Swelling After C-section

Totally normal.
Had that with both of my boys and both were born via C-section.
Plus good ol' St. Louis humidity doesn't make the swelling go down any faster.

Congratulations!!

Hello A. , yes you do swell up after a C-Section its perficly normal I had 2. just give it 6 mo. to a yr after the baby was born.

I had a c-section and my legs and feet blew up like balloons (or so I thought at the time)! I didn't think they could get worse than they were when I was pregnant (couldn't even get my shoes on at 9 months!) but to my surprise they did! Nurses told me that would happen, though, so I wasn't too concerned. I was pretty annoyed, though! I had really been looking forward to feeling like myself again :) It was a few weeks (I think) before they went back to "normal." Have fun watching yourself shrink! And congratulations!!!!!

I had this happen after my first C-section. My feet and legs were so swollen that I couldn't put my shoes on to leave the hospital (the same ones I wore to come in). The reason was the excessive amount of I.V. fluid I was given. An I.V. was started before my surgery and I can't remember the number of bags I went through, but it was a lot. It took about 1 week for my swelling to come down (I'm normally very petite). Try to drink a lot of water which will force you to go to the bathroom a lot. I would still ask your Dr. about it.

A., Don't worry, it is normal. I had the same thing happen with my 1st c-section. My feet were so swollen that I felt like I could feel the fluid squishing when I walked. Just drink plenty of water and try to put your feet up when you rest.

Take care, M.

I don't want to be the one to cause all the panic and worry but I would get checked for blood clots and once that is ruled out try all the remedies of how to reduce the swelling. I wouldn't want to find out they were blood clots after waiting "too long". My son has a lump on his head(almost a yr now) and I KNEW it wasn't just from falling so I took him in and told the drs to verify that it wasn't cancer or anything life threatening and then they could figure what it might be from there. I didn't want them to decide it was something minor and then after 3 months of thinking it was nothing, end up in the hospital and be diagnosed with cancer and them say "if we would have found it sooner."

So yeah I'd just go to the dr and be on the safe side. I'm sure it's just swelling but better safe then sorry.

Congratulations!
I agree, talk to your doctor first. But if everything is alright eat WATERMELON! When my son was born I had the same problem and when the home health nurse came to see him (for jaundice) she immediately checked my blood pressure and my pulse, had me elevate my feet and sent my husband to the grocery store for watermelon. She told me to eat it until I couldn't stand it! Within 2 - 3 days the swelling was significantly better. Good luck!

Yes, it is completely normal. I had my baby on May 8th, and my feet were extremely swollen. The nurses told me that it would be like that. It lasted for about 2 weeks. Just keep drinking water, and they will go down. It is very nice to step on the scale after they start going down, because all that water weight came off fast. This is actually my 2nd child and I remember that with my first as well.

Congratulations! Welcome to motherhood!
I know it sounds like compounding the problem, but drink lots of water. You need to flush it all out. Eat food (fruits and veggies) that contain lots of water (celery, carrots, watermelon, apples).
My sister thought (when she had her first baby) that if she stopped drinking so much water, the swelling would go down. No ma'am! You should have seen her feet!!! Looked like the skin was going to bust! She said her Dr. told her to drink, drink, drink water and to eat those fruits and veggies.
Also, put your feet up.
Hope this helps.
lb

The exact same thing happened to me and when I called my doctor he said that as long as the swelling was in both feet / legs that there shouldn't be anything to worry about. If it was just on one side then he would have wanted to see me. I kept my feet up as much as possible and the swelling went down in a couple days.

Congrats on your baby girl!

I had the same thing happen with my last baby I delivered in January. Did you get pumped with a lot of IV fluids? I did. By the time i left the hospital I couldn't wear the shoes I was admitted with. The fluids eventually went down...but boy was i irritated with the whole thing! Have you called your ob/gyn though? If you are still concerned, I'd give him/her a call and let tell her what is going on. Better to be safe then sorry.

A.,
I had a c-section with my son and experienced the same thing. I didn't swell at all prior to having him so the swelling after having him seem awful to me! Part of the reason is that they pump you full of fluids with the iv and it has to go somewhere. My swelling went all the way up my legs. I sat around with my feet propped up and also soaked them in epsom salt. I think the worst of the swelling was gone within about a week and a half.
Best of luck and congratulations!
M.

I agree to have your doctor check it out... But with my first one my feet did not swell at all with the prenancy, but swelled double within days of giving birth. My doctor did tell me that was normal, but did look at them to make sure I was fine, which they were. Within a few weeks they were back to normal!

did they have those bootie things on your feet in the hospital to help prevent blood clots(DVT)? This could possibly cause the swelling. I ended with a blood clot in my leg after having my son in March because they did not turn them on. Or, it could be high blood pressure or fluid build up. You should talk to your doctor.

One of the reasons all of us get so swollen after is because of the IV fluids they give you. I was never swollen when I was pregnant but I had Barney Rubble feet about 4-5 days after I had my C-section - quite a surprise! You're normal. :)

I didn't have a C-Section with my daughter this year, but I swelled worse the first week and half after I had her than the whole time I was prenant. I would put my feet up above my heart for a couple hours a day and drank a lot of water. I avoided salty greasy foods and they went down about 8 days later.

Hello A.,

The exact thing happened to me when I had my son. My swelling went down after about two weeks. You should have nothing to worry about. But you still should at least let your Dr. know.

Best thing to do is prop your feet up as often as possible... above your heart. I believe that's all I did. I know what it's like. My feet hurt so bad during the swelling, that I couldn't wear shoes.

Good luck. Sorry I couldn't have been anymore help.

ls

Are you doing too much? Eating salty foods? I noticed when would try to do too much, I swelled a lot. Drink tons of water, especially if you are breastfeeding, get some rest, and put those feet up. Of course if its really something you are concerned about, you can always call your doctor. But I was swelled up like the good year blimpe for like 2-3 weeks. I swear I lost like 30 lbs in water weight the first 3 weeks after birth. Also when I had a c-section, they had an IV in me a lot longer than my vaginal birth, which means more fluids they pump into you and the more swelling. Yuk! Good luck and congrats!!!

I have had two c-sections and swelling afterward is normal...I'm surprised your doctor or nurses didn't explain that to you. I couldn't wear any normal shoes for about a week after. The air that gets trapped in your body during the surgery takes a while to get released. Your shoulders will probably be very sore for a few days too, due to trapped air in them. Was explained to me much more medically but that was 9.5 years ago and that's the gist of it as I remember. Good luck and enjoy your new little one!

Hi,
Congrats on your new miracle! I too had a c-section and experienced swelling. My miracle is now 8 and just celebrated her birthday yesterday. The swelling will go away. Just make sure you are checking your blood pressure and that it is normal. The doctor never could say really why I was swelling he just said that perhaps it was from the anesthesia. At any rate, try not to panic. You will go back to normal....Take care love and best wishes with your new bundle of joy.

Swelling is common after birth. I had it too. You should call your doctor and let them know. There is such a thing as eclampsia after birth, which can be dangerous. Until you can see your doc, make sure you're drinking plenty of fluids and try to keep your feet up.

Congratulations on your baby girl!!!!! =D

Try keeping your feet elevated when baby is sleeping, you should be resting too. I swelled up pretty bad with my little guy but I had him vaginally. I think its just something that we all end up with in the end. Just relax and keep your feet up. you can try ice packs for a little while if you want, just wrap them in a towel and leave them on your feet and ankles for about 15 minutes at a time. Talk to your doctor to see if there is anything else you can be doing to help out your tootsies. You should tell the doc anyway if your feet are really swollen. Good luck!

:) Mama M.