#99: Tired All the Time After C-Section? Let’s Talk Nervous System Recovery
“Fatigue isn’t failure. It’s feedback.
And healing begins the moment we start listening.”
It’s been months — or maybe even years — since your C-section.
On paper, things look fine.
You’re back to work. The house runs (mostly). You’ve even tried to return to exercise.
But there’s one thing that hasn’t budged:
You’re still tired. All the time.
Not just “mum tired.” Not just busy.
This is something deeper. A kind of tired that sleep doesn’t fix. A kind of tired that follows you even when you eat well, say no to plans, or try to “be good.”
Maybe you’ve started wondering:
“Is this just me now?”
“Why can’t I bounce back?”
“Am I doing something wrong… or is something wrong with me?”
Let’s take a gentler — and more accurate — look at what’s really going on underneath the fatigue. Because this isn’t just about rest. It’s about nervous system recovery — something that most postnatal plans forget completely.
Why You Still Feel Drained — Even Years After Surgery
C-section is not just a birth. It’s also major abdominal surgery.
That means your body has been through a unique combination of:
Surgical trauma
Interrupted movement and breath patterns
Hormonal shock
Sleep loss
And usually, a fast return to work, caretaking, or both
Each of these is a physiological stressor. And when they stack up without the chance to fully repair, the nervous system responds by staying in a state of high alert.
Even years later, you may still be running on stress hormones. Not because you’re anxious or ungrateful — but because your system has never fully downshifted.
This is more common than most people realise.
But because it’s invisible, it often gets blamed on the mum.
“You just need to get more sleep.”
“Maybe you’re low in iron.”
“Try Pilates — it worked for me.”
Meanwhile, your system is trying to hold everything together… on a battery that never got recharged.
My Own Turning Point
For me, the fatigue didn’t start with motherhood — and it certainly didn’t start with my C-section.
It began years earlier, in my twenties, working long hours in an office. Overachieving, undersleeping, relying on coffee and adrenaline to stay sharp. I was tired, but I kept going — because that’s what capable women do, right?
When I switched careers to become a fitness trainer, I thought I was choosing a healthier path. But I brought the same patterns with me: 20+ hours of high-intensity classes, cycling across London, never truly stopping to recover.
My body gave me signals — injuries, gut issues, skin flare-ups, back inflammation — and a strange tiredness behind my eyes. I went to doctors. They checked my labs. Everything looked “normal.”
I tried supplements. My numbers improved — but I didn’t feel any better.
Because this wasn’t about numbers.
It was nervous system fatigue — a real, physical dysfunction, not just a feeling.
I started to slow down… but not enough.
Two miscarriages followed, even with perfect lab work. Then pregnancy. Then a long, traumatic birth that ended in an emergency C-section.
And that’s when I truly crashed.
I didn’t know it then, but my nervous system had dropped into freeze. I wasn’t just tired. I was depleted, numb, emotionally flat — and still trying to do everything on my own.
Recovery only began when I rebuilt from the inside. Breathwork (I love the 4-7-8 method with Insight Timer), zone exercises, deep abdominal work, better nourishment (no coffee — and yes, I miss it), and carving out moments of actual joy.
Progress is slow. But it’s steady.
And when that familiar fatigue behind my eyes creeps back in, I now know it’s not weakness — it’s feedback. A nudge to pause. To shift. And to keep choosing recovery.
Because I’m not doing this just for me.
I want to be present, strong, and well — for my daughter, and for the years still to come.
The Nervous System: Your Hidden Regulator
We often think of recovery in physical terms: muscle, strength, sleep.
But your nervous system controls all of it — your digestion, your hormones, your inflammation, your core reflexes, even your immune function.
And when it hasn’t fully recovered, it will keep you in a low-grade survival mode. That means:
Poor energy despite rest
Light sleep or night waking
Slow recovery from workouts or illness
Emotional reactivity (tears, irritability, anxiety)
Poor digestion or bloating
A weak or unresponsive core
This isn’t personal failure.
It’s a body that hasn’t yet felt safe enough to restore.
So What Can You Do?
The good news is, you don’t need to overhaul your life. You don’t need to “fix” everything.
What you do need is a calmer starting point.
One that helps your system feel stable again — so it can do what it’s designed to do: heal, adapt, and rebuild.
Here’s where to begin:
Focus on recovery, not reps. Ditch the workouts that leave you depleted. Swap them for breath-led movement, deep core reconnection, and walks outdoors.
Nourish before you train. Real food. Stable blood sugar. No fasts or fads. This tells your system it’s safe.
Build your “self-care rituals” into your week — not just your wishlist. Gentle stretching, quiet time, magnesium baths… whatever fills your cup. Put it on the calendar.
Use your breath as a signal. Long, soft exhales help down-regulate your stress response — and reconnect your core.
Stop comparing your timeline. Every mum’s recovery is different. What matters isn’t how fast you move, but how well you support your foundations.
It’s Not Just Fatigue. It’s Feedback.
If you’re still tired, it doesn’t mean you’ve failed.
It means your body is communicating.
And the message isn’t: “Do more.”
It’s: “Let’s repair first.”
Let’s restore energy before we push output.
Let’s choose healing, even when it feels slower.
Because there’s movement that heals.
And there’s movement that hides the damage — until it shows up later, as prolapse, burnout, or injury.
You’re not being dramatic.
You’re being wise.
Want help starting from a calmer, more supported place?
👉🏽 Download your free guide:
6 Health Foundations to Rebuild Energy, Trust & Core Strength
Inside, you’ll find six evidence-informed practices — including breath, nutrition, hydration, nervous system resets, and more — designed to support tired mums who never fully recovered post-C-section.
This isn’t another checklist.
It’s a compass you can return to — again and again.
No pressure. Just a better way to begin.
With Love,
Karo