Surgeon George Crawford talked to Nicki Swift to explain that there may be some very natural reasons for Kate Middleton’s recovery to take longer than expected.
Crawford revealed that we can’t be sure whether Middleton had open surgery or laparoscopic surgery, and each one has a different recovery process. “Open surgery is when you make a big incision on the belly and do an operation,” he said. “That can require up to two months for a patient to recover.” Crawford explained that typically, patients who have open surgery can move around a week after the procedure, but “for the abdominal muscles to heal, it can take anywhere from six weeks to eight weeks to be at about 75% strength.” If Middleton had open surgery, the timeline of a full recovery would put her right around Easter, as mentioned by Kensington Palace.
As for laparoscopic surgery, it’s generally a much speedier recovery. Crawford told Nicki Swift, “Laparoscopic surgery is when you do an operation through small incisions … Those patients typically have a recovery time of about three weeks.” Crawford explained that patients will usually be up and at ’em the next day, even though they will likely still need to make a total recovery. In other words, her recovery time will depend on the procedure Kate underwent, but either way, she should indeed be taking it easy.
