Why do I still have pain weeks after a C-section?

A C-section is major abdominal surgery, and recovery is measured in weeks: the NHS says most women take six to eight weeks to recover, with pain, soreness, and pulling sensations that improve week by week. Pain that is present but fading - worst in week one, better each week after - is normal healing, including twinges at the incision when you move, numbness around the scar, and aches in the belly and back from both surgery and new-baby lifting. Recovery care: take the painkillers prescribed - staying ahead of pain helps you move, and moving aids healing; walk a little more each day but no lifting anything heavier than the baby for the first weeks; keep the incision clean and dry; and do not drive until you can brake hard without pain, usually around six weeks. Numbness around the scar can persist for months and is normal nerve healing. The call-your-provider patterns: pain getting worse instead of better after the first week, the incision going red, hot, swollen, or leaking fluid or pus, a fever of 100.4 F or higher, foul-smelling discharge, pain in the calf or chest, or breathlessness - infection and clot are the complications that matter, and both need prompt assessment. Pain that stops you caring for the baby also deserves a call; that is a fixable problem, not a rite of passage. Pymander is a free AI doctor, 24/7 by text. Describe the pain and your week of recovery, and it can help you judge healing versus warning.