How to avoid C-section misconceptions

A: Indeed, there are a few …

Myth No. 1: You should be on bedrest for six to eight weeks after a cesarean.
Your recovery is enhanced by returning to normal activity. Expect that your caregivers will encourage you to walk, eat regular food, shower and use the bathroom shortly after the surgery. Activity, such as walking, helps to decrease some of the complications that may occur after delivery.

Myth No. 2: There will not be any vaginal bleeding after a cesarean delivery.
Just as after a vaginal delivery, there will be vaginal bleeding that lasts from days to weeks until the lining of the uterus heals from the pregnancy.

Myth No. 3: Medication will alleviate all pain from the surgery.
After a C-section, we can improve the amount of pain but generally not eliminate it. Think of a pain score of “10” being what you might expect if you were having our leg amputated without anesthesia, and then consider how severe you feel your pain is. Even with medication, you may experience a pain score of 4 or 5 post-op.

—KAROLINE PUDER, MD, chief of obstetric services at Detroit Medical Center’s Hutzel Womens Hospital