EMCS 4 weeks ago, bleeding and swelling suddenly?

[mildred37]

4 weeks ago I had an EMCS. It all went fine - no side effects or problems, and was home 2 days later. Normal bleeding which seemed to taper off over the weekend.

However, Monday night the bleeding came back with a vengeance. It's like a heavy period and hasn't lessened since, despite doing not alot at all. I'm not passing any clots but it is enough to have to change pads every 2-3 hours. Today I have also started having "twang"/ stabby pains just above the left side of my scar, which is still swollen - and upon getting into the bath earlier I noticed the whole length of the scar is now swollen too :( DH had a look and couldn't see anything nasty; no oozing or opening but it is just so sore today. Is this just part of recovering, and is the bleeding a normal period (hope not as DS is BF) or do I need to bother my GP with this tomorrow morning?

You still should've under the midwives, get on the phone to them and they should be able to squeeze in a visit, tell you not to worry or help you decide what to do.

I always got heavier flow post section as I started to recover and therefore do more which increased my loss. The pain is probably related to things shrinking back down, maybe you've done too much physically. The thing that strikes me as odd is the swelling.

Get it checked out, better safe than sorry and at least then you might not worry about it.

Hope all is fine. M

From my experience that sounds like a lot of bleeding for 4 weeks post op. My scar was tender for weeks but didn't swell up either. Mine was tailing off by then, although I was still in some pain and on painkillers.

If I were you I'd see the GP just in case, don't leave it until the weekend.

Thanks for the advice. The bleeding worries me too but I did wonder if it was just my periods coming back.

I was discharged from the midwives at 2 weeks post EMCS, HV is coming back tomorrow to see DS, is it something I could talk to her about instead of seeing GP?

I bled heavily after my emcs for about six weeks - it came in fits and starts though so I kept thinking it might be my period when it was actually still lochia.

Likewise, the scar soreness sounds about right. It's easy to overdo it on a day when you feel better and then have it really start hurting the next day.

As a pp said though, the swelling sounds a bit more suspect, so it's worth seeking advice from your m/ws or doctor.

As a mw, I would get you an emergency appointment with GP. And would advise antibiotics immediately.Scar becoming more swollen is not usual. This much blood loss at 4 weeks is not usual.