A caesarean delivery is a surgery that allows the baby to be born. It is an invasive operation, recovery times are longer than those of a vaginal birth and require a different convalescence. If you have had an uncomplicated Caesarean delivery, you may be spending three days in the hospital; you will have to expect some bleeding, some discharge and, as with other wounds, you will have to take care of the incision for 4-6 weeks. Thanks to the help you can get from the medical team, your friends and family, and by taking care of yourself at home, it is very likely that you will recover pretty quickly.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Healing in the Hospital
Step 1. Take a walk
In all likelihood, you will need to stay in the hospital for two or three days. In the first 24 hours, you will be advised to stand and walk, because the movement helps recovery from a cesarean section and prevents typical side effects, such as constipation and abdominal gas buildup, as well as more dangerous complications such as thrombosis. Nurses and their assistants will monitor your movements.
At first, the pain caused by walking is quite intense, but it tends to decrease steadily over time
Step 2. Get help with feedings
As soon as you feel strong enough, you can start breastfeeding or bottle feeding your baby. Ask the nurse or child care provider to help you get into the right position for you and the baby so you don't apply pressure to the healing abdomen. It could be very helpful to use a pillow for this.
Step 3. Find out about vaccinations
Ask your gynecologist anything you want to know about preventative care, including vaccinations, to protect both you and the baby. If yours are past due, your hospital stay is a good time to undergo the recall.
Step 4. Take care of your personal hygiene
Make sure your hands are always clean during your stay at the clinic and don't hesitate to ask doctors and nurses to sanitize theirs before touching you or your baby. Hospital infections, such as methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, can be avoided by simple hand washing.
Step 5. Show up for follow-up visits
After your discharge, you will need to report to your gynecologist's office within 4-6 weeks for a check-up.
Part 2 of 2: Healing at Home
Step 1. Rest
If possible, you should sleep 7-8 hours a night. Sleep promotes tissue regrowth and helps the wound heal. Rest lowers your stress level and consequently your general inflammatory state, improving your overall health.
- Getting a full night's sleep while taking care of a newborn is an almost impossible challenge! Ask your partner or another adult living with you to get up at night. If you have to breastfeed, she can bring the baby to you. Remember that night whining will resolve itself - listen for a few seconds before deciding to get up.
- Take naps whenever possible. When the baby sleeps, you sleep too. When someone comes to see you to see the baby, ask them to take care of it while you take advantage of it for a nap. This is not rude behavior, after all you are recovering from a caesarean section!
Step 2. Take fluids
Drink water and other fluids to restore those lost in childbirth and to prevent constipation. When you are in the hospital, your hydration status is checked by the medical staff, but when you are at home you have to make sure. While you are breastfeeding, keep a glass of water on hand.
- There is no standard amount of water that an individual must drink every day. Take enough so that you don't often feel thirsty or dry mouth. If the urine has a dark yellow color, then you are dehydrated and should increase the amount of water.
- In some cases, your gynecologist may advise you to increase or decrease your fluid intake.
Step 3. Follow a balanced diet
Nutritious meals and snacks are very important when recovering from surgery. The digestive system is recovering, so you need to make adjustments to your normal diet. If you feel nauseous, eat light, low-fat foods, such as rice, grilled chicken, yogurt, and toast.
- If you are constipated, you should increase the amount of fiber you eat. Discuss with your doctor before you dramatically increase your intake of these nutrients or before taking them as supplements.
- Cooking meals involves bending and lifting weights, sometimes in a risky way. If your partner, family member or friend is taking care of you, ask them to cook for you or arrange with neighbors or friends to bring you meals daily.
Step 4. Try to walk a little more every day
Just as it happened during hospitalization, you need to keep moving. Try increasing the duration of the walk by a few minutes each day. This doesn't mean you should train! Do not ride a bicycle, run, or perform strenuous exercises for at least six weeks after the caesarean section and never without consulting your gynecologist in advance.
- Don't take the stairs as much as possible. If your bedroom is upstairs, plan to sleep on the ground floor for the first few weeks after hospital discharge.
- Do not lift anything that is heavier than your child and do not squat down and get up.
- Avoid doing sit-ups or other movements that put some pressure on the injured abdomen.
Step 5. Take medication when you are in pain
Your gynecologist may have recommended acetaminophen, such as Tachipirina, or a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), such as ibuprofen and aspirin. Most analgesic medicines are safe while breastfeeding. Pain control is very important for a nursing mother, as physical distress interferes with the release of hormones that promote milk flow.
Step 6. Provide support for the abdomen
By containing the area of the incision, you limit the pain and reduce the risk of the wound reopening. Keep a pillow on your stomach when you need to cough or take deep breaths.
Compression underwear, such as the "girdle", has not proved useful. Ask your gynecologist for information before compressing the surgery area
Step 7. Clean the wound
Wash it every day with warm soapy water and pat dry. If your doctor has applied steri strips to your incision, wait for them to come off on their own or remove them after about a week. You will probably need to cover the cut with gauze for comfort and to control the liquids that ooze; in this case remember to change the dressing every day.
- Do not apply any powder or lotion to the wound. If you rub it, scratch it, soak it, or expose it to the sun, it will slow down the healing process and may cause it to reopen.
- Avoid using skin cleansers and disinfectants that slow healing - hydrogen peroxide, for example.
- Shower as usual and blot the incision to dry it. Don't bathe, don't go swimming, and don't immerse the wound in water in other ways.
Step 8. Wear loose fitting clothing
Choose soft and comfortable clothes that do not create friction on the abdominal area.
Step 9. Refrain from sexual intercourse
After a cesarean or vaginal delivery, a woman's body needs 4-6 weeks to recover before engaging in other sexual activity. If you have had a caesarean section, it may take even longer for the incision to heal perfectly. Wait until the gynecologist confirms that there are no more risks.
Step 10. Wear tampons to contain vaginal bleeding
Even if the birth was not natural, you will still have bloody discharge from the vagina, called lochiations, during the first month after the baby was born. Don't do douches or tampons until your gynecologist tells you it's safe to do so, as it could cause infections.
If the vaginal bleeding is heavy or foul-smelling, or if you have a fever above 38 ° C, you must call your gynecologist
Advice
- Many people are convinced that a completely natural broth, especially bone broth, can speed up healing times.
- When you undergo surgery, the injury site heals, forming new skin that could easily turn into a scar. it is therefore advisable not to expose it to sunlight for at least three months after the operation.
Warnings
- If the stitches break, call your gynecologist.
- If you notice any signs of infection in the incision area, you should contact your doctor. These symptoms include fever, increased pain, swelling, warmth or redness, red streaks radiating from the wound, pus and swollen lymph nodes in the neck, groin and armpits.
- If you have abdominal pain, your belly is hard, swollen, or painful when urinating, there may be an infection.
- In case of severe symptoms, such as breathlessness, very intense abdominal pain, coughing up blood or difficulty in breathing, call 911 to ask for emergency services.
- Call your gynecologist if your breasts are sore and you show flu-like symptoms.
- If you are feeling sad, crying, desperate, or have distressing thoughts after giving birth, then you may be suffering from postpartum depression. Get in touch with your family doctor or gynecologist.
