The Six Don'ts and Four Do's Every Mom S…

After my water broke, the baby was short on oxygen in the womb, so I had no choice but to have a C-section. That went pretty much against my original plan, since from early on I'd really wanted a natural birth, but suffering a little more for the baby's health was worth it. Let me share my own experience below.

Day one, I was full of energy and so hungry my stomach was in knots, but the doctor told me not to eat anything. The incision didn't hurt because I had a pain pump.

Day two, they removed the catheter and wanted me to get up and move around so the wound wouldn't stick together, but I simply couldn't get out of bed. No matter how I moved, the incision hurt. I finally couldn't hold my pee any longer, so I gritted my teeth and got up. Using a bedpan made things a lot easier. After an enormous struggle I managed to stand, and the moment I was on my feet it felt like all my insides were falling out. The tears just kept streaming down, and I started to question my whole life. Every single step felt like stepping on needle points. I really couldn't bear it, so I lay back down. Half a day later, getting up again was much better.

Day three, the anesthesia wore off and the pain was unbearable. I cried all day, and in the end they gave me a strong painkiller shot, after which I could shuffle around out of bed. They still wouldn't let me eat, and oh, the hunger in my heart was something else.

Day four, I could basically tolerate it. I could get up and walk, and I could eat, having some rice porridge.

Day five, I was discharged.

The C-section nine don'ts and four do's for a faster recovery:

One, don't refuse to have your belly pressed. Pressing on the belly hurts a lot and makes you bleed quite a bit down below, but it helps push out the lochia.

Two, don't let yourself get hit by drafts. Your body is weak, and drafts can make you catch a chill, so avoid through-drafts, but the room should still be properly ventilated.

Three, don't lie flat for long stretches. Lying flat for too long can give you bedsores on your bottom.

Four, don't eat until you're too full. Because the wound is on your belly, you have to be careful. Eating until you're overly full and bloated increases the pressure on your abdomen and is bad for the wound healing. You especially can't eat fish, seafood, or other "trigger" foods.

Five, don't skip the belly binding. Whether it's a natural birth or a C-section, postpartum belly binding is really important! I used a HuanXi shaping garment that a lovely nurse recommended. The material is really special, it can help burn fat, it's a two-piece design, so it's easy to put on and take off and convenient for going to the bathroom, and you can wear it while sleeping and nursing too. It not only helps restore your figure but also promotes lochia discharge, lifts the bottom, draws in the hips, and prevents your organs from sagging. After wearing it for just over a month, my belly went back down, and at my 42-day checkup everything looked great!

Six, don't laugh hard, cough, or vomit. Pay special attention to this. The wound on your belly isn't like one on your arms or legs. Laughing hard, coughing, and vomiting all tug at the wound and can cause it to tear open.

The first do: lie on your side. Lying on your side can ease the pain of the abdominal wound and also help the uterine wound heal faster. After a C-section, the best position is on your side.

The second do: tightening repair. After ten months of pregnancy and giving birth, postpartum looseness down there is serious, and if you don't repair it in time, things stay loose, bacteria breed easily, and you can get inflammation and other problems. I also got recommended peraco postpartum firming repair liquid on Xiaohongshu. The repair effect on looseness is really good, but it's on the slower side. The first month I used it 3 times a week, one tube each time; the second month, twice a week; and from the third month on, just one tube a week. In total I used it for 7 months, and went from being loose at 3.5 fingers down to tight at 1 finger.

The third do: have a bowel movement in good time. After giving birth you need to pee and poop promptly, otherwise you'll end up with constipation or urinary retention.

The fourth do: prevent catching a cold. A new mom's body is fairly weak after giving birth, so you absolutely have to keep yourself warm.

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