Why Do I Experience Abdominal Bloating After a Cesarean Section?

Update Date: 2024-06-26 Source: Network

After cesarean delivery, patients may experience varying degrees of intestinal flatulence, leading to a feeling of abdominal bloating. There are multiple reasons for intestinal flatulence, including anesthesia suppressing intestinal motility, blood and amniotic fluid spilling into the abdominal cavity during surgery to stimulate the intestines, and swallowing gas during and after surgery. Additionally, some patients are given large quantities of milk, sugar, soybeans, soymilk, starch, and other foods by their families shortly after cesarean surgery. These foods can promote gas production in the intestines, causing abdominal bloating. Cesarean delivery can also stimulate the intestinal muscles, leading to suppressed intestinal function, slower intestinal motility, and trapped gas in the intestinal cavity, which can easily lead to postoperative abdominal bloating. Therefore, excessive consumption of these foods after surgery can exacerbate abdominal bloating and hinder wound healing.

After cesarean delivery, it is important to be mindful of diet and avoid holding in urine or feces. Generally, new mothers should be able to pass gas approximately three days after surgery, indicating that their gastrointestinal function has returned to normal. This allows them to begin drinking water and trying to eat porridge and other foods. Colostrum also begins to appear at this time, and it is recommended that newborns start breastfeeding. If the husband can help the new mother feed the baby, it would be ideal. After cesarean delivery, mothers may be afraid to use their abdominal muscles due to pain, which can lead to delayed urination and defecation, potentially causing urinary retention and constipation, and causing greater discomfort. Therefore, new mothers should urinate and defecate regularly after surgery, following their usual habits.