Life After A Cesarean Section

2024 Author: Rachel Wainwright | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 07:39

Life after a cesarean section

In modern obstetric care, cesarean section has become so common practice that it is no longer considered as a complex surgical intervention, permissible only in extreme cases. Expectant mothers themselves sometimes consider this operation as an alternative to natural and painful childbirth, without thinking about possible complications and a long recovery period. Meanwhile, childbirth by caesarean section is a vicious circle: the second birth after the operation, as a rule, also goes through the incision, and it is no longer recommended to give birth to a third child. How does a woman actually feel after a cesarean section, what difficulties will she face and how to overcome them?

Complications after surgery

As with any surgical procedure, a caesarean section is fraught with complications. One of the most common problems is blood loss. If during natural childbirth it is about 200-250 ml, then during operational it can reach 0.5-1 liters.

Many women have intestinal adhesions after a cesarean section. Small adhesions usually do not cause trouble, but severe adhesions provoke problems with stool and digestion, as well as abdominal pain. To get rid of them, you will need physiotherapy, in severe cases, surgery.

Another possible complication of a cesarean section is the risk of infection and inflammation of the uterus. To avoid this, women are usually prescribed antibiotics that make breastfeeding difficult.

Finally, for a full contraction of the uterus, a woman after a cesarean section may need to undergo restorative therapy, since the intersection of the muscles of the uterus disrupts its contractility. While in natural childbirth, the uterus contracts without stimulation under the influence of the oxytocin reflex.

Life after a cesarean section

The operation can take place under general anesthesia or epidural anesthesia. And in fact, and in another case, in the first hours after childbirth, the newly-made mother will experience unpleasant sensations. In the case of general anesthesia, this is vomiting, nausea, pressure surges, hallucinations. In the case of epidural anesthesia - numbness of the body from the abdomen to the legs, while the first 12 hours after anesthesia will have to be held motionless on the back.

Immediately after surgery, it seems like a normal life after a cesarean section will never come. A woman cannot get out of bed without help. At best, it will be possible to get up in a few hours after the operation, at worst - in a few days. In any case, the first attempts to rise are accompanied by dizziness, weakness.

A seam is perhaps the main thing that darkens life after a cesarean section. As soon as the anesthesia stops acting, it makes itself felt with unbearable pain, in this case the doctor prescribes an injection of anesthetic directly into the suture area. In the first week after the cesarean section, the incision site is treated with antiseptic drugs. During this period, the seams must not be washed, touched or injured in any way. With a well-healing scar, the sutures are removed 8-10 days after the operation. If the stitches become inflamed, they are removed earlier so that exudate does not accumulate in the wound area. Since a woman will be able to get into the shower only after the suture has completely healed, the only way to personal hygiene is to wipe with a damp cloth.

Many women have difficulty urinating and emptying their bowels after childbirth. In the case of a cesarean section, these problems are exacerbated: in the first days, a catheter is placed for a woman, laxatives or enemas are prescribed.

Life after a cesarean section requires a special diet. If during natural childbirth, a woman in labor can eat immediately after she has rest and slept, then after cesarean on the first day, you can only drink water with lemon juice, then, if you feel normal, try chicken broth with crushed meat, cottage cheese or low-fat yogurt, sugar-free fruit drink. For about 4-5 days, subject to the restoration of normal peristalsis, you can switch to a normal diet, taking into account breastfeeding. By the way, milk after a cesarean section appears, as a rule, on the 4-5th day, since the hormone responsible for lactation is produced later than during natural childbirth.

The main limitation in everyday life after a cesarean section is lifting weights. Ideally, it is recommended to lift no more than 2 kg, but a newborn usually weighs 3-4 kg, this weight should be limited. Moderate physical activity after a cesarean is encouraged, but before performing basic abdominal exercises, you need to wait at least two months, otherwise it is fraught with seam divergence.

Caesarean section and sex life

Are caesarean section and sex life compatible? The fact is that after the operation, the uterus is sensitive to infections. At the time of separation of the placenta from the uterus, a wound is formed, which bleeds and gradually heals over 6-8 weeks. This spotting is called lochia. During bleeding, any factors can lead to inflammation - sexual activity, the use of tampons, violation of hygiene rules, low immunity. To avoid infection, which is doubly dangerous during a cesarean section, doctors recommend postponing the resumption of sexual relations for at least two to three months. The main signal for the onset of sexual activity after a cesarean section will be the cessation of lochia.

Returning to sexual activity after a cesarean section is also complicated by psychological reasons. Many women feel constrained, embarrassed because of stitches, stretch marks, excess weight, and often refuse their husbands intimacy because of banal fatigue. On the first contact after a cesarean section, a woman feels pain. This happens for two reasons - discomfort from physical muscle tension and tension in connective tissues. If you can relax the muscles by an effort of will, then to stretch the connective tissues and ligaments, on the contrary, you need to show sexual activity.

Caesarean section requires a difficult and long recovery period, not to mention the need to care for the newborn. Therefore, the main thing that a newly-made mother needs is the care and support of loved ones. And then she will be able to successfully overcome all the hardships of life after a cesarean section.

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