C-Section Mamas...anyone have a hematoma afterwards?

sophie888

Had my little guy on Friday.  Along with an adorable baby, I also got an awful hematoma right above the incision.

Dr. said one of 2 things will happen:  my body will reabsorb the pooled blood and it will resolve on its own OR it will cause my incision to split open which will require her to remove the clots with me healing "from the inside out". 

I'm rooting for option 1! 

Anyone else have experience with this?

alatham

I did not, but I wanted to say I hope you heal well!

Congrats on your little one!

*Bee*

I did not have a c-section, but I did get a hematoma along my stitch line from my vaginal birth.  It was huge and the doc said if it did not start to shrink down in one day I would have to have surgery to have it fixed.  It reabsorbed all on its own though.  Hopefully yours will too!!  Good luck!

WaitingForMyMiracle

I had a huge one.

Dr told me to put a heating pad on it as much as possible and the heat will break up the clotted blood to be reabsorbed. While this worked a little bit, my incision bled. And I mean BLED. All the time. I had to wear a pad on it for two weeks post c/s. I finally had to call the OB back b/c it was starting to hurt more and he basically opened up the incision again at his office to drain.

It wasn't as painful as it sounds, but it was uncomfortable. Eventually, the clots started coming out of the small openings he made (disgusting. I actually gagged once), and by start of week 3, I was completely healed!

Sorry if this is TMI, but I want you to know how it really was. It sucked and I cried alot b/c of the discomfort and basic inconvenience of still being in so much pain and bleeding while trying to care for LO. I hope it heals quickly for you! If you have any questions, you can PM me and I'd be happy to help!

sophie888

Thanks for the congrats!   

I certainly hope it heals on it's own.  Having my doctor "clean out the clots" sounds less than appealing....

sophie888

WaitingForMyMiracle:

I had a huge one.

Dr told me to put a heating pad on it as much as possible and the heat will break up the clotted blood to be reabsorbed. While this worked a little bit, my incision bled. And I mean BLED. All the time. I had to wear a pad on it for two weeks post c/s. I finally had to call the OB back b/c it was starting to hurt more and he basically opened up the incision again at his office to drain.

It wasn't as painful as it sounds, but it was uncomfortable. Eventually, the clots started coming out of the small openings he made (disgusting. I actually gagged once), and by start of week 3, I was completely healed!

Sorry if this is TMI, but I want you to know how it really was. It sucked and I cried alot b/c of the discomfort and basic inconvenience of still being in so much pain and bleeding while trying to care for LO. I hope it heals quickly for you! If you have any questions, you can PM me and I'd be happy to help!

Not TMI at all.  I needed to hear this!  How long was it before your dr. had to drain it? 

WaitingForMyMiracle

I went back during week 2. I can't remember exactly.

He reprimanded me for not putting heat on it enough, saying that was why is closed back up before it was done draining/healing. It was dried up within a week of the appt.

ETA: Make sure you keep up with your meds! I had to call the OB office to get more percocet b/c the pain was too much. You have to stay on top of it. And if you're hurting or you're worried about the condition of the incision, insist to be seen by your OB.

mkaltsas

I had a huge hematoma as well. Be careful because a hematoma can be a breeding ground for infection. 1 week in I had an infection. At 7 weeks I got another infection and was healed. Put a heating pad on as often as possible. After mine went 7 weeks and barely getting smaller they told me to put heat on it. I did and set the timer when I went to bed. I woke up the next morning covered in blood. I had a tiny tear from the pressure. The ER Dr. drained it through the hole and it hurt. It drained for 2 weeks before closing. It sounds gross but it was a relief. I agree to keep up on pain meds if needed. Hope that wasn't tmi.

Mysticblossom21

I had DD on a Tuesday and we came home on Sunday and the incision split open about an inch and a half wide on the left side. Blood and fluid poured out at first. DH had to end up packing the wound for 2 weeks and I had to have a pad over the incision to soak up the blood and fluid. It had a bad smell too *gag* and I had to take antibiotics.

One bit of advice that really seemed to help with the healing process was to use 1/2 water and 1/2 peroxide mix and rub this over the whole incision and then use a blow dryer. The water/peroxide mix helps heal the incision and the dryer locks it in. By the third week there was no longer any need to have DH pack the wound.

GL!