How Much Vitamin C Can A Teenager Take

How Much Vitamin C Can A Teenager Take

C-section recovery isn't easy – and while you're healing from surgery, you're also caring for a new baby.  Do your best to rest as much as possible and ask for help so you aren't trying to handle meals, housework, visits, and caring for other children during your postpartum recovery period. Listen to your body and don't overdo it. Walking is good for healing, but strenuous exercise and lifting anything heavier than your baby will have to wait. You'll also need to hold off on taking baths, using tampons, and having sex until you get your caregiver's okay.

After a c-section, you'll probably feel both euphoric about and overwhelmed by the new person in your arms. But you'll also be recovering from major abdominal surgery while dealing with typical postpartum issues such as engorged breasts, mood swings, and postpartum bleeding.

C-section patients typically stay in the hospital for two to four days before going home. But your full recovery will be measured in weeks, not days. Be patient and gentle with yourself as you transition into motherhood and recover from surgery. You'll be able to do some things quickly, like breastfeeding and walking. Other activities, like moderate exercise, may not be possible for up to six weeks after the surgery.

C-section recovery tips

Here's what to do once you get home to help speed your healing and c-section recovery time:

• Ask for help. You'll need help once you get home. Ask for support from your partner, parents, in-laws, and friends – or hire paid help if you can. Give people concrete jobs so they can best support you. It's important that you get rest while you're healing and caring for your newborn. Don't fall into the trap of playing hostess for a parade of visitors interested in cuddling your baby, but not doing your dishes.
• Manage your pain. You'll likely be given prescriptions for more painkillers and a stool softener before you leave the hospital. To reduce your need for prescription painkillers, take over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen around the clock. You may need prescription painkillers for up to a week after surgery, gradually transitioning to only over-the-counter pain relievers. Most pain-relief medications are safe for breastfeeding moms; ask your doctor if you have questions. You may also find that a heating pad or an ice pack helps relieve pain. Your doctor may prescribe a lidocaine patch for incision pain as well.
• Avoid constipation: Drink plenty of fluids and take your stool softener to help you avoid constipation from the medication you're taking. If you're breastfeeding or pumping, get in the habit of drinking a full glass of water each time you sit down to breastfeed or pump.
• Walk. Walking promotes healing and helps prevent complications such as blood clots. Start slowly and increase your activity gradually. In six weeks, you'll be able to start exercising moderately – but wait until your caregiver gives you the go-ahead.
• Consider an abdominal binder: Some experts recommend wearing a tummy wrap, formally called an abdominal binder, to help reduce pain immediately following a c-section. These binders are available at drugstores and online and are often provided by hospitals. They stabilize the area around your incision to reduce pain with movement. Talk with your provider or hospital staff if you have questions about how to use them.
• Don't overdo it: Avoid strenuous tasks or lifting anything heavier than your baby for up to six weeks. Keep in mind that some things that are usually easy for you might now be difficult. Listen to your body and stop if something feels uncomfortable.
• Eat well: Good, nutritious food – including plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains – will help you heal and avoid constipation. Continue to take your prenatal vitamin, as well as iron supplements if your caregiver recommends them.
• Hold off on sex and tampons: To prevent infection, don't put anything in your vagina until you get the go-ahead from your provider. Once you get the okay on sex, you'll need to have a plan for contraception.
• Avoid baths and swimming: To prevent infection, don't submerge yourself in water (in the bathtub, a hot tub, or swimming pool, for example) until you have the okay from your caregiver, usually in about six weeks.
• Go slow on driving: Don't drive if you're taking prescription pain medication. You'll be ready to drive when you're done taking prescription painkillers and when you don't experience pain from the motions of driving (turning to check your blind spot, stepping on the brake pedal, steering, and so forth). Ask your doctor for guidelines, but most moms are ready to drive by week two or three post-surgery.
• Wait on going back to work: Typically, it takes six to eight weeks or more for moms to be ready to return to work after a c-section. If you have maternity leave, take full advantage of it. Give yourself time to physically and emotionally heal. Talk to your doctor about specific concerns and familiarize yourself with state laws regarding maternity leave and breastfeeding at work.

C-section incision care

Here are some tips on caring for your c-section incision:

• Clean the incision area very gently with mild soap and water once a day in the shower. Don't rub or scrub your incision, just let soap and water run over it. Pat your incision dry with a clean towel when you're done.
• If you go home with a dressing (bandage) over your incision, change it once a day, or sooner if it gets dirty or wet. Your doctor will tell you when to stop keeping your wound covered.
• If you have Steri-Strips (small, white, sticky bandages) directly over your incision, don't try to wash them off. You can take a shower with the strips on and pat your incision dry after with a clean towel.
• Steri-Strips should fall off in about two weeks. If they're still there after 14 days, you can remove them, unless your doctor tells you not to. They come off most easily when wet, so remove them right after a shower.
• If you have glue over your incision, you can remove any remaining glue after two or three weeks. If you have metal staples, your doctor will remove them three to seven days after surgery.
• If your belly hangs over your incision, keep the area underneath your belly and near the incision dry. Moisture that collects in skin folds can harbor bacteria, which can increase your risk of infection or delay healing of your incision. Your hospital may send you home with extra gauze to change twice daily.
• Don't put any creams, lotions, or ointments on your incision without asking your doctor.
• Call your doctor if you have warmth, redness, swelling, or oozing at the incision site.

At first, it may feel more comfortable to support your incision when you cough, sneeze, or laugh. (Use your hands or a pillow.)

Your incision will probably feel a lot better after the first week, though it may be tender for much longer. You'll likely feel numbness and some twinges of pain around the incision for several months.

C-section scars

C-section scars are usually low on the abdomen, below the waistband of your underwear. For comfort, avoid wearing low-rise underwear that hits right at your scar. You may find that hospital-issued mesh panties feel best. High-waisted underwear can also be comfortable after a c-section.

At first, your c-section scar will be slightly raised, puffy, and darker than the rest of your skin. It will start to shrink significantly within six weeks of surgery.

C-section scars are usually 4 to 6 inches long and about 1/8 inch wide at first. As it heals, your scar will narrow to about 1/16 inch wide. It might be itchy while it's healing.

Usually, your scar will become thinner and flatter and will turn either white or the color of your skin.

But in some cases, the body overreacts to the healing process and develops scars that don't heal as smoothly. These are:

Keloid scars

Keloids are a type of raised scar that grow to be larger than the original wound, and can appear thick and lumpy. Keloids can be itchy and painful.

Hypertrophic scars

Hypertrophic scars are thickened, raised scars that can be itchy and painful. They're similar to keloid scars, but unlike keloids, they stay within the boundaries of the original wound.

Keloid and hypertrophic scars are more common in people with darker skin. If you're prone to either, talk to your doctor about prevention and treatment options.

Check out these c-section scar photos to see how scars heal and look over time.

When to call the doctor

You may see your doctor for an incision check one to two weeks after leaving the hospital, and you'll have a complete checkup in four to six weeks after delivery. In the meantime, call your caregiver if you have signs of an infection, including:

• Warmth, redness, swelling, or oozing at the incision site
• Worsening pain or sudden onset of abdominal pain
• Any fever (even if your incision looks fine)
• Foul smelling vaginal discharge
• Pain or burning when urinating, the urge to pee frequently when not a lot comes out, or urine that is dark and scanty or bloody

Also call your provider immediately if you have:

• Menstrual-type bleeding past the first four days after delivery, or bleeding that comes back after slowing
• Heavy bleeding at any time, or bleeding with clots and cramping (if you soak two pads an hour for two hours straight, your bleeding is considered heavy)
• Severe or persistent pain or tenderness and warmth in one area of your leg, or one leg that's more swollen than the other
• Pain in one or both breasts, especially if accompanied by a fever or flu-like symptoms
• Trouble breathing or chest pain
• Severe headache that doesn't respond to pain medication or comes back immediately after the medication wears off
• Thoughts of hurting yourself or your baby, or if you feel incapable of caring for your newborn

For more information on warning signs of a medical problem in the weeks after delivery, see our article on when to call your caregiver.

Learn more:

• Video: C-section recovery in the first few days
• Video: C-section recovery in the first two months

How Much Vitamin C Can A Teenager Take

Source: https://www.babycenter.com/baby/postpartum-health/c-section-recovery_221

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