post partum

Post Partum

Post partum ( puerperium ) period means the period following childbirth. During this period the healing of the mother's body begins and the body adjusts to the fact that it is not carrying a child inside it. The uterus starts to shrink back to its old size before pregnancy ( called involution ) with contractions called afterpains or afterbirth pains and pain and sore muscles. Sometimes the sucking of the child on the breasts while breastfeeding can trigger the release of the hormones called oxytoxin which can trigger some cramps due to contraction  of the uterus.

Some new mothers will suffer from a temporary loss of hair after childbirth due to hormonal changes.Some new mothers will have a sore back from the epidural shot and the vagina will also be sore especially in the case of a vaginal birth. Some new mothers will suffer difficulty in urination.Some new mothers suffer from post partum rectal bleeding  or rectal itching due to constipation and hemmerhoids.  Some new mothers will suffer from sudden sweating during the night  ( post partum night sweats ) when they sleep since the body is trying to get rid of the fluid retained during the pregnancy  and might also be related to hormonal changes in the post partum period. New mothers are likely to have sore and engorged breasts because the breasts will be filling up with milk for the newborn child.


There might be some heavy discharge of blood and mucus called lochia for around ten days and lighter bleeding for around 4 weeks or more in the post partum period. The body is getting rid of the lining from the womb that was used during the pregnancy. It is better to use pads.It is better not to use tampons during this period ( to reduce the risk of infection ) . Once the lochia discharges changes its colour to white or yellowish white, the discharge is called lochia alba

It might take a period of 5 to 7 weeks for the body to settle back into some sort of normalcy.
The new mother should take care to drink lots of fluids if she is breast feeding her baby. Trying to cut down the body weight while breast feeding might harmfully lower the breast milk production for the child.


Some new mothers get the phenomenon of baby blues from 4 days to 2 weeks after childbirth. It is better to have other friends who are themselves mothers during the post partum period.

There are some common symptoms for baby blues and post partum depression including mood swings, feeling sad and crying, irritability etc.



Some women do not realise that theoretically, they can ovulate and might get pregnant even in the first month after childbirth before they get their first periods after childbirth  (because ovulation occurs first before the first periods ) .

It is better to avoid  birth control using estrogen, if the mother is breast feeding.

Some women will have stretch marks and their belly region might be slightly saggy after child birth, and their hips will be wider even when after they reach their pre - pregnancy body weight .



disclaimer:
There is no guarantee about the data/information on this site. You use the data/information at your own risk. You use the advertisements displayed on this page at your own risk.We are not responsible for the content of external internet sites. Some of the links may not work