Pain relief after your c-section Your wound is likely to feel sore and bruised for a few days or weeks. Your midwife may offer you paracetamol or a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), such as ibuprofen or diclofenac, to relieve pain. NSAIDS may cause stomach problems but taking them with food should help.
The prevalence of maternal mortality and maternal morbidity is higher after CS than after vaginal birth. CS is associated with an increased risk of uterine rupture, abnormal placentation, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth, and preterm birth, and these risks increase in a dose–response manner.
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.
The bonds that tie a mother to her newborn may be stronger in women who deliver naturally than in those who deliver by cesarean section, according to a study published by Yale School of Medicine researchers in the October issue of Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.
Women who delivered by emergency c-section were found to have a higher proportion of breastfeeding difficulties (41%), and used more resources before (67%) and after (58%) leaving the hospital, when compared to vaginal delivery (29%, 40%, and 52%, respectively) or planned c-sections (33%, 49%, and 41%, respectively).
One of such environmental changes can be the mode of delivery. Indeed, the study by Smajlagic and colleagues observed that, compared to children born vaginally, children born by Cesarean section show lower intelligence quotient (IQ) score if they possess certain genetic variation within GRIN2A gene.
Maternal death
Although very rare, some women die from complications with a cesarean delivery. Death is almost always caused by one or more of the complications listed above, like uncontrolled infection, a blood clot in the lung, or too much blood loss.
There are far fewer risks to your baby during a C-section. Babies delivered by cesarean are more likely to develop breathing issues, though, especially if your C-section is performed before 39 weeks. That's because labor helps clear your baby's lungs of fluid.
The cesarean delivery group in cohort 1 showed significantly lower white matter development in widespread brain regions and significantly lower functional connectivity in the brain default mode network, controlled for a number of potential confounders.
“It's recommended that you get up and walk around,” says Dr. Higgins. “We don't want someone lying in bed for two weeks.”
1 day later: You'll be encouraged to walk around within the first 12 hours after delivery to help relieve gas buildup in the abdomen, and to eat something light as soon as you feel able.
In the five-to-six week postpartum period after giving birth, it's common to experience bowel and digestion issues, and that's true whether you had a c-section or vaginal birth.
There's usually no limit to the number of caesarean sections that you can have. But the more caesareans you have, the longer each operation will take, and the higher your risk of complications becomes. If you've had a caesarean in the past, it's still possible to give birth to your baby vaginally.
Lower pelvic dysfunction risk for mothers
Stock and colleagues summarize their findings: “We found that cesarean delivery is associated with reduced urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse in the mother but with increased odds of asthma and obesity in the child.”
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.”
Pros of an elective C-section
Lower risk of incontinence and sexual dysfunction after the birth of the baby. Lower risk of the baby being deprived of oxygen during delivery. Lower risk of the baby experiencing trauma while passing through the birth canal.
Regional (or rarely general) anesthesia (spinal or epidural) is given to prevent pain, a vertical or horizontal ("bikini line") incision is made in the skin of the lower abdomen, and then the underlying tissues are dissected to expose the uterus.
A new study shows that a C-section can lead to complications should you find yourself back on the operation table later in life. Surgical complications cover a range of things that can go wrong during an operation. For example, damage to organs, infection, the need to re-operate, or bleeding during the operation.
For Dr. Ana Langer, who leads the Women and Health Initiative at the Harvard T.H. Chan school of public health, one of the most telling findings in the study is that more than 10 percent of women undergoing a C-section died from complications due to anesthesia.
The average amount of blood loss for a cesarean birth is approximately 1,000 ml (or one quart).
Infants born by scheduled caesarean section were not found to sleep any shorter than infants born vaginally. Kozyrskyj said earlier research showed an association between a mother's socio-economic status and shorter infant sleep duration, but this is the first study to determine which factors link the two.
Babies born by Caesarean section have dramatically different gut bacteria to those born vaginally, according to the largest study in the field. The UK scientists say these early encounters with microbes may act as a "thermostat" for the immune system.
A natural caesarean is a “slowed-down section” with benefits that might include improved bonding between mother and child, easier breastfeeding and calmer infants.