finaly my baby is with me, wow....but how can i clean my scar.

[firstsupermum]

i want to have a normal birth but i end up with c/section as i was overdue, but everythink is good, after 1day and half I am home with my baby, i just want to know how can i clean my scar properly so it will be clean, how may shower should i have durant the week, and can i clean over it with the special cloth? any ideas

Congratulations! Might this video be of help? Not a c-section veteran myself (although amusingly episiotomy stitches just kind of 'popped out' while I was in the shower one day!). My only advice is much more general - accept all and any offers of help, if people want to help but don't know what to do, ask them to bring round a lasagne/clean the bathroom etc. Will genuinely help you recover more quickly.

Enjoy your baby!

In general, keep any surgical scars dry. No need to be scrubbing at it, will only cause problems.

Is it not still covered with a dressing so soon? What sort of stitches (blue little knots or clear not really visible with just a knot at each end, or staples?) You should get it looked at sometime between 1 and 2 weeks depending on the surgeon's preference - often about the 10 day mark, and stitches that aren't dissolvable taken out at that point.

I'd guess you'll have your CM visiting in the next day or 2 anyway, so get her to take a look. Any redness around the scar or discharge from it - head to your GP.

thank you all, its blue knots, hope evrything will be write.

Dont wash it.
Stand in the shower and let the water run over it.
Try and let it air dry or dry with yoyr hairdryer
My dressing was removed the day after the section
I had one long prolene stitch it was removed on day 5
My repair was clipped and they came out at day 13 and 15 because they wanted them in as long as possible. However they were practically self removing by then.

My c-section was just over 2 weeks ago. Had the dressing removed after 24hrs and told to shower whenever I wanted but not to get soap/shwer gel over scar. Had to pat dry with towel (gently). Stitches removed by MW at home after 5 days then could have bath/wash with soap etc. All fine now.

My dressing was also removed a few hours post op. I was just told to let the water run over it and to pat dry. Midwife removed the stitch on day 5 and I generally ignored the wound, save to pat dry post bath/shower. I didn't even think about the episiotomy scar. 4yrs post birth, I'm sure it sorted itself out.

just rinse it with water and pat try.. NO RUBBING! Shower as many times as you like :)

Congratulations!

Very sorry to directly correct a previous poster, but please don't use your hairdryer as you're effectively blowing the warmed up dust and crap that lives in your hairdryer, into your wound. Air drying is the way forward!

thank you all, thats very helpful .

After drying press it gently with kitchen roll to get it really dry and whenever baby allows have a lie down on the bed or sofa with your pants rolled down so it can air dry a bit. After my bleeding stopped after 4 weeks or so I also went commando around the house (with a long skirt on, or course) to let the air get to it. The nurse at my GP also recommended a cotton mens hanky folded into the scar so it wasn't rubbing together to create a warm moist environment for an infection to start. Keep with the big knickers for a good while yet so they don't roll down onto the scar or rest on it causing irritation.

Good luck.

My only complaint about my whole birth experience would be that I got no information about scar care. Everything i got from mumsnet...

i bought some gauze and taped that over the area to keep it dry. mine is infected and keeps letting out a load of gunk (sorry) but this helps keep it dryer

I just had baths as normal and let it air dry.

Have had 3 c-sections and no infections and all dressings removed within 12 hours and dissolvable stitches.

My mw suggested put a sanitory towel under it to soak up any moisture

i had the dressings on for 5 days. aparently its now reccomended to keep it under the same moist dressing for 5 days.

lizandlulu can please tell me which size and made you buy, as they are a lot, so thats will make it easy for me, this is my 2nd c/section, the first one was infected and i dont want the same problem to happen again.
thank you all.

special in this summer my house get very hot. i need to clean it a lot and keept it dry.

i had the dressing on from the hospital for the first 5 days, then just put a maternity pad over it for about the next 5 days. now i just keep it covered with a roll of gauze i got from boots. its just in a roll that says sterile gauze on the label. i tape it onto my belly then kind of tuck it into the fold to soak up any leakage

Congratulations!

You can do all those things above but it won't stop you (it didn't stop me) from getting an infection or wound abcess if you're going to.

My best advice, and the only thing I didn't do.........is rest. Don't be Superwoman or even try. Stay horizontal as much as you can. Your recovery won't happen any quicker than you want it to and the longer you can string out being mollycoddled, the better. Good Luck!

yes i agree with flaminglip i havent rested enough, it seems that in my family that once you pass the 1 week mark, you should be back to normal bitter?? me?? NOOOOOOOO