Stitches (sutures)Surgical grade glueStaples
When repairing the incision after you give birth, your doctor will decide what is the best type of material to use. The decision will be made taking into account their normal practices, your skin, your body type, and other factors in your medical history. Some stitches will need to be removed; others dissolve on their own and do not need to be removed. Staples will always need to be removed. This usually happens before you leave the hospital after you’ve had your baby, but occasionally will not happen until after you’ve left the hospital. If this is the case, you may need to come in for an appointment with your practitioner, or it may be done by a home health professional. If you are anxious, you may want to ensure that you have someone else with you to hold your baby, if you brought them. It might also be great to have someone to hold your hand during this procedure. While it’s not usually painful, it can still be nerve-wracking. If you are still in the hospital, you may need to have a bandage removed first. Like many adhesives, it can hurt to have that pulled off of your skin. The nurse or doctor will do their best to brace your incision to make it less painful. If you have some crusted blood that has formed a scab around the staple, your doctor or their assistant may try to soften the scab with water or hydrogen peroxide. This will help prevent pain from the scab being disturbed. Your doctor will also give you instructions on how to care for your incision and discuss warning signs for your incision. Be sure to get these in writing so that you don’t forget them. This can be easy to do when you’ve got a new baby and you are recovering from surgery. It’s also handy to give them to those helping you care for you and the baby.
