Gas Pain and Other C-Section Surprises

by Kara P.
(Racine, WI)

Cesarean Surprise #1:

For me, the MOST painful part after the c-section was the gas as my body started to get back to normal.

The doctor suggested that I take a suppository, and as soon as I had one I started passing gas and relief was in my sights. No one ever told me about the gas pain I might have. Who would have guessed that the inability to pass gas was more painful than recovering from major abdominal surgery!

------------Useful Tip!------------
Purchase some low-riding underwear ahead of time and bring it with you to the hospital. The loose-netting hospital underwear is fine, but the low-riding underwear is MUCH better.

So, once you get home, plan on using low-riding underwear and one-piece pajamas. Anything to avoid touching the incision!
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Cesarean Surprise # 2

Another big cesarean surprise was my feet and ankles swelled AFTER the surgery so badly I couldn't wear shoes. I didn't have much swelling while I was pregnant, so I assumed I was home-free. Wrong! They swelled to 3-4 times their normal size after surgery.

My husband Rob had to purchase slipons with velcro so I could leave the hospital in something other than socks (it was January).

Cesarean Surprise #3

I got my period after the delivery. I wasn't TOO surprised about this (since you do mention it here), but it still seemed odd.

Cesarean Surprise #4

The final cesarean surprise, for me, was my reaction to the pain medicine they gave me, Percocet. At first I was fine, but after taking the meds for 5 days I developed a rash that covered pretty much my entire body. As soon as I stopped the meds, it went away. It was seriously itchy, very red, and pretty unattractive all around.

Of course, all of this was worth it for my beautiful baby Cooper!