In the Postpartum period, many things happen, from healing from birth, worrying about our own body symptoms to taking care of our new baby. After nine months of waiting, you are probably excited to finally be home with your new baby, but it is important to remember that your body went through a thousand changes and you need to heal and take care of yourself too.
Ways To A Better Health
It takes your baby 9 months to grow and have a baby and now that it’s done, you will begin to feel like yourself anytime soon. In a few months, you should be well on your way to recovery.
Postpartum Recovery Challenges:
Abdominal Pain
After the baby is born, your uterus shrinks back to the normal size and shape causing slight after pains in the abdomen. They are usually mild pains but sometimes there’s a sharp pinching like pain, that might occur while breastfeeding your baby. That is because breastfeeding stimulates a chemical in your body that causes the uterus to contract to tighten.
Strange Feeling About The Stomach
Since for the last 9 months, you had a baby growing inside your stomach, after the baby is born, you get a strange feeling about your stomach. It feels like Jell-O and gooey at the same time.
Hurts To Sit And Stand
It becomes a little hard to sit and stand back because of the pain in the abdominal area as it still hurts. Everything feels sore down there from carrying the baby, from delivering the baby, from stitches or staples. This might cause pain even while peeing.
Sweaty And Sleepless Nights
After the pregnancy, the hormones start to normalize as a result of which, you might feel sweaty. The sweating can be too much which can irritate you and can lead you to have a sleepless night too sometimes!
Baby Blues
Baby blues basically is a phase where moms feel sad even after the baby is born. This is due to the changing hormones. It can be confusing, especially to new moms and many women struggle with this kind of feeling. Postpartum depression is more serious than baby blues. If you have severe feelings of sadness and helplessness or hopelessness, take medical assistance immediately.
Hemorrhoids
Haemorrhoid is a painful swelling of a vein in the rectum. It may have developed during pregnancy. They can itch, or bleed, or cause pain during a bowel movement. You can apply hazel to your hemorrhoids to relieve the pain.
Unsettling Hunger Or No Hunger
This can be felt a lot during postpartum. Either you’ll feel so hungry or not hungry at all. Women can get ravenous after they give birth and all they want is food, but in some cases, there’s still lasting nausea and hunger doesn’t come for a few days. Both these situations are equally valid and likely to happen.
Hormonal Changes
The most evident change that occurs to your hormones during the postpartum period is the decrease of prolactin, which is the milk-making hormone. This hormone stays high while you’re breastfeeding, but as you introduce your baby to solids and begin weaning, it comes down low. Hormones are also responsible for many other symptoms. Mood swings, sweating, and hair loss are all caused by hormonal shifts.
Sore Feet, Nipples, And Breasts
Women have sore nipples and breasts after the first few days of breastfeeding. This is very normal and usually occurs in most women. If it occurs for more than a few days, then it might be because of incorrect latching of the baby. Try consulting an expert or try different positions for breastfeeding. In addition to that, our feet get bigger when we’re pregnant and it happens when the baby is born, too. It’s the swelling from labor and childbirth.
Blood Loss And Vaginal Discharge
The blood loss through vaginal discharge isn’t just as same as that of periods. It has a lot more clots and if feels like your pee is coming out too sometimes. After giving birth, it is common that you will have vaginal bleeding and discharge because is your body’s way of eliminating the extra blood and tissue that was used to grow and nourish your baby. If it lasts for longer than expected and clots are bigger than in the initials days, contact your doctor.
Nothing Fits The Same
Due to the swelling in the whole body, nothing fits the same. It’s loose from the belly sometimes but all your clothes feel tight because your body is too swelled. This will pass after a few days so it is not a problem for long!
These changes are a way for your healing process. They might be tough to deal with at first but when your body heals, it just feels worth it. Bonding with the newborn after everything has passed is the best feeling for a mother. Through all this, a woman should always stay hydrated and positive and always remember that this too, shall pass!