Many women have planned out their pregnancies and what they will do when it is time to push that 10 pound baby out of them. They anticipate that they will do it naturally like their foremothers and that the baby will come out quicker then any the doctors have seen. But sometimes our plans do not turn out the way we thought. Many of us after 5 hours of enduring agonizing pain will beg for the pain killers and after another 5 hours we will be walking up and down the halls hoping that will work the baby out of us.

Yet, despite these new changes none of us expect there to ever be a problem. But sometimes there are and certain doctors (depending on the problem) will have to pull the baby out through a cesarean section (also known as a C-section). The procedure is easy and requires no pushing from the woman - who will not feel anything during the surgery. It does take longer for women to recover from a C-section then it does from regular pushing of the baby.

Many doctors will keep the mother and baby in the hospital for a total of three days. This allows them to monitor both of their conditions, for pain management, and to make sure that the mother has enough fluids immediately after the surgery. The mother can expect to be up and walking with help a few hours after the procedure. Moving around is essential to reducing the constipation and to allow the blood to properly circulate. This will reduce any chances of blood clotting.

After 12 to 24 hours of the procedure the doctors will remove the urinary catheter and any other IV's that they think you do not need. They will wait to do this till after you have enough fluids in you and your urinary function is normal.

It is not unusual to be tired and to feel slight discomfort for 6 weeks. Because of this you need to make sure that you relax during those first few weeks following the C-section procedure. Do not life anything that is heavier then your baby. Also to try to make things easier on yourself keep diapers, blankets, and anything your baby might need without reaching distance and close to you.

Maintain proper abdominal support. A good way to do this is to use a pillow against your stomach. This will help with the pain you will experience if you cough or sneeze fore any reason. Also use it to support you while you are breastfeeding. This will help the recovery process .

You need to drink plenty of water in order to keep your breast milk flowing. It also helps prevent urinary tract infections that can sometimes occur after the catheter that was inserted during the procedure.

Do not have any sex until your doctor gives you the ok. Usually doctors will wait to give the go ahead till 6 weeks after the procedure.