Recovery after a caesarean section: week by week

Hospitals give different dates for dressings and driving, so the ranges below name the source. Recovery depends on whether the operation was planned or an emergency, on pain, on feeding, and on how much help you have at home. Your midwife and surgeon's advice always replaces what is written here.

The NHS says the catheter stays in for at least 12 hours and the wound dressing for at least 24, that you will be given painkillers and encouraged to move around, and that most people leave hospital after one or two days. Hull describes enhanced recovery in which people are discharged the day after if well.

Discomfort for the first few days is expected, and for some people it lasts several weeks. The NHS recommends paracetamol or ibuprofen and says to avoid aspirin and codeine if you are breastfeeding. Take them regularly rather than waiting for pain to build. Bleeding from the vagina is normal; use pads rather than tampons.

North Tees says a waterproof dressing stays on for 72 hours, after which you can shower with soap and water, pat the wound dry and avoid letting bath water cover it; Hull describes dressing removal on day 7, or day 10 if there are signs of infection. The NHS describes a horizontal scar of 10 to 20 cm below the bikini line, and says stitches that are not dissolvable are removed at 5 to 7 days.

Loose clothing and high-waisted cotton underwear reduce rubbing. North Tees suggests avoiding oils and soaps on the wound for the first two to three weeks and says the wound should heal into a scar within five to six weeks. Milton Keynes says numbness is normal at first, and that scar pain after six weeks is worth raising with your GP for referral to a pelvic health physiotherapist.

Gentle daily walks lower the risk of clots, the NHS and Hull both note. Milton Keynes describes breathing and ankle exercises each hour in the early days, abdominal bracing when turning and pelvic floor exercises once the catheter is out, with long and short squeezes three times a day.

Avoid lifting anything heavier than your baby for six weeks, according to Hull and Milton Keynes, and Hull adds avoiding pushing and pulling for four weeks. Vacuuming, prolonged standing and carrying a toddler are strains to avoid early on. Build up exercise only as it becomes comfortable.

Hull advises not driving for six weeks and contacting your insurer if you want to drive sooner. The NHS says you can start driving, exercise and sex again when you feel able and they are comfortable, which may not be for six weeks or so. GOV.UK says that anyone unable to control a vehicle safely must not drive, and that insurance validity can be affected if medical advice is ignored.

Milton Keynes says recovery can take up to six to eight weeks, longer for some. Rest as much as you can in the early weeks and accept help with housework.

The NHS and Hull list severe pain, heavy bleeding, urinary problems or leaking urine, a wound that becomes redder, more swollen or painful or starts to discharge, a cough or breathlessness, and a swollen or painful calf. Contact your midwife, GP or maternity unit promptly; call 999 for chest pain, severe breathlessness or heavy bleeding with dizziness.