My C-Section Rebuilds: What Three Recoveries Taught Me

Postpartum is too important to wing, and recovery has to go deeper than bouncing back. Here's what three C-sections have taught me.

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My First C-Section

When I asked about healing, what was safe to start and when, and how to rehab after a surgery I wasn't expecting, the advice I got from the OB in charge of my hospital discharge essentially boiled down to: "You'll hurt yourself before you injure yourself."

So I immediately started researching and consuming everything I could find about how to connect with my body, how to move, and how to care for my scar. It was extremely overwhelming to feel like so much was in my court WHILE caring for a baby, which was completely new as well.

I never want other moms to feel that steep of a learning curve WHILE feeling so foreign in their bodies. Working alongside pelvic floor PT experts and learning both the post-surgery care and the return to exercise has been personally transformative, and making it more accessible is something I'm so passionate about.

I had NO idea that my scar needed specific care, or that mobility and desensitization could improve the function and outcome of my recovery early on. I was terrified to touch it, not empowered through education. But little by little, all of that changed, and I'm so grateful for what I have in my toolbox now.

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Three C-sections, Three Recoveries

I've had three C-sections and will have my fourth in February. Each one has been different, but so far each one has gotten easier, which was not something I expected.

With my first, I grappled with a lot of feelings of disappointment. I wanted to go through labor the way I'd envisioned it. With my second, I attempted a VBAC, and it ultimately ended in a repeat C-section. But it had a lot of redemptive qualities, because I felt supported through every decision and every step, even if the outcome was not what I was hoping for.

My third was complex in different ways. He was a surprise, and he came only 12 months after my second, so I had fear about the possibility of uterine rupture. I knew my scar and body had not healed quite to the degree I would have preferred.

What I wasn't expecting were the new layers of confidence in each postpartum experience, and how much better prepared my body was, through training, to handle the demands on the other side. In my head, I expected my age and repeat surgeries to have a negative impact on my body. Instead, I found more resilience, more capability, and better scar outcomes with each one.

I believe now more than ever that with the right support, women can find levels of capability and resilience through motherhood that they might not otherwise. It's a beautiful and sacrificial process. I'm so grateful to have Postpartum Moves and the C-Section Scar Recovery program within the Moves app, and I've leaned on them more and more with each postpartum.

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What Nobody Tells You About Week One

Especially if you weren't planning on a C-section, the learning curve is so steep. You simply weren't preparing for the outcome that is now your reality, and you have SO many other demands on top of the physical pain and restriction you might be feeling.

My personal tips would be:

• Stay on top of your pain medicine in the early days.
• Stool softener and hydration to avoid constipation.
• MOVEMENT supports healing, even in those early hours and days. Getting the blood flowing is very important, with short walks, ankle circles, etc.
• Chewing gum can also help stimulate the digestive system and get things moving!
• Learn better ways of getting in and out of bed, like the side-lying press-up, instead of trying to sit straight up against your painful incision.
• Eat lots of collagen-rich and iron-rich foods to help restore blood levels (spinach, kale, lentils, beans, eggs, beef, yogurt just to name a few).
• Use counterpressure. Belly support bands can feel amazing for support, or press a towel or pillow into your abdomen to stand or sneeze.
• Accept help as much as possible, and rest.

And know that there are small but mighty post-surgery protocols, outlined in the C-Section Scar Recovery program in the Moves App, that actually make a huge difference when you're ready:

• Lymphatic massage to support fluid management in a system that has been heavily disrupted by surgery
• Mobility for your limbs and back, which are likely stuck in some hunched positions
• Postural awareness to help your scar heal flat instead of inward and tight
• Early desensitization around the incision to help the nerve healing process and prevent hypersensitivity

That's A LOT to think about, so having them laid out as tangible tips really helps me realistically implement them.

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Start with Breathwork

This applies to everyone, C-section or not: integrating your breath and pelvic floor connection postpartum is imperative, and it's what everything else will build on.

After nine months of postural compensations and shallower breathing, learning to stack your diaphragm and pelvis is so important! Breathing into your core canister and pelvic floor in all directions allows your ribs to come back into place, creating space to relieve tension and manage pressure properly.

It is SO easy to overlook, and so restorative if you take those short moments to re-establish the mind connection. This is brain-to-body work! Find the floor and let everything else go for 8–10 minutes. Early on, mobility, breathwork, and gentle core work are all you need, but a plan you can trust is key. You need to know where to start, and it's never too late to start. That's exactly what Postpartum Moves lays out.

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Your Scar Needs To Move

This tends to be the information the fewest women are educated about after a C-section (or any major surgery). A scar immediately heals by laying down scar tissue in all directions, and this can cause restrictions on every layer, all the way down to the organ level. We often think of the scar as what you can see on the skin, but it goes so much deeper!

Learning massage, cupping, and breathwork alongside mobility and deep core work makes a massive difference in LOTS of downstream areas that we often don't connect to our scars:

• Low back pain
• Incontinence and bladder urgency
• Shelving and overhang
• Postural compensations
• Instability
• Pain with sex
• A weaker core connection

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Rebuilding the Whole Body Around It

THIS is what I'm actually so passionate about. I think many programs disconnect postpartum recovery and rehab from the progressions NEEDED to get stronger and not stay at square one.

Each week of the Postpartum Moves program, you're able to layer a bit more while continuing to self-assess your core connection, making sure it isn't being compromised as you add larger ranges of motion, increase load, and start using your legs and arms more.

Early on, heel slides, open books, and assisted side planks with reaches are amazing. But we don't want to stay there for months on end. Our tissue and muscles both respond to load, so knowing what's gentle enough to start with, and how it stacks toward where you want to go, is very important to us at Moves. A whole-body approach is key to feeling fully capable in time, and it's how Postpartum Moves is built.

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Why I Built the C-Section Scar Recovery Program

I helped build the C-Section Scar Recovery plan with my own pelvic floor PT, Dr. Katie Fincher, in part because I WANTED and NEEDED it myself. Having something progressive and comprehensive to guide us through a process that is so new for many people is very empowering.

I never knew how to perform lymphatic work on myself and assumed it would be complex, but it isn't at all. Having everything you need, from the early days to more advanced work like cupping, with tutorials and education, is invaluable.

I love hearing from women with all different reasons for surgery (hysterectomy, endometriosis, tummy tuck), from the early days to decades removed from their surgeries, all reaping the benefits of this program. I'm so glad it exists and takes the guesswork out of the process.

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Grace, Not Perfection

When the goal is restoring connection, coordination, and function more than clinging to specific timelines or aesthetic goals, I think the experience (even the bumps and small wins along the way) is a lot more meaningful. Giving yourself true permission to rebuild, instead of constantly comparing yourself to a previous version of you, is powerful.

I also think moms have a hard time believing that their efforts layer and compound. Short, intentional 8–15 minute sessions may not feel like they'll move the needle, but if you have the right path laid out for you, they really do!

Before you know it, the strength you've cultivated through motherhood shows up in your body and movement, and in your mind and emotions as well. I think it all matters more than we'll ever believe unless we experience it for ourselves. My hope is that these programs help you experience it for YOURSELF!

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Ready to start your own rebuild? Postpartum Moves and the C-Section Scar Recovery plan, both in the Moves App, walk you through it step by step, whether you're weeks or years out.

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Medical disclaimer: This article shares a personal experience and is for informational purposes only. It isn't medical advice and isn't a substitute for care from your OB, midwife, or pelvic floor physical therapist. Every birth and every recovery is different, so please check with your provider before starting any exercise, scar work, supplements, or new recovery practice after a C-section.

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