My C-Section Recovery and Postpartum Fitness Journey in Bangkok

I have debated with myself whether I should write this post or not because the topic is so subjective. I’m well aware each and every woman has such an individual experience when it comes to giving birth and life thereafter so anything I have to say could very well be considered not relatable, not realistic, simply irrelevant or just the random musings of one woman. And after thinking about it a lot I feel like sharing experiences can never be a bad thing so here’s my story.

My son is almost 21 months now so I’m writing this post in the hopes of sharing a detailed picture of what a postpartum recovery and journey can look like, and not really focusing on tips for quick weight loss or anything of that nature.

I had my son via c-section, even though I was very much determined to have a natural birth, things did not quite work out the way I imagined. But like I tell anyone who asks about c-section and how I feel about it — in my opinion, once your baby arrives in the world it honestly does not matter the slightest bit how he or she got there because that’s not what’s important anymore.

My c-section was a pretty smooth process and I did not experience any pain during the procedure because I had a spinal block. After the anaesthesia from the spinal block wore off I was given painkillers via a drip to help with the pain while in hospital. During the first 24 hours I was pretty much on bed rest with the nurses lifting me and helping me move any time I needed to.

In the hospital on the second day after surgery I was also made to wear a c-section recovery belly band, which is essentially a high waisted corset-style belt that extends from right below the c-section scar to midway up the abdomen area and is supposed to be worn under clothes. I honestly hated having to wear the belly band because it was so tight and uncomfortable but it did help with keeping my abdomen tight and still so I didn’t feel much pain from the scar whenever I moved. The nurses also encouraged me to get up, go to the bathroom and walk a little with the help of a walker and I got so mad at being forced to move so quickly after surgery when I wanted to just rest. But everyone around me including my doctor told me it would really help with my recovery to start walking even though I was adamant to not believe it, it actually did help a lot. I felt stronger and my fear of experiencing crazy pain from moving around with a surgery scar was gone. I was walking at snail pace with my walker, placing one foot barely in front of the other, but I was able to do it and the pain from my surgery scar wasn’t as unbearable as I had imagined. If I remember correctly, on the the third day I was able to walk slowly without the walker to the nursery and back to my room and go to the bathroom albeit bending and getting up very, very slowly because I was still sore. When it was time to go home I was still having some pain while getting up from the bed on my side so I needed help with that but I was otherwise able to shower, use the bathroom and walk independently and the c-section scar pain had reduced to a discomfort / soreness that was pretty manageable.

Once I was home, I continued wearing the belly band and only needed help getting up from and getting into bed because that’s when the scar caused most discomfort. For breastfeeding I preferred to get up and sit in a BarcaLounger / La-Z-Boy chair because it was heavily padded and gave my back a lot of support and also use a breastfeeding pillow to help support my baby. I found it much easier than turning sideways and feeding in bed while laying down. Otherwise, I was okay doing normal things at home and could walk normally. I had to go back and see my gynaecologist 1 week and 2 weeks post surgery as well as at the 6-week and 12-week mark to make sure my recovery was going normally. The doctor had also advised me to not lift anything heavy or do exercise of any kind until I reached 12 weeks post surgery and was cleared by her to begin working out again.

I remember so vividly the day — about three months after my c-section — my doctor gave me the “okay” to start working out again and I was just so happy because it meant taking some time for myself to be productive and active again and also getting a break from the repetitiveness and tediousness of following a newborn baby’s feeding and napping schedule. With the pregnancy weight gain and not being active for three months (I was mostly sitting or lying down during that time) my body became weak and started aching in places it hadn’t before having the baby. My knees had become quite stiff and started to hurt a lot anytime I bent down or got up from a sitting position; my lower back and pelvic floor sometimes felt sore from sitting down for long periods off time and my core strength and general stamina felt non-existent. I knew I had a lot of work to do to rebuild my strength and fitness.

So 3 months postpartum I began working out about 2-3 times a week with a trainer and I stuck to it for a few months but honestly I was seeing no difference in my external appearance and my weight didn’t budge. I was feeling a bit unmotivated but the one good thing from going back to working out with a trainer is that it got me into a routine of adding exercise to my days with newborn baby and I was slowly gaining my strength back even if there was no evidence on the scale. I was also still pumping breastmilk during this phase and continued to do until my son was 8 months so my appetite was still quite big and I didn’t focus on my diet until I was done with pumping — I easily could have but I just didn’t feel like it. Being a new mom brings enough stresses so worrying about my diet and feeling hungry just didn’t seem like something I wanted to do at that time.

Most women very smoothly manage to workout and control diet while pumping or breastfeeding but I am not one of them. Once I was done with pumping I honestly felt like I got my body and mind back and could start to clearly focus on other aspects of my health and fitness. Until this point I wasn’t gaining weight but I also wasn’t losing as much as I thought I would if I started working out. I didn’t really enjoy my workouts and felt really unmotivated by them. All I knew was my postpartum body was very different to my pre-baby one and needed a different kind of exercise regimen but neither of us — my trainer or me — had figured out what exactly.

So I decided to take some time to explore some ideas and begin my own fitness routine and figure out what made me feel good and motivated. I began with adjusting my diet slightly (I’m vegetarian FYI) and making small changes such as switching out white rice for quinoa and eating more greens and eggs and cutting out unnecessary carbs like bread and dessert. Just making this small change made my body feel less bloated and I started to lose weight slowly. At the same time I also started working out at home by following targeted YouTube workout videos focusing on my problem areas (thighs, stomach and arms), which are 30-40 minutes long, only required free weights and a yoga mat, and offered lots of variety. I started slowly and built myself up to more intense routines.

After 4 months on my self-created fitness journey (and when my son was closer to 14 months) I began to see some steady weight loss on the scale but I honestly wasn’t too focused on it because I could feel and see that my body had changed a lot. The numbers for my pre-baby body would not make sense for a post-baby one. I haven’t found my new healthy weight but until I do I am happy taking it slow and steady.

Today, at close to 2 years postpartum, I am still following my own fitness and health routine without looking at the scale too often or measuring calories burned because I just don’t want that added pressure. Showing up for myself at least four to five times a week for 30-40 minutes, giving it my all and eating relatively healthy is all I am focused on. I don’t care what is or isn’t burned. Or if I had some cake or dessert once or twice a week I’m not going to beat myself up about it because who gets mad over cake? I can see and feel that I am stronger, fitter and more body positive than I was pre-baby. I vowed to myself that I wasn’t going to talk about weight loss at length in this post because, like I have learned, the postpartum health and fitness journey is so, so much more than reaching a number on a scale according to some timeline; it’s about finding acceptance and confidence in your new mind and body as a mom and then taking lots of care to make sure that acceptance and confidence doesn’t fade or get clouded by negativity and comparison.