is it possible after giving birth via c-section to be back to work after 2 weeks

[smartnurse1982]

Hi. Just wanted to know if its possible to go back to work in two weeks after a c-section? My doc says its up to me and my job says I could return after 2 weeks. My pay is normally $800 after taxes and health benefits ($135 weekly)are taken out, but the private insurance companies max pay is 560, of which I have to pay $135 a week to keep my health insurance with the company,(they won't pay for me while I'm on disability) so i'd get 430 a week. I just can't live off that, and hubby is not working. I do pdn and the client is 14, 80 lbs, ambulatory, and just needs lifting up while in bed. I work 12 hour shifts three days a week.

[GaMBA]

What does lifting up while in bed mean? I had a c-section and although I was able to walk around just fine (but full of pain) the next day, the area where the incision was was sore for a while. I don't think I started driving until the 5 or 6 wk mark. For the first couple of weeks it hurt me just to laugh (and I laugh at everything! lol) and climb in my bed (I have a high bed, but used a stool and it still hurt). I think you should take it easy and save as much money as you can b/w now and then so you can stay off from work until your body has healed enough to allow you to do your job. Also, the first few weeks were utterly exhausting for me, even with my mom and ex there to help me all day everyday. I could not imagine working 3 12-hr shifts just 2 wks after having my son, especially via c-section. I was bone tired and aching and just getting the hang of the breastfeeding thing. I understand that you do what you have to do, but IMO absolutely nothing is more important than my health. If you mess up your incision being too hasty getting back to work, you could cost yourself even more time away from work.

And what kind of doctor says its up to you when you go back to work after a c-section?? Surely he must've set a minimum time for recovery at least...???

[truern]

I can't imagine working three 12s just two weeks after a c-s!! Heck, I ended up with a huge hematoma after my abdominal hysterectomy just from COUGHING!! No way could I have lifted something 80 pounds

[psalm, RN]

Don't do it, you will resent feeling "forced" to go back...and you are putting yourself at danger of delayed healing...possible accidents at work...enormous fatigue...and being away from your baby that long is just asking for all kinds of problems.

Surely there is some way you and your husband can come up with so that you have the proper 6-8 weeks healing. Don't forget the fatigue you will feel taking care of your little one. Does your church have a food closet to help you out for a few months?

[kmarie724]

I had an uncomplicated, lady partsl delivery and I didn't feel like I would have been able to go back to work after 2 weeks. Taking care of myself and the baby took all my energy. Even though I may have physically been able to go back to work after 2 weeks, mentally I wasn't ready. Heck, my dtr is almost 6 months old and somedays I still cry all the way to work because I hate leaving her. How long until your baby is due? Could you save $100 or $50 or even $20 out of every check you get from now until the baby comes to give yourself a little financial cushion and take a longer leave? Or could you go back but only work one shift a week so you're still making some money but not working quite so much? I hope you can figure out something that works for you and your family.

[boggle, ASN, RN]

I understand your financial concerns Smartnurse 1982, and feel for you facing such a tough circumstances. But the issue here is not the money, it's your health and safety. Lifting after abdominal surgery is usually limited in order to avoid injury and delayed healing. I know you may lift your 10+ pound infant, lifting another person in bed is more weight and at an position that strains the best body mechanics.

The position and type of incision you will have also makes a difference in how fast you may heal and return to full activity. A midline abdominal incision often requires longer healing, lifting restrictions than a low transverse incision.

I would suggest you discuss this further with your physician, midwife, nurse... and make it clear to them what the physical and endurance demands of your job really are. Are they really willing to allow you full activity with no lifting restrictions? Meanwhile, scrimp and save every penny you can in order to buy yourself more time off. Prioritize! Every extra day home you can manage will make a difference in your recovery and health. Remember if mom isn't healthy, baby has a tough time too.

I hope all goes well with you and baby and you find a way to work this out for the best. I wish you all well.

:)

(The flow of lochia is another good barometer for telling if you are doing to much. If the flow increases and becomes more bloody, you are overdoing things! Go put your feet up!)

[whipping girl in 07, RN]

I've had 3 c-sections and my recovery was different with each one. But 2 weeks was probably too soon for any of them. I didn't have paid leave for either of my last 2, we refinanced our house to help out with money and saved as much as we could while I was pregnant. It was difficult emotionally to leave them at 8 weeks to go back to work, much less 2. Why can't your husband work? You'll have some money coming in, just not as much as usual. Why can't he just make up the difference?

A girl I graduated with had a c-section and was back at clinicals in 2 weeks but it wasn't her first. She struggled but it was worth to her not to have to sit out a semester.

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

Is it possible to go back to work 2 weeks after a C-section? Yes. Is it wise? Not on a bet.

I was (and still am) the kind to push the edge of the envelope---I was wheeling a heavy grocery cart around a big-box store a whole 4 days after my third Cesarean---but even I knew better than this. For one thing, the Cesarean is MAJOR surgery, and that incision takes a while to heal (especially on the inside!); for another........you'll have just had a baby. You're going to be hormonal, sleep-deprived, exhausted, lactating, AND sore, plus you've got a newborn who needs round-the-clock attention. Add going back to work four weeks too soon, and it's a recipe for disaster.

Do what you have to in order to keep afloat financially, but you should NOT try to go back to a physically and mentally draining job so soon after the physically and mentally difficult experience of giving birth via Cesarean section! You can't know how absolutely wiped-out you're going to feel until you've gone through it, but you should probably just trust us experienced moms and nurses on this one: You shouldn't even THINK about going back to work in 2 weeks. You will not like the way you're going to feel, and you could even wind up prolonging the recovery period well beyond six weeks by inviting wound dehiscence and infection. It isn't smart. Don't do it.

[elcue]

"]don't do it.

take care of yourself.

good luck to you & your family.