Slightly TMI; questions about recovering from c-section

[Kimberlee_20]

I had an emergency c-section on July 14th. Since then I've still had some pretty regular bleeding and quite a few small, stringy blood clots whenever I pee. I've also not had a B/M yet, is this normal? I haven't felt the need to yet, is that a cause of concern?

[Lance06]

My hospital wouldnt let me leave without a BM either. They gave me something to help.

Hang in there girl...and dont force anything. It feels very strange as you dont want to push anything since it makes your incision feel funny.

[martikadragoon]

Yes, It's normal. I didn't have to have a BM before leaving the hospital either, which was good because it took me over a week for my first BM. I was given doculax, an OTC stool softener, and it didn't do much.

it HURT the first time I had a BM because of straining. Also, the clots were something I had, alot of the discharge I experienced (since I was pumping that first month) was pink/red and stringy. really gross.

[Latrice414]

Normally after having surgery it slows your track down, if your passing gas thats a good sign. But you dont want to go to many days without having a BM, i no where i work if a person has not had a bm in 3 days we start giving them things to help them go.

A stool softner does not make you go, it only softens the stool(normally for people who are constipated and have hard stools)  Now a laxative helps you go.

Walmart sells docusate sodium which is a stool softner and they sell senokot & sennagen which is a combination pill of a stool softner and laxative.  Call your dr and see what she/he suggest.  You may want the combo pill so you dont have to strain and risk your surgical site opening back up.

Where i work we give prune juice first, if dont work we give milk of mag or some form of laxative and if that dont work we give a suppository, but normally after getting the laxative they go.

I hope your able to go soon.  Again Congrats  

[Ready_4_Baby_2]

Kimberlee...I would still take stool softeners and prune juice. After my c-section it took a few days for my BM and it hurt really really bad and they had been giving me softeners for 3 days. So you still want to take the softeners.

[Kimberlee_20]

Thank you ladies, my aunt suggested prune juice too so I'll try that, if that doesn't work I'll try stool softeners. I never thought I'd have to worry about this haha!

[JoyRenee]

Oh, that must be their policy then! Because I have heard of that one, too.

Well it definitely can take time for those first BMs. So annoying! I'd definitely try some natural ways to get things moving along- apple/prune juice, for example. Or Benefiber mixed in your cereal or a drink.

[smjmekg]

It's probably just your body getting back to normal after being cut open and pushed and moved around getting baby out. Try getting stool softeners, I had to use them after my c-section so I could go. I bled for six weeks after my c-section, and had the same thing, I even had a golf ball (could have been a little bigger) sized clot come out, and called the dr about it. They said it was fine and if it was baseball sized or larger to come in. But the little bits of stringy clots and no B/M are normal after a c-section. I'd definitely try the stool softeners though, I had to have a b/m before I could leave the hospital, I'm surprised they didn't make you, or give you a prescription for them.

[Kimberlee_20]

They offered them to me and I didn't want them, they said as long as I was passing gas I could be discharged

[JoyRenee]

Everyone I know whose had a c-section had to have a BM before they could even be discharged from the hospital. Did they give you any laxatives?