Every year, millions of women around the world undergo C-sections — a major abdominal surgery that brings new life into the world. Yet, despite the scale and seriousness of the procedure, the level of post-operative care new mothers receive is shockingly minimal. When compared to the support and structured recovery plans provided after other major surgeries, the contrast is striking.

Let’s compare a C-section to another common abdominal surgery: an appendectomy. After an appendectomy, patients are often kept in the hospital for monitoring, given detailed aftercare instructions, prescribed pain relief, and scheduled for follow-up appointments with a surgeon to assess healing. If complications arise, they’re swiftly referred to specialists. Patients are generally told not to lift anything heavy or drive for several weeks — and more importantly, they’re given the time and space to rest.

Now imagine going through a C-section — a procedure that involves cutting through multiple layers of muscle, tissue, and the uterus itself — and being discharged from hospital within just 2–4 days. In many cases, there is no follow-up until the six-week mark, and even that is often a brief check-in rather than a thorough examination of the surgical site or internal healing. There is typically no standard wound care plan, no routine physical assessments, and no scheduled check-ins with the surgeon who performed the operation. For a procedure of this scale, the lack of structured post-operative support is deeply concerning.

While the C-section scar heals on the outside, the inner healing process is far more complex. Yet the level of post-op monitoring is limited. Comparatively, knee replacements — another major operation — are followed by weeks of guided physical therapy, frequent check-ins, and structured recovery timelines.

This isn’t to say that one surgery is more important than the other, but rather to highlight a concerning imbalance in how we treat surgical recovery — especially when it intersects with motherhood. Patients recovering from most other major surgeries are typically monitored closely, with access to specialists and structured recovery protocols. C-section patients, in contrast, are often left to figure it out on their own.

The truth? The lack of structured, thoughtful post-operative care and rehabilitation plan for mothers recovering from a C-section is, quite frankly, barbaric.

No one questions the need for comprehensive recovery after open-heart surgery or a hip replacement. So why is it different when that surgery also involves childbirth? Surgical recovery should be taken seriously, no matter the context. Mothers deserve better — better care, better support, and better recognition of what their bodies have been through.

So what’s the solution? Hospitals are already understaffed and overworked — can they realistically provide the aftercare that new mums need? Should natural births be promoted more to reduce the number of C-sections, and therefor women left uncared for after surgery? Would outsourcing aftercare to specialists or dedicated postpartum care teams be a better option?

We would love to hear your thoughts — what do you think could change to ensure better care for postpartum women? Drop your comments below. Let’s start the conversation.