Recovery after childbirth is different for each woman, but we can offer some clues that guide you in order to know what the postpartum will be like and the advice to recover. Recovery after caesarean sectionAs it is a surgical operation, it has certain peculiarities and the mother may need several weeks to be well completely.
The hospital stay is usually somewhat longer than if you have had a vaginal delivery, as it is logical that more care and vigilance are required until the mother can begin to return home with the baby. Depending on the pace of recovery, we will not be discharged until four days or maybe one week.
With regard to surgical intervention, the effects of anesthesia They will depend on whether it has been general or epidural. Each person accepts anesthesia in a different way and, of course, the effects of a general anesthetic are much stronger and more annoying than an epidural, in which we are aware at all times and there is no "wake up". We could feel confusion and lightheadedness for a couple of days.
But an epidural with a high dose of anesthetics will also sleep our legs and we will need a few hours to feel them, move them and of course we cannot normally stand up until the next day. In both cases, we usually spend time in the recovery room after the intervention, about two hours, with the impossibility of being with the baby (although it should not be so). If it is not possible for him to be with those first two hours, try to be with his father.
At first it will be difficult to sit, get up and walk (We will need support, we must be accompanied) and we will notice pain in the wound when coughing, laughing or making an effort. Avoid taking large weights during the first week.
The time to go to the bathroom can be complicated at first, consult the doctor about the possibility of taking more fiber to be able to evacuate easily (constipation during postpartum is usual, whatever the mode of birth). Regarding urine, the first 24 hours you will be probed.
The feeding at the beginning will be intravenously and depending on hospitals or doctors, it will start with a liquid diet, going to solids without allowing much time, since they help the mother to recover sooner.
Caesarean section does not prevent breastfeeding, the rise of milk is going to occur equally and it is important that it does not take long from birth.
But if you find it uncomfortable to have the baby on your arm, you can try lying on your side with the baby to breastfeed (and the sooner you put it to the breast, the better). The question is not to apply any pressure on the wound and for breastfeeding you can also try to place a cushion on the lap to place the baby in it and breastfeed.
The usual postpartum discomfort such as the entourtos, the lochia, the congestion of the breasts and pain in the perineum if there has been long dilation (and the caesarean section has been unforeseen) also occur in the case of the caesarean section.
Heal the caesarean section wound
After the intervention in the hospital you will be able to a wound dressing, checking that it stays clean. When they deem it necessary, they will remove it so that the wound "breathes".
In the hospital they will perform the cures that we will have to follow later at home following the indications. Increasingly it is done simply by maintaining proper hygiene, washing the wound with soap and water, being careful not to rub but drying it properly. As an antiseptic, povidone iodine is not recommended and chlorhexidine may be the alternative.
If there is no bleeding, redness, or any type of secretion from the wound, the healing of the caesarean section will take place around ten days, applying the necessary care.
The wound hurts the first few days, you will probably be told a pain reliever that does not interfere with breastfeeding for those early days. Anyway, the sensation of pain will change a lot from one woman to another (for example if it is the first caesarean section it hurts more ...). Soon you will see that there is some numbness in the area and you will not need drugs.
However, even when the wound is already healed, sensations of certain pain, itching, lack of sensitivity are normal and other discomforts associated with caesarean section. You have to be patient, because these symptoms associated with major surgery end up remitting over time, maybe months or years.
Exercises after caesarean section
The first exercise we can do after the caesarean section is in the hospital within a few hours: move the toes, rotate them, the legs ... while the anesthesia is eliminated. Breathing, abdominal contraction… can also be done and help restore circulation and prevent clots.
The first reinstatement of the bed requires the help of medical staff and family. We will do it little by little, sitting first, waiting for a couple of minutes and taking a few steps that could be painful at first. Soon we can walk with more ease and as soon as we return home we can go for a walk with the baby in the stroller.
When we are ready, we can start postpartum exercises to recover the abdominal tone, so that the muscles of the area recover their shape, but this will be after the staples or stitches have been removed. Consult the gynecologist about it. What you can do are Kegel exercises to recover the pelvic floor.
Little by little, we can start more active exercises. We will start walking, taking walks and later we can run, swim, bike ... and ultimately, return to our normal march. The sensations of our own body will indicate when we are prepared, in any case do it gradually.
Anyway, C-section recovery has some logical peculiarities after surgery. What does not change is that we will have our baby with us and will give us strength that we did not think we had to be fit as soon as possible.
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In Babies and more | When and how to return to exercise after childbirth, Myths about breastfeeding: "With a C-section the rise in breast milk takes longer", Ten questions that moms ask during postpartum
