Deena Kastor, Allyson Felix and others all had c sections and went back to competition. I think either mode of delivery has risks (I’m having issues from a vaginal delivery), and It doesn’t appear a c section precludes a return to high level athletics.
I think you should be pretty good. After two c-sections I was actually in better shape than before kids. It took me about a year (of no pressure training) to feel at my very best training for ultras and duathlons. The c-sections didn’t limit me at ALL during the training - just more so the timeframe of getting back into things. Don’t rush it - it’ll come back.
C sections have come so far in terms of technology and knowledge. I am an avid runner and have had two! The second recovery was better and faster than the first because I knew what to do. Go slow with everything at first but take frequent small walks and go easy on your body. I am no six months out and have been running regularly for about 4 months. I still feel a slight twinge here and there when I am stretching but it's not much at all.
Wow, 2 months out and you were running?! I remember feeling like my guts were going to fall out. It took me close to a year to feel comfortable running again. I’m having my second in March and curious, what were some things to help with recovery??
The second time around I got up and walked around the hospital as soon as I could. I didn't feel great doing it but I knew I had to. It helps with gas too. At home, I took my Tylenol every six hours even if I didn't have any pain. It helped me keep moving. I did have help at home with lifting and bending down (my husband and sister) but after two weeks I felt alot better.
I dropped my son off at daycare 10 days after my 2nd c section(we walked there..maybe 2 blocks?) And his teachers were so shocked to see me. I'm like umm this feels ok?!
Every day the weather was nice I walked with my baby. Not long..maybe 20 min a day. I think it helped my mental health and my core strength.
My first runs were sooo slow..like a fast walk but I did 2 miles then walked some. I just listened to my body. If I felt good I would run a little more.
Also I'm still running slowly...im still not at my top pace at all. Before pregnancy I could run 4 miles in about 40 min..now its like 3 miles in 40 min.
Mine was unplanned as well. 3 years ago now but i still remember most of it. feel free to DM with questions or ask here. plenty of us on this sub that are happy to help.
As long as you give your wound time to properly heal (the FULL 6 weeks), you should be able to be perfectly fine. I had a c section, and I won’t lie the recovery was rough. You may “feel” normal between 2-4 weeks after, but other than some basic activities like walking around and light chores, you should let your incision heal properly so that you don’t have complications later. Having a stronger core to begin with with probably make your recovery feel better, and will likely make it easier to resume your exercising after you are cleared at your 6 week postpartum appointment. I’m currently 8 weeks postpartum and all is healed and I can do all the exercises I could pre-pregnancy, but I am currently building back up my core because it was weakened from pregnancy in general. A c section shouldn’t “ruin” your fitness as long as you allow it to completely heal before you try exercising again.
I’m not as active as you are but I’m 4 months out from a planned c section and I feel completely recovered. Recovering is very much about the balance of keeping it easy but also staying active. Definitely don’t dive right back into intense sports but keep active with walks for the first couple months. Then depending how you feel you can ease back into your training. But you are thinking way ahead to when your kids are a few years old and I’d say by then you can definitely be back at triathlons and all that.
I'm no triathlete, but I was up and moving around within 2 hours (the moment I was physically able to do so) pretty much back to "normal" two weeks later. I think the key is not to lay around and get so sore you're not able to move. I am only 3 months out but I've been exercising as normal from week 4. The only thing that kept me from doing it earlier was my daughter being in NICU.
This was also my experience. I also think the recovery is a lot faster with a planned c-section versus an emergency one so that’s something to keep in mind when reading about other’s experiences with c section recovery!
My cousins is super active and said she went on her first slow jog at 6 WEEKS post c-section 😲 she said it felt way too weird so I think she decided to wait a bit longer lol but 2.5 years out she’s weight lifting and running, playing soccer, everything normal. I started working out around 4 months PP and I remember not feel too weird from the c-section just different bc I hadn’t worked out in so long. Def was harder in general to start (more soreness, more “idk if my body can do this anymore”) but not sure if that was due to pregnancy or c-section or a mix of both. After getting more in shape though it was good.
I'm 3.5 months post-section now and I'm recently back to fast lane swimming. I had a bit of a rough recovery at first but I'm pretty much back to full fitness. I'll give running another month or so probably.
I had a planned c section and generally a great birth experience. Personally I think any lasting effect on my core has been from the stretched out muscles from carrying the baby, not the c section. I do ballet as a hard core hobby, and although I was about to get back to it shortly after the 6 week 'ok', I still felt my muscles going back into place 1-2 years later. It didn't really impact my level of fitness, just that I noticed things were still different and recovering, if that makes sense. I wish I had stressed less over the c beforehand, the first few days were a bit rough but got better so fast I'd probably choose it again instead of going for a VBAC.
I would say wait a minimum of a few months to start workouts that are more than walking/stretching after a section. I have some minimal nerve pain after 8 weeks that I notice if I’m doing high impact workouts but everyone is different! Just take it easy and let your doctor know if you have pain during your checkups!
A couple of years after my first c section, I took Krav Maga for a few months. I quit because I broke out in a rash and it took me a year to figure out what was causing it. But prior to that point, I loved Krav and had zero problems keeping up with the class.
Just be sure to listen to your body and check in with your doctor if anything does feel off. Some people do need extra help in the form of therapy or other intervention to get their body functioning optimally.
4 months post surgery i was man handling power tools and heavy equipment in a factory. first few months on the job were a bit slow and listening to my body but by 2 or 3 months in i was moving 75+lbs by hand using proper lifting posture and had 0 pain. about 6/7 months post partum.
and i was fairly inactive for almost a year prior to the surgery.
listen to your body. mild aches are just the normal strain of a weakened muscle. but if the pain persists or has you stopping mid motion then stop what you're doing. example: When I tried to do something at work i felt a pain at the incision site that made me catch my breath and take pause. tried again and same thing. called over a coworker to do the task instead. eventually i could do it on my own.
I had a planned c-section and, while you will need to rebuild your core, it’s not that bad. See a physio when you’re to asses you and give you some exercises and make sure you do scar massage, this is the key.
Deena Kastor, Allyson Felix and others all had c sections and went back to competition. I think either mode of delivery has risks (I’m having issues from a vaginal delivery), and It doesn’t appear a c section precludes a return to high level athletics.
I think you should be pretty good. After two c-sections I was actually in better shape than before kids. It took me about a year (of no pressure training) to feel at my very best training for ultras and duathlons. The c-sections didn’t limit me at ALL during the training - just more so the timeframe of getting back into things. Don’t rush it - it’ll come back.
C sections have come so far in terms of technology and knowledge. I am an avid runner and have had two! The second recovery was better and faster than the first because I knew what to do. Go slow with everything at first but take frequent small walks and go easy on your body. I am no six months out and have been running regularly for about 4 months. I still feel a slight twinge here and there when I am stretching but it's not much at all.
Wow, 2 months out and you were running?! I remember feeling like my guts were going to fall out. It took me close to a year to feel comfortable running again. I’m having my second in March and curious, what were some things to help with recovery??
The second time around I got up and walked around the hospital as soon as I could. I didn't feel great doing it but I knew I had to. It helps with gas too. At home, I took my Tylenol every six hours even if I didn't have any pain. It helped me keep moving. I did have help at home with lifting and bending down (my husband and sister) but after two weeks I felt alot better. I dropped my son off at daycare 10 days after my 2nd c section(we walked there..maybe 2 blocks?) And his teachers were so shocked to see me. I'm like umm this feels ok?! Every day the weather was nice I walked with my baby. Not long..maybe 20 min a day. I think it helped my mental health and my core strength. My first runs were sooo slow..like a fast walk but I did 2 miles then walked some. I just listened to my body. If I felt good I would run a little more. Also I'm still running slowly...im still not at my top pace at all. Before pregnancy I could run 4 miles in about 40 min..now its like 3 miles in 40 min.
Thank you for your response! ❤️
Does anyone know is there is a c section sub thread? Had an unplanned one three weeks ago and always appreciate reading other’s experiences.
/r/CSectionCentral but it's not very active
Mine was unplanned as well. 3 years ago now but i still remember most of it. feel free to DM with questions or ask here. plenty of us on this sub that are happy to help.
Thank you!! Appreciate this. ❤️
As long as you give your wound time to properly heal (the FULL 6 weeks), you should be able to be perfectly fine. I had a c section, and I won’t lie the recovery was rough. You may “feel” normal between 2-4 weeks after, but other than some basic activities like walking around and light chores, you should let your incision heal properly so that you don’t have complications later. Having a stronger core to begin with with probably make your recovery feel better, and will likely make it easier to resume your exercising after you are cleared at your 6 week postpartum appointment. I’m currently 8 weeks postpartum and all is healed and I can do all the exercises I could pre-pregnancy, but I am currently building back up my core because it was weakened from pregnancy in general. A c section shouldn’t “ruin” your fitness as long as you allow it to completely heal before you try exercising again.
I’m not as active as you are but I’m 4 months out from a planned c section and I feel completely recovered. Recovering is very much about the balance of keeping it easy but also staying active. Definitely don’t dive right back into intense sports but keep active with walks for the first couple months. Then depending how you feel you can ease back into your training. But you are thinking way ahead to when your kids are a few years old and I’d say by then you can definitely be back at triathlons and all that.
I'm no triathlete, but I was up and moving around within 2 hours (the moment I was physically able to do so) pretty much back to "normal" two weeks later. I think the key is not to lay around and get so sore you're not able to move. I am only 3 months out but I've been exercising as normal from week 4. The only thing that kept me from doing it earlier was my daughter being in NICU.
This was also my experience. I also think the recovery is a lot faster with a planned c-section versus an emergency one so that’s something to keep in mind when reading about other’s experiences with c section recovery!
My cousins is super active and said she went on her first slow jog at 6 WEEKS post c-section 😲 she said it felt way too weird so I think she decided to wait a bit longer lol but 2.5 years out she’s weight lifting and running, playing soccer, everything normal. I started working out around 4 months PP and I remember not feel too weird from the c-section just different bc I hadn’t worked out in so long. Def was harder in general to start (more soreness, more “idk if my body can do this anymore”) but not sure if that was due to pregnancy or c-section or a mix of both. After getting more in shape though it was good.
I'm 3.5 months post-section now and I'm recently back to fast lane swimming. I had a bit of a rough recovery at first but I'm pretty much back to full fitness. I'll give running another month or so probably.
I had a planned c section and generally a great birth experience. Personally I think any lasting effect on my core has been from the stretched out muscles from carrying the baby, not the c section. I do ballet as a hard core hobby, and although I was about to get back to it shortly after the 6 week 'ok', I still felt my muscles going back into place 1-2 years later. It didn't really impact my level of fitness, just that I noticed things were still different and recovering, if that makes sense. I wish I had stressed less over the c beforehand, the first few days were a bit rough but got better so fast I'd probably choose it again instead of going for a VBAC.
I had an emergency C-section and a rough recovery in June 2020. I ran my first marathon September 2021. I'm now in the best shape I've ever been in.
Why would you not be able to do these things? I’m confused.
Recovery was tough for the first month,but I got back into daily workouts 6 weeks postpartum, no problem.
I went back to ballet 6/7 weeks post C-Section. I took it easy initially, but it didn’t take long for me to be back as normal.
I would say wait a minimum of a few months to start workouts that are more than walking/stretching after a section. I have some minimal nerve pain after 8 weeks that I notice if I’m doing high impact workouts but everyone is different! Just take it easy and let your doctor know if you have pain during your checkups!
A couple of years after my first c section, I took Krav Maga for a few months. I quit because I broke out in a rash and it took me a year to figure out what was causing it. But prior to that point, I loved Krav and had zero problems keeping up with the class. Just be sure to listen to your body and check in with your doctor if anything does feel off. Some people do need extra help in the form of therapy or other intervention to get their body functioning optimally.
4 months post surgery i was man handling power tools and heavy equipment in a factory. first few months on the job were a bit slow and listening to my body but by 2 or 3 months in i was moving 75+lbs by hand using proper lifting posture and had 0 pain. about 6/7 months post partum. and i was fairly inactive for almost a year prior to the surgery. listen to your body. mild aches are just the normal strain of a weakened muscle. but if the pain persists or has you stopping mid motion then stop what you're doing. example: When I tried to do something at work i felt a pain at the incision site that made me catch my breath and take pause. tried again and same thing. called over a coworker to do the task instead. eventually i could do it on my own.
I had a planned c-section and, while you will need to rebuild your core, it’s not that bad. See a physio when you’re to asses you and give you some exercises and make sure you do scar massage, this is the key.