How long is the incision for a cesarean section?

In order to avoid uterine contraction and labor pain, maintain vaginal tightness, and for other special physical reasons, many mothers choose cesarean section. It seems simple, quick and clean to cut and take the baby out with one knife! So, how long is the cesarean section incision usually? Let’s take a look at it below.

The length of the cesarean section wound is determined based on the biparietal diameter of the fetus. If the fetal biparietal diameter is between 9.1cm and 9.2cm, the wound may be around 15cm. If the fetal biparietal diameter is above 9.8cm, it may need to be around 20 centimeters. Otherwise, the small mouth opening will make it difficult for the baby to be delivered. If it is too big, it will look ugly in appearance. However, during surgery, the doctor will decide the length of the surgical incision based on the fetal biparietal diameter.

Cesarean section is different from vaginal delivery. It is a surgical procedure to remove the fetus's head from the abdomen. The fetus's head can reach about 10 cm in diameter in the late pregnancy, so the incision for cesarean section is about 10 cm long. The abdominal skin and uterus are cut with forceps, and then the baby is taken out and the suture process is carried out. The incision caused by surgical treatment is slightly larger, and the wound is very wide. About seven layers of soft tissue in the abdomen need to be sutured. The uterus is connected to the vagina, so cross infection must be avoided. Therefore, cesarean section is the largest obstetric surgery. Many complications may occur during the operation, such as amniotic fluid embolism, fever, intestinal adhesions, etc. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain good health after giving birth, which is beneficial to your own recovery.

Because the wound of cesarean section is relatively long, the surface skin takes about 3 to 5 days to heal. Nowadays, most of them are transverse incisions and no surgery is required to remove stitches. Therefore, the surface skin is very easy to heal. However, the wound inside the abdomen still takes a longer time to heal, about four to six weeks. Generally, the wound of cesarean section is a scar with a relatively reddish color within a year and a half. It feels hard and itchy on rainy days. This is the inflammation of the wound healing itself. After about a year and a half, the color will turn gray and the scar will be sore and soft. Generally, mothers who do not have a scar-prone constitution will recover very well.

How long is the incision for a second cesarean section?

The second cesarean section usually has a wound of about 10 centimeters. The abdomen is then cut open to take out the baby, and then sutures are done. Therefore, you must pay attention to local hygiene during this period, try not to touch cold water, and also pay attention to keeping warm, try not to catch cold. If you catch a cold, you will feel pain every year when it rains, so you must pay more attention to your hygiene during this period.

The incision from a second cesarean section takes 1 to 2 weeks to heal. The wound of most pregnant women will heal within 2 weeks, but it will take two or three months to fully recover. During this period, you must avoid infection and inflammation, otherwise it will increase the wound healing time. Because the physical fitness of each pregnant woman is different, the wound healing time after surgery cannot be determined. Pregnant women with better physical fitness will heal faster, so the time taken will not be long. If the physical fitness is not good, the wound healing time will be longer, so you must be patient and take care of your own physical condition.

In order to make the wound heal better and faster, you must get out of bed and move around as soon as possible after the operation. This can prevent the adhesion of the wound and abnormal symptoms such as intestinal adhesion. It is also beneficial to promote the discharge of lochia and uterine contraction. If there are infectious symptoms, you need to seek medical treatment in time, especially if the wound is red, swollen, and painful, you should pay attention to it. You should pay attention to rest on a daily basis. A diversified diet is beneficial to promoting wound healing, especially eating more fruits, vegetables, eggs and other foods. Don't eat irritating foods all the time, such as seafood, alcohol, tobacco, beef, etc., to avoid allergic symptoms that affect the recovery of the wound as soon as possible.

The wound after the second cesarean section needs a longer time to heal than the first one. As long as all medical care is done well after the operation, it will not easily cause many negative and adverse effects. Pregnant women must maintain a good attitude and do not be too anxious and worried. They can eat more light food on weekdays, which is beneficial to promote the increase of breast milk and help breastfeeding.