In plain words
Enhanced recovery after cesarean, often called ERAC, is a set of care steps that many hospitals now use. The idea is to help a mother move, eat, and get up sooner after surgery. Older routines kept mothers in bed and fasting for long periods. ERAC uses earlier feeding, earlier removal of the urinary catheter, and pain control that relies less on strong opioids. Your care team may use it as the default plan. Ask if your hospital uses ERAC steps, and what they would look like for you. Recovery still takes time, and some mothers feel slower than others. Uncontrolled pain, feeling faint, or being unable to pass urine are things nurses want to hear about right away.
The deeper version
ERAC is an adaptation of (ERAS) protocols to obstetric delivery. The Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology (SOAP) published a consensus statement in 2021 defining preoperative counseling, fasting limits, multimodal non-opioid analgesia, early mobilization, early oral intake, and early catheter removal. ACOG Committee Opinion 750 (2018) endorses the approach and recommends individualized application. Trials and meta-analyses report shorter length of stay and earlier return of bowel function, with no consistent increase in readmission or complications. Whether ERAC improves maternal-infant bonding or breastfeeding outcomes is less clear, and evidence quality is moderate in many studies.
Where it comes up
- Cesarean recovery, week by weekPostpartum: Your Body
- What happens in a cesareanBirth and the First Days
- Planning a cesareanGetting Ready for Birth
- The hospital stay: what happens, what to askBirth and the First Days
What mothers here say about enhanced recovery after cesarean
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Sources
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists — Committee Opinion 750: Enhanced recovery after surgery for cesarean delivery, 2018
- Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology — Consensus statements on enhanced recovery after cesarean, 2019 and 2021