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Jake Brigstock
May 01, 2024
C-section healing: Expert tips on how to recover from surgery
Times of India - English / VideoElephant
A video is going viral on TikTok showing what goes on during the procedure of babies being delivered by a caesarian section, more commonly known as C-section.
A C-section is a major operation to deliver a baby through a cut made in the tummy and womb with the person giving birth is given spinal or epidural anaesthetic, meaning they will be awake but the lower part of the body is numbed so no pain is felt.
The NHS says a C-section carries a number of risks and it's usually only done if it's the safest option for the person giving birth and their baby.
Talking through what actually happens during a C-section in a video on TikTok, mama_nurse_tina who shares childbirth and pregnancy information explained the different layers that are cut through and used different coloured materials to show this.
@mama_nurse_tina The one that started it all: the layers of a c-section! People are sometimes surprised to find out how much is actually involved in a c-section birth. And April is c-section awareness month…so many congratulations to all the parents who gave birth to their new babies by c-section and who crushed c-section recovery! #csection #csectiondelivery #givingbirth #csectionrecovery #birthtok #birthprep
She said: "The first layer that's going to be cut through is, of course, the skin - now this incision is usually made horizontally though it can be made vertically in an emergency.
"Then you'll find adipose tissue, otherwise known as the fat layer - this is also cut horizontally.
"After the fat comes the fascia - this is a tough, fibrous connective tissue; it's found all throughout the body and it's cut horizontally.
"Next we have the muscles - the muscles aren't usually cut open during a c-section; they are actually pulled apart vertically.
"After that, they come to the peritoneum - this layer is see-through, it's quite thin and it's actually a membrane that lines the abdominal cavity and they cut it vertically.
"After all that, they finally come to the uterus but in their way of your uterus is your bladder and they don't want to risk injuring your bladder during surgery. It's actually pulled out of the way with a protective device. With that out of the way, they can finally cut into the uterus - now this incision is usually done horizontally as well but in an emergency, they can cut it vertically to gain access to baby quicker.
"Then it's time to actually see baby because all that's left is the amniotic sac - this can be cut open, it can be pulled open, it's not staying in the body and it's not getting repaired.
"There you go - as you can see, this is not by any means a simple surgery and there are actually seven layers to get to your baby."
The video has 3.4m views at the time of writing, with 41.8k shares, 210k likes, 14.9k bookmark and more than 2k comments.
And users in the comments can't believe their eyes.
MamaMagz said: "I applaud C-section moms because I can't imagine all of that healing process."
Adriana Torres said: "So you're telling me this all happened to me in less than an hour?!"
One user said: "THEY DO THIS TO YOU WHILE CONSCIOUS I COULDN'T HANDLE THAT."
Another said: "It hurt watching this, one year postpartum after a C-section."
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