Cesarean delivery is a process through which a fetus is delivered by an incision in the mother's uterus or abdomen. A C-section followed by predischarge maternal pain and stress. This study provides knowledge about the care implementations that should be supported after cesarean delivery.

To characterize predischarge maternal pain and stress after cesarean delivery and short hospitalization.

This was a descriptive study with 60 women in the postoperative period of cesarean section and 60 control women after vaginal delivery. Pain and stress were measured by McGill Pain Questionnaire (MGPQ) and by the Stress Measure (Psychological Stress Measure (PSM)), respectively, at mother-infant dyad discharge, scheduled at 36 hours after delivery.

Cesarean section was the delivery modality with the highest MGPQ pain and sensorial, evaluative and mixed pain descriptive categories scores. The pain location involved lower abdomen, with associated localization at back, breast, and shoulders. Conversely, vaginal delivery was the delivery modality with the highest stress scores.

This study provides important information on the quality of care implications of early discharge practices in puerperal after cesarean delivery, a critical time characterized by qualitatively and quantitatively high pain and stress.