Any kinds of wound, especially the one you’ve got from surgical procedures need to be observed thoroughly after done. The surgical wound, or known as incision can be easily infected if not care properly. Some mothers undergone C-section procedure are advised to observe the incision well and to keep it clean to avoid possible open and infection. While some are doing great with their healing process, some others experience various kinds of wonders about their incision, mostly about the leak, the smell, and the swell.

What is a C-section incision like?

A Caesarian-section is a surgical procedure to deliver a baby from incisions made through her abdomen and uterus. As many other surgical procedure, C-section will leave scars on your skin. Post-operative C-section incision should be healed within 6 weeks under proper care. When you leave the hospital, you will have to handle the incision at home. At the first days after surgery you might experience numbness and soreness on your incision area and the scar might feel raised and darker than your usual skin color. You should monitor the level of pain and drainage your incision produce in order to make sure the healing process is going well.

What should I do after going back home with C-section incision?

In order to perform a smooth healing process, you might want to pay attention to some details, as:

1. Follow the wound care advises from your medical practitioner. Take medications regularly should your doctor gives your ones. Finish antibiotics without skipping one dose entirely.
2. Keep your wound clean and dry, and regularly change the bandage or dressing.
3. Wear loose clothes to avoid pressure and rubs on your sensitive wounded area.
4. Learn to feed the baby without giving much pressure to your wound.
5. Try to minimize the folds on your incision areas to minimize the trapped sweats causing bad-smelled incision.
6. Eat balanced diet and keep hydrated to speed up the healing process from the inside.

Why my C-section incision leak and smell bad?

Some new mothers report that their C-section incision leaks and smells bad. This can be panicking as it can lead to the signs of infection. However, leaking and bad smell are not necessarily the signs of infection of a C-section incision. Before calling your doctor, you might want to recheck the area with the help of your loved one if necessary to find out more about the drainage fluids and smell. C-section incision healing usually produce extra skin hanging around the wound. This extra skin might trap your excessed sweat and keep it inside. You have to remember that various kinds of bacteria are also located beneath the skin and around the wound. This can be the culprit of the bad sensation of smell you notice on your incision. As for the leaking, you also need to look closely on what your incision is draining out. Your C-section wound can easily leak when you are either sneezing or coughing. Do not panic and immediately have a closer look on the fluid when it is happening. Most mothers drain pinkish fluid out of their wound, which is a good sign. This is normal because during the healing process, your skin cells produces new tissues beneath the skin. Thus, the fluid which is still there is pushed up and immediately gives pressure to the wound to let it out. The fluid is pinkish because it is contaminated with a little amount of blood under your healed skin.

In order to avoid infection, you need to keep your wound sterile and dry with these simple acts:

1. Wet the area of your wound and the wound itself while having a shower.
2. Wash it gently with mild soap. Do not use alcohol, iodine, and other fluid triggering tissues damage.
3. After bath, blow dry it with cold-wind blow dryer. This will also help you reducing the bad smell.

However, should your wound leak, drain yellowish or greenish fluid—producing pus, smells bad, be extremely painful, be swollen, and cause you a high fever, you might have to see the doctor because it is possible that you are having an infection.