Complete Care After Pregnancy

The women`s body faces several changes after pregnancy and delivery of the child. It is a very critical phase. It is important to be vigilant about your body during this period and take good care of it.

Care after delivery covers many spheres. These include taking care of the breasts, umbilical cord, stitches, detection of any maternal infection, hemorrhage, infection to the child and family planning. Let us discuss these criticalities.

Breast may become sensitive to touch. They may also swell and feel uncomfortable. Using ice packs on breasts for 20 minutes is helpful. If ice is not helpful, you can use a warm cloth. Do these remedies for two days. If the breasts are still swollen and pain on touching then insult your doctor without any father delay.

The umbilical cord will dry and fall off within 2 to 8 weeks. The portion has been responsible to provide nutrition to the child when it was in womb. Even though it will fall off eventually, you will need to take care of it meanwhile in order to prevent infection and irritation.  Do not try to pull it out yourself under any circumstances. It falls off naturally with time. Meanwhile, keep the area clean. The baby must be given only sponge bath till the cord falls off.

You must maintain your personal hygiene well. Initially the discharge from the vagina will be thick and blackish. Gradually, it will thin down and become red. In case you observe any discharge from vagina with a fowl smell, contact your doctor immediately. Also, if you are experiencing painful micturation then tell your doctor.

Repair of the episiotomy or the stitches will occur by the forth week. But meanwhile you must keep certain things in mind. Use the squirt bottle given to you by the health care provider to clean after the bowel movements. Also, remember to clean from front to back and not vice –versa. In case of soreness in stitches, try sitting for 20 minutes in a tub of warm water. The stitches do not need to be removed.

Within 2 weeks of delivering the baby, you can get pregnant. Therefore, consult with your gynecologist about contraception. Let your body heal and revive for the next pregnancy.