Pregnancy and childbirth are complex tests for the female body. Often during childbirth, a woman in labor gets injured. Some of them heal quickly and leave no residue, and some bring a lot of inconvenience to a woman. One of these consequences are tears and incisions, as well as subsequent medical suturing. The wound must be constantly monitored and looked after. Otherwise, complications may occur. How to care for seams and what to do if they are separated?
Types of seams
All seams are divided into:
- Internal
- External
Sutures on internal tissue
They are sutures that are applied to the cervical region and the vaginal wall. The process of applying this type of suture to the uterus is not anesthetized. There are no muscle endings in this area, so anesthesia is not used. With ruptures of the vagina, anesthetic is used. After such operations, surgeons prefer to apply self-absorbable sutures after childbirth.
Sutures placed on internal organs do not require special treatment. A woman should be very responsible in adhering to hygiene standards for herself.
So that after the operation the wound does not cause problems, you need to properly care for it. For this:
- Use daily pads. At first, the seam will bleed, and in order not to stain underwear, it is better to use additional protection.
- For healing, give preference to underwear made from natural materials. It should not cause inconvenience, rub or restrict your movements. The best option would be to use disposable panties.
- Do not forget about hygiene. After the operation, you need to perform washing regularly (after each toilet). To complete the procedure, select a sparing agent. It is best to give preference to baby soap. You can perform periodic washing with herbal infusions (for example, chamomile).
In order for the inner seam not to cause the woman worries, it is recommended:
- Abstinence from sexual intercourse for at least two months.
- Refuse heavy physical exertion. Sports will have to be postponed for at least two months. It is also not worth wearing severity during this period.
- Pay attention to the daily toilet. A woman should not have constipation, delays or too hard stools. To normalize the process of defecation after childbirth, it is recommended to drink one tablespoon of oil before meals.
The reasons for suturing, as a rule, are the same:
- Incorrect behavior of the woman in childbirth (the main and most frequent). If the uterus is not yet ready for the birth process, and labor has already begun, then the woman has to push. At this moment, a break occurs.
- Previous uterine surgery.
- Late birth.
- Decreased cervical elasticity.
External seams
This type of suture is applied after childbirth by cesarean section and, if necessary, cutting the perineum. Different threads are used depending on the type and nature of the cut. The most common option is self-absorbable sutures after childbirth.
Reasons for suturing:
- Low elasticity of the vaginal tissues.
- Scarring.
- Prohibition of attempts according to the doctor’s testimony. For example, after delivery by cesarean section during the first birth or nearsightedness, a woman cannot push.
- Incorrect position, heavy weight or baby size. In order to reduce the risk of tearing, doctors prefer to make a small incision. They heal faster and better.
- Fast delivery. In this situation, an incision is made to minimize the risk of birth injury in the baby.
- The likelihood of vaginal ruptures. With surgical intervention, the healing process is faster and easier.
External seams require constant care and attention. Otherwise, complications can threaten. For example, inflammation, suppuration of the suture. It is most often after such complications that women turn to doctors about the fact that the suture after the delivery was split.
In a maternity hospital, a woman is monitored by nurses and the doctor who performed the operation. Sutures are processed twice a day. If during the operation the doctor used simple threads or staples, then before discharge they are most often removed.
Correct behavior after suturing
- At first, the seam will itch. At the same time, it is strictly forbidden to scratch it.
- When choosing underwear, give preference to natural materials, while the style should be such that it does not hinder movements, and even more so does not rub. It is most convenient to use disposable panties (at least in the early days).
- About four to five days after the birth, the woman has bloody discharge, so you need to use personal hygiene products (pads). They need to be changed every one and a half to two hours.
- Some time after surgery (two to three days), water is not allowed to enter the wound. Therefore, you can not take a shower right away. During washing, try not to wet the wound. It is best to purchase a special waterproof patch for joints. You can buy it at any pharmacy.
- Have to abandon additional physical activity. Gravity can not be lifted from 1 to 3 months.
- Sexuality will be banned for the first time. You will have to abstain for at least two months.
- Pay particular attention to hygiene. You need to do the washing regularly, using gentle hygiene products. After the procedure, be sure to wipe the wound dry. It’s good to walk around without a shower for a while. Air baths contribute to the speedy healing of wounds.
- When suturing the perineum, you can not sit for at least a week and a half.
- After discharge, you will have to treat the stitches with an antiseptic for several days (for example, “Chlorhexidine” or “Miramistin”).
- To reduce the risk of seam rupture, in the first few days you need to follow a diet and monitor stool. Pushing around at this time is not recommended. Food should be soft or liquid. Eliminate pastries and sweets. Eat plenty of dairy products. They will help to improve the state of intestinal microflora.
Additional recommendations after delivery by cesarean:
- In order not to split the seam after cesarean section, try to feed the child in a lying or half-sitting position.
- For better wound healing, you can wear a bandage. Instead of a medical device, you can use a flannel baby diaper. Tie it around your abdomen. This will help form a skeleton in the weakened area.
So that the sutures heal correctly, quickly, without causing problems and complications, do not forget to visit the gynecologist after returning home. It is advisable to see the doctor a week or two after discharge from the hospital so that he can examine the wound and the degree of its healing.
Suture healing time
Often women ask themselves: how long does the suture heal? Many factors affect the healing speed: surgeon skill, material used, medical indications, incision technique and other factors.
Stitches can be applied using:
- Self-absorbable threads.
- Ordinary threads.
- The use of special staples.
The material used is of great importance on how much the sutures heal after childbirth. When using the first type of material, wound healing takes one to two weeks. When suturing using staples or ordinary threads, the healing period will be an average of 2 weeks - a month. Sutures are removed a couple of days before discharge.
Painful and unpleasant symptoms
If a suture after a caesarean section hurts , then do not immediately start to worry. Unpleasant sensations in the stitching area will bother the woman for about another one and a half to two months. Pain in the operated area disappears within a week or two. If the seam hurts after a cesarean section for a longer time, then it is better to see a doctor.
For more accurate information, you should talk with the surgeon. He will be able to say how many stitches heal after childbirth in your situation.
If in the early days the wound is very worrying, then do not rush to take pain medication. Not all medications are combined with breastfeeding. Consult a doctor first.
How to care for a seam at home
Often, after childbirth, women go to the hospital with a problem that the seam does not heal after childbirth. Before giving birth, they explain to her how to treat wounds on her own. As a rule, antiseptic solutions are used for such a procedure, such as: “Chlorhexidine”, “Miramistin”, hydrogen peroxide. It is possible to use ointments as prescribed by a doctor: Solcoseryl, Levomikol and others. With proper care, the risk of negative consequences is small.
Possible complications
In case of non-compliance with the recommendations and instructions of the doctor, careless attitude to disinfection and treatment of sutures, the risk of complications is great. Suppurations, inflammation, divergence of the suture are possible, it happens that the seam bleeds after childbirth.
- Suppuration. Signs of the inflammatory process can be: wound swelling, redness, high body temperature, discharge of pus from the operated area, weakness and apathy. Such consequences are possible with insufficient care for the seams or non-observance of the basics of personal hygiene. Doctors in such situations supplement home care with the use of tampons with wound healing ointments.
- Pain in the suture. The first time after surgery, the discomfort is natural. It is worth starting to worry if they continue to bother for a long time or periodically increase. Similar symptoms can indicate an onset of inflammation or infection of the wound.
- A seam was opened after childbirth. Such situations do not occur often, but require the greatest attention.
A seam was opened after childbirth. What to do?
Divergence of seams is rare, and the reason for this, as a rule, is the failure to observe safety measures. Before leaving the hospital, a woman is told how long the suture heals, what rules to follow, and how to properly care for the operated area.
The reasons for the discrepancy of the seams:
- Early sexual activity (it is recommended to abstain for at least two months).
- Excessive physical activity (for example, weight lifting).
- Failure to comply with the guidelines for when to sit.
- Infection in the operated area.
Symptoms of a suture after delivery may include inflammation, swelling, spotting, pain, high body temperature.
The seam may go apart:
Depending on this, the actions of the attending physician will be different.
Partial seam divergence
After surgery, a slight discrepancy of the suture is possible. It's about two to three stitches. This situation does not require emergency surgery. As a rule, the seam is left in the same form if there is no threat of infection or complete discrepancy.
Complete divergence of the medical suture
With a complete discrepancy in the postoperative suture , a new dissection is required. Sutures are re-applied. This is done in order to prevent a possible infection and the development of the inflammatory process.
Most often, women go to the hospital due to the fact that the seam after the delivery has completely spread out, already from home. In such a situation, do not hesitate, it is better to immediately contact an ambulance. Although a discrepancy is possible almost immediately after childbirth. Then do not worry, it is better to immediately tell the attending physician about the problem. Initially, the wound must be treated with antiseptic solutions, after which repeated suturing is performed.
To minimize the risk of discrepancies, a woman should not neglect the established mandatory periods of stay in the hospital. Take your time to run home. Being under the supervision of a doctor and medical staff minimizes the possibility of complications.
Can a seam be spread after cesarean?
Divergence of sutures after childbirth is infrequent. If a woman has suspicions that the seam has spread after a cesarean section, then you should immediately contact the clinic at the place of residence or an ambulance. Only a doctor will be able to accurately diagnose this situation after an examination. If the internal seam has been split, re-stitching is no longer carried out.
If the external seam begins to diverge, then the woman will be able to detect symptoms (signs) herself. Symptoms of suture discrepancy after surgery:
- spotting from the wound;
- pain aggravated by sitting and standing;
- temperature rise.
If you have a seam after childbirth, what to do, the doctor will tell you. You need to go to the hospital immediately. If there is a discrepancy in the external suture, the doctor re-sutures. In this case, after the procedure, a course of antibiotics is prescribed to prevent the development of inflammation. Unfortunately, after treatment, a woman is forced to abandon breastfeeding, because drugs accumulate in the body and are passed on to the baby with milk.
If you have sutures after childbirth, the consequences will be manifested only in the fact that this fact will be taken into account in subsequent pregnancies and childbirth.
Output
Suturing after giving birth is a fairly common procedure. Do not be afraid of her. With proper care of the wound and following the doctor's recommendations, the wound will heal quickly, and the scar will become barely noticeable over time.