Just had twins and a C-Section Help!

I just had twins, a boy and girl, almost 3 weeks ago and my first c-section and I am totally freaking out. Is it normal after the surgery to have a hard lump right above the cut (bikini). I just went back to the doctor this past Monday and they had to cut two small abscess off from a small section of the c-section cut. Can anyone let me know what I should be looking for? How long does it take for you to heal completely, internally, from a c-section?

ahhh...the lovely c-section....

I have had two.  The first one with one child and they sewed me up and it healed in like two days..completely and lovely except for maybe the nasty hairbumps from the nurse dry shaving me..ugh!  But then the second birth was twins and i choose to have another c-section...but this time they ignored my choice to have a sewn incision and stapled me!!!!!  ugh!  I was not in all agreement because after working in the or, staples just look gross and you have to fold out the skin to get a closure..groosssss...it ends up looking like a vagina...anyhooo..not to be groos..but stapling an incision can cause more infection and also it can lead to a longer healing time.  I had a bad healing time, with a little sensitivty and had to wear a gauze there, for discharge form the incision and all..it was gross...i'm guessing you had the abcess because of an infection or puss from it being closed poorly.  What I can recommend, is using a mild soap, or a tea tree oil astringent to clean the area at least twice a day, and try to keep it dry...the moisture will only prolong the healing and it wont scab up...you could also up your omega-3's and magnesium to help in inflammation and healing.  Just keep the area dry, and try not to rub against it toomuch.  This is where the granny panies are lovely..you can pull them up high above the incision sight and put a gauze there to keep it from sweating. 

If you start to have any discharge or foul odor coming from the incision you need to see your doctor immeadiately as this can be a sign of an infection at the site.  Once you've heale don the outside, remember your muscles on the inside are still like "WTF happened here!"  so you need to eat a lot of protein to help in the repair of muscle fiber and the growth of new healthy cells..Dont try to do any heavy lifting still for a while and if you do, remember to pull in form your belly button, i still experience some weakness my twins are 2 years old, and the separation down the middle is still very depp, but the lower abs have healed completey.  I think within their first year of birth i could do legs lifts okay at the gym with no real pain...just see your doctor or PA if you have any trouble that you feel is serious or questionable. 

oh..and congrats! 

Thank you SO much. I was about to lose my mind over here. I too had the staples, which they took out on my last day of my stay in the hospital. Then tape was applied. I can't remember how long the tape is suppose to stay on. I wasn't sure if I should be getting the incision wet or not so I have been doing sponge baths. I was told to keep peroxide on the incision, however what you said about keeping the area clean and dry makes more sense. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Thank you again for the tips. Now, how is it raising twins?

well, if you have a twins or multiples group near you...join it!!!  Learn to clip coupons like a second religion for everything!  Sign up for huggies, by mail they send coupons to your home, and also anything free is a plus...family members that want to get clothes, ask the kidly to buy clothes too big..like a whole year sometimes...once those babies start moving they will be going through more clothes than when they are sitting and crawling.  YOu are so lucky to have a boy and a girl!  uh! I'm so jealous...that's a perfect combo right there..although they can't ever share clothes...lol.  but they must be precious!  twins are an assignment you would only have been given if you truely were meant to be a mom of twins.  Not an accident of nature at all...God gives you definietly what you can handle...it might seem tough, but give it a few weeks, and it'll be cake!  honestly.  rmeember routines, i started giving mine lavender bubble baths at night when they were like a couple months old and by four months they slept 12 hours straight!  They thrive on you, so however you are feeling they will ultimately feel the same way...bonding and living life like nothing has to be altered now that you have twins is important...I still took them everywhere i went unless impossible, being a single mom was hard, but life has it's sweet rewards, and you can't put a price on having healthy babies!

Did they give you any antibiotics?  I had a c-section with my little girl and it got infected.  The hardness that they noticed when my staples were removed was actually infection and fluid built up and it eventually my incision busted open and I had to go back into the hospital for about a week and then we had to pack my stomach so it could heal from the inside out for two months.  I had a gross two inch wide and about two inch deep hole.

Not trying to scare you but you did say that you went to the doctor so just wanted to make sure that they treated you for infection.  I had other serious issues too pre-eclampsia plus my daughter had to be taken back to the hospital for more jaundice treatments so I might have over done it a little which probably attributed to my incision busting open. 

My recommendation is to take it as easy as you can...I know it is going to be hard with twins.  Congrats to you by the way!!!  It will be a little while before you feel yourself again...just take care of yourself and enjoy those babies they don't stay little and cuddly for long...they eventually turn into independant 2 1/2 year olds that don't want cuddling and a mommy to help them out.

Tanya

"They" whoever they are, say that it takes at least 6 weeks to heal internally after a CS.  It helps to remember that there are many different layers that were all stitched up as well, uterus, fascia, peritoneum, muscle, fat, skin etc.  Its not just a simple incision.  Actually, is the sewing up afterwards which takes the longest part of the operation!

It does not sound good if they have already had to remove two small abscess.  Things you should be looking for are hard lumps, like the one you already have, (which you should get looked at as well).  It could just be a collection of fluid, but a collection of fluid has more chance of developing an infection as well. Other things to look for are change in body temperature if you start to feel unwell, like you are getting the flu, or any leakage and redness from the surgery site.  Unfortunately there seems to be a higher risk of infection from staples compared to sutures, that is a personal observation (sorry, I was a midwife for many years), it breaks the skin integrity even further, and allows a path for infection. Dr's continue to use them because it is really quick way to join the skin (much much quicker than subcutaneous sutures), and theorectically, it leaves a better scar.

It is really important once you get clearance from your doctor to start doing exercises to strengthen your abdominal muscles, particularly after having twins and a LSCS. Like mv3 was talking about.  My SIL had a huge abdominus rectus separation (separation of the abdominal muscles) after having her 11lb baby girl, and did not do any exercises after her LSCS.  I nagged and nagged her about it, because with out strong abdominal muscles, you can easily put your back out.  Sure enough, 3 months after having Abby, I got an emergency call from my brother, to say that he had booked a ticket for me to come and stay, because my SIL had put her back out picking up a tissue box off the floor.  To bad if I had plans! I didn't say I told you so, it was really great for me! I had a lot of fun playing with Abby for a few weeks until my SIL was able to lift her up again.  Swimming is a very good exercise as well.  Sorry, that was a bit off topic, its hard for me to switch out of 'midwife mode' sometimes.

Other than that everything that mv3 said about how to look after your incision is spot on.  Wash it everyday in the shower, and pat it dry afterwards, its a good way to keep an eye on it.  You can use a hair dryer on a cool setting if you have a 'overhang', it can really help.

Tandr1031 No they did not give me any antibiotics. A friend ask me that yesterday. The hard lump that I noticed has not gone down. I think due to me pushing on it, however there is still a hardness right above the incision. The feeling is coming back so it is a little tender. i have noticed a spot or two of blood from that spot. I think I may have been doing to much lately. I called my doctor back and told him that I was feeling depressed and I was not eating anymore and he told me to get out of the house and make sure that I was not just laying in the bed all day. After that advice is when I have been noticing the spot of blood.

Thanks spankyraven. I was feeling a little "fluish" but only in the mornings when getting out of bed.  Also, would that explain why I feel aches and pains in my pelvic area when turning from side to side while lying down in the bed for a long time? I will be calling my doctor today to get a full check up.  Thanks again for the information