Recovery time after childbirth

Recovery time after childbirth

Childbirth represents the final step in the pregnancy period, which includes birth of one, or sometimes more newborn infants. This can be done in two ways; one that is natural, vaginal birth and another, which is with the help of C-section. Vaginal can be induced with special instruments, while C section is actually a type of surgery, where the muscles of abdomen and uterus are cut in order to deliver a baby.

As for new mothers, they should know that tiredness is very common in the first couple of weeks after the childbirth.This means that resting is necessary and it should be done as often as possible. Usually, bigger stomach is still present, and this is mostly because of the uterus (which is still big) and the muscles in the area that are still stressed and longer than usual. Abdominal pain and cramps are also present, bu tit is a sign that everything is returning to the previous position before the pregnancy. This process is intensified with breastfeeding (even cramps might occur in that moment). Since there was no period (menstrual cycle) during pregnancy, it is expected to return in a while. This might begin with bleeding for a month, maybe even longer. But this will subdue in time and stop eventually.

Some analgesics might be used in order to deal with soreness that will occur in perineum. Usual problem that appears after delivering a baby is constipation. This can be countered with food that contains a lot of fibers, and also, intake of large amounts of water is necessity. Sometimes laxatives are used. There are also a lot of changes with breasts. One of the major hormones that induce lactation is prolactin, its levels are highest at the end of the pregnancy because in those moments breasts are prepared for breastfeeding. Breasts are larger, and only couple of days after the birth, milk comes in. It is very important to learn properly how to breastfeed a baby, because mother’s milk is enriched with vitamins, proteins,carbohydrates and fats which are needed. When the C section is performed,it is obvious that recovery time might last a lot longer. Still, the period needed for mother to recover fully differs in each situation.

What else should be known?

There are also some emotional issues that might rise and they are induced with hormonal changes in the organism, and also with the general change of life habits that happen when a baby arrives. Those issues include crying for no obvious reason, nervousness, sometimes even anxiety. More complicated form of these emotional problems is called postpartum depression,which is more common if there are stress factors, depression in family etc. As for sexual activities, it is important to make a pause for a while, simply to wait for the organism to heal itself and return to a state before the pregnancy began.

As for the things that help new mothers deal with these big changes, there are several things to consider. Light exercises are recommended, of course if the doctor allows exercising; there are some midst can help with the recovery after childbirth and that are not dangerous(for the mother, or the baby). Also, organizing a daily routine can be very helpful. Mothers should try to rest every time when the baby is asleep, but relaxing and creating a short time to spend with a partner is also healing.But, the most important thing is to enjoy the time spent with the baby.Sometimes, it is all that takes for healing.