During pregnancy, you should start observing some changes in your body.
There are also hormonal changes that affect your behavior, but noticeable changes like breast enlargement, weakness, and weight gain are common.
In our previous publications, wee talked deeply on what to expect in the case of after-pains and menstrual flow, how episiotomy and caesarean section scars heal best and how you can alleviate breastfeeding problems such as milk leaks and sore nipples.
The overwhelming feeling of happiness about the baby reconciles a mother with so many physical changes after the birth.
The postpartum period: the first time after the birth
After everything you and your body have done during pregnancy and childbirth, the main thing now is to rest – the six to eight-week period of confinement begins, says Chaktty.
During childbirth, physical recovery, healing and regression of the uterus go hand in hand with milk production and the beginning of breastfeeding with the baby.
Hormones largely control these bodily changes. A normal side effect of hormonal changes is an up and down of emotions, which can also be stressful for the mother.
The aftercare midwife will look after you during this time and will be on hand with help and advice on breastfeeding or bathing the baby for the first time.
The physical changes during childbirth are essentially the same for all women, according to sexpally.
However, they differ in terms of severity and duration. Of course, whether a woman has birth injuries, and if so which ones, depends on the type of birth and how it went.
Aftermath: The uterus recedes
During pregnancy, the uterus has spread throughout the abdomen, crowding out organs, muscles and other tissues.
Due to sometimes painful after- pains, the uterus contracts to its normal size again within four days after the birth.
Above all, the midwife keeps an eye on the process of regression: During the follow-up examinations, she feels the size and position of the uterus.
In the case of multiparous women, the aftermath is usually felt to be more painful, since the uterus has to exert more force to regain its original shape due to the earlier “pre-stretching” of the muscles.
Women who have a caesarean section often experience the aftermath more painfully, he advised.
Puerperal flow: The wound surface in the uterus heals
The weekly flow consists mainly of wound secretions and blood from the wound left by the detached placenta in the uterus.
The bleeding is heavy for the first few days, and women also find clots in the weekly flow.
Over time, the weekly flow becomes lighter until it dries up completely after six to eight weeks.
It is important that the weekly flow can drain off – therefore never use tampons, but rather large pads that you change frequently so that no germs can thrive in the warm, humid climate.
Showering instead of bathing and initially regular vaginal douching with warm water are simple but important hygiene measures.
Only after the confinement again muscle training
Abs? That was once. You’ve probably noticed that yourself.
Pregnancy and childbirth stretched and strained your abdominal and pelvic floor muscles.
While the pelvic floor should be protected as much as possible during the confinement period, you can start eight to ten weeks after the birth with appropriate exercises to strengthen the abdominal and pelvic floor muscles.
The following applies: do not rush anything! Give your body time to get back in shape.
In postnatal courses offered by Healthpally midwives, you can kill two birds with one stone: you will get fit again, and all this in a nice atmosphere with women who have also just become mothers.
Briefly summarized
The postpartum bed, which lasts a maximum of eight weeks, is used for recovery and recovery after the birth.
During this time, the greatest regression processes in the uterus begin, birth injuries heal, the pelvic floor recovers, body weight begins to normalize, as does the mother’s hair growth and nerves.
But even after confinement, the process of change and regression continues.
It usually takes nine months for the body to return to the state it was in before pregnancy.