HealthPartners - Preparing for childbirth

VAGINAL BLEEDING Just like with a vaginal birth, someone on your care team will check your uterus to see how firm it is at the top. To minimize vaginal bleeding, your caregiver may need to massage this area, which can be uncomfortable. Using relaxation techniques may help relieve some of this discomfort. INCISION SITE Your surgical incision may be closed with internal sutures, external staples, surgical glue, or wound closure strips, then covered by a bandage, or dressing. You may have a transparent dressing or a non-stick dressing pad held in place by flexible surgical tape. Patients with a high body mass index (BMI) may receive an advanced dressing that uses a vacuum to create negative pressure, wick away moisture, and create a dry environment around the incision to help it heal. Check your incision daily and call your provider if it: • Is red

POST-SURGICAL PAIN If you received a spinal or an epidural block for anesthesia during the surgery, you should be comfortable for several hours as it slowly wears off. If you received general anesthesia, post-operative pain management will be a priority to make you comfortable. You may receive tablets, injections, or an IV attachment called a patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pump. A PCA pump has a button you can press to receive medication when you need it. It is important that only you push the button. The pump is set according to the prescription from your provider, so you won’t get too much medicine. Some health care providers may place a device in the incision site that delivers localized pain medication. Understand that medication won’t relieve pain entirely over the course of your recovery. Using the relaxation techniques that you learned for labor may help. The sooner you get up and move around, the faster you will heal and the better you will feel. Your nurse will have you sit up on the side of the bed, then sit in a chair, and finally walk in the hallway. To avoid complications after surgery, it’s very important to take deep breaths and cough to expel any collected mucus. To help with pain when you breathe and cough, place a pillow over your incision and put pressure on the pillow as if you are hugging it. This action is called “splinting.” Using a pillow for splinting can also make you more comfortable when you get up or change positions.

• Separates • Is swollen

• Is warm to the touch • Is tender or painful • Drains

76 Your Guide to Labor and Birth