Your pregnancy will end with a cesarean section? Find out what awaits you after your baby is born. Even if you are focused on natural childbirth, you will find it useful to know about post-cesarean delivery. After all, sometimes it is not known to the very end that the procedure will be needed.
It is worth remembering that only in sporadic cases (in Poland almost exclusively in private clinics) the surgical endingof pregnancymay be performed at the request of the woman. Most often, the decision about caesarean section is made at the last minute, when the he alth of the mother or her child is at risk.
Planned Caesarean Section
However, you can find out aboutcaesarean sectiona few days or even weeks before the expected date of delivery . If, during an ultrasound examination, the doctor finds that your baby is incorrectly positioned (e.g. laterally or buttock), that it is extremely large in relation to the size of your pelvis, i.e. the birth canal through which it would pass (expected birth weight over 4 kg), or that the proper course of labor is impossible (e.g. due to a pre-existing placenta), it may decide on the necessity of surgery and set a specific date. This is usually around the expected date of delivery, and not earlier than 39 weeks gestation. A cesarean section is also performed if: you are expecting more than one baby; you have serious he alth problems (heart disease, kidney disease, you have had a transplant); the effort involved in giving birth may damage your eyesight (the decision is made in consultation with an ophthalmologist); the baby is in no hurry to enter the world (pregnancy lasts 42 weeks, and an attempt to induce labor does not work). As the risk associated with the operation itself decreases with the advancement of medicine, the number of indications for cutting is increasing. It's just that doctors choose the best solution that allows you and your baby to be he althy. If you have a planned cesarean, you will probably recover faster than women who did not have the decision to have surgery until they were in labor. You will avoid the extra pain and effort associated with the labor operation, as well as the stress caused by worries about the baby. The treatment is most often performed in the so-called regional anesthesia (spinal or epidural). This means thatan anaesthesiologist, through a thin catheter inserted into the appropriate space between the meninges covering the spinal cord, will give you drugs that will temporarily inert the body from the waist down. The injection itself does not hurt, but it can be described as unpleasant. You will not feel any pain later, but you will stay conscious, you will know what is happening to you and your baby.
5 things you don't know about puerperium
Last minute caesarean section
If complications occur during natural childbirth (eg disturbed heart rate, labor arrest, lack of proper cervical dilation), it often ends with surgery. A caesarean section will probably be performed under general anesthesia, the so-called Full sleep anesthesia, because there won't be time to prepare you for regional anesthesia. When you wake up, you may have a sore throat because you are intubated during anesthesia (a special tube is placed in your larynx to allow you to breathe). You may also have a headache, sometimes vomiting occurs (as after any anesthesia, regardless of the procedure it is used for). Also, be prepared that you may feel weakened. After anesthesia, discharge remains in the lungs, which provokes coughing. This can worsen the pain in the wound, but the residual mucus must be cleared away if you wish to avoid respiratory infections. It is more comfortable to clear your throat on the exhale. When you are at risk of becoming infected (prematurely ruptured bladder, vaginal infection, prolonged labor) you will be given antibiotics. If it is possible, the doctor will select those that will allow you to breastfeed.
First hours after cesarean section
Have you heard the stories about the excruciating pain in your wound or back after surgery? You can put them between fairy tales. You will be given painkillers (very strong and extremely safe) intramuscularly, intravenously or into an epidural catheter. After about a day, suppositories are enough. Report all your ailments to the nurse - you must not let the pain get “kick-up” because then it may really be a problem to control it. If you experience a biting cold or body shaking, ask for a blanket. This usually fixes the problem instantly.
Stand on your feet after cesarean section
The times when women after cesarean lay in a flat bed for several days are over. After anesthesia (if your he alth allows it), you can get back on your feet a few hours after the procedure, and after regional anesthesia - usually after a dozen or so. In the latter case, many doctors recommend a prophylactic positionlying down without lifting your head for the full 24 hours to minimize the risk of severe pain. Such discomfort occurs in a few percent of women after regional anesthesia and may persist (with decreasing intensity) up to two weeks. This does not mean, however, that you have to be like a log until your first walk. When you feel your legs regain power, try to move your feet. Roll them in circles - this will improve blood circulation in the legs and prevent vascular blockages. When the time is right, the midwife looking after you will help you sit down. After waiting a long time, thanks to her support, you will get up. Don't do this alone or you might get dizzy! The first steps can be difficult, but your symptoms will pass faster than you think.
You go to the bathroom
Don't be afraid of water! Once you are on your feet, you can take a shower. Try not to get the dressing on the wound, but you can wash the rest of the body. After removing the dressing, you can also clean the cut site without fear. Choose mild, hypoallergenic cosmetics that are safe for the baby. When you are close, the smell and some of the ingredients in normal soaps can irritate him. In many hospitals, there is an alarm bell in the shower cubicle. Don't hesitate to use it if you feel faint. You can also use a special stool and wash while sitting. If such "luxuries" are lacking, it is better to wash with the bathroom door open, when there is someone else in the room. Importantly, a shower is also a great opportunity to make your first pee. You should urinate as soon as possible after removing the catheter (this will be done painlessly by the midwife before the first attempt to get up). Sometimes women have a problem with this, but the sound of the water usually helps. The problems with defecation will be the less the faster you get up, because the upright position is conducive to the work of the intestines. When you are able to eat normally (usually on day 3), include prunes or raisins in your diet. They contain fiber and prevent constipation. If the case continues, you will be given a laxative suppository. With pains from accumulated gases, frequent change of position and rocking in a rocking chair bring relief.
Wound care
You don't need to care for your perineum in any particular way. Frequent washing and changing the sleepers are enough, because at first the droppings are abundant. Treat the stomach wound more carefully. It is small (up to 15 cm) and usually heals quickly. Try not to offend her: wear loose cotton panties or disposable postpartum panties (price: PLN 2-4 each). They are airy and high enough that the rubber band does not hurt the wound. Also allow the wound to “breathe” from time to time and give up underwear. If you feel pain when you cough or sneezeor laughter, put a pillow on your stomach. The symptoms will gradually decrease. The wound of red will turn pink and finally a bit lighter than your skin, almost invisible. However, if you notice that it is turning red, swollen, more painful, oozing discharge or pus, consult your doctor as soon as possible. Also when a fever appears. Antibiotic treatment is likely to be required. If the doctor who operated you used ordinary sutures to sew the skin (modern, absorbable ones are used inside), they will be removed in the treatment room after 6-8 days. Suture removal takes a few seconds and does not hurt. After a month, the wound shouldn't be too much of a problem. A scar may hurt and itch for several weeks. Some mums feel that the area around her is slightly numb after a few more months. Sometimes harmless lumps called keloids form on the wound surface. If they bother you (nobody will even notice them except you), talk to your surgeon about how to get rid of them. The formation of these lesions is prevented by smoothing ointments. You can use them as soon as the scabs come off the wound.
Ochota na sex
Your vagina has not been damaged during childbirth, so you will be able to have intercourse sooner than after a natural birth. You should feel more pleasure because the muscles have not been stretched and there is no slack in the vagina. You can have sex as early as 6 weeks after giving birth (some doctors believe that 4-week abstinence is enough). Postpartum faeces, secreted from the vagina after cesarean, do not differ in appearance from the normal ones - they resemble menstrual bleeding: first they are red, then pink, brown and finally colorless. However, they last shorter - for 3-4 weeks (up to 8 weeks after natural childbirth). If they turn out to be very scanty or have disappeared at all, see your doctor. This may mean that they have stopped and that you need uterine decongestants or restoration of the cervical canal. Usually after six months - both externally and internally - the uterus and abdomen are healed and you are in good shape. Sometimes a lot of responsibilities and hormonal changes take away your appetite, but that's normal and it will eventually pass.
Important- If there are no contraindications, you can look after your baby after 24-26 hours after cutting. The midwife will tell you how to do this (e.g. after cutting it is easier to change the diaper on the high rope than in the crib). If there are no complications, you will come home after 3-6 days. You can safely carry a child then, but do shopping or hang curtains - only after a month.
- It's a myth that there is no food after cesarean. It is rare thatBreast filling is delayed, but usually everything goes smoothly after 2-3 days. The sooner you start feeding, the better. It happens that in the hospital the baby is placed on the breast by the midwife while still in the recovery room. However, according to some doctors, this poses a risk of infection, so you have to wait until you are transferred to the postnatal ward. There may be little food at the beginning, but your little one does not eat too much and will be fed as needed. Soon there will be too much milk. Abdominal pain worsens when breastfeeding. This has nothing to do with a cesarean - after natural childbirth, it's the same. This is a signal that the uterus is contracting and is back to normal.