What Really Happens to Your Body When You Have a C-Section

If you’ve ever given birth or know a person who has (that makes all of us), you likely know someone who has had a cesarean section — also called a C-section.

C-sections — which involve abdominal surgery to deliver a baby through an incision in your uterus — are very common. In fact, about 30 percent of all births in the U.S. happen via C-section, according to Cleveland Clinic.

Though common, C-sections are a major surgery (they are performed in most cases when giving birth vaginally isn’t possible or safe for you or your baby). And like any serious surgery, the recovery process can be taxing on your body.

Here, experts share what symptoms you might expect to have after a C-section, whether your surgery was planned or due to an unforeseen complication.

What Happens During a C-Section?

A C-section begins with either general anesthesia or an epidural to numb you from the waist down. Then, a sterile drape is placed over your body to prep for the procedure.

Here’s what happens step-by-step during a C-section, per Penn Medicine:

1. A cut is made through your skin and the wall of your abdomen. This will be either horizontal (along the bikini line) or vertical.
2. Your abdominal muscles are separated to allow access to your uterus.
3. Another cut — either horizontal or vertical — is made in the wall of your uterus.
4. Your baby is delivered through these incisions.
5. You’ll likely feel some pressure (often described as a pushing sensation) twice — when the layers of tissue are stretched to access the uterus and then during the delivery of the baby.
6. The umbilical cord is cut, and the placenta is removed.

The procedure itself takes about 20 minutes (if it’s your first C-section; subsequent surgeries may take a little longer) and parents often stay in the hospital that night to make sure they recover well.

Possible Side Effects of a C-Section

Though every person’s post-surgery experience varies, here are some of the most common symptoms you may encounter after a C-section.

1. You May Be Constipated

A C-section can slow your bowels. “There are three main reasons for this,” says Stephanie Hack, MD, FACOG, a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist and founder of Lady Parts Doctor.

A lack of food — and fluids — can also dehydrate you, which contributes to constipation. Breast or chestfeeding can amplify constipation, too, Crouch says. That’s because a lot of the water you drink goes to making milk (instead of to your bowel).