Driving after caesarean

[{sarah}]

Having nothing to compare to LOL, they weren't too bad. I must admit though until they were taken out I was petrified of something happening & the whole thing popping open! When they were taken out was uncomfortable, they used a staple remover LOL that sounds stupid, but really it looked similar to a normal one!! Most were ok to come out, just the last one pulled a bit. I still have all my staples & the remover too!!!!

[little sprocket]

Wow I had no idea the insurance company wouldnt cover u. I had my daughter on the Monday and by the next Monday I was driving. Thats pretty bad I know but I didnt feel any pain cos I have loss of sensation from the bra strap down. I had the dissolving stitches too.

[maddysmummy]

i voted the 3-4 weeks.. by then i had cabin fever and need to get out as DP only had a week off when mads was born!

[Danni]

well I HAD to drive at 3 weeks cos DH was back at work and I needed to get to the MCHN. I felt fine and then decided I could drive everywhere

[Jodie259]

I picked 4-5 weeks - but that was because I had been told by family I had to wait 6 weeks - and I took their word for it.

I checked with my insurance and doctor and they both said I could have driven sooner - and I certainly wanted to.

It will be sooner next time around - unless I don't feel phyically fit enough to.

[Charmzy]

wow some of you drove so soon after your op!!

After my first Csect I didnt drive for months and months... I was too young to drive anyway so had to catch public transport everywhere (Great fun trying to get into hospital 40 min drive away to visit bub in SCN for the first 6 weeks)

Second Csect I drove about 3 weeks after giving birth, didnt have need to drive before then

3rd csect with 4 kids aged 4 and under at home, kinder to go to and hubby only had ONE night off work (the night I came home..) I had to drive soon so it was by 2 weeks I was driving but pretty close on to 2 weeks and it was SO painful, it really hurt until about 2 months after she was born.. didnt enjoy it at all. I drove soooo careful always scared of braking :S

When we have our next bub (eventually).. I'm not sure what I'll do as hubby probably wouldnt get any more than 1/2 days off work and we've got 2 in school and by then at least one, maybe 2 in kinder as well!

[Gigi]

i think it was five or six months before i could drive again. My stomach muscles were so damaged during the emergency c-section (that had complications) - i found it so hard just to walk (had to shuffle, hold on to walls, go really slowly like a 90 yo - let alone get in a car (agony) and drive. Even the few times i was a passenger in that period, i was in pain, felt every bump and coudn't wait for the car to stop.

[nic]

With my DD it was a few months i think.
This time with DS, I called our Insurance company who told me I wouldn't be covered unless I had a letter from the doctor saying I was healthy and fine to drive. So I didn't drive until about 6.5 weeks.

[AnyDream]

I had an el yuckko infectione that lingered on and on, with increased pain. I didn't try to drive until it was properly cleared up after about the 7 week mark. Had DH home to ferry me about prior to that.

[andie82]

my first c.s was 5 weeks
my 2nd c.s was within 2 weeks.

The Dr told me the reason you aren't allowed to drive for the first 4 weeks are for legal reasons. Cause that is the "minimum expected" recovery time, so your insurance doesn't cover that recovery time.
Otherwise the Dr said it was up to me!

[ElleJay]

I can't vote yet because no-one is letting me drive, even though I feel fine.. Most people are telling me to wait till after the 6 wk checkup but I just wanna drive now so I can take DS for drives

[[M]umma[M]ia]

was about 2 weeks when i drove. I was fine.

[nic]

Having nothing to compare to LOL, they weren't too bad. I must admit though until they were taken out I was petrified of something happening & the whole thing popping open! When they were taken out was uncomfortable, they used a staple remover LOL that sounds stupid, but really it looked similar to a normal one!! Most were ok to come out, just the last one pulled a bit. I still have all my staples & the remover too!!!!

Hey Sarah, I know you posted this waaay back in 2006, but had to requote I kept the staples from DD too. Didn't think to do it, the midwives gave them to me. With DS, I asked for them to keep those ones as well, to which they screwed their noses up and asked why? I explained i didn't think it was fair to have DD's and not DS's lol, the thought that i still had DD's staples horrified them even more i think. DH's thinks I'm weird too pmsl

[MrsMc]

I started driving at the beginning of week 3. Hubby had to go back to work and I had my premmie in NICU and 2 other kids to take to school etc.

[{sarah}]

Nic, I didn't get to keep DD's she had chucked them in a sharps container before I had the chance to say anything

I waited until after 6 weeks the second time as well. My midwife told me that after your second & subesequent caesareans you need to be even more careful. She said that you might feel better sooner, but it takes longer for everything to heal up the second (or third, fourth etc) time.

[Miss E]

I waited until about 5 weeks before I drove, but got permission from my OB at 4 weeks. He told me that I could call him and if he gave me approval I would be covered for insurance even if it wasn't 6 weeks. He just asked me if I could stand on one leg without any pain. I could, so he told me I was okay to drive.

[nic]

I waited until after 6 weeks the second time as well. My midwife told me that after your second & subesequent caesareans you need to be even more careful. She said that you might feel better sooner, but it takes longer for everything to heal up the second (or third, fourth etc) time.

That's really interesting. I suppose with scar tissue from a first c/s, it would delay the healing on a second one maybe?

[berrme]

I drove after 2 weeks. I didn't try before that as I had people to drive me around. Lucky as I had lots of check ups because my PE/ high BP hung around for weeks after DS1 was born (I am a freak, I know ).
I am amazed how many people don't drive because of insurance. I called my insurance company and they told me that unless what I was doing was illegal then I was insured... that meant I could drive whenever I felt ready to.
The hospital physio told me to try sitting in the car and pushing my braking leg down really quickly. If that was not painful then driving was fine. She said the only reason they say not to drive is that people find it difficult to brake quickly as they are in pain.