What the standard of care SHOULD be after a c-section
If you (or someone you know) has ever had any sort of injury, surgery or other (not related to birth) that has required medical intervention, then you know the HUGE discrepancy between our “standard of care” for post-injury/post-surgical patients and the standard of care for women post-c-section surgery.
For example - the difference in care after a hip replacement.
There is a very thorough and complete standard of care and mapped out plan for exactly what needs to be done post-surgery, detailed from the first day down 9-12 months after…because it's well understood that a hip replacement is a major surgery.
Another major surgery is a C-Section. Yet, for some reason, the standard of care post-surgery is VERY different than that of a knee replacement.
Most women get sent home with their newborn baby and are told not to lift anything heavier than their baby, avoid stairs, and maybe some information about how to care for their scar for the next few days.
The problem with this is that when women then get home after this surgery, they realize a whole slew of things that they are uncertain about or find themselves struggling with…shouldn't someone be telling them how to do these things??
Like getting in and out of bed, for instance, or what things they can do to help their bodies heal optimally, or a time frame for mobility, exercises and movement. And what if the stairs are unavoidable??
There are so many questions, concerns and uncertainty just with recovery and healing…let alone all the inevitable questions, concerns and uncertainty that go along with bringing a new baby home!
So, here are the 5 things that SHOULD be a standard of care after a C-Section:
Education on how to move in and out of bed/general mobility after surgery
Benefits of silicone strips for scar healing
Benefits of red light therapy with scar healing
Scar tissue education and where to start
Core AND pelvic floor rehab
This is a conversation we NEED to keep having until we are able to do better!
