Caesarean section is used in cases of impossibility of independent childbirth for various reasons. After a caesarean section, as well as after other operations, some prohibitions and recommendations are expected in the recovery period. What can not be done after a cesarean and what can be done in the postoperative period should be known to every woman preparing for surgery.

The first day of the postoperative period

After a caesarean section, the woman is in the intensive care unit. At this time, the woman in labor receives intensive rehabilitation therapy. Depending on the condition of the woman, she may be prescribed drugs to restore lost blood, antibacterial drugs, and drugs that restore bowel function.

On the first day after the operation, you can not eat. You can drink water with lemon juice. It is also not recommended to sit down on the first day. In the first 24 hours after a caesarean section, a woman receives all nutrients intravenously in the form of droppers.

Second postoperative day

If the operation went without complications and the condition of the woman in labor is stable, the young mother is transferred to the postpartum therapy ward on the second day. Every woman who has undergone surgery is advised about the therapeutic methods of postoperative treatment. Seams after caesarean section are treated 2 times a day.

Antibacterial therapy continues. Prohibitions at this time become less strict. The ban on solid food remains. Mom can already eat broths, natural yogurt, boiled meat, chopped in a blender. You can also drink tea, compotes and fruit drinks. Food should be limited. You need to eat small portions 5 - 6 times a day.

Starting from the second day, you must begin to move independently. However, getting out of bed abruptly is not recommended. You need to get up carefully, turning on your side and lowering your legs to the floor. It will be difficult in the first days, but physical activity after the operation is very important for the speedy recovery of all body functions.

Is it possible for a woman to lie on her stomach after giving birth by caesarean section

In addition, starting from the second day after the operation, it is necessary to apply the newborn to the breast as often as possible. You need to lift the child carefully, without straining the abdominal muscles. This will help to establish lactation and contribute to the rapid contraction of the uterus.

Third postoperative day

On the third day after caesarean section, the ban on solid food remains. You can gradually include porridge, low-fat cottage cheese, low-fat kefir, steam cutlets, vegetable or fruit puree in the diet. There is a ban on overeating. You need to eat often, but in small doses.

You still can’t get out of bed abruptly and strain your abdominal muscles. Until the postoperative suture is tightened with a scar, you can not take a shower. The first careful bathing can be carried out no earlier than the 7th day after the operation. In this case, you can not rub the seam with a washcloth. You can lightly lather it with soap and rinse with warm water. It is important to thoroughly blot the seam after bathing with a soft towel. Make sure the seam is dry. On the recommendation of doctors, if necessary, the seam should be treated with antiseptic solutions.

Seams in the postoperative period

Depending on the suture material that was used during the operation, the sutures may or may not be absorbable. Today, in most cases, surgeons use sutures that do not need to be removed after surgery.

The threads dissolve within 2 months after surgery or remain in the patient's body and do not require removal. With proper care and compliance with all recommendations, the seam is quickly tightened and becomes almost invisible after 3-6 months after the intervention.

In order to avoid problems with the seams, you can not remove the bandage yourself. It is necessary to strictly follow all the recommendations of doctors and follow the instructions of specialists. In the normal state of the seams, the woman is discharged home on the 7th - 10th day after the caesarean section.

Home restoration

Despite the fact that the woman returned home, she must strictly follow the recommendations of the doctors in the first weeks after the operation. You can not abruptly raise the child, it is better if you feed him. No need to do hard work and overwork.

Doctors do not recommend lifting weights and insist that the only thing a woman can lift in the postoperative period can be a newborn baby. The rest of the housework associated with lifting weights must be entrusted to family and friends.

The diet is gradually returning to the dishes familiar to women. However, the ban on sweet, fried, fatty remains. Also, throughout the entire postoperative period, it is forbidden to eat legumes, cabbage, citrus fruits, sausages, canned foods and bakery products.

Later, when the woman has fully recovered from the operation, these products can be introduced into the diet, carefully observing the reaction of the newborn. If the baby reacts with allergic reactions or an upset stomach, some food restrictions may continue throughout the duration of breastfeeding.

Intimate life in the postoperative period

Depending on the condition of the woman, the ban on sexual activity can vary from 1.5 to 2 months after a cesarean section. This issue should be decided by the attending physician, based on the examination and the dynamics of recovery in the postoperative period.

If complications arise, such as infection of the suture, inflammation of the uterus, endometriosis, etc., the ban on intimate relationships can be extended until complete recovery. In any case, intimate life can be resumed only after the discharge has stopped and the sutures have completely healed.

Sports in the postoperative period

Many women are interested in the question of when it is possible to start physical exercises to restore the figure. If women who have given birth on their own can start playing sports immediately after being discharged from the hospital, then with women who have undergone a caesarean section, everything is completely different.

The appearance of hemorrhoids after cesarean is a myth or reality and how dangerous it is

After the operation, it is necessary to withstand at least 1.5 months before starting physical exercises. It is necessary to start classes with minimal loads, gradually increasing the number and pace of exercises.

You can do exercises to strengthen the muscles of the press only after the permission of the attending physician.

Before that, you can do light gymnastics, which is aimed at raising vitality and mood.

Recovery after caesarean - this is how motherhood begins in women who, for medical reasons, had to give up the prospect of natural childbirth. This difficult process requires patience and increased attention to one's own health - it is possible to return to full-fledged physical activity only after 2 months, during which it is necessary to put up with prohibitions and work on oneself in order to ensure the full healing of internal and external seams.

Technique for caesarean section

Indications for cesarean section (CS) are absolute, in which the exit of the fetus through the birth canal is impossible, and relative, when the natural course of childbirth is accompanied by risks. It should be noted that with the development of medicine, the list of indications is becoming wider: a number of diagnoses for which caesarean section was considered one of the alternatives are now transferred to the category of absolute ones.

There is also the possibility of conducting a CS at the will of a woman, without medical indications. How justified is this choice? Experts give arguments for and against based on theory, their own experience and statistical research, but their beliefs on this issue can lead to diametrically opposite conclusions: some agitate for natural childbirth, others talk about the benefits of surgery. At the same time, modern medical technologies are being improved in both directions.

Cesarean section is carried out in a planned or emergency order. In cases where the decision on surgical intervention is made before the onset of labor, the patient can receive detailed information from the doctor about the methods of anesthesia, tissue dissection and suturing. The technique is chosen depending on the state of health of the mother and fetus, the anatomical location of the internal organs, the characteristics of the tissues of the abdominal wall and uterus, as well as the professional skills of the surgeon.

The incision of the abdominal wall can be:

• lower middle - from the connection of the pubic bones to the navel, is used to quickly extract the fetus;
• transverse - in the pubic area, has several variations, with this technique, peritoneal tissues are more easily restored.

There are a number of techniques for dissecting the uterus, the use of which does not depend on the method of opening the abdominal wall, but in practice, each surgeon has his own well-developed technique. The choice of method of anesthesia (epidural, spinal anesthesia or general anesthesia) depends on the decision of the anesthesiologist. With partial anesthesia, if there is no need for resuscitation, the child is given to the mother's arms immediately after extraction. Synthetic absorbable materials are used for suturing.

Stages of a caesarean section:

1. Preparation: the necessary tests are given and the time of the operation is scheduled. The stomach is cleaned, the corresponding area of ​​the skin is disinfected, a catheter is placed to drain urine.
2. Anesthesia: with partial anesthesia, a screen is placed to block the viewing area for the patient.
3. Surgical intervention: dissection of the peritoneum, opening of the uterus, removal of the child, cutting of the umbilical cord and removal of the placenta, sequential suturing.
4. Postoperative period: at least a day the patient needs to lie in the intensive care unit. Being under constant supervision, women move away from anesthesia, the risks of unforeseen complications and reactions are eliminated. Then, inpatient treatment with drugs is prescribed to normalize the contractile function of the uterus, restore urination and the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. If necessary, analgesics and antibiotics are administered.

Risks during the operation and possible complications

Hospitalization before surgery (from 1 day to 2 weeks) depends on medical indications for monitoring the condition of the mother and child, supporting and diagnostic procedures, the decision on discharge is made according to the same parameters. Inpatient postoperative treatment in the maternity hospital lasts an average of 5-7 days.

The use of caesarean section is the main factor in reducing the statistics of neonatal mortality, but surgery also affects them:

• a certain portion of drugs penetrates into the baby's circulatory system, which can lead to intoxication, inhibition of the respiratory reflex, painful lethargy and passivity in the first days of life;
• fluid and mucus are not completely expelled from the lungs, which can lead to pneumonia;
• pressure drops during the extraction of the child can provoke microoutflows into the brain;
• the general adaptability of the body is reduced, because, at birth, without stress, hormones are not produced that are responsible for the adaptation of the newborn to the external environment.

A woman in labor may experience the following complications:

• The formation of pathological adhesions in the intestines and ligaments that hold the organs of the genitourinary system. This may be the result of a protracted operation, blood and amniotic fluid entering the abdominal cavity, and inflammatory processes. Leads to intestinal obstruction, tubal infertility, bending of the uterus and menstrual irregularities.
• Postoperative hernia and functional damage to the muscles of the abdominal cavity associated with defects in tissue suturing. They lead to indigestion, back pain, prolapse of the vagina, uterus, and the formation of an umbilical hernia.
• Nerve root injury during spinal and epidural anesthesia (see also:). Leads to back pain, tremors and numbness of the limbs.
• Postpartum endometritis - infection of the inner layer of the uterus with various pathogens, manifests itself a few days after cesarean and occurs due to a decrease in the protective functions of the body. Leads to pain in the abdomen, atypical discharge, fever.

Unfortunately, both the natural course of childbirth and surgical intervention are not immune from unforeseen circumstances. In the case of a caesarean section, we can talk about a common set of risks inherent in all abdominal operations that arise due to reactions to anesthesia, heavy blood loss, blood clots.

To prevent risks, the main role is played by:

• adequate choice of methods for performing surgery and rehabilitation;
• compliance with the standards for the duration of surgical intervention;
• the quality of the medicines and suture materials used;
• postoperative therapy;
• qualifications of the surgeon and medical staff.

Recovery period

After a caesarean section, time is needed for the healing of injured tissues and postpartum hormonal changes. You have to stay for a week in the maternity hospital, then endure constant aching pains that keep you in suspense and limit movement, establish a regimen and nutrition, and at the same time get used to maternal duties. Communication with the child and the support of loved ones greatly facilitate the situation, but even in this case, the desire to recover quickly often leads to overload, which only prolongs the painful period.

Wearing a bandage

A specially designed bandage fixes the abdominal organs, helps to prevent their prolapse and alleviates pain. Its wearing is possible only with a good condition of the seam and normal bowel function. In the first 4 weeks after the operation, the bandage is put on for 3-4 hours a day, especially when you need to get up, sit and walk. After it, you can switch to wearing tight underwear.

Nutrition Features

The selection of the diet is aimed at replenishing iron deficiency, restoring digestion and water metabolism, and ensuring lactation. During the period when you still have to lie down for a long time, you need to consume more fiber to prevent constipation. General recommendations relate to the exclusion of fried, salty, smoked foods, the need for fractional nutrition. It is recommended to individually exclude products that cause gas formation. You can drink a special course of vitamins for nursing mothers.

Intimate life and sports

Regardless of physical fitness, a return to usual sports is possible only 6 months after the operation. Overload, as well as excessive restriction of movement, can complicate the healing process. Special sparing exercises aimed at preventing varicose veins and thrombophlebitis, working out the pelvic muscles should be performed daily with a gradual increase in multiplicity.

Hygiene and seam care

The suture in the maternity hospital is cared for by the medical staff, and by the day of discharge, the discharge from the wound stops, the sutures are removed or dissolve. At home, it is necessary to ensure sterility and protection of the affected area from mechanical damage. Disinfectants and healing agents are used. The cosmetic appearance of the scar depends on the characteristics of the organism. Corrective measures (laser resurfacing, photo-correction) should be postponed for at least a year.

Sleep and rest mode

The process of physiological and psychological recovery is individual, but in any case, the mother should spend as much time with the child as possible, and at the same time she needs to sleep as needed.

At first, loved ones should protect her from intermittent sleep at night and assist in any activity that requires physical exertion, such as bathing the baby or rocking him in her arms. A gradual transition from bed to normal mode is carried out by performing exercises in walking and sitting several times a day.

Breastfeeding after surgery

Lactation may start late, and there is also a certain risk of lack or shortage of breast milk, so supplementation with mixtures is inevitable. Doctors advise not to leave attempts to accustom the child to, take him in his arms more often and apply to the chest not according to the schedule, but on demand. If the baby is already accustomed to the nipple, you need to express milk and try to maintain lactation even in small volumes.

Reception of analgesics is stopped even in the maternity hospital, and doctors do not advise stopping pain, using them as an indicator of physical activity. Painful sensations allow you to dose physical exercises, tell you how to get out of bed correctly, how much time to spend on your feet or in a sitting position.

The consequence of anesthesia may be a paroxysmal cough caused by the accumulation of mucus in the bronchi. To avoid divergence of the seams, you need to control this process by holding the place of the seam with your palms and coughing on a strong exhalation.

What absolutely cannot be done?

Life after a caesarean section gets better only with time, and the rehabilitation process is not only extended in time, but also cannot be clearly predicted. It is important to understand that prohibitions are measures to prevent complications that allow you to shorten the recovery period and spend it at home, next to the child.

The first item on the list of restrictions is a ban on lifting weights more than 3 kg until complete scarring of the uterine tissue occurs. During this period, you should also not make sudden movements, such as pulling up or bending over. In the first months after the operation, you should not take hot baths.

It is important to move away from the stereotype that restrictions can be lifted if the pain has stopped and the stitch on the abdomen has tightened. Complications from internal inflammatory processes and abnormal scarring of the uterus can be hidden, so it is important not to ignore the alarm signals and not violate the prohibitions that the doctor has imposed based on the individual characteristics of the patient.

In what cases should you immediately consult a doctor?

Depending on the intensity of the symptoms, you should call an ambulance or contact your doctor if:

• increased body temperature;
• there are atypical discharges;
• the seam is inflamed;
• weakness, dizziness, vomiting, acute pain appeared.

Lack of stool and problems with urination are also an alarm signal that requires specialist advice. Complications after CS can also appear after the recovery period, even years after the operation. Regardless of how you feel, you need to undergo examinations by a gynecologist every six months and seek medical help for pain in the abdominal cavity and menstrual irregularities.

According to statistics, today every 3-4 pregnancy ends with an operation. The newly-made mother will have to face not only the postpartum period, but also the condition after the operation.

And this is doubly difficult. No one canceled the duties of caring for a baby. No one but you can put the baby to the breast. It is not for nothing that women are interested in how to quickly return themselves to their previous shape.

How to recover after a caesarean section?

The change in your body begins immediately after the removal of the child, still on the operating table. The uterus reacts to a decrease in volume and shrinks sharply. Thus helping to stop bleeding.

From now on, it will decrease in volume every day. It will be completely reduced somewhere by 2 months. After the operation, an ice pack is placed on your stomach - this is also a means for improved contraction of the uterus and stop bleeding. Be sure to prescribe uterine contraction injections.

Postoperative scars on the uterus, anterior abdominal wall and skin will make themselves felt almost immediately. Especially severe pain in the first 3 days. Pain contributes to the release of stress hormones: adrenaline and norepinephrine, which negatively affects the state of the body, as well as the healing of scars and pelvic organs.

In addition, the tone of the muscles of the anterior abdominal wall decreases in order to save the cut stomach. This can lead to the formation of hernias in the future. You must be prescribed painkillers.

The suture after cesarean will be processed daily. Will be removed for 7-8 days.

Doctors will tell and show, and only you can help yourself.

14 ways to recover faster after a caesarean

1.​After the operation, do not lie down! After the operation, 10-12 hours, and if you had spinal anesthesia, then a day, you will have to keep bed rest. The first time you need to climb in the presence of doctors. The earlier you get up, the better for you.

2.Physical activity. Almost immediately after the operation, it is necessary to move, turn in bed. The seam is tightly sutured with threads, it will not disperse. 3-4 hours after cesarean, you need to perform the first exercises. Bend and unbend the legs at the ankle and knee joints, hands.

3. Do breathing exercises.

• Lying on your back, take your hand to the side - inhale, return to ip. - exhale.
• Lying on your back, with outstretched legs and arms along the body. Raise your straight arms up - inhale through your nose, lower your hands down - exhale through your mouth.
• Lying on the left side, the left hand is under the head, the right hand is along the body, the legs are straight. Raise your right hand up, touch the pillow - inhale, lower - exhale. Repeat 1-2 times. Repeat on the right side too.
• Lying on your back, legs extended, right hand on the stomach, left hand on the chest. Inhale through the nose - inflate the stomach, exhale through the mouth - blow it off.

After you can rise, on the 2nd day, start doing the exercises sitting on the edge of the bed, legs lowered.

• Flexion, extension of the legs in the knee joints.
• Inhale - pull your knees to your chest, helping with your hands, exhale - return to SP.
• Inhale - spread your arms to the sides, exhale - draw in your stomach and return to SP.

From 3-4 days:

• Lying on your back, bend your knees, arms along the body. We raise the pelvis and turn it to the right - to the left, lower it.
• Lie on your back, knees bent, arms outstretched. We lower our knees to the right, outstretched arms to the left, we lower our knees to the left, outstretched arms to the right.
• We lie on our back, legs and arms are extended, raise one leg and begin to draw numbers from 1 to 6. Then do the same with the other leg. Every day we add 1 digit and we reach 20.
• To restore the tone of the muscles of the perineum, there is a set of Kegel exercises.

If you do gymnastics, then recovery after a cesarean will go much faster. There will be no adhesions, with time the former elasticity of the tummy will return, the uterus will shrink in a short time. But first, you should consult with your doctor.

Against the background of temperature, if during the operation there was a large blood loss, if you have thrombophlebitis, exercises are contraindicated. Do not perform gymnastics through force. Stop exercising if pain occurs.

Caesarean section is not compatible with intense physical activity. You can not lift weights, pump the press, exercise on simulators, run, squat for the first 2-3 months.

Important! It should also be remembered that excessive physical activity will not contribute to the production of milk. Therefore, it is contraindicated for nursing mothers.

3.​ Lactation. Breastfeed your baby. What will it give? During nipple sucking, the body produces oxytocin. It stimulates the production of milk in the mammary glands and the contraction of smooth muscles, i.e. uterus.

In addition, it is a hormone of love that helps the formation of maternal instincts. And a lot is said about the beneficial properties of breast milk for a child, and everyone knows that there is nothing better.

4.​Anemia. The need for iron during pregnancy and lactation is always increased. With a caesarean section, blood loss is several times higher than after a natural birth.

You may become anemic after surgery. This disrupts the healing of tissues, contraction of the uterus and does not affect well-being in the best way. If the doctor says that you have low hemoglobin, then you need to take iron supplements.

5.​ Lie on your stomach. Already on the second day after cesarean, you can lie on your stomach. This will speed up the contraction of the uterus.

The first day after the operation, you will have to endure a urinary catheter. This is not pleasant and makes it difficult to move. It is placed before surgery to control the amount and color of urine, as well as to prevent injury to the bladder during surgery.

After the operation, they also consider how much urine was released per day. This is important to assess if there has been damage to the bladder or ureters. An empty bladder is an important condition for proper uterine contraction, and you will not be able to get on the ship on your own for the first 12-24 hours.

After the operation, you may experience constipation. This is due to reduced intestinal tone, hormonal stress and, of course, an inactive lifestyle. If there is no stool by the third or fourth day, you will be given an enema.

Drink more water, move more. At home, it is worth eating more vegetables and fruits, dairy products, soups and cereals with buckwheat and pearl barley, vegetable oils.

7.​ Nutrition. The body needs strength to return to normal after surgery, as well as to feed the child. Therefore, eat more meat, protein is a building material, and you have scars that need to heal.

More fiber: vegetables and fruits, but avoid overseas fruits. Remember that you will be breastfeeding your baby. Therefore, your menu should not harm the baby. You can not eat food with preservatives, spices, hot sauces, smoked meats, grilled chicken, hot dogs, pizza, fatty and fried foods. Food should be stewed, boiled and steamed.

8.​ Massage and self-massage will help to restore. It improves skin tone, improves blood circulation and metabolism. Muscle tone also increases.

Interesting! In addition, massage has a positive effect on the nervous system. Normalizes sleep, reduces pain sensitivity. You can perform self-massage.

In technique, there are 4 techniques: stroking, rubbing, kneading and vibration.

Already from the first hours, you can stroke your stomach with your palm in a circle, from top to bottom and from bottom to top.

You can use a tennis ball. Write them out in a circular motion clockwise starting from the navel.

Perform a massage with a contrast shower.

9.​ Wear a bandage. It will relieve pain, support weakened abdominal muscles. The bandage is especially indispensable in the first days and weeks. In the prone position, the bandage is not needed, only when moving. Do not wear the bandage for more than 3 hours. From 4-6 weeks, the bandage is not needed, and its prolonged wearing can lead to the opposite effect, i.e. weakening the press.

10.​ Hygiene. Unfortunately, if you had a caesarean section, then you will be allowed to take a shower only after the suture is removed and then on condition that it has healed well. This will happen in about a week.

Before this, it is necessary to wash in parts so as not to wet the seam. Be sure to observe intimate hygiene: it is necessary to wash yourself with soap after each visit to the toilet.

11.​ Watch for secretions.

• In the first 3 days they are bright red and very plentiful.
• From 4 to 10 days pink-brown e or brown. Every day their number decreases, and the color becomes lighter.
• By day 10 yellowish or white spotting.
• By 3 weeks they contain streaks of mucus.
• The discharge will completely stop by 6-8 weeks.

If they are very plentiful, dirty in color and with an unpleasant odor, while you are worried about pain in the lower abdomen or a fever, you should consult a doctor. Perhaps complications have arisen that will slow down the recovery of the body after childbirth and the healing of the scar on the uterus.

12.​Dream. The body must be well rested. Sleep during the day with your baby.

13.​ Properly care for the scar on the skin. The stitches will be removed on the 6-7th day. If there are no complications, take a shower every day at home, but do not rub the incision area with a washcloth. After a shower, treat it with brilliant green, unless the doctor prescribes anything else upon discharge.

In order to avoid a rough scar, after a month you can use special ointments (kontroktubeks, solcoseryl, klirvin), if you wish, you can contact a beauty salon.

Important! If there is pain, swelling and pus in the area of ​​​​the suture, you should consult a doctor.

14.​ Walks in the fresh air. Rapid wound healing and tissue nutrition is impossible without oxygen. In addition, it will be useful for your baby.

After 6-12 months, scars will heal, muscle and skin tone will return.

Putting your body in order after childbirth and caesarean is not so easy, but the joy of the birth of your crumbs will overshadow all the difficulties.

Surgical intervention in obstetric practice allows you to save the health and life of the mother and child in the event of a difficult course of pregnancy, the presence of contraindications for natural childbirth or the development of unforeseen complications already in their process. Many women consider this method of delivery to be more gentle, since it is not associated with the need for a long experience of contractions and possible breaks. All that is required of the mother in such cases is to be an outside observer of the work of doctors busy extracting the child. However, despite the seeming harmlessness of operational childbirth compared to natural, this path is no less dangerous. Caesarean section is an open abdominal operation requiring anesthesia, associated with extensive tissue injury and massive bleeding.

The main difficulties for women arise in the postoperative period. Recovery after caesarean lasts several months, the most unpleasant is the first day. At the same time, during the entire rehabilitation period, no one releases the young mother from the responsibility of caring for the newborn.

Recovery after anesthesia

Like any traumatic procedure, surgery to remove a baby requires the use of anesthesia. With a planned intervention, its type is prescribed taking into account the state of health of the woman. Emergency surgery is often performed under spinal anesthesia. Recovery after cesarean, physical well-being and emotional state in the first days is directly related to the anesthesia used. The body's response to drugs can be the most unpredictable.

Immediately after the operation and for the next 6-8 hours, the woman is forbidden to get out of bed and roll over on her side. Depending on the complications, blood transfusion, infusion therapy containing nutritional and rehydration solutions may be required during the operation. Then movement becomes a necessity. To quickly recover and get rid of the effects of drugs, it is recommended to slowly sit down, lower your legs from the bed. You are allowed to get up the next day. You should not be afraid of the divergence of the seams, since they are fastened until complete healing. Much more trouble is brought by the consequences of anesthesia.

General

The advantage of this method of anesthesia is considered by many to be the complete loss of consciousness and the absence of the need to monitor the progress of the operation. However, for both doctors and patients, this type of anesthesia is associated with great risks.

An endotracheal procedure with the provision of artificial lung ventilation entails a decrease in blood pressure and a slowdown in cardiac activity for 40-60 minutes - while the operation lasts. During this time, doses of drugs are administered intravenously into the body. When all manipulations are over, the supply of drugs is stopped. Their anesthetic effect stops almost immediately. Consciousness gradually returns to the woman in labor after a few minutes. Severe pain sets in almost immediately.

Within 30–60 minutes, residual effects of drugs are observed, hallucinations, hysterical states, stupor, perceptual disturbance, and speech impairment are possible.

To relieve pain after general anesthesia, a woman in labor needs analgesic drugs for several days.

Spinal

One of the easiest anesthesia techniques to use. It involves a single injection of painkillers into the narrow subarachnoid space that separates the spinal cord and arachnoid. The injection is placed in the region of the spine between the 4th and 5th vertebrae. The active substances almost instantly block the nerve endings, anesthesia fully anesthetizes after 15 minutes. The lack of sensation in the lower body allows the operation to be performed while the patient remains conscious.

spinal anesthesia

Body features, nationality or type of appearance also do not affect the time of the return of menstruation.

The physiological processes that occur in a woman's body after the birth of a child ensure a prolonged absence of menstruation. If a young mother is breastfeeding, large doses are regularly released into her blood oxytocin And prolactin. These hormones are natural estrogen antagonists responsible for ovulation. Lactational amenorrhea is a normal state provided by nature. This is a period of a kind of rest of the reproductive system after childbirth. Most women do not have periods until lactation ends on its own or artificially. The recovery period of the cycle in this case is from one to five months from the date of the end of feeding.

Don't expect your next period to be regular. In the first 2-3 cycles, more scanty or abundant than usual discharge with the presence of blood clots is likely. Breaks between them can vary from 21 to 50 days, the duration can be from 2 to 7 days, which is also not a sign of violations. All these phenomena are due to changes in the uterus and the endocrine system. Within a few months, the hormonal level fluctuates, which affects the thickness of the endometrium.

In some cases, pain during menstruation in women who have previously suffered algomenorrhea, after childbirth may weaken or disappear altogether. This is due to changes in the shape and location of the uterus.

In almost 10% of young mothers who traditionally breastfeed their children, menstruation appears before six months after childbirth: in the second or third month. Such a surprise is associated with hormonal disorders, insufficient milk production, long breaks in feeding. Sometimes this is an individual feature of the organism. It is not necessary to curtail lactation in such a situation, but then the mother will have to deal with the increased load: reconsider nutrition and rest a lot. The diet must contain animal proteins, carbohydrates, a sufficient amount of fat, foods rich in calcium, iron, vitamins E, D, A, ascorbic and folic acids. It is necessary to supplement the menu with special complexes and bioadditives.

In cases where circumstances force from the first days to feed the child with artificial mixtures, and there is no need for lactation, the restoration of the monthly cycle can be expected within 1-3 months from the day the postpartum period ends. Usually, for mothers who are not breastfeeding, the first menstruation occurs 6-8 weeks after the end of the lochia.

intimate life

Having sex after surgical delivery should be postponed until the end of the postpartum period and the formation of a dense postoperative scar. The minimum period is about 2 months in the absence of any complications. If nerve endings were damaged during the operation to remove the child, the seam became inflamed, other health disorders appeared, it will be possible to return to intimate life no earlier than in 3-4 months.

Full recovery of tissues after childbirth by caesarean section occurs within a few years. Despite the fact that a woman can start doing household chores, sports, work, and lead an active image much earlier, the next pregnancy is possible only after two years. Otherwise, one cannot hope for its successful outcome: there may be a violation of the integrity of the uterus, its divergence along the seam, improper location of the fetus, detachment placenta or the germination of its tissues through the scar into adjacent organs.

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The danger of an early onset of the next pregnancy makes contraception after a caesarean section more relevant than ever. For safety net, it is desirable to use not one method, but several. It is usually recommended to combine barrier protection and oral contraceptives. The former block the penetration of spermatozoa, but are not reliable enough. Hormonal agents have an almost 100% effect, but do not exclude the so-called "breakthrough" ovulation. The combination of several methods practically guarantees safety.

Hopes for the calendar method or lactational amenorrhea medically insignificant. Their effectiveness is no more than 40-50%, since ovulation tends to come on suddenly. It is impossible for a woman to expose her health to the risk of premature pregnancy after a caesarean section.

Figure restoration

The extra pounds gained during pregnancy and the stretched protruding belly do little to please the young mother. Annoyance after the operation is added by the need to spare one's health, avoiding tension in the first months. Restoration of the figure after a caesarean section, indeed, fades into the background. Compared with the need for proper care of the baby and control of one's own well-being, this aspect can be considered unimportant.

It is not always possible to return an elastic flat stomach and a thin waist after a cesarean section. The reason for this is overstretching of the skin and diastasis - the divergence of the abdominal muscles. This problem is especially characteristic after multiple pregnancies or for women who have never played sports before. With such problems, harmony can only be restored with the help of plastic surgery. In all other cases, you need to be patient.

Diet

In the first days after caesarean section - the use of only light liquid food. During the day, the intestine is unable to function, as it is under the influence of anesthesia. It is allowed to drink plain or mineral water with a small amount of fruit juice. Over the next four days, the menu is gradually expanded, gradually introducing broths, juices, dairy products, liquid cereals and pureed soups into it.

For several weeks after discharge from the hospital, it is recommended to follow a special diet for surgical patients. All dishes must be cooked without frying: steamed or baked, do not contain hard crusts, a lot of salt, spices, animal fats, artificial colors.

• lean meats and fish: turkey, skinless chicken, veal, cod, chum salmon, horse mackerel;
• cottage cheese and kefir with a fat content of not more than 5%;
• chopped vegetables: first stewed and then raw;
• berries, fruits;
• whole wheat bread.

Dishes high in starch and sugar should be limited. These include:

• potato;
• pasta;
• semolina;
• polished rice;
• products made from white flour: cookies, gingerbread, buns, pies;
• sweets: chocolate, sweets.

It is necessary to completely exclude various delicacies and heavy foods from the menu:

• salo;
• sausages;
• fast food;
• ham;
• margarine.

New mothers who are breastfeeding need to adhere to stricter restrictions. Often, their diet in the first weeks consists only of cereals on the water, pureed meat and vegetable stew.

Usually, within 3-4 months, with proper nutrition, most of the extra pounds accumulated during pregnancy gradually disappear. More radical measures: various express diets and fasting days can be practiced not earlier than the end of the lactation period.

Moms whose children are bottle-fed, in search of how to quickly recover from a cesarean, are also not recommended to torture themselves with a starvation diet. The energy value of the daily menu to preserve all body functions should be at least 1500 kcal. For the full healing of tissues, it is recommended to use meat products, aspic, fruit jelly, chicken eggs.

Fitness

Any physical activity associated with tension in the abdominal muscles after a cesarean section is allowed no earlier than after 4 months. Until the expiration of this period, only walking is allowed.

In the first month, it is necessary to support the press and alleviate pain during the daytime. It is advisable to wear it for several hours a day.

Performing physical exercises aimed at strengthening the press should be regular, and the load should increase gradually. It is better to do it in the gym under the guidance of a coach, it disciplines. If this is not possible, a place should be equipped at home.

Additionally, you can go swimming, skiing, cycling. These exercises gently stimulate the tone of the abdominal muscles, help tighten the abdomen.

Yoga

Of the Eastern practices, strengthening the press after a cesarean section is helped by breathing, static exercises, movements to stretch the muscles. They need to be performed in a calm environment, in the morning or evening, preferably daily. Many yoga exercises are great as a warm-up or the final step in fitness.

Exercise at home

For homework, you can purchase a stepper or treadmill. As auxiliary projectiles, room furniture is suitable: a chair or a sofa. In order for the stomach to tighten after a cesarean section, it is useful to perform twisting exercises, imitation of cycling from a prone position, pulling the legs to the chest, and rocking the press. At home, it is desirable to practice daily, for 30-40 minutes. In the absence of time, instead of a full-fledged complex, you can perform several approaches at different periods if possible.

When to See a Doctor

If the recovery process after surgery is successful, you can come to the next medical examination to the gynecologist six months after the birth.

An earlier visit should be made if warning signs appear:

• change in the nature of lochia before the end of the postpartum period: the appearance of impurities of pus, a heavy odor;
• the occurrence of frequent cramps or sudden cutting pains in the abdomen after the healing of the stitches;
• the appearance of swelling, redness, itching or suppuration in the suture area;
• absence of menstruation for five or more months from the date of cessation of lactation.

An additional medical examination is also necessary in case of a sharp change in the menstrual cycle: the release of blood or pus before or after menstruation, persistent internal pain, attacks of weakness or dizziness.

When a woman is in the hospital, her condition may be relatively stable, and complications after surgery develop later.

What are the possible complications

Approximately 20% of cases of caesarean section in parturient women experience various kinds of complications. Basically, they are associated with existing systemic diseases, circumstances that arose during the operation or during the early recovery period.

Most often, these are various infectious processes, pathologies of the vascular system and hematopoietic functions.

Common complications:

• inflammation or divergence of the postoperative suture, the formation of hernias;
• accession of a secondary infection: the development of an inflammatory process in the uterine cavity, adjacent pelvic tissue or in the appendages;
: during the operation, patients inevitably lose blood, on average, about 500–600 ml.

Depending on the physical condition of each woman, other complications are possible. For these reasons, when figuring out how to recover from a C-section, it's important not to overdo it. In case of strange changes in well-being or a change in the appearance of the seam, the appearance of redness, burning or severe itching in this area, you should consult a doctor.

Doctors' opinion

A caesarean section is a complex surgical operation. She is prescribed to women in labor not out of a whim, but for serious medical reasons, when there is a real threat to the health of the expectant mother or her child. It is no coincidence that doctors of maternity hospitals refuse to perform this procedure for patients at will, without any reason. After all, natural childbirth is a painful, but less dangerous process when it comes to completely healthy women. After a natural delivery, the mother can get up in a few hours and gradually return to normal life. Caesarean section requires a long recovery, sometimes lasting more than six months.

It is important that the first such operation is an almost unconditional reason for subsequent artificial births in the same way. Although over time, the place of the incision of the muscles and the wall of the uterus is reliably overgrown, the structure of the tissues in the area of ​​​​the suture is inelastic. A woman can give birth naturally after a caesarean, but only if she is less than 30 years old and more than three years have passed since the operation.

With a second surgical intervention, the surgeon makes an incision along the previous suture, which significantly slows down subsequent healing and increases the risk of complications. The allowable number of safe caesareans that one woman can endure is no more than four. In practice, successful and relatively fast recovery after caesarean section occurs only after the first two interventions. Of course, each case is individual, there are mothers who were born in this way for 5 or more children, but these are exceptions.

A condition for the successful restoration of health after a cesarean is compliance with all medical prescriptions. The first few days are especially difficult. The young mother suffers from pain, residual effects of anesthesia. Almost everyone develops intestinal atony, so you can not eat solid food.

Staying in bed is not recommended. Already a few hours after the withdrawal of anesthesia, it is desirable to move your arms and legs, start turning. On the second day, the work of the intestines should be activated: rumbling appears in the stomach, gases begin to leave. In the absence of signs of intestinal activity, stimulation with drugs is necessary.

Milk from such women comes with a slight delay - after 3-4 days. During this period, the child has to be supplemented with mixtures.

After discharge, the recovery process continues. You can not load yourself with physical work, walk for a long time, carrying a baby in your arms, lift a stroller up the stairs. To maintain the muscular corset, it is useful to wear a bandage. It is necessary to select not squeezing the sides, but a comfortable elastic model. The design should be worn no more than 6-8 hours a day and only for two months after the operation. The habit of sleeping in a bandage or using it to draw in the abdomen for too long will lead to the opposite effect - the muscles will weaken and become flabby.

To do fitness to return harmony, you need to be careful. In the first few weeks, the daily load should not exceed 20-30 minutes. In this case, you can not use weights or do exercises that strongly strain the press. Before starting classes, you must consult a supervising doctor to exclude possible contraindications.

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A caesarean section is an obstetric operation performed when a woman is unable to give birth naturally. It takes a little longer for women in labor to recover from a caesarean section. In order for a woman to gain strength faster, you need to follow some recommendations.

Postoperative period

If the operation went without complications and the child is healthy, after 2 hours the woman and the baby are transferred to the cohabitation ward. In order to prevent the development of complications, it is necessary to constantly monitor the condition of vital organs. To do this, the medical staff measures the pulse, blood pressure, temperature of the woman in labor, assesses the tone of the uterus, the nature of the discharge. The doctor also assesses the state of the urinary function and, if it is impossible to urinate, a urinary catheter is installed for the woman.

The first day after caesarean section requires active medical treatment. The operation is inevitably associated with blood loss. To restore the volume of circulating blood and increase the rheological properties of the woman in labor, rheopolyglucin, solutions of sodium chloride and glucose are administered. In case of massive blood loss, blood components are administered.

After the operation, the woman may be prescribed painkillers, which are administered within one to three days. When carrying out any surgical intervention on the abdominal organs, there is a risk of developing intestinal paresis. To prevent this from happening to a woman, she is prescribed prozerin. To prevent infectious complications, it is prescribed (in some cases, the antibiotic is administered intramuscularly or intravenously before surgery).

A woman stays in the hospital for 4-5 days or more in case of complications.

Nutrition of the woman in labor

On the first day after childbirth, a woman in labor should not eat anything, you can only drink non-carbonated water. But do not worry, the woman will not be hungry. All the necessary nutrients will be replenished with droppers.

On the second or fourth day, a woman in labor should follow a sparing diet, because her intestines are still not able to work to the fullest. You can eat boiled, pureed food. It is allowed to add hatred meat broth, steamed cutlets, low-fat cottage cheese and cheese, mashed potatoes to the diet. Under the ban are products that increase gas formation (legumes, flour products, grapes, etc.). If a woman is worried, you need to stroke your stomach clockwise for a minute.

Already on the fifth day, the menu is gradually expanding. But this does not mean that you can eat absolutely everything. Now a woman needs to constantly remember that everything eaten can affect the condition of the baby. Therefore, during the period of breastfeeding, you should not eat certain foods that can harm the crumbs.

About the importance of movement after surgery

The first day after a caesarean section, a woman will feel weak, feel pain in her stomach, which is why the woman in labor does not want to move again. In addition, with active movements, a divergence of the seams may occur. However, already 6 hours after the operation, doctors advise starting to roll over from side to side, slightly pulling the legs up to the stomach, performing simple physical exercises right in bed (rotation of the feet, hands, flexion and extension of the legs at the knee joint, etc.), and then - and get up (strictly under the supervision of medical staff).

Important: you can sit down and get up only after the woman puts on a special postpartum bandage (in many maternity hospitals, women in labor are first wrapped tightly with a folded sheet).

You need to get out of bed carefully, without straining your abdominal muscles. You need to slightly pull your knees towards you, roll over on your side, and then, leaning on your hands, take a sitting position. By the end of the first day, a woman can already get out of bed and walk a little.

Many mothers are worried about being overweight and wonder when they can start physical activity. In the postpartum period, only simple physical exercises are allowed. More active loads can be started after a month and a half. It can be fitness, yoga, body flex. With exercises for swinging the press, you should wait for six months.

After discharge from the maternity hospital, the woman in labor will be warned that in the near future she cannot lift weights over three or four kilograms, that is, no more than the weight of the child.

Healing of sutures after caesarean section

During the stay of the woman in labor at the maternity hospital, the nurse regularly treats the seam with antiseptics (brilliant green, potassium permanganate solution), changes the bandage. The sutures are removed approximately on the seventh or tenth day. Skin healing usually occurs quickly. The seam is very noticeable at first, red or purple. As time goes by, it will become less and less noticeable. For the speedy resorption of the scar, you can take special ointments, for example, contractubex.

Do not take a shower until the stitches are removed. But you can wash separately parts of the body. It will be possible to take a full shower only after the stitches are removed, but, of course, you should not actively rub the scar. But visiting the bathhouse and bathing in the bath should be postponed for two months, until the seam on the uterus is completely tightened.

intimate life

The uterus after caesarean section is a large wound surface. Therefore, until it heals, and this happens within one and a half to two months, one should refrain from sexual intercourse.

The uterine suture heals completely within two to three years. If a woman plans to become pregnant in the future, she should become pregnant no earlier than after the specified period. That is why you need to use . And, of course, you should not hope that it is impossible to get pregnant during lactation - this is a myth.

The restoration of menstruation depends on whether the mother is breastfeeding the child. So, if a woman does not breastfeed, the menstrual cycle resumes after two months, if she feeds - after six months or more.

Grigorova Valeria, medical commentator