14 things every mom needs to know about caesarean

The kid shows up earlier than expected

For the expectant mother, the doctor sets the estimated date of birth at the 40th week of pregnancy. But the cesarean is done about a week earlier, so as not to wait for the contractions. This is especially true for women who have spinal diseases or have had surgery on it.

Can’t eat after midnight

It is forbidden to eat 12 hours before the operation. And in four hours and drink too. Just for two main reasons:

• In order not to suffocate in case of intubation or general anesthesia.

• To avoid vomiting when mixing food, anesthesia and drugs.

You can choose the due date

When you are waiting for a natural birth, then when it has already overtaken, then get ready. In case of cesarean, the date and time of the operation are predetermined, and you have the opportunity to influence this: agree with the doctor and schedule the birth of the child on a certain day. Within reason, of course.

Hospitalization is usually prescribed for the day or even on the day of the operation: you can calmly wake up, take a shower, pack your things, come to the hospital, register and get a job in the ward.  

Compression underwear will be needed

Pregnant women are often advised to wear special stockings, tights or knee-highs to minimize the risk of vascular problems. And during the operation, such underwear is simply necessary to avoid the occurrence of blood clots – the likelihood of their formation during the operation increases significantly.

There will be no general anesthesia

More precisely, general anesthesia is done only in exceptional cases, more often – with an emergency caesarean. Usually, epidural or spinal anesthesia is used. First, an injection of a pain reliever is given, and then a needle is inserted between the vertebrae through the dense tissue surrounding the spinal cord. The pain reliever can be given once, or a catheter can be left for additional anesthesia.

Numbness will be felt in the injection area, which will spread to the entire lower half of the body and disappear after 1,5-3,5 hours.

There may be no bond between mother and child.

Women who have given birth by caesarean section often say that they do not have time to feel the connection with their baby. He just appears, without trial or pain. And this circumstance sometimes serves as an impetus for the emergence of stress in the mother with the development of psychosis due to the “incompleteness” of the physiological process of natural childbirth.

But now there is an opportunity to make the so-called soft or glamorous cesarean. In this case, the child is removed very slowly, and the woman can participate in this process. The baby is placed on the mother’s chest in the same way as in the case of natural childbirth, and he stays with her while the surgeon sutures the incision.

You won’t be able to get up right away, but soon you will have to

The first 4-6 hours after the operation, a young mother usually spends in the intensive care unit. Maybe longer – up to a day, it all depends on the state of her health. It will not work to get up in the first hours after the operation: anesthesia will work, numb legs are simply not felt. But after a few hours, the midwife will help you get up and walk – this is necessary so that there are no blood clots. It will be difficult, but it must be done.

The catheter will not be removed immediately

It can be left for several hours – due to anesthesia, problems with urination are not excluded. At the same time, a lot of excess fluid accumulates in the body: it will come out with urine, and then for at least two more days. You also need to be prepared for this and not panic because of excessive sweating.

Hungry menu

Before the operation, you were starved to death, after the food will be limited: you can eat liquid food, raw vegetables and fruits, which are prohibited, as well as bread. You need to follow a diet so that there are no problems with the intestines. After surgery, bloating and other difficulties are likely, and with a suture on the abdomen, discomfort turns into anguish. On the second and third day, you can eat almost everything, except for fatty, salty and spicy. But the woman is not limited in drinking. On the contrary, they suggest drinking as much as possible.

Milk comes slowly

In the ward to the child’s mother, usually in a day, when the mother recovers from the operation, and the doctors make sure that everything is in order with the baby. But they can translate immediately if there are no contraindications.

But feeding can be difficult. Milk often begins to be produced later than in the case of natural childbirth, especially if you have a firstborn. Mature milk will arrive on the third or fourth day, and until then the baby will receive colostrum.

The stitches will hurt

Some doctors say it doesn’t hurt. But to be honest, unpleasant sensations can persist even three to four weeks after the operation: a burning sensation when trying to sit down and a dull pain in the seam area, as from a blow. But this is bearable.

The metal brackets are usually removed after 4-5 days, sometimes after 7. The stitches dissolve on their own after 7-10 days. Care for the seam is very simple – it is usually advised to just wash with water, without processing anything. But if inflammation occurs, an urgent need to consult a doctor.

And a month after giving birth, numbness may occur in the suture area. It doesn’t happen often, but it does happen.

Prohibited gravity

As for weights, the first couple of weeks young mothers can lift no more than 10 kg, and even better – only their child. The muscles of the back and abdomen have not yet recovered after pregnancy, therefore, until the doctor allows it, it is better not to get carried away with weights. And no abs exercises!

Bloody issues

They are called lochia – the body gets rid of everything that was needed only to carry a baby. These are excess fluids, tissues, blood. In the first three to five days, the bleeding is usually quite profuse, then it will subside. The discharge stops completely after about six to seven weeks. After a cesarean, they last longer than after a natural birth.

It is undesirable to do a second cesarean

It is believed that a woman can give birth by caesarean section up to three times (remember Oksana Samoilova’s experience), but with each subsequent operation, the risk of complications increases. And it’s not even about infections and bleeding. A considerable amount of time must pass between pregnancies, otherwise the scar on the uterus may not withstand the contractions and rupture. This problem can be solved if the doctor immediately after the cesarean section begins the necessary therapy for the early healing of the uterine incision site, that is, you need to take care of the next pregnancy already in the first hours after the birth.

Of course, it’s up to you how to give birth to a child. But still, the doctor’s word should be the last. You should not insist on a cesarean just for fear of natural childbirth, because in any case, you will give birth with a team of doctors who will try to do everything for the safety of your and your child.