Many expectant mothers think about cesarean section. They believe that this procedure is their lifeline than ordinary childbirth. Any doctor will recommend a natural process in the absence of contraindications, because after the operation it will take a long period to restore strength and health. Any woman must know the most important aspect of such a procedure - how much is the discharge after cesarean section. What should they be and what is their optimal amount?
Features of Lochia after surgery
Uterus rehabilitation occurs in the same way as after natural birth. It decreases, the vessels heal and the remains of the fetal bladder with the placenta are excreted. They are discharge after cesarean section, or they are also called lochia. Over time, while the uterus is restored, they change their appearance. How successful this process is is judged by the duration of the discharge.
The features of the recovery period after surgery include:
- The need for the extra time it takes for the suture to heal.
- Allocations after cesarean section cease later than after natural birth. The thing is that the uterus contracts much more slowly. A woman in childbirth can get out of a hospital bed only on the second day, due to surgery and anesthesia. At this time, lochia stagnates.
- Increased risk of complications. These include genital infections or bleeding.
Normal amount of Lochia after surgery
It is important to know and understand how successful the recovery is. To do this, you should carefully consider some indicators:
- What are the discharge after cesarean section.
- What is their consistency and color.
- What is the volume and smell of discharge.
- How much is the discharge after cesarean section.
After such an operation, the vessels secrete blood for about 14 days. Color can be scarlet or bright red. The volume varies and depends on what the tissue damage was during the operation. It also affects the coagulation of the patient’s blood and complications during the period of gestation. Over time, the discharge after cesarean section weaken and turn into white.
The nature of the discharge during the recovery period
In the absence of complications, the nature of the discharge is as follows:
- After seven days after the operation - blood mixed with clots and mucus. The total volume is about 0.5 liters. Walking, stress, feeding can increase excretion.
- Four weeks after surgery, the volume of discharge becomes significantly less. They acquire a brownish color and a slight smell of musty.
- After two months, the discharge should become the same as before pregnancy.
Norm is discharge without an unpleasant odor.
Duration of recovery of the uterus
After cesarean section, there are discharges of approximately 8 weeks, which is 2 weeks longer than after normal childbirth. Any deviations indicate the individual characteristics of the woman's body.
Therefore, how long the discharge after cesarean section lasts depends on them.
If the lochia ends within four to five weeks, this indicates that adhesions have formed in the body of the uterus or it has bent. In the future, an infection may develop and with a blood stream enter other organs.
If the lochia after surgery did not stop after two months, this is an occasion to seek help from a specialist. The inflammatory process can go very far. In this case, not only women's health is threatened, but also life.
Discharge pathology
Deviations from the norm are bright discharge with an admixture of pus or an unpleasant odor.
- Discharges with an admixture of pus. Indicate inflammation of the mucous membrane of the uterus. The color scheme ranges from yellow to green, there is an unpleasant, rotten smell. High fever and severe pain in the abdomen may join.
- Water content. Talks about vaginal dysbiosis. Allocations can become gray, and even those around you will feel an unpleasant smell. It looks like spoiled fish.
- Allocations of white color with a sour smell which more remind cottage cheese. A similar sign indicates infection with thrush.
- Yellow lochia with a disgusting smell. If such discharge appeared four weeks after the operation, you should urgently seek help from a specialist. This is an inflammation that can only be treated with antibacterial therapy.
The yellow color of the discharge does not always indicate pathology. In the absence of smell and pain, such lochia are considered the norm.
Bleeding after surgery
Sometimes discharge may stop on the seventh day after surgery, but then resume again. This may indicate the following:
- Menstruation has begun (for non-breastfeeding women).
- Poor uterine contraction, which leads to interruption of secretions. The doctor should prescribe special medications to stabilize the condition.
- Late uterine bleeding occurred. This situation indicates poor healing of the surface layer of the uterus or poor removal of the placenta during surgery.
You can only find out what the cause of the bleeding provoked in the hospital. Analyzes will be required, as well as an ultrasound examination of the uterus. A woman should immediately consult a doctor in order to quickly eliminate the cause of blood loss, otherwise the occurrence of iron deficiency anemia is not excluded. Such a condition threatens not only the health, but also the life of the patient.
Self-medication is strictly excluded. With severe bleeding, emergency care must be called. Before the arrival of specialists, a woman should lie with ice on her stomach.
When to see a doctor
The cause for unrest should be lochia who do not weaken after eight days after the operation. Specialized help is also needed if a month has passed after cesarean section, the discharge has abruptly disappeared. This indicates stagnation and early closure of the cervix. It will require therapy with antispasmodic drugs.
Particular attention is required to excrete, which do not stop going after two months or intensify. Usually they get a disgusting smell and a greenish yellow tint. At this time, the woman feels bad. Her blood pressure decreases, hemoglobin decreases. In some cases, body temperature rises significantly and unbearable pain occurs in the entire abdominal cavity.
All this signals complications with which the attending doctor must definitely appear. It is better if such a consultation is carried out before the operation, because only the doctor can know how much and which discharge after cesarean section is considered the norm.
How to prevent complications after surgery
To accelerate the removal of lochia in the postoperative period, a woman should often lie on her stomach. So the uterus will change its position and contract better. You also need to go to the toilet more often. This will provide more space for the uterus.
It will not be superfluous to massage the abdomen. Doing it is careful and gentle movements. It is also necessary to apply a cold compress once a day just below the navel. The procedure should not last more than five minutes. This time is enough to get rid of inflammation of the internal tissues and reduce bleeding.
The most important thing is hygiene. After a week, you can wash in a warm shower, since the seam will heal, but you should not rub it with a washcloth. After the procedure, you should forget about the bath for a couple of months.
After two days after surgery, a woman can get up from a hospital bed. This prevents lochia stagnation. But you should not overload your body. About two months you can’t lift heavy things, do sports and sex.
Finally, the body of the uterus is restored only after a couple of years, so the next pregnancy should not occur earlier than this period, otherwise there is a risk to the life of the woman and the unborn baby. So, planning the next child must be approached seriously.