How To Keep Your C-Section Incision Dry When Overweight Tips

How To Keep Your C-Section Incision Dry When Overweight Tips

Giving birth is no doubt a miraculous process, but also one that needs proper recovery time. Especially when one has had a C-section birth, the recovery takes even longer as compared to a vaginal birth. Overweight mothers are at a higher risk of developing major health issues than those who are not overweight. One of the most common concerns many women who have undergone a C-section have is how to keep a C-section incision dry when overweight. This will be answered here.

After giving birth, it’s crucial to keep the c-section incision dry just about all the time. However, there are situations when maintaining dryness is difficult. Consult your doctor about the use of cornstarch after the C-section wound has fully healed if you are having difficulty trying to keep the area dry because of the ledge of skin that occasionally hangs over the incision. Gauze or cotton can also be used to keep the C-section incision dry.

Unless your doctor advises otherwise, you can wash or take a shower 24 hours following surgery. With a clean towel, gently wipe dry the area after cleaning with a bar of mild soap and water. When your incision has healed, your doctor will remove the staples.

It’s perfectly alright to let the warm water flow down the region. Just remember not to massage, itch, or scrub the C-section incision. It’s preferable to leave the bandages on most of the time since wounds require a moist environment to fully recover. However, it’s extremely important to sometimes remove the bandages to allow the region to breathe.

Cesarean section is major surgery, and one must take proper care of the incision area until it is completely healed to avoid infection. The incision area is hard to maintain, and if the woman is overweight or has a lot of loose skin over the area, it makes keeping the C-section wound clean much more difficult. That is why many overweight women worry about the fat over their incision site.

How Do I Get Rid Of Fat Hanging Over C-Section?

An incision is made in the womb and stomach during a C-section procedure to deliver the baby. After delivery, the mother is sutured, and the wound is closed. After a cesarean, belly hangs are commonly experienced. This is brought on by the scar’s tightness compared to the surrounding skin, which results in an overhang of fatty tissue or excess skin hanging over the incision.

Here is a list of preventive ways of getting rid of hanging skin.

Breastfeed

According to a Food & Nutrition article, it takes up to 500 calories each day for a nursing mother to make the breast milk needed to feed her child for the necessary six months. Many of these calories will come from your bulging stomach.

Because your body has still not developed efficient ways to produce milk for your kid, it now needs to work harder, which is why the figure is so high.

Plus Size C-Section Binder

Wearing a girdle or plus size C-Section binder might remove a lot of your hanging tummy after a C-section. It might be a surprise to hear that it accomplishes this task in addition to its main purpose.

Despite its primary goal of supporting the otherwise deteriorating core muscles, it actually forces your stomach to contract into its normal posture.

Reduce Stretch Marks

This technique is more psychological in nature, and it works to get rid of a hanging stomach after a C-section because it’s based on the idea that stretch marks would make you feel like the existing problem is magnified.

Get As Much Rest As Possible

As compared to new moms who do get 7 hours of sleep, those that get less than 5 hours have a more difficult time reducing excess weight.

Getting enough sleep can enhance your psychological health and improve your immune system, which is important for your general well-being, in addition to helping you lose weight.

Keep An Eye On Diet And Movement

Think about recording everything you eat in a notebook, along with the serving sizes. This will help you be mindful of the meals you eat and any required dietary and activity changes. Try to replace your bad food intake with more nourishing fruits and veggies. Use the prospect of having a child as motivation to change your dietary habits.

Water Consumption

In addition to helping you restore the milk-producing fluid, this helps in getting rid of a hanging stomach after a C-section. Your urge to grab more food reduces as your stomach feels fuller.

Improve Milk Production

As was already said, breastfeeding makes you burn calories. You may enhance this by doubling the levels of breast milk that your body makes.

Think of foods that are best known for this, such as beans, oats, and barley.

Observe your body

As you explore strategies to get rid of a hanging stomach after a C-section, involve your doctor at every stage. Pay careful attention to your body’s warning signs, especially during the first few weeks, and alert others if anything doesn’t feel right.

Does Coughing Affect C-Section Incision When Overweight?

Does Coughing Affect C-Section Incision When Overweight?

Sudden motions can cause extreme pain. This covers very much all stomach movements, such as sneezing, laughing, and coughing. One technique to help with this is to tighten your abdominal muscles using a compression bandage or place a cushion over your stomach. As you cough, apply gentle pressure on each side of the incisions with a small cushion or a wrapped cloth. This will lessen the discomfort. Have a cushion or towel nearby; you hardly know when you’ll need it.

C-section Recovery Practical Tips:

First things first: recovering from a cesarean section is not an easy process.

Here are a few more tips to accelerate recovery as your body heals:

1. Do not be reluctant to seek assistance

You won’t be capable of accomplishing anything after your c-section. You will need, and also want, all the support you can get to manage your home, including cooking, cleaning, and dishwashing. You need to pay attention to both your quick recovery and the duty of caring for a newborn.

Consider hiring a house helper to accompany you at home if your budget allows it. You don’t need to strain yourself further by having people over to see your newborn either.

2. Pain meds

You’ll experience severe pain after undergoing a cesarean section. You recently underwent a big operation, so that’s alright. You could use over-the-counter pain medications like ibuprofen to help you manage the pain, but keep them in a cold setting. To avoid constipation, your doctor may advise you to take painkillers and perhaps a stool softener. You can also try to use a heating pad or an ice pack for pain relief.

3. Take a stroll

It can be tough right now to get up and get moving but push yourself to go for a stroll and get some fresh air. This can accelerate the healing process and may even aid in avoiding issues like blood clots.

You don’t have to go long distances or for long periods. Medical professionals recommend beginning slowly and gradually raising your exercise level.

4. Be sure to stay hydrated.

To prevent constipation, you must consume a lot of fluids. Drink considerably more water if you’re pumping or nursing to maintain a steady milk supply.

7 Tips To Keep C-Section Incision Dry When Overweight

Keeping the C-section incision area dry is very important for recovery. Here are some tips on how to keep a C-section incision dry when overweight:

  1. Try your best not to take a bath or shower on the first day. Instead, consider having a sponge bath.
  2. You must always wash your body in the shower with mild soap and water while gently cleaning the wound dressing. It only needs to be cleaned with a bar of gentle soap and some water. Don’t let the incision air dry, instead use a clean towel to gently dry your incision after you’re finished.
  3. If the dressing becomes soiled or damp, change it once daily. Your doctor will inform you when you can stop covering your wound.
  4. Avoid attempting to remove Steri-Strips, which are white, sticky bandages placed over the incision. Rather, keep the strips on while taking a shower. After that, gently dry your incision with a clean cloth. In two weeks, the strips will come off.
  5. Avoid letting moisture build in your skin folds if you are overweight since this can allow germs to grow there, increasing your risk of wound complications. Keeping the C-section area dry will also help to prevent infection.
  6. Without consulting your doctor, stay away from applying any creams, lotions, or balms to the C-section scar. Powders might help absorb any moisture around the surgical wound but consult your doctor first.
  7. Try to keep the wound in a low and cool setting.

Common Questions From Plus Size Mothers

Why Is It Hard For Plus Size Women To Keep The Incision Dry

When you are plus size, your C-section wound will have more skin over the cut. The skin fold, and thus, will retain more moisture, and this makes the perfect breeding ground for C- section infections. Because the skin is always on the incision, the incision takes more time to dry and gets wet (from sweat and moisture) more easily. This makes it hard to keep the incision dry when overweight.

Why Does My C-Section Scar Smell?

It is fair to believe that your C-section scar is the source of any odor that follows you around anywhere you go and lingers even after you wash.

It is crucial to get medical assistance since an odor coming from a C-section site typically indicates a C-section infection.

If you can smell your C-section incision site, you probably have a serious infection that needs medication.

Is Internal Pain Normal?

It’s natural to feel uncomfortable after a C-section delivery and bleeding a little is generally harmless. After all, the body demands time to heal after any surgical procedure. Your wound will be painful for up to three weeks or longer, but any discomfort should go away after two or three days. For the first couple of days or even up to a couple of weeks, most women require pain medication.

Can My Incision Reopen After Years Because I am Overweight?

Yes, it is entirely possible. This becomes a greater risk if one is overweight at the time of the surgery too because overweight women have a higher level of fatty tissues near the abdomen; fatty tissues are poor in blood flow and oxygenation when compared to other types of tissues.

When to Contact a Physician

If even one of the following symptoms occurs, act right away and get in contact with your doctor immediately:

  • Depression, melancholy, despair, or disturbing thoughts.
  • Worsening pain, mucus, swelling, redness, enlarged lymph nodes, excessive fluid discharge, and fever are all symptoms of an infection.
  • A temperature higher than 100.4° Fahrenheit
  • Breathing difficulty.
  • A bad-smelling discharge from the vagina.
  • Severe abdominal pain.
  • Vaginal bleeding that is bright red and oozes into more than one sanitary pad within 2 hours (or less).
  • Bleeding from the cervix that intensifies or remains bright red well over four days after giving birth.
  • Pain in the thigh, groin, back of the knee, or calf are indicators of a blood clot.
  • Your wound crackles open.
  • Sickness or vomiting.
  • Vaginal clots the size of a golf ball, difficulty urinating or pooping.

Make Time for the Healing Process:

The weeks following a cesarean birth can have a significant influence on a mother’s physical and emotional well-being, especially if it is an emergency C-section. The adjustment to motherhood may be challenging, especially for those recuperating from major surgery. 

Throughout this new phase of your life, you must be kind and patient with yourself. The healing process, the full recovery, and the adjustment to motherhood can feel easier if there is a loving family member or friend, compassionate medical staff, and realistic expectations.