Stages of Pregnancy Slideshow Pictures Slideshow of Early Pregnancy Symptoms Early Pregnancy Symptoms Quiz

Medical Author:

Harish M Sehdev, MD

Coauthor:

Ram Duriseti, MD

Medical Editor:

Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Dr. Balentine received his undergraduate degree from McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. He attended medical school at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine graduating in1983. He completed his internship at St. Joseph's Hospital in Philadelphia and his Emergency Medicine residency at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in the Bronx, where he served as chief resident.

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Self-Care at Home

Barring complications, the woman may leave the hospital usually 48-96 hours after a cesarean childbirth. If complications occur during surgery, the hospital stay may be longer. Once home, watch for further complications in the healing process.

Wound care can be handled at home.

• Care of the surgical incision is relatively simple. Water can wash over the wound as long as the impact of water is not directly onto the wound. Keeping the wound clean and dry is important for adequate healing. This includes avoiding coverage by skin folds, which can lead to excessive moisture and infection.



• Sometimes, the wound can separate at its edges, and blood or fluid or both may come out. If this happens, seek immediate medical attention.



• If the wound edges are not closing properly, the wound may be left open at the time of discharge from the hospital. In this situation, the wound should be packed as instructed by the hospital staff 2-3 times a day. Open wounds will gradually heal from the base of the wound to the surface requiring less and less packing as the days go by.