'My C-section horror story'

When a vaginal birth is considered too risky and the mother or baby’s health is at risk, doctors usually choose a caesarean section (C-section) birth. This was the case with Amanda. After having given birth to her two children using C-section, a vaginal birth would have been very risky for her. She then chose to have a C-section birth to deliver her baby boy Aluwani.   

But unlike the previous two births, her third caesarean section birth resulted in a horrifying experience. 

"After giving birth to my third born with C-section, I experienced pains that were abnormal. But because I knew C-section operation's pain last for a while, I didn't read much into the pain I was feeling on my first day back at home.”

But Amanda says the pain continued to get worse. 

“On the second day, because of the intense pain I was feeling, I asked my husband to check if the operation was still fine. To our shock, he found that the wound was opened on the side.”

Amanda says she rushed to her doctor to check what could be the problem, but to her disappointment, no explanation was given as to what could have caused the wound to open.

"I went to see the gynaecologist and she advised me to see the wound care specialist. I didn’t even get the proper explanation as to what caused my condition except that he said it normally happens when the tissues are not healing. I didn’t know who to blame and I sadly had to pay the medical costs.”

After consulting a wound care specialist, Amanda’s pain didn’t stop. “I was on treatment for 2 weeks. During the period, my tummy was swollen, and I was in pain. It eventually healed after a month.”

Sister Michelle Smit from Wound Care Clinic in Midrand says it is not unusual for C-section wounds to open up, but if not treated, this could result in the death of the mother. 

“There are a lot of things that could cause a C-section wound to open up such as lifestyle habits like being overweight or smoking and sometimes the wound opens because of an infection. But the first thing any woman should do after noticing that their stitch has opened is to go back to their doctor and find out how serious the problem is.”

If it’s just one stitch that came off, Smit says it is not too much of a problem, and mothers could take antibiotics and put a plaster on the wound. 

“However, if it’s an infection, then it could be a life-threatening situation. You can die from infection if it’s not treated. Remember a C-section birth is a major abdominal surgery. Everything was exposed. So rather be safe than sorry and have the situation assessed by your doctor. Any mother who has given birth is still under her doctor’s care for 6 weeks after delivery and if any complications arise, the doctor by law should treat the mom and give her priority.”

Have you experienced a traumatic birth? Share with us in the comments section below. 

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