In medical and popular sources a lot of attention is paid to the process of childbirth and preparation for it. But recovery after childbirth is no less important process to which a woman should pay no less attention. After all, after 9 months of childbirth the body needs rehabilitation, it is necessary to restore hormonal background, to ensure and maintain normal functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, establish breastfeeding, care for stitches after birth, if they were imposed in connection with ruptures or caesarean section surgery. Postpartum recovery process affects the further health of the woman, who should now take care of it with redoubled vigor.
Postpartum rehabilitation is an important and lengthy process consisting of 2 periods – early and late. The first lasts 2 hours after delivery and is supervised by the maternity hospital staff, as complications such as changes in blood pressure, bleeding, and fever can occur during this stage.
The second takes about 6-8 weeks, during which time all the systems and organs involved during pregnancy and childbirth recover after delivery.
Full recovery after childbirth can take up to 2 years, especially if the baby is delivered by cesarean section. Some changes are externally imperceptible (except stretch marks), but are irreversible. Such negative changes can only be detected by gynecologists during examinations – the size of the vagina and uterus, the shape of the external pharynx, the cervix change.
Hormonal background begins to change even during pregnancy. This is especially true for the hormones progesterone, estrogen and human chorionic gonadotropin, as well as oxytocin and prolactin. The hormone prolactin is responsible for the initiation of breastfeeding after delivery. Its level gradually increases during pregnancy and reaches the necessary concentration for breastfeeding to start by the time of delivery. Oxytocin is responsible for the emptying of the mammary glands.
A frequent occurrence after childbirth is a hormonal imbalance. Usually the background stabilizes
for some time without intervention. Otherwise, after a few months you will need to consult a gynecologist-endocrinologist for recommendations on its restoration. In such a situation, as a rule, a specialist prescribes hormonal drugs, which are chosen personally for each woman.
The recovery of the female body after childbirth and the appearance of pain in the muscles, joints and back is a natural phenomenon and is closely connected with the excessive muscle tension that occurs during childbirth. As a rule, after a while they disappear in the same natural way and there is no need to resort to drug therapy.
For pain in the spine and back after childbirth, physical exercises are recommended:
The exercise should be done 8-10 times, then repeat the same for the left leg.
One can get rid of back pain by not lifting weights, less bending over, choosing the most comfortable position for the back with support under the lower back while feeding.
Recovery after childbirth also includes special skin care. During pregnancy and while nursing the baby, women’s bodies undergo hormonal changes that often affect the skin. The transformations that occur are unpredictable. The skin can get rid of acne completely, its greasiness decreases, and other positive processes become active. But the skin can also age or become duller, or inflammatory processes can occur. Solve the problems arising from the proper care at home is usually not possible.
In this case, have to resort to the methods of professional cosmetology:
In order not to deal with the restoration of teeth after childbirth, it is necessary to take preventive measures – to treat them during the planning stage of pregnancy. However, this may not solve the problem and after childbirth, many women face the loss of fillings, the development of tooth decay, gum inflammation due to a lack of calcium in the body and reduced immunity after childbirth. To prevent such phenomena, it is necessary to include products containing calcium in the diet, take special vitamin and mineral preparations, and use pastes for sensitive teeth.
Postpartum hair loss usually begins about three months after childbirth. You can reduce the severity of the problem by eating a balanced diet, limiting experimentation with your hair – avoid frequent, rough brushing and severe drying. Your doctor can also prescribe vasodilators to stimulate hair growth.
The postpartum rehabilitation program, among the physiological functions that need to be restored, also includes addressing vision problems. Negative changes are due to the fact that increased estrogen levels lead to an accumulation of fluid in the eye lens. This leads to changes in its refractive properties and size, physical properties of the cornea and sclera, and the eye muscles become weaker. If your eyesight worsens after delivery, you should consult a doctor who will determine the optimal treatment.
It will be necessary to take multivitamin complexes, diversify your food with products rich in B vitamins, carotene, and antioxidants. It also helps to train the eye muscles and accommodation apparatus, which allows you to relieve eye fatigue and tension. This may include sideways movements, rotations, squeezing, shifting the gaze from near objects to distant ones, and gentle massage through closed eyelids.
Many women experience changes in the geometry of the foot arch during pregnancy, which causes the foot to become wider and longer. Usually, this situation is characteristic of the first pregnancy. The main causes of this phenomenon are “spreading” of the foot and edema. In addition, factors leading to an increase in the size of the foot can include the production of the hormone relaxin, which affects the ligaments of the foot, causing them to “move apart”; previous injuries of the foot; varicose veins.
The previous foot size may not be able to be repaired after childbirth. This often occurs in women whose initial background is scoliosis and coccyx injuries, which result in the body holding the feet in the correct position with great strain. In this case, the only way out is to buy new shoes in a larger size.
The program of rehabilitation of the female body cannot not include such a point as the recovery of the figure after childbirth. And it can not be realized without bringing back to normal the most aesthetically “affected” part of the body during pregnancy – distended abdomen. To restore the figure you can start in the second period, if there are no contraindications and the doctor does not see any obstacles to this. You should start with a proper diet and drinking habits.
Necessary:
Recovery after childbirth of the abdominal muscles is possible with physical activity on the abdominal area and on the whole body. You can start exercising not earlier than the sixth to eighth week after childbirth, and intensive training – only after six months.
It is impossible to restore the figure after childbirth without trying to return the breasts to their original appearance and shape. The problem of recovery after childbirth during breastfeeding is especially urgent. Because in addition to the fact that changes begin to occur during pregnancy, the subsequent period, when a woman breastfeeding, mammary glands are also intensely involved, the skin continues to stretch.
For postpartum recovery of the breasts to go more successfully it is necessary to:
The problem of recovery after childbirth concerns not only the normal functioning of the internal organs and systems of a woman who has just become a mother, her figure and physical health, but also her psychological state. Because during pregnancy restructuring occurred in the emotional and psychological sphere, which could not pass without leaving a trace. According to statistics, one in ten women in labor is subjected to postpartum depression, which alone can not cope – you need help from a specialist.
Even if the observed irritability, tearfulness, frequent mood swings can help the psychological recovery after childbirth can help relatives, releasing women from some of the worries, the possibility of obtaining positive emotions.
The intimate sphere is also subject to recovery after childbirth. This part of life also requires some work on yourself, because the perineum during childbirth stretch a lot, mucous membranes are traumatized. The stitches resorb on their own, but the sutures that sew the skin together must be removed in a medical facility 5-6 days after delivery. Sometimes the stitch from the episiotomy is bothersome, squeezing and painful.
You should start intimacy in this regard, waiting until the end of the late postpartum period. It is important to wait for the restoration of hormonal balance, because the absence of estrogen during breastfeeding or before menstruation causes temporary dryness, complicating intimacy. In such a situation it makes sense to use a softening gel.
Comprehensive restructuring of the body with the onset of pregnancy leads to changes in appearance…
The coronavirus pandemic, which has held the entire world captive for two years now, affects…
With the extreme risk of coronavirus infection in all populations, including pregnant and breastfeeding mothers,…
Almost all women who have just become mothers have had to deal with the problem…
Despite the lengthy preparation throughout pregnancy for the birth of the baby and further breastfeeding,…
Many mothers do not want to be on maternity leave for a long time, they…