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Recovery after cesarean section
Gap caesarean section When it comes to abortions, every woman is unique. If you really want to give birth naturally in the right conditions at home or in the maternity ward, a cesarean section can be a source of frustration. You may feel deceived or hopeless.
While this may not affect your physical recovery, it may take some time for you to recover emotionally from an injury caused by an emergency cesarean section. Even women who have had a planned caesarean section may feel depressed later. On the other hand, some women calmly accept both an emergency and some other situation.
Fortunately, euphoria at birth, as well as caring for the baby, usually helps the young mother to distract from any worries or injuries. However, some women seek help to restore their emotional background after a cesarean section. So don't be shy to ask for advice if you really need it.
Of course, there are also important physical aspects after a cesarean section. After all, this is a surgical procedure! Every pregnant woman should be aware of what is happening, because the risks are low and there is a risk of complications that require immediate referral to the operating room, even if the pregnancy is normal.
After giving birth, a woman usually stays in the hospital for 3 or 4 days and then goes home. However, in the case of cesarean section, it takes weeks, not days. Therefore, when you return home, you will need help to take care of yourself, your baby and other children.
After any surgery, you will need rest and good nutrition, especially for a caesarean section, because your body and emotions are under a high load. Recovery after a cesarean section, breastfeeding, insomnia, and changes in hormonal background can be a major burden, even for the healthiest and most resilient woman.
The first 24 hours after cesarean section
Once the stitches are in place, you will be transferred from the operating room to the postoperative observation room, where you will be for several hours to make sure everything is in place. Your child will be with you except in emergencies. Your companion may also be there.
Once the medical staff is sure that everything is in place, you will be transferred to a ward or single room where there may be one or more young mothers.
If you are planning to breastfeed, you can start now. To reduce the pressure on the caesarean section, ask the nurse to help you lie on your side or in a "football hold" position. If you have difficulty breastfeeding during a caesarean section due to pain in the incision area, ask them to advise you on lactation issues as soon as possible. The counselor will provide qualified advice and guidance on how to position your baby correctly to avoid damage to the abdomen and to avoid discomfort in the breasts.
If you have been given general anesthesia, you may feel unwell for some time after waking up. Therefore, holding the child during recovery may not be safe. This means that you will probably not be able to breastfeed for several hours after birth.
You may experience nausea for 48 hours after the caesarean section. In this case, you can ask them to send you the appropriate medication. You may also experience itching all over your body, especially if drugs have been injected during epidural anesthesia. You will need to contact the medical staff again so that they can send you remedies to relieve the itching.
As with any mother, after a cesarean section, the mammary glands become swollen, mood swings, and vaginal discharge occur. After the anesthesia is over, there is probably a lot of pain.
If you have been given an epidural (not general) anesthesia, you will usually continue to receive it after the birth to relieve pain for the first 12 to 24 hours after the cesarean section. Sometimes a type of morphine is given, which is good for pain and does not cause intoxication.
If you do not have morphine, you will be given other systemic drugs that will immediately relieve the pain. They are given as injections every 3-4 hours, or as part of a "patient-controlled analgesia" system. With this system, when you feel pain, you press a button, and it sends medication through a hand-held dropper. No need to worry. There is no risk of overdose as the dose is controlled by the device. This way you will not get an overdose of the safe amount of the drug.
If you still feel pain, tell your nurse and ask for additional medication. Don't hold back, because now is not the time to show how strong you are as a mother. The longer you take the medication, the harder it will be for you to control the pain. If the nurse cannot help, consult an obstetrician. Pain can interfere with your breastfeeding and affect your emotional state. The more comfortable you feel, the happier your emotions will be.
Insufficient pain relief can prevent you from moving, which in turn can affect recovery after a cesarean section.
Within 24 hours after delivery, you will be asked to get up and walk. Regular exercise can help you recover from a cesarean section and eliminate the possibility of intestinal obstruction and thrombosis. However, do not try to get out of bed on your own. After an epidural or general anesthesia is administered, you will probably feel numbness in the legs. In addition, you may lose your balance and feel "drunk". While waiting for the "mobility" to return to you, try moving your toes, moving your heels to the side and moving your feet a little. It helps blood circulation.
The ability to make movements will help you speed up the recovery process after a cesarean section. However, the following recommendations should be followed:
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Your partner or nurse should help you
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A pillow should be placed at the cutting site to provide support at its point
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Try not to lean forward and bend. Instead, look straight ahead and not look down
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Focus on objects such as chairs or shelves
You will be closely monitored for several days after the cesarean section to detect signs of infection at the point of incision. Nurses also monitor your appetite, how much fluid you consume, and how your bladder and intestines work.
Every few hours, the nurse will check your condition, measure your vital signs, palpate your abdomen to make sure your uterus is toned, and assess the level of vaginal bleeding. Within a few days after birth, bright red discharges, called lochia, are observed. These are tissues from the blood and mucous membranes of the uterus.
There may be itching and pain at the incision site, and the scar from the cesarean section may be more swollen and darker than the surrounding skin. It is constantly inspected and checked to make sure the cutting area is finishing well. You will be given instructions on how to take care of this area, for example, how to hold it with your hands and pillow when you start coughing, sneezing or laughing.
You will be told what to do when you cough or to dilate your lungs, and especially to remove any accumulated fluid after general anesthesia. If fluid remains in the lungs, it can lead to pneumonia.
About 12 hours after the birth, as long as everything is fine, the catheter and drip are usually removed, and you can start feeding again. However, for the first few days, you may feel your abdomen relax. This is due to the slow digestion of the digestive tract during surgery. You can stand up and walk a bit to solve the problem. However, if the problem persists, inform the nurse and seek help. They may send you an over-the-counter medication.
24-72 hours after cesarean section
On the second day of surgery, you should travel at least twice to seek help from your partner or nurse. It's easier to go for a walk after the pain, because you will feel better and more likely to enjoy the trip.
Going to the bathroom is also a special trip. It is important to go to the toilet regularly, because a full bladder puts pressure on the incision area and makes it harder for the uterus to contract.
After 3 or 4 days, the doctor will remove the stitches or brackets. If all goes well, you and your child can go home. However, before leaving the hospital, talk to your doctor about preventing and relieving pain at home after surgery.
Immediately before discharge from the hospital, you will be provided with a list of home remedies, including scar protection, pain relief, and bowel obstruction.
You also need to have everything ready for you to stay at home, but your companion is probably ready.
Recovery after cesarean section
Perhaps you will be happy to return home, where you will enjoy communicating with your baby in a familiar and comfortable environment.
Remember that you have undergone serious surgery, so in the first few weeks after a cesarean section, you will not be able to please your visitors, cook, or do your homework. It is not uncommon for you to experience some degree of fatigue, discomfort, and pain during the 4-6 weeks it takes for a scar to heal.
The instructions you will receive from the hospital are as follows:
Calm down. You need to rest well and not feel guilty that you are sleeping and "lying on the couch" as much as you want. Keep everything you and your child need in a place close to where you can get it. If you work “excessively” in the first few weeks, your body’s recovery process will slow down.
Watch out for infections and other complications. Contact your doctor immediately if you have any symptoms of infection or malaria, including:
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Temperatures above 38ºC
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Severe abdominal pain
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Sudden onset or onset of pain
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Redness, discomfort, swelling or discharge in the cut area
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Influenza-like symptoms with pain in one or both breasts
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Vaginal discharge that remains bright red for 4 days (they should be pink and then yellowish-white)
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Unpleasant smelling secretions from the vagina
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Feeling of irritability when urinating
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Blood in the urine
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Extreme bleeding that fills the maximum volume of the pad in 1 hour
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Outflow of large clots of blood
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Redness or pain in the legs
If you are not resting, try harder . Try to get up and walk, as this can help prevent complications such as blood clots and wound healing. Do not make sharp movements and do not use excessive force. Activity should increase gradually. Within 6-8 weeks, you should start doing light exercise, but you should first get permission from your doctor.
From your baby for 8 weeks Do not lift anything heavier.
Don’t do hard work at home and do not make any movements for 8 weeks.
6 Do not drive for a week. Doctors have different opinions on this issue, so you should consult with your doctor.
Provide support for your abdomen. Do not bend while standing or walking. Keep your shoulders straight and your head high. Hold your abdomen when coughing, sneezing, laughing, or doing other abrupt movements. Pillows or wrapped towels can be used to hold the baby while breastfeeding.
Stay away from sexual activity, but hugs can be beneficial. It is usually recommended to wait 6 weeks before starting sex. However, keep in mind that after such "difficulties" your body may take longer to recover than you expected, so you may not be able to think about sex for a while. That doesn’t mean you can’t follow other times of the intimate type. You need to make time for your partner to make you feel like they are a couple again. Maybe it's a simple kiss or a hug for a few minutes in the morning or during the day when the baby is asleep. Many young parents feel a special intimacy after the birth of a child, and these feelings can help them recover after a cesarean section. However, you need to remind your partner to be careful with your tummy and not to hug too tightly.
Take medication as needed. Your doctor will recommend exactly what is right for you. You may need prescription painkillers for a week after giving birth, and then switch to over-the-counter medications. If you are breastfeeding, it is recommended that you do not take aspirin or other medications that contain acetylsalicylic acid.
Drink more water. It helps relieve intestinal obstruction.
Eat foods rich in nutrients and fiber. It includes fresh fruits and vegetables. In addition to relieving constipation and pain, you need to take vitamins and minerals to help your body recover. If you are breastfeeding after a C-section, it is also important to eat foods that are high in nutrients.
If the condition is not severe, take over-the-counter medications. If high-fiber products and large amounts of water are not able to alleviate your condition, your doctor may suggest a mild laxative or stool softener to soften the stool.
Normally, women feel normal for 8 weeks after a cesarean section. Don't worry if the recovery process takes a little longer. Recovery time after cesarean section varies in all cases. However, if you notice that your recovery after a cesarean section takes longer or something goes wrong, see your doctor.