3 things about c section recovery and c section scar healing that you must know

If you had a c section whether it was planned or not, you might have some questions on c section recovery and most of all c section scar healing.

Even though you didn’t give birth through a VBAC, there are still some parameters to consider for a better recovery and most of all to ensure there won’t be any long-lasting side effects on your health and body. 

In this blog post, I’m sharing 3 tips to help you heal better plus a bonus one, lucky you!

C SECTION RECOVERY BLOG
Leslie Abraham

By Leslie Abraham

Table of Contents

C section scar healing: self massage

Self-massage of your c section scar is something really overseen. I rarely heard any of my clients telling me that their health care provider advised them to gently massage their c section scar, or consider placing more attention on this area of their bodies.

In my osteopathic practice, I used to have lots of moms coming to see me with c section scar – ancient and quite recent – complaining about numbness in this area, pulling sensations, discomfort touching it or even hip and lower back pain or intercourse pain.

So why do you need to massage your c section scar? When a scar is healing, there can be some form of tissue adhesion forming. Simply put, there are some bands of tissue forming between the organs and your skin where the scar is. Moreover, the scar tissues don’t have the same elastic properties as a skin that hasn’t been cut, and the vascularization and innervation of this area can also be compromised. 

Gently massaging the areas on your c section scar where you feel it’s lacking elasticity and present some “bumps” can really help loosen it up and improve its quality. In turn, this can decrease some tensions you might experience in your hips, lower back but also lower some of the premenstrual symptoms or intercourse pain for instance. 

This can be done, weeks, months and even years after giving birth. As long as you feel that your c section scar is still dry, bumpy, numb or hard, you can massage it gently. The best time to do it is when you’re taking a shower because you will see it and eventually think about massaging it too. 

c section scar massage

How to do this? Not to be done before 6 to 8 weeks after giving birth or complete scar healing assessed by your health care provider

You want to simply use 2 fingers, and place them on one end of your c section scar. Gently press and perform little circles until you feel like the tissues are kind of “warming up” or melting underneath the gentle pressure. Move on to the area next to it and keep going. Insist a bit more where you feel some bumps. Again you have to go really gently.

1: Stay on one spot and perform circle motions 

2: gently pinch and lift the skin between 2 fingers, and perform very small circular motions and rubbing between your 2 fingers

3: place 2 fingers at each end of the c section scar and gently bring them closer to each other and away from each other to gently stretch it

If you need help with this, on top of self-massaging yourself, I would seek for a fascia therapist specialized in postpartum care in your area. 

Some of the symptoms or signs that you might have some adherences are:

  • Lower back pain
  • Hip pain
  • Pain and discomfort when changing positions: seating to standing, turning sides in your bed etc
  • Numbness or tingling
  • Stomach pain
  • Constipation
  • Aggravated premenstrual syndrome
  • Pain during intercourse

Pelvic floor and abdominal recovery for c section recovery

“Do I need pelvic floor recovery if I had a c section?”

This is a very frequently asked question. And the answer is Yes! Even though you didn’t give birth vaginally, there still has been some changes and forces applied to your pelvic floor and most likely, like any woman who gives birth, you will need some pelvic floor recovery.

How can you do that you ask? We always begin with some breathing exercises combined with gentle activation of your pelvic floor muscles and deep core muscle exercises. If you want to know more about how to kick start your postpartum recovery you can download my free postpartum core recovery guide by clicking on the button below.

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Pelvic mobility

As i just explained, a c section scar with adherences can trigger hip and lower back pain. To prevent this, doing mobility exercises and making sure that every joint is moving well is a must. 

But one doesn’t go without the other. Meaning that you can’t just focus on mobility and stop working on the quality and a full c section healing. Tissue work, aka self massage, and mobility work goes hand in hand.

You can check out this blog post about 3 tips to prevent postpartum back pain and this blog post on 10 exercises for postpartum back pain, I share exercises to do to improve this mobility.

PELVIC MOBILITY FOR C SECTION RECOVERY

This exercise for instance can help re-establish a good mobility on the joint between your lumbar vertebrae (lower back) and your sacrum (the V shape bone at the end of your spine).

Bonus Tip: what to do before 6-8 weeks

What can you do before the c section scar has healed?

During the first few weeks, you have to avoid touching your scar too much and take really good care of it to keep it clean. It is not recommended to do any self-massage at that stage. You have to wait anywhere between 6 to 8 weeks before being able to do so and most of all ask your health care provider if the scar has healed. 

However, you can stimulate the skin and tissues around the c section scar. To begin with, you can just try to enhance the sensitivity of the skin around your scar. You can use different types of fabrics (cotton, cotton pads, harder type of fabric), and gently rub them around your c section scar. It will help to develop more sensitivity, stimulate the sensitive nervous system to avoid numbness and lack of sensibility. 

On top of this, to help with the c section healing process, you can support it with a healthy and nutritious diet, by choosing mainly anti-inflammatory foods. You can check out this blog post, 3 tips to support your postpartum diet, where I share how to make the most out of your food and eat in a way that will support your c section recovery. 

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About Leslie Abraham
She is the founder and owner of Bonjour Baby, and the creator of the prenatal and postpartum Bonjour Baby online courses. Leslie is a prenatal and pediatrics Osteopath DO (France), certified pre and postnatal personal trainer and women health coach. She has devoted more than 10 years of her career to help woman be ready for birth and recover from it in the following months and years.
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Disclaimer: Bonjour Baby strongly recommends that you consult with your physician before beginning and enrolling in any exercise program, even if you are in good physical condition, not suffering from any complications, and able to participate in the exercise.
Bonjour Baby is not a licensed medical care provider and represents that it has no expertise in diagnosing, examining, or treating medical conditions of any kind or in determining the effect of any specific exercise on a medical condition.

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