International Nesties
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
@ c-section moms, a question
How long after your c-section did you start having sex again? Did it hurt? I know for vaginal deliveries you're supposed to wait 6 weeks. Is it longer for c-sections? I'm sure my doctor will tell me at my 6 week appointment but I am interested in your experiences.
We haven't done it in months and now that I've had a hole cut in my uterus I'm worried it will be really painful 
Re: @ c-section moms, a question
DItto.
It's the same wait time for c-sections. The reason you're supposed to wait after vaginal deliveries is not because of the beating your vagina took (although that's also part of it :-)) but because where your placenta came off is an open wound in your uterus that needs time to heal. Sex can introduce bacteria that could cause an infection in that wound. That's no different for a c/s, and the scar from the c/s is yet another wound in your uterus that needs to heal.
It drives me crazy on the new c/s board on TB when women are like, "But I never dilated, so I decided to have sex 2 weeks after my c/s." I always wonder if they think their lochia is super-ninja like and can escape through a closed cervix. While we were waiting for my spinal to kick in, I asked the surgeon how the lochia was supposed to come out since I hadn't dilated at all, and he said that it's standard practice to put enough pressure on the cervix during a c/s to cause it to open.
At your 6 week PP appointment, your OB will probably do an ultrasound to make sure things are healing as they should and that they got all of your placenta out. Then s/he will ok you for sex. (My favorite comment on TB after I had explained to yet another "I never dilated so I had sex 2 weeks after" lady about them opening your cervix was her snarky reply: "So, what, you think at my 6w PP appointment my OB will just be able to magically see inside my uterus to know whether my scar is healed?" I didn't reply because by the time I saw it it was days later, but I just kept thinking - um, yes. The same way he could magically see inside your uterus when there was a baby in there. eyeroll.)
I'll be honest, the first time hurt waaaay more than I was expecting. Since I didn't have a moment of labor I figured things would be ok, but nope. I was pumping at the time, and apparently the hormones that enable you to breastfeed are the real culprits behind a lot of PP sex pain. My suggestion - a lot of lube, a few glasses of wine (if you can use frozen BM in a bottle to feed LO for a few feedings and then pump and dump until the alcohol is out of your system), and patience.
Thanks girls, I feel better now
I am not BFing anymore (my milk never came in) so I'm not sure if that will make a difference, but it's good to hear some people have not had issues in this department. Hope I'm one of them!
I've had 2 c-sections & my OB didn't do an u/s at either 6-week PP appt. I've never even heard of this, so I just asked my sister & BFF (who have had 3 c/s between them, with different OBs in different states then I had) & they didn't have u/s done PP either. It's been a few years for us, so maybe it wasn't the norm 3 years ago.
That said, all of us were cleared "to resume normal activities"