Postpartum Period: Normal Physiology and Routine Maternal Care

Your body has just achieved one of the greatest human feats: Give birth to your child! You have literally created a whole human being—if that is not magic, what is? While most attention to pregnancy care is given during your nine months of pregnancy, the postpartum period is equally important, for both you and your baby.

The postpartum period, also known as puerperium, refers to the period immediately after childbirth when the mother’s body returns to its pre-pregnant state. The postpartum period lasts for up to six to eight weeks after childbirth. Proper care during the postpartum period lays the foundation for your recovery in the long term.

The postpartum period comes with its own unique clinical considerations and challenges. We’ll help you gain a better understanding of what to expect from your postpartum period.

General Physiological Changes

You will suffer from physical fatigue right after delivery. The pulse rate and blood pressure might be elevated due to physical pain or excitement, and it should return to normal on the second day. A notable decrease in blood pressure is a sign of postpartum hemorrhage or infection.

The body temperature may also rise up to 99-degree F, accompanied by shivering and sweating in the first 24 hours. This will, likely normalizes in the next 12 hours. There could also be a slight rise in temperature on the third or fourth day due to breast engorgement. A rise of temperature beyond the third or fourth day may be a sign of infection.

You are also likely to experience a heavy bleeding postpartum period and weight loss of up to 6 kg due to the expulsion of tissues that developed during pregnancy.

Reproductive

Immediately after giving birth, the uterus rapidly contracts and shrinks to its pre-pregnant state to prevent blood loss. This process is called uterine involution. During this process, the uterus goes from weighing 1 kilogram with a volume of about 10 liters, to 50 to 80 grams with a volume of only about 5 ml. The entire process takes about 6 weeks.

You may also have lochia which can persist up to 5 weeks after childbirth. A type of vaginal discharge specific to the period after childbirth, lochia, is dark or bright red with clots and tissue for a few days post childbirth. After about a week, the flow will be lighter, and the lochia will become watery and pinkish-brown in color. Ultimately, the lochia will turn yellowish-white in color.

The persistence of bright or dark red lochia after the first week is a sign that your uterus isn’t decreasing in size. The presence of foul odor or larger pieces of tissue and blood clot in lochia, or the complete absence of lochia might be sign of infection, as well.

Lactation

A mother’s breasts change during pregnancy to prepare for lactation and may go through more changes immediately after childbirth. The first secretions after childbirth is called Colostrum. Colostrum is rich in nutrients and antibodies to boost the immunity of the newborn and helps him adjust to life outside the womb.

Endocrine

The endocrine glands play a functional role in the regulation of a woman’s menstruation cycle or periods. The first period after postpartum depends on whether the mother is breastfeeding or not. If the mother is not breastfeeding, periods can return by the sixth to eighth week in most cases. If the mother is breastfeeding on the other hand, periods can return after 4 to 5 months. In some cases, it can appear as late as 2 years.

However, ovulation still occurs in the absence of periods, and you can still get pregnant.

Hematology

Hematocrit is a medical test to measure the proportion of red blood cells in your blood. The hematocrit value initially drops due to blood loss and returns to normal in 3 to 5 days after childbirth.

The postpartum period is hard and takes a lot of self-care and vigilance to recover from. We asked ourselves: How can we help you? By making a better diaper for your baby so you can have more time for yourself. Teddyy diapers are one of the best diapers for sensitive skin, protects your baby from rashes and come with a wetness indicator to know just when it is the right time to change diapers!