Post Partum Body & Cesarean Recovery

Our bodies are all so different, you can’t compare yours to anyone else’s especially through pregnancy & post birth!

These were a few comments I was told whist pregnant & since having her;

“You will bounce straight back”

“ How are you planning on loosing your tummy”

“Don’t expect the bump to just go”

“9 months to grow 9 months to go”

“You will probably be left with a c-section pooch that won’t go away”

Where do I even start.. Well I guess it’s important to remember what our body’s do to make, grow & carry these little humans let alone give birth to them is incredible.

It’s a funny thing because I look at my body in such a different way since being pregnant, so far a positive one because what it’s done but in honesty hearing “it will bounce straight back” because I eat ‘well’ and do postnatal physiotherapy & worked out through pregnancy” it hasn’t ‘bounced’ back to how it was before & I guess I didn’t really expect it to either.  But for others if you may have been told “you will bounce straight back” or see celebs that have, it can make you feel a bit confused to what to think or wonder why it hasn’t.

I loved my pregnancy bump (which I didn’t think I would ever say I miss it but I do) apart from at the end I felt like I was carrying a hippo whilst I waddled around.  I guess at 39 weeks when I had the Caesarean she was a pretty big baby at nearly 9 pounds so that could also explain why.. But their is something very special about it, I found other women & even men seemed in ore of the bump.  So my advice is embrace it, pregnancy clothes/ bigger sizes are so comfy I think that kind of dressing will continue.

Anyway MY thoughts post birth..

I was actually really surprised after the first week how much ‘the bump’ had gone down, don’t get me wrong it was very much still there.  I just felt like I had lost some of the water retention & puffiness all over.

I didn’t really know what to expect nor given it much thought how my body would be straight after, a few months or year down the line.  I guess I had excepted that it would look different to how it did before but I am in a different stage of my life than before for aesthetics to be a priority.

I believe the best things you can do especially post c-section is to let your body recover & heal fully after a very long process of what it has just gone through.

In terms of my c section recovery which is considered ‘major abdominal surgery’ I will share more on this in detail soon but I think the reason the scar has healed so well has been down to the last 3 months of pure rest.  I said to myself at the start for the first 3 months I will priorities rest & the tips I have shared below & then after 3 months; which I can’t believe is now, focus bit more on my body.  My pelvic floor (if you get chance I would start being mindful of this ASAP) go back to a little exercise routine & being more mindful what I eat (I can’t eat like i’m eating for 2 forever haha).  This will mean I had 3 months off exercising (other than pram walks) for the first time since I can remember, I could ensure that the scar & my body could heal & recover.  This is not to get a flat stomach it’s to make myself feel better & for my mental & physically health I feel exercise is an important part of this.  Again to someone else full recovery could feel like a month others years, you do you always 🙂

In terms of other body changes, 3 months later my line nigra (pregnancy line down tummy) is very much still there, I have 1 boob much bigger than the other & I have lots of little moles/ freckles over my chest & shoulders that appeared after birth, the doctor said these were down to hormones as I wanted to get them check out, so any body changes you notice it’s always best to as well.  The uterus needs to shrink post birth & this can vary in time, it’s important to remember how much our abdominal muscles are stretched too, my tummy feels super spongy now.  Anyway this is just an honest share how my body has changed..

A few tips that helped me feed better for the first few months & hope it will you..
• Realise you are an absolute superwomen for what you’ve just gone through
• Fuel your body & boobs with energy (lots of healthy, energy fuelled, feel good snacks & meals)
• Lots of water
• Rest, sleep, relaxation & deep breathing as much as you can (feel like this is one of those it’s impossible but if you get a minute take it).
• Fresh air/ walk/ getting out the house even for just 10 minutes can make such a difference
• You’ve got all the time in the world for workouts & any aesthetic goals but you won’t get this newborn time again. So priorities your time accordingly to your own priorities
• Carrying them, rocking them & dancing around your living room with them is more of a workout than you think, also a lovely way of bonding & calming them down or sending then to sleep.

At the end of the day we have beautiful babies to be thankful for & as I said what I have learnt over the last 10 years you should never compare your body to anyone else’s, our yours pre & post pregnancy. No body is the same & due to size of your baby, method of delivery, your age, genetics etc etc we are all so different.

Lots of love you amazing humans! Xx

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2 Comments

  1. Amy
    April 21, 2020 / 8:18 am

    Thank you for sharing this! I had a c section a couple of weeks before you gave birth, it was an unplanned emergency c section. The recovery for me was tough both mentally and physically, I struggled to walk for a long time and couldn’t sit up straight. I was always, and am, a very active and independent person so it really through me. But your honest posts made me feel “normal” and that you need time to heal after such a major operation. So thank you for being so open and honest, it really makes a difference xxx

    • London Paleo Girl
      June 9, 2020 / 10:18 pm

      Thanks so much for your message Amy 🙂 Congratulations on the arrival of your baby & hope you are both doing really well! xx

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