C-section Question

You probably should massage it. Massage and vitamin E oil help soften scars. Perhaps your Doctor didn't say anything about it because he/she didn't notice it? Or did you ask him/her directly. you can always see the doctor again and ask him/her about it if you are unsure.

I had two c-sections. The first one left an awful scar. It was a kind raised and uncomfortable and kind of gave me a fold in the skin. The doctor that done the second c-section cut the old scar out (kinda gross) and the scar I have now is a very thin line. You can't feel it but you can see it. It's pretty faint and thin. I never did get full feeling back. It still is a little bit numb, but nothing really noticeable.

Give it time. I had my c-section at age 21 and thought my swimsuit days were over - so I paid close attention to my scar. It will smooth out over time, and it will also fade allot. Eventually it will only be a small indention. I can tell you that mine took far longer to do that than I thought it should. Women kept telling me to just wait, and I didn't believe them. But they were right. So, I would tell you not to massage it for fear of messing up that process. I also wouldn't fool with creams and such. Just give it time. :)

Hi S.,

I had my emergency C-section in 9/07 and I am still lumpy and sore sometimes. I just went back to the doctor to discuss it again. She said that it takes time, could be near the bone, internal stitching, etc. They really don't know. She also checked for a possible hernia and is now checking for infection too.

Don't want to alarm you but wanted to let you know those possibilities. So if it is uncomfortable, especially when "playing tennis" you might want to consider going back to the Doctor and not just waiting.

I am sure you are fine but always good to have peace of mind......... I'm still looking for it. ;)

S.,
I too had a c-section, but almost exactly a year before you. I got a little lump that stayed for a couple of weeks. I think it was an infected or ingrown hair. My doc looked at it & thought the same. And it went away on it's own.
Either way, I would ask your doc to take a look at it. Maybe he/she missed it.
H.

I had my son August of 2007, on one corner of my c-section scar, it looks a bit "pulled" and the skin kinds bulges a bit. My OB told me it was a internal stitch that had been pulled (she said this happens from doing to much to soon). She said it will eventually go away with time...most of my scar is super light and you can hardly see it...but that one corner still looks funny. I still to this day have tenderness, especially when my 1 1/2 year old likes to bounce and step all over me. Now the scar itself is not hard anymore so maybe in a year or so that should go away...

It sounds like scar tissue to me as I've had 3 c-sections. With my second c-section I mentioned to my doctor that I did not like how "ropey" it felt and that it somewhat bulged outward. When I had the third c-section, he cut out the old scar completely and now it's smooth. I'm not sure that the scar will ever not be sensitive. My most recent c-section 2 1/2 years old and it's still sensitive at times. I would talk to your doctor, however just to rule out infection or anything out of the ordinary.

I know exactly what you are talking about. For me, the lump never went away. And I had some numbing feeling and discomfort for some time. Perhaps 6 months to a year after the c-section. I was told it would go away, but it never did. Perhaps you will have better luck. It's not a big deal for me though. I'm assuming you had the today cut that is horizontal instead of vertical. If so, it is below the bikini line where nobody will notice. So I'm fine with it. What I will never be fine with is how hard it was to recover from a c-section and how painful it was for several weeks afterwards. I was not prepared for that at all. I hope you had a better experience.

My daughter is 7 years old. I had a c-section back in 2001. My scar is a thin line (yes it's the bikini horizontal cut) but it's a scar nonetheless. It will be swollen slightly for 2 years... Mine was as you describe yours. The soreness goes away around that time too. Now it will always be a tender area... it's not thick skin that grows there. You will just grow accustomed to that. It will feel hard underneath 7 year later. It's stitched on the inside and outside generally. So there is scar tissue on the inside too. My beef with the procedure (aside from the ridiculous recovery time) was the cutting through your abdominal muscles. It made almost a pooch (something I never in my life had) and I breastfed my daughter for 2 years straight. I lost weight at record speed but that cut through the abs did me in.

I've had 3 c-sections and the scar does go down, what I used was a little cocoa butter and I would massage the scar and the lower part of my belly as well once the soreness went away.

just keep up the messaging and it will get better , I had a hysterectemy and after six months or so it finally looks better its not lumpy anymore!!!

I am not sure of the post-partum c-section massage but I am quite sure you have scar tissue buiklding up in your area there. My advice, which works for me, find a good physical therapist to have them massage it. I had an accident a while back ago that I had 2 surgeries from it and lots of scar tissue. The scar tissue is in the pelvic bone area and makes quality time with the hubby a little painful. I have a physical therapist that massages the area once a week, paid for by the VA. Quality time with the hubby since me going there has been better and more bearable. It took me 5 yrs to find that physical therapist that specializes in womens health. They are out there so I suggest looking for one that does post-pardum massages or ask the ob/gyn or call around physical therapists and asking them for some free advice. I'm not sure if I helped or not but hopefully I did.

YES, massage it the scar tissue & it will go away and make the scar way less - to barely noticable. it will probably hurt, but at the end of the day it will be worth it.

I have the same thing! I have no idea what it is either, but you are definitely not alone.

i had the same thing after i had my son, i had ripped my stitches because i was carrying my daughter and i was scared it was a blood clot or something they had left inside me :). i was a little paranoid. anyway, it was nothing and it mine went away on its own. i don't know how long it took. i just stopped noticing it. but now it's gone.

Yes it is and yes it will. I had the same thing when I had mine in Nov of 2007 and I asked the doctor about it. He told me it was normal and it is now gone(and has been for a long time). Hope this helps!

Any doctor or nurse will tell you that different people scar differently. Some people will have it completely go away and you can't tell. Other people have it stay hard and swollen looking. It's different for everyone. I've had two c-sections and a hysterectomy, so I've got double scars on the lower abs, they'll never go away. But it isn't a big deal. If it worries you, ask your doctor, but you just had yours, so it's still really early to tell what will happen. Try not to get hung up on it though.

Hi S..
I would suggest that you call your OB's office and ask the nurse about it. Your doc may not have mentioned it if you didn't ask about it... If you don't write down your questions beforehand, it is VERY difficult to remember.. especially with a newborn and sleep deprivation, right? Just give them a call, and say "I forgot to ask the doctor about this when I was there".