Written by: Kendra Toothill, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Yup. It’s true. Your c-section scar could be the reason why your digestive health issues are persisting.
Are you experiencing bloating, irregular bowel movements, food intolerances, acid reflux, or other gut problems with uncertainty as to why they are happening? Maybe the more valuable question that we’ll dive into together is: How do you resolve these digestive issues for good?
Let’s begin in the same place that all my clients start in. With a simple question.
Have you considered that your c-section scar and your digestive health issues are linked?
This is a rarely discussed topic. I don’t know anyone else who is talking about it or linking these two things together like I am. This is the accumulation of nearly a decade of clinical expertise working with scars and women. I am super stoked to share it with you!
So, the first few things you may be thinking (& I hear these a lot!):
“but my scar isn’t new, it’s been there a while.”
“I don’t notice my scar causing me any discomfort.”
“My doctor did a great job stitching me up!”
All valid and often very true! In actuality, none of those factors matter when it comes to your digestive health and your c-section scar… and this is the exciting part. Why is this exciting? I’m going to walk us through why scars matter and then the basics about how to begin effectively working with your scar to resolve your digestive challenges. It’s been my experience that any woman on planet earth with a c-section scar who’s suffering from gut stuff can heal their digestive health. It doesn’t matter how old the scar is, if it was sewn up by a stitching ninja, or if you pay any attention to your c-section scar or not.
Ready?
Let’s dive in!
To kick off, I want to share a simple thought process that I instill in my clients:
Once you know the answer to WHY something is happening then the process of HOW to resolve it becomes exponentially more clear.
Building Your Inner Intelligence
This methodology isn’t necessarily trendy or the “cool-thing-to-do”. It won’t make me a bestselling author or insta-famous. Why? It requires grit. Each woman will also need a healthy dose of digging deep and a personalized approach to healing which is something you just can’t get from a generalized book or a flashy meme. Completely tossing away the concepts of band-aid methods or quick fixes requires three things; leaning into your life story & experiences(1) and using that to make sense of your pain & symptoms(2) so that you can authentically explore your needs & desires(3). This process builds inner intelligence, which helps you to communicate with and be at ease in your body. In this modern world, we typically skip over at least one of these three foundational pillars and lose the depth of healing that is necessary for each woman's true transformation. In my years of working with women, this process is profoundly healing and I think it’s the best way to get results that ultimately lead to a happier and healthier life.
Common Symptoms & Why
To bring it home, let’s briefly highlight some of the ways a cesarean scar can create some of the symptoms you feel in your body right now. Remember, each woman has the potential to completely heal these with the right approach.
Three Ways Your C-Section Scar Negatively Impacts Your Digestive Health:
1. Healthy Abdominal Pressure Is Off
During the c-section procedure, the abdominal cavity is opened and there will be adhesions that form post-birth that will alter the natural and appropriate levels of pressure that are required in the abdominal cavity.
When the pressure is off in the abdomen it can create a whole host of symptoms, most commonly: bloating, wind, pelvic floor dysfunction, back pain, and irregular bowel movements.
2. Scar Tissue Disturbing Nearby Organs
The healing of the c-section will create scar tissue and if that scar tissue is next to or on top of any organ it will stick itself onto the organ and create a push-pull force. This puts the organ(s) into restrictive shapes, reduces peristalsis (natural contractions of the intestines to move food down the canal), and any other natural functioning like secreting enzymes, absorbing water, etc.
You can have many sorts of digestive symptoms arising because of the scar adhering to neighboring organs including poor nutrient absorption, food intolerances, inflammation, and the bladder can also be affected because of its proximity to the scar.
3. Breathing Is Shallow & Short
A common pattern I have seen clinically is that wherever there is a scar, you will not be breathing into that area. It’s quite rare for a woman to be breathing down into her lower abdomen where the cesarean is located. This means she is not getting full, smooth, diaphragmatic breathing. Proper breathing is vital for healthy massaging of the abdominal organs and regulates our nervous system (among other things!).
It’s very common to have acid reflux, anxiety, pelvic floor dysfunction, low back pain, and irregular bowel movements when the breath is not optimal.
Two Reasons Why Scars Matter
So, how does the c-section scar create these problems?
As the incision heals it will create a scar. That scar tissue will embed deep into the body beyond the visual scar that you see on your skin. This step is a necessary one! It's natural and required for the full healing of the area. This is important when thinking about the scars' impact. When the scar is worked appropriately this is significantly reduced or gone altogether.
1. Spider-man’s Web In A Place Where It Wasn’t Before
Imagine the finished product having a similar consistency to a thick spiderman’s web or a bunch of dense chewing gum. This is now in a significant place in the body where it wasn’t before.
2. Location & Size Matters. The Scar Is:
Taking up a good amount of real estate on your abdomen (compare it to a laparoscopy or puncture scar), meaning a larger amount of scar tissue will be present.
At a significant location where there are a lot of essential organs and vital digestive processes happening every second of every day.
An incision through all the layers of your abdominal muscles that act as stabilizers for your spine aids in functional breathing and also assists in a healthy digestive process.
Healthy Guts = Happy Life
For a moment let’s simplistically imagine the digestive system. Visualize it as a system of tubing stuck together, almost like a series of waterslide sections connected but much more flexible. Visualize the scar adhesions (spider-man’s web) changing the shape and connection points of the tubing (aka organs). It would be harder to have a smooth passage of anything entering or exiting the area, right? The body has to work harder to do what it needs to do.
When anything needs to work harder than necessary, over time it gets depleted, drained, and bogged down. When this happens to our digestive system we can feel the effects in so many ways; like poor sleep, emotional reactivity, exhaustion, low libido, lack of motivation ‒ so much! Our digestive health is vital to the total health of our body and mind. We intuitively know this too. If you’re not running smoothly, life isn’t feeling smooth either and if you’ve been struggling with your digestive health for some time, you can relate to how much it can affect your whole life.
What are some positive ways you can start working with your scar right now?
3 Truths For Beginning To Work With Your Scar
You can get started on working with your scar today! Every woman is capable of building her inner intelligence so that she can communicate with her body and feel the freedom that comes from knowing what her body needs. Let’s start that process now:
1. TRUTH No.1 ‒ You Are Not A Project To Be Completed.
For all you eager overachieving moms ‒ this one is important! Every scar has a story which means we want to respectfully engage in a healing process with our bodies.
This is not a process of stronger-harder-faster = better results. Absolutely not. Ultimately, this is about building a relationship with your body and re-claiming the relaxing ease that comes from knowing your needs and desires. We can’t overpower or force ourselves into that place even if we want to. We need a specialized approach instead.
2. TRUTH No.2 ‒ Any Woman Can Transform Her C-Section Scar.
I’ve worked with women in their 90s who have benefitted from this process. It doesn’t matter how old your scar is, how confused you are about your digestive health, or any of these other factors. What matters is the process. Start to feel that confidence already you can do this!
With guidance you will be able to communicate with your body and transform the scar using a variety of ways including manually with your hands, specific physical movements, and through your breath, relaxing the scar from the inside-out.
3. TRUTH No.3 ‒ An Integrated Approach Gives Rise To Deep Change
○ Using the scar to access deeper levels of healing is a unique approach ‒ to say the least! It gives you access to stuck emotional energy, better movement in your body, and yes, resolution of your digestive health issues. This is the benefit that comes from taking a wide-angled view of
health and healing. We are ditching the standardized protocols and one-size-fits-all mentalities and this is what brings that juicy, real, and authentic transformation.
Common Areas That Have Positive Change When Going Through The Process When we adopt these 3 truths and begin to think about our symptoms and struggles in a holistic way, we can heal many things at once, which is awesome! Who doesn’t want to save time and energy? Here are common positive effects I regularly hear my clients raving about:
1. Digestive Ease In All Sorts Of Ways
2. Physical Movements Including Any Pain or Body Aches Resolve
3. Sleep Improves Including Fewer Trips To The Bathroom
4. Inflammation Reduces Significantly
5. Psycho-Emotional Wellness Starts Rising
6. Brain Fog, Lethargy &/or Lack of Motivation Is Gone
How To Begin
If you’re still reading this, congratulations! Your attention span is greater than millions of other people. Seriously though, that is worth noting! It’s also very likely that you’re resonating with what I am sharing and maybe you’ve been on the journey towards positive health for some time now. Maybe you’ve tried other standard methods of treatment but you are still not experiencing the results you’re looking for. You want to figure out why your digestive health issues aren’t resolving and how to heal on a deeper level, so you can be at ease in your body.
It’s been my experience that women who go through the process of building their inner intelligence which happens through the healing of their scars experience freedom in their body and mind that's cultivated by getting in touch with and communicating with their body again.
If this all feels good in your body as you’re reading, I want to offer you a free 30-minute consultation. Let’s chat further so that you can share your pain & symptoms, needs & desires, and life story & experiences. Follow this link to find a time that suits you. I look forward to chatting!
Kendra Toothill, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Kendra Toothill is an Athletic Therapist who's evolved into the field of Holistic Women's Health. She draws from a decade of clinical experience and a variety of therapeutic modalities to guide women through the process of finding out why they are stuck and how to heal on a deeper level, so they can be at ease in their bodies by building inner intelligence. Originally from Canada, Kendra now lives in Costa Rica and embraces the joy of life by appreciating nature, practicing health and energy cultivation methods, and guiding women through transformation.
