C section - Avoiding infection post surgery

[Shakeit]

I have am due to deliver in a few weeks by c section.
I know infection of the wound is a common complication.
Any tips/tricks that anyone has to avoid infection? A particular Anti bacterial wash before hand/afterwards?
Any special dressings used? or some of the support bandages like belly bandit for c section claim to speed up the healing. But they are quite expensive 60.00 upwards so I don’t want to waste money on something that won’t benefit healing. Did anyone find the support belts helped their recovery?

Even basic recovery tips in general all gratefully accepted.
I’m remember the shock at my first vb and what I didn’t know and wish id been told (or warned about!), so I’m trying to be more prepared this time.
Thank you

Thanks for advice everyone. will definitely air it.
And not interfere with it.
Could anyone recommend any good post section knickers? Also what size would be good to get? how many sizes bigger than my normal size or should I buy maternity over the bump ones to avoid scar irritation?
I was a healthy weight before pregnancy and haven’t put on too much but that’s no guarantee of avoiding the dreaded section overhang I know.
What is Hibiscrub is it like a savlon type wash/additive? Where can I buy it?
Thank you all for answering my million questions.
I just really want this birth to go smoothly after so many complications last time.

1 c-section and no infection. I vaguely remember them telling me to put something in a bath, but I can't recall what it was, whether I did it, or whether that's something I made up.
I didn't shower daily (single mother, breastfeeding baby).
I did wear granny pants though that came up to my belly button (wound is below bikini line).

No problems with either of my two CSs. Just follow the advice of your midwife re. how long to keep the dressing on, shower and let the scar air dry, and don't pike about with the wound. And for god's sake don't use a hair dryer to dry it off after you've showered!!! Any dust and fluff that's inside the hair dryer will propelled at speed towards your wound!!!

I was a slim person, but wore 16-18 granny knickers after the birth as I didn't want anything tight near me. (I was probably a size 12 post birth), so go for 4 sizes up. You want loads of room.

*poke, not pike!

I ended up in pants three sizes bigger but I suffered from water retention so I expect you can get away with smaller ones.

Expect wind too, no one told me about that. Trapped wind can be very painful too. I used peppermint tea to help.

I bought some m and Co high waisted ones which were fine. Elastic didn't roll down like other cheaper ones.
Also not sure how I forgot about the pain relief yes yes take it to an alarm timetable and life will be fine

@MamehaSan
That was the advice given to me by a midwife? Hairdryer I mean.

I also have a vague recollection of white being the favoured colour, as dyed knickers having some made effect (possibly also made that up!).

I'm usually a size 10/12 but wore 14/16 after the birth - huge things that came up to well over my belly button . For a few days after the CS I had a clean maternity pad over the wound to provide some cushioning (dressing came off after about 12-24 hours I think, which was very un-nerving the first time round!)

Being as fit as you can be prior to surgery will help.

Being overweight is a risk factor for wound infection. The quicker you mobilise after surgery the better you will heal (but not doing too much of course!) Activity improves your circulation and healthy diet ditto.

You don't need to do too much to the wound as others have said.

Good luck!

Air it plenty. I used lavender oil in the bath and it diluted to clean my wound. If I was a bit hot and sweaty I'd give it a clean with the dilute lavender oil. Nothing rubbing on it. Didn't haven't any problems with my wounds healing either time. And according to my consultant "healed beautifully"

Good luck and do things slowly for awhile!

Sorry should've said healthy diet improves healing.

Two c-sections, reopened wound/infection on the second one. I would say the two aggravating factors were being overweight with a hangover from the previous cs meaning it didn't get air and having a slightly poorly baby which meant I was in hospital for a week, so probably showered/bathed less than if I had been home.

In my experience, though, it actually wasn't too terrible. I needed antibiotics and it was a pain having to go to the clinic to get the wound dressed every day but it wasn't actually painful at all as it is on the "dead" area where the nerves are cut during the cs.

@Redken24 haha, my midwives were all very insistent that it was a bad idea (and tbh I can see why). I guess it's typical of the confilcting advice that you can get for pretty much every aspect of pregnancy, birth and child-rearing...!

@MamehaSan

True! Haha its a funny old thing isn't it -
Definitely conflicting advice is the best summary.
I was told no baths either and I see people recommending them.
Cool username btw 🤗

I had an awful awful infection (5 month recovery), mainly because I had to stay in hospital. Get out ASAP. Make sure someone is looking at it daily. Make sure if it's red or sore you go straight to the GP.

God I got a bad infection this time around. Was the hottest of the hottest of hot weeks and i couldn’t get it dry!
Air air air. As much as you can as often as you can. I was on my feet very quickly and back to ‘normal’ so to speak chasing after my toddler very soon after and I suspect if I’d rested a bit more and aired it a bit more thoroughly I wouldn’t have had such a problem.
Antibiotics also helped

God, yes, the trapped wind afterwards. I'd forgotten about that. As pp said, peppermint tea is your friend.

I was also prescribed dihydrocodeine after my last section. Amazing painkiller but leaves you v constipated!

I needed 10 days of injections afterwards on both of mine - v easy, my Dh just plunged the needle into my belly. Not nice, but ok. That was the criteria of my hospital, but other hospitals are different.

I was also told to use hair dryer!! So much conflicting advice. In fairness I can never be bothered to dry my hair so it's not had much use before.

Hibiscrub is a post surgery disinfectant. Farmers wife and we also use it alot at lambing time. Boots and Amazon sell it. Cap in bath works wonders. Don't use it neat.
Agree 're peppermint tea. I've never really had trapped wind before.....omg it was sore.

Ive not long given birth- was told to wash with water and pat dry with a clean towel

A lady in my Due group has posted that apparently a spoon of turmeric in heated milk helps speed up healing, apparently its common in Pakistan? Havent tried yet but someone else commented calling it golden milk?

I've had two c-sections and no infections.
Dressing removed less than 24 hours after, showered daily, patted dry with a clean towel. I wore granny knickers, and put a long sanitary towel soft side against the scar (didn't peel off the sticky bit) just to pad it from my trousers. Staples removed at 5 weeks. No problems.

Got a small infection on my third section after 3 weeks. My maternity jeans rode down and rubbed against scar which irritated it. Think that was cause. So make sure you wear big pants (I got high waisted pants two sizes bigger from Primark) and don't wear anything where the waist band hits your scar until you are 100% happy it's completely healed ( so leggings, high waisted skirts are best). Apart from that wash with water gently (allowing it to run over the scar is good advise) and pat dry. The internet was split 50:50 on hairdryers when I looked so didn't risk it.

I was lucky as was still under midwife care so it was spotted early. Still took 2 different antibiotics (as swab came back showing I need a targeted type as opposed to general one I was prescribed at first). Most people get discharged from the midwife at 10 days so worth getting your OH to keep an eye on your scar if you can't see it well (my belly hid mine until about 6 weeks)

Thank you for the advice!
I have one more question and I promise that this is it!
I have ds 3.5.
A friend of mine has jst said I will probably need round the clock care myself for up to a couple of months after my c section never mind looking after the dc.
My dh only has 2 weeks off work!
I will have ds will be at nursery three hours each day and a long day at nursery once per week. Nursery is only up the road I can walk it in five minutes while heavily pregnant.
Dm could probably do pick up/drop off 1-2 times per week.

How long did it take you to be feeling as though you could do day to day things and generally managing?
I don’t like the sound of needing round the clock care for weeks at all!

You won't need round the clock care for weeks on end unless something went badly wrong in which case your DH would have to make arrangements with his employer and would probably be allowed some sort of parental leave anyway.

In a normal, non-complicated section with standard recovery you will be up and walking within 3-12 hours of giving birth then it builds from there. For the first two weeks you won't be laid up on the sofa incapable of moving but neither will you be running marathons, you'll be somewhere between the two and by the time your DH goes back to work at two weeks you should be capable of doing the school run.