You may be given a long-acting pain reliever with a spinal or epidural to help control pain in the first 18 to 24 hours after your C-section.
After the medication is administered, the needle is removed. The relief from pain is immediate and lasts from an hour and a half to three hours. You will be numb from your abdomen to your legs and feel no pain.
You will have the injections once a day for about a week after your c-section. If you have a higher risk of blood clots, you may have the injections for up to 6 weeks. If you're worried about doing the injections yourself, you can ask a family member or friend to do it for you.
In conclusion, we believe that spinal anesthesia may be a better choice for elective cesarean section than epidural anesthesia. It is faster to perform, patients are more comfortable, complication rates are lower, and it is more cost effective.
If you are awake, you can usually see and hold your baby straight after your C-section birth. You can begin skin-to-skin contact and possibly breastfeeding. Skin to skin contact is important for you and your baby after birth to enhance bonding and establish breastfeeding.
During elective (planned) caesarean sections, some obstetricians routinely dilate the cervix intraoperatively, using sponge forceps, a finger, or other instruments, because the cervix of women not in labour may not be dilated, and this may cause obstruction of blood or lochia drainage.
A caesarean is a major operation that carries a number of risks, so it's usually only done if it's the safest option for you and your baby.
Unnecessary general anesthesia for cesarean delivery is associated with maternal complications, including serious anesthesia-related complications, surgical site infection, and venous thromboembolic events.
The average hospital stay after a C-section is 2 to 4 days, and keep in mind recovery often takes longer than it would from a vaginal birth. Walking after the C-section is important to speed recovery and pain medication may be supplied too as recovery takes place.
Most women who have planned C-sections get local anesthesia, either an epidural or a spinal block. This will numb you from the waist down, so you won't feel any pain.
Dr. Puls says most OBs will give the green light for resuming sexual activity after 6 weeks. “In general, we want the uterus to be able to clean itself out and for surgical incisions to heal, so there is less risk of infection,” Dr. Puls said.
At the beginning of a caesarean section, six separate layers of the abdominal wall and uterus are opened individually. Once the baby is delivered the uterus is closed with a double layer of stitching.
Many but not all women will be prescribed daily blood-thinning injections for a few days or weeks after caesarean delivery. These are sometimes called Clexane injections. The injections are not painkillers but reduce the risk of blood clots.
However, from the current medical evidence, most medical authorities do state that if multiple C-sections are planned, the expert recommendation is to adhere to the maximum number of three.”
Shorter duration of labor
Vaginal delivery is painful, exhausting, and physically grueling. C-section, on the other hand, is pain-free and less time-consuming. One can decide on a time for the surgery with their doctor and get the procedure done comfortably.
How Long Does a Cesarean Surgery Take? Though every woman's situation is unique, the delivery of a baby via cesarean may take as little as 15 to 20 minutes, with a further 45 minutes needed to stitch up the uterus and abdominal incision.
After a C-section, she recommends women take eight weeks off and to avoid heavy activity to prevent complications. “A lot of women still have significant pain at two weeks after,” she said.
You may remove your wound dressing and take showers if stitches, staples, or glue were used to close your skin. Do not soak in a bathtub or hot tub, or go swimming, until your provider tells you it is OK. In most cases, this is not until 3 weeks after surgery.
You won't feel any pain during the C-section, although you may feel sensations like pulling and pressure. Most women are awake and simply numbed from the waist down using regional anesthesia (an epidural and/or a spinal block) during a C-section. That way, they are awake to see and hear their baby being born.
Under most circumstances, undergoing a c-section via Spinal Anesthesia or Epidural Anesthesia (rather than General Anesthesia) is preferred since it involves less risk and has the advantage of allowing you to be awake during your baby's birth.
Babies born by caesarean section may be a little sleepy. They may need some extra encouragement to stay alert during the first few feeds. Skin-to-skin contact will encourage them to latch and feed more often.
An incision is made in the uterus to allow removal of the baby and placenta. Other procedures, such as tubal ligation (a permanent birth control procedure), may also be performed during cesarean birth.
What is a 'gentle C-section'? A “gentle C-section” brings elements of a vaginal delivery into the operating room – such as letting the mother watch the birth and hold her newborn right away. A C-section is major surgery. We can't forget that. But we may be able to take a more patient-centered approach.
They might also lift your uterus partially out of your body while closing the uterine incision. In most c-sections, the bladder and intestines are moved aside so the ob-gyn can keep them safely out of the way while delivering the baby and repairing the uterine incision.