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| Home > Complication & Medications > Cesarean Birth > Activities and Exercises
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| | Activities and Exercises after Cesarean Birth
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The area around the skin incision would be tender and painful which will make you reluctant to move around. The following exercises take into account the soreness and stretching. Some encourage closure of the incision, some prevent possible com-plications, and some make your general recovery rapid.
You should start the exercises when you are able, and when the doctor permits you to do them, usually in about a week or two.
1. Huffing
Aim: To prevent lung congestion after general anesthesia.
Exercise: On arising out of your anesthetic slumber start with deep breathing with coughing or "huffing" to clear any accumu-lated mucus. While in bed, bend your knees slightly. Place a towel or a small pillow flat over the incision press gently and firmly with your hand. Inflate your lungs fully by taking a deep breath. Exhale by evenly-pulling the abdomen in completely-forcefully and quickly. Make a "huff" sound. Repeat. Try huffing before the cesarean to get enough practice.
Repetition: Mucus in your lungs will be indicated by bubbling or rattling sound in your chest. Repeat the deep breathing and "huffing" every fifteen minutes until your chest is clear. In case the mucus decreases, repeat this deep breathing and "huffing" every half hour, for the first twenty-four hours after surgery.
 2. Foot Circling
Aim: To maintain adequate circulation in the legs and prevent the formation of blood clots while confined to bed.
Exercise: Keep bedclothes loose to make movements easier. Ro-tate your feet in large circles in one direction, as if you were tracing the globe with your toes, repeat with the other .
Repetition: Repeat doing ten circles each way every hour, while awake, when confined to bed.
 3. Leg Bends
Aim: To maintain adequate circulation in the legs and encour-age intestinal activity for the relief of gas.
Exercise: Begin with one knee bent while keeping the other straight. Slide the heel of the bent leg down and back up. Repeat, with the other leg. Try simultaneous bending of one knee while straightening the other.
Repetition: Repeat ten times hourly while awake, when confined to bed.
Foot circling and leg bends, several times daily will help you from feeling faint when you stand. Add the following exercises when you feel ready.
4. Standing and Walking
Aim: To aid circulation and reduce intestinal gas. Getting out of bed will be tedious for you after your surgery. Weakness, shortness of breath and feeling faint are some of the symptoms you have to face. Your incision may hurt very much and make you slouch as you walk. Walking straight is the only solution. Sooner the better. Recovery is hastened with this mild activity.
Exercise: Leg-bending exercise are to be performed, with the help of nurses, before getting out of bed. Rise slowly. Dan-gle your legs over the edge of the bed and do the foot-circling exercise. Standing tall is very important to you, no matter how painful. It will not harm your incision. Do not make fear or anxiety overcome you as your incision will not be stretched. Take your time when standing and walking. Try to increase the distance you walk each time.
5. Prolonged Expiration with Abdominal Tightening
Aim: To help alleviate gas pains and start gentle exercise of the abdominal muscles.
Exercise: Lie down bending your knees. Support your incision with your hand or pillow. (You can do this exercise in a sitting or stand-ing position.) Take a deep breath. Expel the air out and at the same time pull your abdomen in toward your backbone. Con-tinue until you have no air left in your lungs. Relax and breathe in.
Repetition: These exercises can be repeated often, throughout the day -two or three times every hour. A pulling sensation in the incision will be felt which is caused by the contraction of the muscles. The edges of the incision are held tightly by the contraction.
 6. Gentle Arm Stretch
Aim: To increase flexibility in the incision area.
Exercise: Stand upright against a wall. Raise both arms slowly and gently above your head to a maximum limit you can stretch until you feel your abdomen stretch then go a fraction higher. Hold for a slow count of five. Relax.
Repetition: Repeat five times daily.
7. Hip Lifting and Twisting
Aim: To increase flexibility in your trunk, to help alleviate intes-tinal gas and to help you roll from back to side.
Exercise (for hip lifting): Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the bed. Tighten your buttocks; Try to raise your hips by pressing your feet, while your head, shoulders, and feet should rest on the bed. Try to straighten your trunk from shoulders to knees. Hold for a slow count of five. Do not hold your breath. Lower your hips to starting position.
Repetition: Repeat five times.
Exercise (for twisting): Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the bed. Tighten your buttocks; lift your hips off the bed, leaving your head, shoulders, and feet on the bed. Twist the waist first to the left then to the right. Lower your hips to the starting position. This will build strength in the abdominal muscles without straining your incision. Many mothers find hip lifting and twist-ing helpful in rolling over from back to side. Rolling over is least painful if it is done this way.
Repetition:Repeat five times daily and use to reduce pain whenever rolling from back to side.
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