Postpartum Care After Your Caesarean Birth by Hannah Poulton
With the rise of caesarean births worldwide, its vital we share good, honest and evidenced based postnatal care for c-section mums . You may have had a caesarean birth yourself, are preparing for one, or know someone who has had a caesarean, either way “being prepared” is the best way forward.
Step one.
If you are searching for caesarean advice online, make sure you check out the credentials of the “professional” talking about the subject. It’s so hard to know who to trust online and if their advice if not helpful to you, then look somewhere else. Friends are great at giving personal accounts of their c-section births, but this is one story. Yours may (and probably will) be totally different. Always remember – your birth, your story.
Step two.
Make your caesarean birth the birth you want. If you are having a planed c-section, then ask the consultant or theatre staff if you can do any of the following:
Have the lights slightly dimmer in theatre
Have your play list of music on
Have the sticky pads which monitor your heart rate placed on your back, or with a space in the middle of them, so you can get good skin to skin contact with your baby
Ask for skin to skin contact (if you want this)
Can your partner cut the cord?
Delayed cord clamping? (If possible)
Lowering the sheet which occludes your view of the birth, so you can see baby being born
There are also some points you may want to personally consider:
Wearing a scent which is special to you
Having some set topics to talk about with your birth partner
Hypnobirthing (yes you can do this for a c-section birth)!
Step three.
You may feel nervous, excited, stressed, anxious, joyful, happy and everything in-between ahead of your c-section birth. Feelings are different for everyone. Talk with your birth partner and the people closest to you ahead of your c-section birth. Share about how you are feeling, with people you trust. You can also do this as you head into theatre on the day of your caesarean birth! Know that you are doing the best for you and your baby, to deliver safely and calmly. Above all, head into your c-section birth feeling empowered and confident (if you can)! This is the day you get to meet your baby face to face for the first time.
Step four.
The scar. Now this is my favourite topic to talk about! Your will have a visible scar after your caesarean birth. In my 22 years of being a Physiotherapist, I’ve never seen the same scar twice. Every scar is different. Did you know that a scar takes up to two years to reach maturity? Which means it has plenty of time to change and heal, as you heal and recover. Your scar maybe red, raised, hypertrophic, keloid, flat, white, brownish, purple and be the same all the way across or different in different places. It maybe tighter on one side, pull in the middle or you may feel numb above or below your scar. However you (and your scar) start to recover, be gentle on yourself. Here are my top tips for scar recovery:
When you first come out of theatre you will have a dressing over your scar. When they ask you to take a shower (when you are ready and can walk to the shower) pat dry the dressing after your wash – try not to rub it.
When advised to remove the dressing and take a look at your scar (if you can). It maybe red, raised, bruised and slightly swollen. This is all part of the healing process – your scar will not stay like this and is healing.
Once the dressing has been removed, still pat dry your scar with a soft clean cloth or towel – don’t rub over the scar while its in this early phase of healing.
Wear those big knickers! Have no detail on your underwear, have light breathable fabrics such a cotton and have your underwear high enough so it doesn’t rub on your scar.
Start your pelvic floor exercises and gentle deep breath work. This will help you connect with your pelvic floor and abdominal area and is important for a good recovery.
Once your scar is fully healed over (around 4-6 weeks) there are no stiches or staples, the scar has closed, no infection or haematoma under the surface – you can start scar massage.
Above all, know that you are amazing in everyway. Your body has not failed you and birth is birth. Take your time and recover at your own pace. You’ve got this and you’re doing great.
For more helpful (and professional) information regarding scars and caesarean recovery, please check out our website at: www.hlp-therapy.co.uk or our Instagram page at https://www.instagram.com/hlptherapy/ or YouTube Page https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWv85jKP4N2WZSfWxTdreIw
Hannah Poulton is the UK Leading C-section and Scar Specialist, Womens Health Physiotherapist, Acupuncturist and Educator. Hannah owns HLP Therapy Limited – with Clinics based in Leicester and (very soon) Essex. Hannah has been within the Physiotherapy industry for well over two decades and is just as passionate today, about seeing people recover well. Her online courses and products for mums, are extremely popular, giving them the tools they need to prepare and recover well from a c-section birth. Hannah teaches worldwide, training professionals in scar recovery. Hannah is embarking on the first of its kind PhD in caesarean scarring – which will hopefully improve the outcomes in caesarean scarring. The reason why Hannah is so passionate about c-section scarring in particular, is because she is a c-section mum herself. www.hlp-therapy.co.uk | @hlptherapy