Whether planned months in advance or performed as an emergency procedure, over one-third of deliveries are cesarean births — or, C-births. As explored in part one of our C-birth series, mental and physical preparation can be key to a smooth birthing experience.
For perinatal therapist Janette Yee, birthing people are akin to athletes who have trained for a marathon and suffered injury. Her job, she posits, is to get you back in the game. Post-cesarean, that looks like adopting self-care rituals that will support healing and allow full recovery.
“When a baby is born, a mother is also born,” says Janette. “I don’t know that many women take a moment to pause and reflect on the magnitude of that brand new identity.” North American culture often prizes a “do it all on your own” approach when, in reality, motherhood wasn’t meant to be done alone.
When asked why self-care is so important post C-birth, she tells me “self-care is accessible 24-7.” While working with a perinatal therapist post-cesarean is a must, most people can see their therapists only once every few weeks. Self-care, meanwhile, is available to new parents at all times.
Ahead, Janette helps us break down the physical and mental pillars of C-birth recovery and rehabilitation.
Rest and Restoration
“Human beings get stronger, not when we exercise, but when we sleep,” says Janette. “Exercise is merely the stimulus to break down the body so when we give the body an opportunity to rest, we actually get stronger.”
New moms and parents may, rightly, feel their weakest post-birth. Here, Janette’s sports analogy is poignant. After a season-ending injury, the reflex is to provide athletes with as much uninterrupted rest and healthy foods as possible — the same applies to recovering moms.
Of course, for new parents, seven hours of uninterrupted sleep may be nearly impossible. That’s when a support network of loved ones can play their part in helping new parents get as many hours of sleep as possible, even if it’s broken up into short naps.
“You can do all the rehab prescribed, take all the programs, and hire the best personal trainers, but none of it will help as much as putting sleep first,” says Janette.
Find Support
It’s easy to prescribe sleep, but entirely different to make it happen in practice — especially with a fussy newborn on your hip. That’s why Janette invites her clients to think outside the box when it comes to navigating those early days of finding rest.
According to her, even just a 15 minute power nap can clear your brain of debris, allowing healing to take place in small increments. She encourages new parents to call on their neighbors, friends, and family members to take small shifts with the baby.
Resist the urge to go at it alone by tapping into your community. If your network is sparse, local groups designed for new parents can help you cultivate one. Being a parent truly does take a village (and for good reason).
Brace Yourself
“Protection when it comes to cesarean births includes things like bracing,” says Janette. She draws parallels between the compression you need with a sprained ankle. But, in this case, the brace looks like an ab wrap or compression garment.
There are many cultural iterations of these ab wraps or they can come in the form of compression garments, like Knix’s CoreLove Underwear or High Rise Leggings and Leakproof Underwear, which also offer pelvic floor support. This will help with swelling pain and protect your incision for the first six weeks post-cesarean.
During this phase, you’ll want the surgical area to be covered and compressed. After six weeks, you can begin to slowly wean yourself off your brace until basic core retraining and strength has been achieved.
Modified Movement
Gentle movement is also key to recovering from a C-birth as it reduces inflammation, increases circulation, and improves long term mobility. Walking, according to Janette, is one of the best forms of exercise you can do after giving birth, whether it be vaginal or cesarean.
Pain is also to be expected post-cesarean and too much movement can just amplify the agony. That’s where “modified movement” comes into play. During the first six weeks, “Do your best to get swelling out of the surgical area,” says Janette. “Swelling prevents healing.”
When you’re in pain, your inclination may be to sit still or become rigid. Small movements, like walking around your home and moving your arms up and down will help decrease swelling. The other big reason movement is important is that it reconnects your brain to the wounded area.
Nerve endings have been cut and need to be re-tethered. “The more you move, the more blood flow goes to that area,” says Janette. “The more the nerves reconnect, the more you gain core control.” This is part of what Janette refers to as the three R’s: Re-activation, Re-patterning, and Re-strengthening. Everyone moves through these phases at different intervals, with “re-patterning” being the most intensive.
Gentle Massage
Janette also emphasizes the importance of indirect scar massage which can help increase blood flow during the first six weeks of recovery. Gentle movement, like walking, taking deep belly breaths, and opening up your arms and bringing them above your head is sufficient to create movement around the wounded area during this phase. “This opens up that front body and starts to move that surgical area into positions that you want it to be opened into,” she says.
After six weeks, you’ll want to begin incorporating a few minutes of direct massage and movement into your daily self-care routine. Doing this alone will “exponentially” improve recovery, according to Janette.
When it comes to scar massages, “you start superficial before you go deep,” she says. You can start by lightly tapping on the area around the scar to help nerve regeneration — AKA that mind-body connection we mentioned earlier. You can apply the same technique with small circles, starting in the peripherals of the scar and working your way closer over the course of days and weeks.
This should feel intuitive and never painful — “you always keep to zero out of 10 on the pain scale.” As your body heals, you should be able to deepen those taps and widen those circles safely.
“I think women need to know that they know their body best,” says Janette. As a perinatal therapist, she’s there to show you healing techniques you can incorporate into your C-birth self-care routine. But, when in doubt, you know your body best.
For many women, creating, birthing, and healing is their birthright. “We are mother nature and intuitive like mother nature, she knows how to heal.”
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We hope you found this post informative — but remember: we’re not doctors and this post is not medical advice! While all posts are fact-checked and well researched, we always recommend you chat with your doctor about any questions or concerns you might have regarding a medical condition. We’re here to support and educate, but never with the aim of disregarding professional medical advice you’ve been given. Phew, now that that’s out of the way, you can go on living unapologetically free.