No baths for two weeks after giving birth? - Page 2

[mrsalf97]

I was planning on taking an herb bath with the bath right after birth. Guess we will have to wait a few days.

[maxmama]

Originally Posted by pookel

I was told to avoid baths only because I had a c-section and the bandages over my incision weren't supposed to soak or they might come off. Would similar advice apply if you had bad tearing and stitches? That might be different, though, I don't know.

No. The sutures are absorbable, but don't come off or come out. I assume you mean the steristrips, the little pieces of tape? It actually doesn't matter much for those either; we let our section moms tub as soon as their initial bandage is off (the top one that goes on in the OR, usually taken off the next day by the OB or nurse).

[homebirthing]

I recommend 3-4 hip baths a day. So does my midwife.

[pookel]

Originally Posted by maxmama

No. The sutures are absorbable, but don't come off or come out. I assume you mean the steristrips, the little pieces of tape? It actually doesn't matter much for those either; we let our section moms tub as soon as their initial bandage is off (the top one that goes on in the OR, usually taken off the next day by the OB or nurse).

Yeah, the steristrips.

I'm not taking any chances with the next one, because the one strip that peeled off a little left me with about an inch of split incision where it peeled.

[maxmama]

Originally Posted by pookel

Yeah, the steristrips.

I'm not taking any chances with the next one, because the one strip that peeled off a little left me with about an inch of split incision where it peeled.

Make sure they use benzoin when putting the strips on, and that your skin is absolutely dry before they do. Steristrips shouldn't come off prematurely even with bathing; it's usually an application issue.

[Redifer]

Good Lord, I couldn't LIVE without my baths after dd was born. I'm a huge bath-taker though... it's my cure-all for everything. If I have a headache, cramp, if I'm sore or stressed or ANYTHING, I take a bath.

When I had dd, we didn't have a bathtub, just a shower stall. I would drive 45 minutes every evening to use my BIL/SIL's bathtub... that's how desperately I wanted my bath.

No one ever told me not to, though... even though I'm sure if they did I would have told them where to put it.

[mwherbs]

so if we do extensive stitching we don't recommend taking an herb bath after the first one because it can cause the stitches to dissolve too fast-- but a regular bath would be fine-- I don't know about major abdominal surgery- I would not want to mess with any of that stitching--if there are adhesive things that hold the skin together- I would wait a week or so till the skin was coming together-

[maxmama]

Originally Posted by mwherbs

so if we do extensive stitching we don't recommend taking an herb bath after the first one because it can cause the stitches to dissolve too fast-- but a regular bath would be fine-- I don't know about major abdominal surgery- I would not want to mess with any of that stitching--if there are adhesive things that hold the skin together- I would wait a week or so till the skin was coming together-

The sutures that take the stress of the incision are all internal (there are three layers, at least). The steristrips hold the skin incision together tightly to minimize scarring, but the incision has already started healing by the time the staples are taken out and replaced with steristrips (usually day 2).

[meggles]

I had to take herbal/sea salt sitz baths to heal my tear, and I could not sit on the toilet with the sitz bath contraption thingy because it put too much pressure on my perineum. Instead, I took herbal baths in the tub. My tear healed wonderfully and it was comfortable to be in the bath!

[mwherbs]

Originally Posted by maxmama

The sutures that take the stress of the incision are all internal (there are three layers, at least). The steristrips hold the skin incision together tightly to minimize scarring, but the incision has already started healing by the time the staples are taken out and replaced with steristrips (usually day 2).

so how soon after a c-section would you take a bath?
I know that for many things I like to soak because water alone can be so healing-- and my mom always had us soaking in epsom salts if we were getting any kind of skin infection to prevent blood poisoning, and i have used it for my family as well--

[maxmama]

Originally Posted by mwherbs

so how soon after a c-section would you take a bath?
I know that for many things I like to soak because water alone can be so healing-- and my mom always had us soaking in epsom salts if we were getting any kind of skin infection to prevent blood poisoning, and i have used it for my family as well--

I took one the next day, as soon as my staples were out, and the standard postop orders on our unit are for a shower at 12 hours and a bath at 24.

[pookel]

Originally Posted by maxmama

I took one the next day, as soon as my staples were out, and the standard postop orders on our unit are for a shower at 12 hours and a bath at 24.

Wow, I couldn't even stand up at 24 hours, much less 12. I think I managed a shower after 3 days and it was very difficult.

[maxmama]

Originally Posted by pookel

Wow, I couldn't even stand up at 24 hours, much less 12. I think I managed a shower after 3 days and it was very difficult.

I had an incredibly easy recovery from both sections. I was walking 6 hours after the second one and went grocery shopping on the way home from the hospital 36 hours later.

[wombatclay]

I had a c/s after a very long labor and I have to say...taking that first shower felt SOOOOOO good!

I was able to shower after the initial bandage was removed. So that would have been around 10 hours I guess? (the section was in the late afternoon, the bandage was switched the following morning) I'm not a huge fan of baths when I'm bleeding so for me it was the lochia rather than the incision that kept me out of a long bath, but I was told I could take a bath once the staples were removed. The staples were removed and I went home with steristrips on day three (staples removed, steristrips applied, and home I hobbled!). I had to pull the strips off myself about a week later since there was no way they were going to fall off on their own!

At the hospital I used they have all c/s mamas up and walking within about 8-10 hours after the surgery unless there is some other problem, and they really like to see c/s mamas take a shower around then and spend some time in the hot water/steam relaxing and letting things "settle" after what is generally a long labor and unexpected operation. And I have to say it really did feel good to be clean!

[beckyand3littlemonsters]

:
never heard of that i had baths almost strait after each of my lo's were born