Post Pregnancy Care for women facing Emotional-Physical Change

by Puja
Post Pregnancy Care
  • Introduction
  • Changes that women undergo post delivery
  • Postpartum care
  • Conclusion

Parenthood is initiates a beautiful phase in everyone’s life. After nine of waiting, when you finally get to hold your baby in your arms, the feeling is precious. Every family member is elated to see the new member of the family. Delivering the baby is the first step towards parenthood. You would need focus, good health, energy and love to nurture the little soul beautifully. The post partum/post pregnancy period comes just after the delivery and it is a tough phase for some of the new mommies.

During this time, the maternal anatomical and physiological changes go back to the pre-pregnant state. All the attention given to the mommy-to-be suddenly passes on to the new born. During the postpartum period is the physiological recovery stage of the various organs in the system. As a new mommy, you are expected to do everything for your newborn child; however, you should not forget yourself.

Self-care becomes very essential after the delivery of a baby. The new mommy has to go through several physical and emotional changes and also learn to balance the responsibilities of motherhood. At this point of phase both mother and child needs extra care and empathy. Today, we would discuss about the changes that happen in a women and how you take care of them.

Changes that women undergo post pregnancy and delivery

There are various changes that women undergo after delivering a baby. If you are a new mommy, you can expect the following changes within you.

Post Pregnancy Physical changes

The new mommy goes through significant weight loss after delivery. It is a quite prominent change that every woman goes through. Mommies gain ample amount of weight when they hold the baby inside, therefore there is sudden loss of weight once the baby is delivered.

Constipation and Urinary Issues

Most of the women experience constant constipation post delivery. No matter whether they have a normal delivery or a C-section, they have to go through constipation. The main reason of constipation is the side effects of iron supplements.

post pregnancy urinal issues
Women have abdominal pain because of menstruation She was lying in bed and holding her stomach Her expression shows the pain

Many women have to experience vaginal soreness, contraction and vaginal discharge. All of them make the new mommies feel uncomfortable and frustrated. The pelvic muscles become weak due to childbirth and cause such inconvenience.

Sore and heavy breasts

It is natural to have heavy breasts for the lactating mommies. They even experience soreness, when the milk does not come out or the baby does not latch properly. In such situation, mommies should keep nursing their babies at regular intervals and use covers to prevent leakage.

Post Pregnancy Emotional changes

mental issues
  1. Anxiety, tantrums and mood swings are common signs of emotional changes in a new mom. These changes are natural and it will pass away with time. Instead of worrying too much about the swings, new moms can do some breathing exercises to get some relaxation.
  2. Post partum depression is quite common among many women. When the new mommies are not able to balance the new responsibilities, they feel irritated and lost. You just need to distract yourself and keep enjoying the happiness with your child. Additionally, drink plenty of water and keep calm.
  3. Emotional irritability can happen due to lack of sleep. New moms do not get sufficient sleep because of their babies. Hence, they get irritated and tired often. You can take help from your spouse to get some help.
    New mommies generally over think. They think about the well-being of their new born as well as the family. This causes anxiety and anxiousness.You should stay calm, happy and do things that make you feel good. Things around you will settle down by themselves with time.
  4. You know you are getting Baby Blues when you feel irritated and weepy with your child around. Many mommies experience such weird feeling inside them and this should be handled with care. Often the partner can help the new mommy to overcome them.

Postpartum and Post Pregnancy Care

The postpartum phase is the first six weeks after childbirth. It is a joyful time, but for the new mommies it is the period of adjustment and healing. Some of the postpartum care that you can seek is mentioned.

Avoid using tampons, instead use sanitary pads

The uterine lining is shed after delivery and you bleed as you do during the menstruation period. This process is called Lochia. It lasts for about six weeks or maybe more and makes you inclined towards infection. During this period try to use pads to reduce the chances of infections.

Clean yourself with warm water

You should always clean the area properly between your rectum and vagina though these places can be sore after delivery and difficult to clean. Use warm water to wash them gently so that you not form any infection in those areas.

Treat the pain in the vaginal area with ice pack

After childbirth, you might experience some pain around the vaginal areas. This can create uneasiness throughout the postpartum phase. Use ice packs to sooth it out and to avoid direct contact with the vagina, wrap the pack with a soft towel.

Take sufficient rest

Good sleep and optimum amount of rest are the primary needs of a new mom. Every newborn needs to be fed, comforted and cleaned every three hours. This disrupts the sleep of a new mommy. Hence, it is impossible to catch a sleep for 7-8 hours together. You should change your sleep patter and sleep when the baby is sleeping. It will save your time and energy. For the first, few weeks do not take extra responsibilities apart from attending the baby. Restrict the visitors and give enough rest to your body.


Post Pregnancy Rest

Eat nutritious food

New mommies often skip meals or forget to eat. If you are breastfeeding mom, you should eat well. Whenever you feel hungry, you should eat. Consume food that are rich in nutrients and they will serve as super foods for your healing body. Boost your diet with cereals, protein legumes, fruits, dairy, grains and vegetables. You plate should have calcium, iron and protein in sufficient quantity.

Post Pregnancy Nutrition

Stay hydrated

To beat exhaustion; you should keep yourself well hydrated. Drink a lot of fluids during the postpartum phase. Water will help to avoid constipation. Eat food that is high in fiber and balance it by drinking water.

Final Things to Keep in Mind

Once the baby is delivered, the new mommies have to start adjusting to a new life of motherhood. If you are a first time mom, it would be more challenging for you to adjust to the everyday life. Most of the new moms do not go back to work after delivery until the next six weeks.

This is the time you should adapt to the changing time and get acquainted to the new normal. You may experience sleepless night as the baby needs to fed and changed every now and then. Those sleepless nights will be tiresome and cause frustration in your life.

You just need to keep yourself calm and you will gradually fall into the routine. Amidst all these, you should not forget to take care of yourself and keep yourself cheerful.

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