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Caesarean section is a gynecological procedure that has been used for over a hundred years. 40 percent of Polish children are born thanks to the Cesarean. When the decision to perform a caesarean section is made, many questions arise in the future mother’s head. How to prepare for a cesarean? Is there any pain during a caesarean section? How long does it take to recover from cesarean?
What is a cesarean section?
A caesarean section is a major surgical procedurewhich is an alternative solution to natural childbirth. As already mentioned, this procedure has been performed for over a hundred years. Initially, caesarean section was a risky procedure to save the mother’s life when the baby in her womb was already dead.
Very quickly, this method was transformed into a safe operation, the aim of which is the safe birth of the baby for the mother and the baby. The advancement of surgical technology and anesthetic solutions makes it delivery by caesarean section is a safe procedure, as well as in recent years, routine.
Complications related to the procedure itself are very rare, and the mother and baby recover very quickly and can go home complete.
Find out more: Natural childbirth or Caesarean?
Caesarean section – preparation
A caesarean section may be an elective surgery. In such a situation, it is much easier to prepare for such an operation. You should report to the emergency room in advance, together with the referral, ID card, valid insurance certificate, pregnancy card and test results.
There is a high probability that a pregnant woman will receive a blood sample and a urine sample before admission to the ward. In some hospitals, medical staff want to have the most up-to-date results possible before the procedure.
When preparing for a caesarean section, you should also remember what you need to take with you to the hospital. The list of things to take should include: a baby layette, a shirt, large and absorbent pads and a few changes of underwear. A caesarean section is a procedure that is performed on an empty stomach. The nurse usually tells you when you can eat your last meal or drink a drink.
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Caesarean section – what does the procedure look like?
A caesarean section is a procedure that takes approximately 30 minutes on average. However, preparation for a caesarean takes a little longer. First, the midwife or nurse connects the pregnant woman to the CTG machine to check that the baby is okay. Then the mother’s temperature and pressure are measured, and the nurse puts on a cannula through which drugs and a drip will be administered.
During the cesarean section, the woman remains conscious and conscious, and in order to relieve pain, local anesthesia is administered: regional anesthesia – epidural or spinal. The Caesarean section involves incision of the abdominal wall approximately 15 cm in length in the lower abdomen over the pubic mound. The doctor will cut open the skin, muscles, and uterus in sequence to remove the fetus safely.
The patient cannot see the entire operation, but she can see her baby for a while, then the umbilical cord is cut off and the baby is handed over to a neonatologist. The doctor, together with the midwife, completes the operation, takes out the placenta and sutures the uterus and abdominal shells.
Also read: When does labor start? This symptom is a sign that it is over
Caesarean section – convalescence
An emperor takes much less time than a natural childbirth, but it takes a little longer to get back into shape. After a caesarean section, a woman stays in the hospital for 3 to 6 days, of which he spends the first several dozen hours in the recovery room under the close supervision of doctors and nurses.
In the first hours after the procedure, the wound causes pain and prevents the newly-minted mother from doing many activities. After leaving the hospital, a woman after caesarean section should give up physical activity for 2 months. After this time, he may introduce light activities to slowly regain his full form.
Usually, about six months after the procedure, both internally and externally, there is no trace of it. Usually, two years after the cesarean section, you can decide on another pregnancy.
Also read: Post-cesarean exercises – for a flat stomach and getting back in shape
Personal hygiene after cesarean section
After a caesarean section, if a woman can walk, she should feel free to start using the shower. The area where the incision was made can be washed without any problems, it is only important to choose the right, gentle, hypoallergenic cosmetics. These preparations must also be safe for the baby, because when the baby is close to the mother, the ingredients of regular soaps could irritate them.
It is worth mentioning that special alarm bells are installed in shower cabins in hospitals. At the moment when a woman feels weak, she can ring the bell and receive help after a while. In addition, a woman can use the stools there and use them to wash while sitting. However, if these “helpful elements” were not there, it is a good idea to wash with the door open.
Speaking of a shower, it is also worth mentioning urination. It is important that the woman after cesarean section, as soon as possible after removing the catheter (it will be removed by the midwife and will do it painlessly before trying to get up), urinates on her own. Sometimes women have trouble urinating, but the sound of the water when showering is helpful.
Occasionally there may be problems with bowel movements after cesarean delivery. They will be the smaller the more a woman walks, because keeping the vertical position supports the work of the intestine. For problems with defecation, it is worthwhile for a woman to eat dried plums or raisins. They are high in fiber and help prevent constipation.
If, however, the problem persists, the woman then receives a laxative suppository. If, on the other hand, there are pains caused by accumulated gases and the feeling of “flowing” in the stomach, it is worth changing your position frequently.
After the Caesarean section, the woman does not need to take special care of the perineum, she should only wash it frequently and change the pads, because at the very beginning there will be copious bloody faeces (this is natural after each delivery).
They do not differ in any way from those after natural childbirth and resemble menstrual bleeding (initially they are red, then pink, then brown, and finally colorless). Usually, such a state is short-lived, i.e. for three or four weeks (up to 8 weeks after natural childbirth).
If there is a situation in which they are scarce or not at all, the woman should see a doctor. The reason for such a situation may be their stopping or it will mean taking uterine decongestants or it is necessary to open the cervical canal.
Also read: Are post-cesarean adhesions dangerous?
Caesarean section scar care
After a cesarean section, it is important to take good care of the scar following the procedure. It should heal quickly, but a woman should not offend it just in case. For this purpose, it is a good idea to wear cotton, loose and large panties or special disposable postpartum panties. They will be high enough so they won’t hurt the wound.
It is also worthwhile for a woman to completely give up wearing panties from time to time and let the wound breathe in this way.
It is normal for a scar to ache, sting, and itch over time for the next several weeks. All this will gradually fade away. If you feel pain when coughing, laughing or sneezing, a woman should press a soft pillow against her stomach, thanks to which she will feel relief.
Over time, the wound will also change from red to pink, and at the very end it will become slightly lighter than the color of the skin and be barely visible from under the pubic hair. If the wound turns red, swells, is painful or oozes discharge or pus, contact your doctor immediately. The same is true when there is a fever that will be associated with antibiotic treatment.
If ordinary sutures were used during the operation, and not those that are gradually absorbed by the body, they will be removed in the treatment room after 6-8 days. Suture removal is painless and only takes a few seconds. In addition, regular seams do not cause any problems with absorption. In most cases, after a month, the wound does not cause any problems, although it happens that particularly sensitive people feel numbness in the area of the scar even after several months.
Sometimes it happens that harmless but unsightly thickenings called keloids form on the wound surface. If they disturb a woman, she can go to a surgeon to get rid of them (it must be said that they are barely visible). To minimize the chances of keloid formation, it is worth using smoothing ointments. They can be used when the scabs disappear from the wound.
See more: Caesarean scar – pain, care, removal
Caesarean section – sex after cesarean
Delivery by caesarean section does not damage the vagina in any way, which means that a woman can start intercourse sooner than after natural delivery. In addition, the muscles have not been stretched, so the pleasure during intercourse will be greater than in the case of natural childbirth.
After caesarean section, a woman can start intercourse as early as 6 weeks after giving birthalthough some doctors say you only need to wait 4 weeks. It will also happen that due to the responsibilities that parents have to face and hormonal changes, they can take away the desire for sex. However, do not worry about this as it passes with time.
Any traces of caesarean section (both internal and external) disappear, in most cases, after six months after the procedure. The uterus and abdomen are fully healed and the woman may return to her former form.
Exercised, they facilitate childbirth and ensure successful sex
Caesarean section – contraindications
As with any surgery, there are some contraindications to caesarean section. It is a tendency to thrombosis and a blood coagulability called thrombophilia. Women with this condition are much more likely to develop thrombosis due to risk factors for surgery like caesarean section.
These types of factors also include immobilization (after childbirth, the woman remains in a long-term lying position) after its implementation. This procedure is also associated with the risk of losing more blood, which in women with congenital thrombophilia is very sticky, dense, and clots quickly. For women with thrombophilia, the best solution is to give birth naturally. Thanks to this, the woman and her child will not be in any danger.
Interestingly, the condition of congenital thrombophilia is a threat not only during the birth itself, but also during pregnancy. (untreated thrombophilia increases the risk of miscarriage, including habitual miscarriage, and thrombosis). It is associated with hormonal changes during pregnancy and pressure of the uterus on the iliac veins. It should be mentioned that thrombophilia does not show any visible symptoms and genetic testing is required to detect it.
Such tests should be performed at the stage of planning pregnancy or during its duration. If a woman with this disease takes blood thinners (most often low molecular weight heparin) and undergoes an appropriate number of medical checks and ultrasound during pregnancy, there is a good chance of giving birth to a healthy baby, as well as avoiding the consequences of miscarriage or thrombosis. At the same time, thanks to the quick detection of thrombophilia, the doctor has time to choose the right type of delivery for the woman, thanks to which she and her baby avoid unnecessary danger.
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