Shoulder pain after section

[barleyteddy]

Hi I had a section a week ago and about 3 days later I developed right shoulder pain, at tip and down upper right arm. Was worse on movement and initially I wondered if it was just due to the way I had been lying in bed, how I had been holding baby and feeding overnight etc but now been reading about shoulder pain after section.... Today I just feel achy across upper back and have ongoing shoulder tip pain. I've been drinking peppermint tea today as read could be due to trapped wind after section. Is this common? Does it sound like the pain of trapped wind? Any suggestions for treatment? How long does it last?

Congrats on the baby . Sounds like it is trapped wind and this is totally normal, I had this after my section and after the half a dozen operations I've had on my abdomen. Keep drinking the peppermint tea and try things like Wind-eze, I'm sure it was ok to take these when I was breastfeeding but check first. Hopefully as your body begins to recover and you move about better, it'll ease.

They pump quite a bit of air into you during the c-section, the pain in shoulder is TOTALLY normal but having had two c-sections I have huge sympathy for you as it's bloody awful. Tell the midwife or whoever is now monitoring you at home and they can suggest best stuff to take. I had peppermint drops in tea that was a huge help.

And enjoy the newborn baby cuddles

Oh after a section is awful! I never knew wind could cause so much pain. Mine was in the top of my spine, it also hurt when I breathed in and my breathing was much worse which ended up been asthma.

If you are concerned then go to the gp. I did this after about a week of the pain, I got admitted back into a post natal ward with my baby and they did a couple of scans and X-rays to be sure it wasn't a pulmonary embolism, I was home within 14 hours.

Taking strong ibropurofen and paracetamol helped me, I got my partner to be in charge of the pill giving and timing it, don't wait to feel the pain! Also got my partner to massage my back which helped move the wind around, just like you'd do with a baby.

Thank you! I'll keep going with the peppermint tea and am seeing the midwife tomorrow so I'll mention it to her then. Yes this was my first section and it's definitely been more painful than I'd hoped!

I had that. Sooo painful. Peppermint tea helped or was it peppermint oil in hot water? Hope it gets better soon.

It's horrible.
I'm nearly ready to go in for section 3 and I'd forgotten about this! I'm going to add peppermint tea to my bag right now.

I thought I'd slept funny too! It's definitely trapped air. Our hospital gives you peppermint oil in hot water but only 4 hourly if you're breastfeeding.

It will pass.

Sometimes, they inject co2 into the cavity to expand it so they can see the area/organs more clearly, this is especially after laparoscopic surgery. This is normal, they might have done that and the most single biggest side effect is diaphragmatic irritation which causes shoulder tip pain. It will get better, do ask your GP if this could be the culprit.