Left side abdominal pain after cesarean section

With the discovery of medical technology, cesarean sections are becoming more and more common in today's life, but cesarean sections are also a huge pain for female friends. Many female friends find that they are prone to left abdominal pain after delivery. This may be caused by abdominal wound pain, catheter insertion pain, and postpartum uterine contraction pain. Female friends need to take appropriate relief methods according to their own physical conditions.

Pain point 1: Pain in the belly wound

Cesarean section not only leaves a scar on the belly, but also leaves a wound on the woman's uterus, which can cause severe pain if not properly cared for.

About two to three weeks after the surgical incision has healed, the scar begins to grow, and the area becomes red, purple, hardened, and protrudes from the skin surface. When the wound turns dark brown, the scar will become painful and itchy. New mothers should keep the scar clean and hygienic, wipe off sweat in time, and do not scratch it with their hands, rub the scar with clothes or wash it with water to relieve itching, so as not to aggravate local irritation, promote inflammatory reaction of connective tissue, and cause further itching.

Pain point 2: Catheterization pain

Caesarean section requires insertion of a catheter. Many mothers find it painful when the catheter is inserted. At first there is a swollen feeling, followed by a little distension and pain. After giving birth, the catheter needs to be retained for 24 hours, so the new mother needs to rest in bed and be extremely careful when turning over, otherwise it will be accidentally pulled out and need to be reinserted.

Generally within 24 hours after the operation, medical staff will remove the catheter and encourage the mother to get out of bed to urinate on her own. But if the woman is still unable to defecate on her own, the doctor may insert a urinary catheter again. It is important to note that after the catheter is removed, you should try to urinate on your own as soon as you feel the urge to urinate. Otherwise, retaining the catheter can easily lead to urinary tract bacterial infection and cause new pain.

Pain point 3: Postpartum uterine contraction pain

Don’t think that uterine contraction pain only occurs during natural childbirth. In fact, caesarean section is also inevitable. Most women experience uterine contraction pain after giving birth, which is the so-called "postpartum pain". The principle of postpartum pain is the same as uterine labor pain during childbirth, which is caused by intermittent contractions of the uterus. The purpose of postpartum uterine contraction is to help stop uterine bleeding and expel residual blood clots inside the uterus to promote uterine recovery, which has positive significance.

Generally, after a cesarean section, the doctor will help massage the uterus. At this time, the pain due to uterine contraction is often unbearable. This is a normal phenomenon and generally does not require special treatment. The pain will disappear on its own after 3-4 days. If the pain is more severe, you can apply hot compress on your lower abdomen, or take some Chinese patent medicine such as Chanfukang Granules, Motherwort Granules, etc. It should be noted that painkillers are not very effective for postpartum uterine contraction pain.