Photo: Jerome Tisne (Getty)
Sometimes the more you know is, well, gross.
According to Live Science, mothers who had a C-section while delivering their baby should chew gum three times a day for up to 30 minutes at a time because it will eventually make them fart, and that’s a good indication that “normal gut function” is right around the corner.
You see, kids, the abdominal inflammation that results after a C-section is performed can lead to “postoperative ileus.” That means “the normal movements of a person’s bowels — which squeeze and relax to move food along — slow down or sometimes even stop entirely.”
The scientific cure for such an ailment? You guessed it: chewing gum until you drop ass. No, seriously:
“Chewing gum can trick the body into thinking that the person is eating, Berghella said. It gets saliva flowing in the mouth and can help send signals to the gut to start moving again, he said.
In the meta-analysis, the researchers looked at 17 studies that included a total of more than 3,000 women. All of the studies focused on one simple question: How long did it take after the C-section for the woman to fart?
Passing gas is one of the earliest signs that a person’s bowels are back to functioning normally, Berghella said. It’s a signal that there are no blockages in the gut and things are moving along, he added.
In most of the studies, the women were given gum within 2 hours of their delivery, and asked to chew it three times a day for 15 to 30 minutes at a time. The researchers found that, on average, women who chewed gum farted about 6.5 hours sooner than those who were not given gum: Gum chewers experienced their first fart about 23 hours after the operation, compared with non-chewers, who didn’t fart until about 29.5 hours after the operation. There were no side effects from chewing gum, Berghella said.”
Beautiful.
It is worth noting, however, that chewing gum so you can fart is also a great way to get your husband to talk to other women.
