“You Are a Mother, You Have to Suffer”: Communicative Resilience During Post-Cesarean Recovery Among Rural Bangladeshi Women

Research on post-cesarean recovery predominantly addresses physical healing, while less attention has been given to how women communicate pain, seek support, and manage family expectations during recovery, particularly in rural Bangladesh. Guided by the communication theory of resilience (CTR), this qualitative study examined how 20 women navigated recovery six to twelve months after cesarean birth. Semi-structured interviews conducted in Bengali were analyzed using applied thematic analysis. Findings were organized into two main themes: enduring fear, suffering, and silence; and enabling and constraining networks during postpartum recovery. Our study extends previous CTR research by showing how Bangladeshi women perform resilience during adverse and prolonged circumstances, in embodied ways that usurp-reinforce the gendered and patriarchal status quo on multiple levels, and by navigating profound social, material, and cultural constraints. Bangladeshi women coped with their circumstances through their mothers' support and online networking. Like others who have experienced trauma, Bangladeshi mothers focused on ongoing productive adaptation to be able to survive. They felt encouraged by their digital networking through which they engaged in anticipatory resilience for more agentic possible futures and relational changes.