Swelling after c-section?

MrsRyan61804

I was a littel swollen in the hospital but the dr told told me it was normal and the nurse said it was from being pumped up with so many fluids. Yesterday was our first day home and I noticed them getting bigger and bigger. Is it normal to have this much swelling after? I was never swollen during pg. Should I call the dr?

GypsyEsq

I was told to expect my swelling to get worse before it got better -- and boy did it.  It was probably 2 weeks pp before I saw my shin bone again.  There's a lot of fluids pushed during a cesarean birth.  A lot.  But don't be afraid to call -- I called the doc more than once in that first week just in case.

tnkrbl21

It's probably normal.  I remember thinking that my legs were going to split open and water was going to geyser out.  It was so unbearable.  I had DH rub my legs every night to help break up the fluid and it hurt but it defintely worked. 

howleyshell

With my first - almost no swelling.

With my second - I got HUGE.  I'm talking couldn't bend my ankles huge.  I was huge all over.  I'm talking CRAZY huge.  It got much worse after I got home from the hospital before it got better.  (and like you I didn't swell during pregnancy so this was quite shocking!)

Then....  WOOSH....  Sweat-a-thon.  Night sweats, day sweats, water coming out of every pore in my body.

 

It's normal.

You'll loose that fluid.

Hang in there!

 

 

Mrs.Babbsy

GypsyEsq:

I was told to expect my swelling to get worse before it got better -- and boy did it.  It was probably 2 weeks pp before I saw my shin bone again.  There's a lot of fluids pushed during a cesarean birth.  A lot.  But don't be afraid to call -- I called the doc more than once in that first week just in case.

this!

and warning, you will feel numb below the c-section scar for awhile=(

I STILL feel numb there and hate anything touching that area.

 

kimberic

Oh yeah. I think my toes had fat rolls. It was disgusting. I wish I had taken a picture of it but it was so gross I couldn't. I was sure my feet were going to explode. It finally went away two weeks pp.

I found that staying off your feet as much as possible, ibuprofen and ice packs for 10/15 minutes helped. 

hannah&ben

Pretty normal.  If you have any pain though, call.

All those fluids are pushed into you and they accumulate.  They have to be reabsorbed and eventually you'll tinkle them all out.  Seriously, you'll have a day or 2 where you feel like you'll spend the day on the toilet and then you'll have svelte ankles again

projectkjetil

The good news, from reading the above comments, is that you're probably having normal swelling.

However, I was very swollen before my c-section, but it got worse and worse afterward.  When my milk was late to come in, I went to a lactation consultant who told me to get to the OBs office and ask for monitoring.  Good thing, because they took my blood pressure (160/108) and immediately admitted me for preeclampsia.  I spent the night with a mag sulfate drip, then got IV Lasix treatment, which drained off almost 30 pounds of water weight.  It was insane, and I'm so glad the LC caught it.

Here's my a.svice: if the swelling is concerning to you, take that concern seriously.  There's nothing wrong with getting checked out just in case.

Good luck, and I hope you feel better soon!

CandT

My swelling was worse after c section than when pregnant. It will go away soon!

futrkingsley

I had no swelling while pg, but had an 80 hour (yes eight zero) induction with pitocin and IV fluids, followed by a cesarean. I had gestational high BP with borderline Pre-e. My whole entire body swelled up.  And itched. And I wanted to die.  Well, not die, but I certainly was crazy crazy uncomfortable and miserable.

I couldn't bend my legs, I couldn't see my feet, I had trouble with normal bodily functions (getting up and down from going to the bathroom was a huge issue!).  I was totally not prepared for how awful it was going to be.

It finally got better at 2 weeks post partum.  Like a light switch.  I could see my toes, move my legs and the intense pain from the surgery subsided, all in one day.