During the months of pregnancy, colossal changes occur in the female body, both physical and psycho-emotional. The body has to rebuild in order to be able to bear and give birth to a child. Therefore, recovery from childbirth also takes time. And during this period, it is easy to start making mistakes that will prevent the body and psyche from returning to normal. MedAboutMe tells you what not to do after childbirth.
How long does it take to recover from childbirth?
Everything does not happen in one day, and even a "pregnant" belly does not disappear immediately. For example, the cervix needs 1.5-2 months to close completely again. The uterus also does not contract in one day. Many young dads (and sometimes mothers) are surprised that the stomach after childbirth looks as if the pregnancy has not ended yet, and the period is about 6 months. The reason for this is the size of the uterus, which takes several weeks to return to its original volume.
Postpartum pain is added to the natural processes of recovery and healing, if there were stitches - and there too, fatigue, emotions … And you also need to take care of the child and often cope with how other family members get used to new roles.
The main mistake of young mothers in the postpartum period is to try to immediately return to their previous forms, occupations, work, hobbies … All this will be available, but not immediately. In the first months, it is extremely important to be attentive to your well-being, signals of ill health, mood and not to rush.
Important!
Recovery after surgical delivery has its own characteristics. Here's what to expect after a cesarean section.
In order not to cause unnecessary problems and not to repeat other people's mistakes, we will tell you about five basic prohibitions after childbirth: what you can't do.
Mistake one: forget about yourself
With the birth of a child in the family, everything changes, and the reasons for unrest increase several times. Toddlers depend on adults, and adults are often not quite sure of the situation and are full of experiences and fears. It is especially difficult for mothers. And plunging into a lot of worries, they tend to forget about themselves and think only about the child. At the same time, sometimes it is so active that violations of the rules begin to their detriment.
In the first weeks after childbirth, you cannot:
Tolerate the urge to urinate and postpone going to the bathroom. Even if it seems that it would be possible to wait (especially if the baby is eating, falling asleep or crying), it is better not to do so. The rate of urination during wakefulness is once every 2-4 hours. This is important: the speed of cleansing the internal cavity of the uterus, its contraction, depends on the timeliness of emptying the bladder. If you interfere with this process, postpartum subinvolution of the uterus can begin. Pushing in the toilet. Constipation after childbirth is a frequent occurrence, they are provoked by both a change in the position of the intestine and some of its atony after the birth of a child, and fear of pain. Fight postpartum constipation with enough fluid and fiber; Lift weights. Everyone knows about the advice not to lift anything, it is heavier than a child, after giving birth through a cesarean section. However, this also applies to natural childbirth! And in the first days, it is better to take a newborn in your arms not while standing, but sitting or even lying down. The ligamentous apparatus also needs to recover, and if you overdo it, everything can end up with a prolapse of the pelvic organs, an increase in the divergence of the white line of the abdomen (diastasis) and other troubles. Mistake two: washing with hot water
Hot baths are not recommended during pregnancy, especially during the third trimester. And after giving birth, I really want to return the forbidden pleasures - finally, lie on my stomach and soak up the fragrant, hot bath. But you definitely shouldn't do that.
It is necessary to wash under the shower with comfortable warm water. This can be done almost immediately, as soon as the doctor permits, and it is better to sit on a chair so that your head does not get dizzy. The only recommendation is not to direct the jets of water directly at the stomach.
But with hot baths and baths, it is generally worth waiting for a month and a half or two. There are several reasons:
Hot water dilates blood vessels and can cause uterine bleeding; Since the cervix is not yet closed, an infection can enter the uterus with water; If there are stitches after childbirth on the abdomen or in the perineum, you should also not "soak" them.
In addition, hot water even in the shower, getting on the chest, causes a rush of milk. It is good if the baby can handle large volumes. If not, lactostasis may begin.
Mistake Three: Setting Impossible Goals
Although it seems that they are quite achievable - young mothers in social networks have time to establish perfect order, and not to forget sports, and to engage in early child development, and all this in the first month … So, is it possible?
In fact, this is only possible if there are a lot of assistants behind the scenes, and sports are only in photographs. It is not for nothing that there are countries, in which the tradition of a special relationship to a young mother in the first two months is still maintained. Yes, and in Russia, a bad mother-in-law was considered the one who did not allow her daughter-in-law to lie down for several weeks, but drove things to do.
It is clear that food cannot be cooked without helpers and the floor cannot wash itself. But prioritize: eating is important, but flashing floors or shelves is not at all necessary. Household work requires effort comparable to sports training. And you have to wait with them too.
Want to know how sports trainers actually recover from childbirth? Let's talk about their training plans.
It is necessary to return to the usual rhythm of life smoothly, as after a serious illness. And everything that requires physical activity is worth evaluating: do you really need to do it now, or is it possible tomorrow? Excessive activity is harmful as well as insufficient. You shouldn't lie all the time, but running around the house, trying to do everything, like a “proper hostess”, is definitely harmful.
The consequences after excessive exertion (except for fatigue and exhaustion) can be the same as after a hot bath: bleeding and prolapse of the uterus ("Obstetrics and gynecology: News. Opinions. Trainings").
Mistake four: eating wrong
Eating for two or trying to go on a diet, begin to sharply limit the choice of foods without a doctor's prescription while breastfeeding - all this cannot be done. The diet for HB is considered unnecessary today - in the form in which it was advised earlier.
So you can and should eat a lot of vegetables in order to get vitamins and fiber, protein-rich food, so that the body stocks up resources for recovery, drink enough liquid (2 liters per day). You can not try to lose weight: extra pounds will not go away until the hormonal background is restored. Senseless skipping meals will only slow down your metabolism. It is not worth listening to advice to eat more (especially often "experts" recommend rolls with condensed milk). The amount eaten does not increase the volume of milk - but it is deposited in the form of excess fat. Reasonable balanced nutrition and contact with the baby are important for lactation. Mistake five: not prioritizing
After childbirth, the social role of a woman changes. And the most important thing now is to be a good mother. It means taking care of yourself, your child, and your husband. The rest of the relatives and friends with a desire to organize a colorful statement, a party, a photo session, a bride should wait (or better, quietly help).
In any case, it will not work to please everyone, and you should not try to do this at the cost of your own health and comfort of the child, and even health! Even if we do not talk about respiratory infections, herpes viruses and the latent carriage of Staphylococcus aureus in adults, it is worth remembering that the intestinal microflora is formed in children during the entire first year ("Children's infections"), and during this period they should avoid active and long-term contacts with strangers.
The most important thing after childbirth is to recover, establish contact with the baby, realize new roles and relationships in a small family unit, and put the rest aside for later. For at least two months.
