimes allowed to go overdue by up to 42 weeks, but 10 years ago, this was not the case.) My cervix did not respond to the first 2 medical attempts at starting labor. The 3rd attempt at induction led my cervix to dilate about 50% of what it needed to and then quit. After 36+ hours of labor, my uterus then stopped contracting as well. And so I became a C-section mama to a beautiful rosy, chubby but not SO large baby girl.
Let me tell you, I did my own work to bring our baby into the world, during pregnancy, labor and delivery. A c-section, is a serious abdominal surgery. It was not terrible for me and not worth the dread I had of it as an option for birthing my baby. But being a C-section mama has made me very aware that we are not IMMUNE to needing postpartum pelvic floor care.
First, you’ve been pregnant long enough to give birth, so there has been pressure on your pelvic floor, changes to your abdominal muscles and likely movement of your diaphragm, rib cage and spine. Those things may all need readjustment after carrying a little person inside and on the outside!
Second, it is a major abdominal surgery. Knowing C-section is a possibility 32% of the time, spending some time learning how to roll out of bed, sit to stand and some comfortable postpartum feeding positions are a good idea to learn, even if C-section is not the plan. You’ll thank me even if you have a vaginal delivery because birth is birth and its HARD!
Third, your abdominals go through some “stuff” during pregnancy, and even more so when that pregnancy results in a c-section. One of the best things you can do for your future, older self is to take the time for self care immediately postpartum (around 6 weeks after having a baby). A Pelvic Floor Therapist can teach you how to move in ways that use your abdominals in a good, functional way, as well as teaching you a strengthening program for these muscles and getting you safely back to your pre-pregnancy workout routine.
Fourth, you need to address the scar! Once it heals on the outside, your scar will still be remodeling for up to the first year postpartum. Scars can always be worked on and softened after this point, but it’s much easier to do the work earlier on, versus waiting 20+ years. Some people experience sensory changes, increased scar tissue (mine felt like a sharpie sewn in to my pubic area), weird new pains, bladder frequency and even pain with intercourse! These can all be due to scar tissue that likes to grow and have a party after surgery.
Fifth, your hormones will be all over the place, which means you’re more at risk for back, hip, neck and shoulder pain and a PT can help with this too!
Sixth, your abdominal canister has been literally opened and closed, so your load transfer can be affected, meaning you’re not immune to urinary incontinence!
Did I convince you yet? I hope so! Because I don’t think I have ever met a person who has regretted going for a visit with a pelvic health specialist!
My door is always open to answer questions about if PT is right for you! Send me an email at practicallyperfectPT@gmail.com to start a conversation. Know it is really never too early and never too late.
Dr. Mo
