How long after your c-section did it take for your stomach to stop hurting?

Yes - I think so too. I was actually looking at my scar today and it’s not even centered - it’s off to one side about 2 inches.

They REALLY wanted to get him out ASAP. :slight_smile:

Could be, or could be another sign of a hernia. My fiance’s got a big post-surg hernia from a sigmoidectomy for diverticulitis. Essentially, a good portion of his intestines have poked through the muscle wall to sit behind the skin. This shows as one side of his belly poking out further than the other and it pulls his incision scar to one side by a couple of inches.

I’m glad they got him out in time, for both your sakes’! :slight_smile:

I think you mean “abdomenation.”
love
yams!!

My c-section was three months ago, and I still have a bit of muscle soreness. I technically had an emergency section, but the baby was doing fine so they weren’t in a crazy rush. He was just stuck and it was clear he wasn’t coming down after I pushed for a while. The incision itself healed very well and by 2-3 weeks felt normal, no numbness or pain on the skin. But for a few weeks after that I had a sore stomach and I felt crampy and achey a lot of the time, and it also hurt to push down on my stomach above the incision. Now it’s mostly all healed, but every once in a while I get a twinge. I can finally put pressure on my abdomen again without it killing me, but there’s still soreness. I think it just takes a lot more time for the internal bits to heal up.
Hopefully your doctor says that you are healing well and you don’t have to worry about infection. Mine did mention that you won’t really know how the incision will feel for the rest of your life (in regards to numbness, etc) until about 6 months out. At that point it will be as healed as it’s going to get, he says.

Very emergency C-section (after plennnty of labor, gah) 12 weeks ago yesterday, I’m 41, normal tendency to scarring, 40 weeks pregnancy, smallish but healthy baby (6 lbs 9 oz). No pain at all anymore, just a little itchiness underneath. It was numb above (towards my head) but not below the incision until a couple of weeks ago. I massage the scar regularly to minimize adhesions but I can already tell it’s not going to be a problem. One other surgical scar I have has been much worse, while others are about the same. I was good and didn’t lift anything more than 10 pounds for four weeks like they told me (my awesome husband made that possible).

I’d concur that it sounds like you’ve got something of (probably mild) concern to ask about at your next appointment like you’re planning.

BTW, yay for babies!

ETA: Oh yeah, and it was horizontal-outside-vertical-inside. I think that’s pretty standard nowadays unless you have an unusual situation.

I think I must’ve been lucky compared to most I guess. Emergency c-section, 7 inch horizontal scar, dissolvable stitches. Used a suction cup type thing to get baby out. He was high up in the ribs. Delivered at 46 years of age. I had normal soreness for 2 weeks or so. Now, seven months later it feels fine. The skin feels thicker underneath the scar, but no pain.

Hi Alice
Really sorry to read about your tenderness in your tummy after your c section. I think I am experiencing exactly the same. I am 37 years old and had a planned c section nearly 6 weeks ago. The incision and scar have healed really well but I am extreme tenderness in my tummy so bad that I can hardly touch it sometimes. I have been to the hospital and had blood tests and an ultrasound and they cannot find anything wrong. They think it could possibly be an infection and have given me antiboitics but after 4 days I still feel the same. I am hoping like you there is something to look forward to and am wondering how you got on or if anyone reading this can help?

It was more than a month before I could bear to wear low-cut clothing over my incision. However at 5 weeks I was feeling good enough that I tried to do a little bit of gardening–easy stuff, just putting plants in the ground. That was a mistake. I spent that evening curled up on the sofa, feeling peristalsis against my inflamed abdominal muscles.

Hi Clare,

Well, 14 months out, and the area still hurts if I’m tired, or if I overdo it exercising; however, generally it feels OK (ETA - it’s more of an ache - not a stabbing pain at all). Last year I was checked for a hernia, etc and everything was normal. I think maybe it was just a combo of my age, the urgency with which they hauled Junior out of there, and a total and utter lack of support when he was a newborn necessitating that I do WAAAAAY more than was recommended by my doctors, slowing healing.

FWIW, It mostly feels fine now, and even my tummy isn’t that nasty looking anymore. :slight_smile:

Hi Alice

Thanks for your reply. I’m so glad you are feeling better now. It is giving me hope that I’ll get better eventually also. Take care :slight_smile:

Did you get your belly button ring back in? Or did the squirming, kicking feet of an infant/toddler threatening to rip it straight out through your sweater convince you that they’re best left for women without children? :smiley:

I would just like to add that it is now 16 1/3 months (roughly) since my C-section, and my scar still itches every day. (It didn’t hurt very long, as I said somewhere above/a while ago.)