C-section pain

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Ann Douglas

Ann Douglas, author of The Mother of All Pregnancy Books: The Ultimate Guide to Conception, Birth and Everything in Between and The Mother of All Baby Books: The Ultimate Guide to Your Baby's First Year, is here at Pregnancy & Baby! Read Ann's advice on everything from keeping romance alive amidst the structure and stress of baby-making to weathering the storms of morning sickness to preparing for the birth of your dreams.

The question: I gave birth to my first child by cesarean section three weeks ago and I'm still experiencing a lot of pain and discomfort. Is this normal?

Ann's Answer: It takes longer to bounce back after a cesarean delivery than a vaginal delivery. A cesarean section is major abdominal surgery. Consequently there's a fair bit of healing involved. In fact, it takes approximately six months for your incision to fully heal. You can expect to feel some numbness in the area until your nerves have a chance to regenerate (something that typically happens six to nine months after the delivery) and you should be prepared for some initial itchiness as well.

It's normal to experience pain around the incision site during the early weeks after the birth. You can minimize your discomfort by using a pillow to support your midsection when you cough, sneeze, or laugh; wearing tight bicycle shorts underneath your regular clothing; avoiding heavy lifting; and limiting the number of times you trek up and down stairs in a day until your incision starts to heal. It's also a good idea to accept any and all offers of help. After all, you don't just have yourself to take care of while you're recovering, you've also got that new little bundle of joy.

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About the author: Ann Douglas is an award-winning pregnancy and parenting author. She is the author of The Mother of All Pregnancy Books, The Mother of All Baby Books, The Mother of All Toddler Books, The Mother of All Parenting Books, and The Mother of All Pregnancy Organizers (all part of the internationally best-selling The Mother of All® Books series), as well as the two debut titles in the newly launched The Mother of All Solutions series: Sleep Solutions for Your Baby, Toddler and Preschooler: The Ultimate No-Worry Approach for Each Age and Stage (Mother of All Solutions) , and Mealtime Solutions for Your Baby, Toddler and Preschooler, Part of The Mother of All Solutions series: The Ultimate No-Worry Approach for Each Age and Stage (Mother of All Solutions). She is also the co-author of other highly popular titles in the pregnancy and parenting category, including The unofficial Guide to Having a Baby and Trying Again: A Guide to Pregnancy after Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Infant Loss (both co-authored with John R. Sussman, MD).