MemorialCare - Your Guide to Postpartum and Newborn Care

INCISION CARE If you have a dressing covering your incision, the type of dressing and your health care provider’s preference will determine when it will be removed. This may be before you leave the hospital, at home, or during a follow-up visit to your health care provider’s office. What to do • Always wash your hands before and after touching incision • Check incision daily in a mirror for signs of infection • Use a freshly washed cloth to gently wash incision with warm, soapy water

CESAREAN PAIN It’s normal to feel some pain after a cesarean birth. Your nurse will talk to you about your level of pain and offer pain medication to help you feel more comfortable. In most cases, a combination of medications that act on different parts of your nervous system will be used to reduce the pain signals reaching your brain. Pain medication before surgery • Option to receive small dose of long-acting pain medicine in spinal or epidural • Helps maximize pain relief and minimize side effects like itching or nausea • Lasts up to 24 hours, offering high level of pain relief when pain is most intense

• Lightly pat incision area dry with a clean towel • If belly skin folds over incision, ask about a moisture-wicking fabric dressing

Nonopioid pain medication after surgery • Nonopioid medication options:

Signs & Symptoms

Pain-relieving: acetaminophen Anti-inflammatory: ketorolac Anti-inflammatory: ibuprofen Nerve pain reliever: gabapentin

Tell a nurse or your health care provider immediately if your incision is: • Red • Separated • Swollen • Warm to touch

• Tender or painful • Draining • Not healing • Smelling bad

• Taken as directed (possibly at different times), meds work together to help relieve pain and lower need for opioids • Even if pain-free at the time, consistently take meds every 6 to 8 hours (day and night) as directed by your provider • Missed dose may increase need for stronger drug to relieve “breakthrough” pain

SHOWERS & BATHS You can usually shower in the hospital after your catheter has been removed. Be sure you’re able to stand and walk around without getting dizzy. Tub baths, swimming, and getting into a hot tub are

Opioid pain medication If your nonopioid medications don’t reduce your pain, you may be given a stronger analgesic, typically an opioid like morphine or oxycodone. It’s important to limit the use of opioid medications if possible, as they can cause nausea, drowsiness, or constipation. Most patients can be comfortable without opioid medication, although some with severe discomfort may still need it. If you did not receive long-lasting pain medication during surgery, you may be given a patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pump. The PCA pump delivers pain medication through your IV line. To receive pain medicine press the button on the PCA device.

not recommended for several weeks after surgery to allow your incision to fully heal. Ask your health care provider how soon you can get back in the water if this is important to you.

GAS PAIN A painful buildup of gas in your intestines

and constipation may occur, especially after a cesarean birth. To keep your bowels moving regularly, walk around as often as you can, eat high-fiber foods, and remember to drink plenty of water. What can help

Signs & Symptoms

• Get in a knees-to-chest position • Walk, rock, or lie on your left side

Tell a nurse or your health care provider immediately if your pain is: • Constant • Unusual • Worse than it was before • Keeping you from doing things you could do before • Located in the right upper area of your abdomen • Located just below your breastbone

• Drink warm fluids often • Avoid carbonated drinks • Don’t eat gassy foods

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Your Guide to Postpartum and Newborn Care