Maternal care, after normal delivery

After giving birth, the mother may feel weak and lethargic, but with adequate and complete nutrition, proper exercise and relaxation, she can return to her pre-pregnancy state and fulfill the duty of nursing and feeding her baby.

After giving birth, the mother usually feels swelling and sores in her hips and buttocks, and also feels fullness and heaviness in her breasts.
These discomforts disappear gradually. If there is a lot of pain and discomfort, the doctor should examine him and investigate his problem and prescribe medicine if necessary. These discomforts are usually solved by taking acetaminophen or ibuprofen.
The mother should not take aspirin because it may cause bleeding from her genitals. Also, aspirin is excreted from the milk and reaches the baby, causing problems for the baby as well.

Prevention of re-pregnancy
Before a mother’s menstruation starts after giving birth, her ovary may release an egg and if she has sex with her husband, the mother may become pregnant again, so every woman after giving birth before having sex with her husband must choose and perform one of the appropriate methods of pregnancy prevention.
If a mother breastfeeds her child and takes an estrogen-type birth control pill, it will cause her milk to decrease. Therefore, such mothers should take progesterone-type birth control pills six weeks after giving birth to prevent re-pregnancy on the one hand, and on the other hand, there will be no problem with breastfeeding the child.

Meeting with the doctor after delivery
After giving birth, the mother should be examined by a doctor again to make sure that all parts of her body are normal and that the function of various body organs is normal. This visit should be done 4 to 6 weeks after delivery, but if the mother has had a cesarean section or an episiotomy, she should visit earlier so that the stitches are removed and the doctor and the mother make sure that there is no problem related to infection.
In this appointment, if the delivery was normal, the doctor may perform an internal examination to make sure that the uterus has returned to its place and size. The doctor also measures the mother’s weight and blood pressure and asks about her urine and feces to check and treat if there is a problem.
After giving birth, the mother should write down all her problems and concerns and ask the doctor for help, especially if the mother feels tired, lethargic, loss of appetite, or sad and depressed, she should definitely tell the doctor. and get help from him. In this meeting, the mother should ask about the prevention of her own pregnancy and the appropriate method of pregnancy prevention and perform that method.

Uterine contractions:
All women feel contractions in their uterus after giving birth because the uterus shrinks and returns to its place. If the mother has already given birth, these contractions will be more intense. Most mothers feel these contractions while breastfeeding their baby because the substance oxytocin that causes the secretion of breast milk also causes the contraction of the uterus. These contractions disappear after 3 to 4 days.

Discharge from the genital tract:

After giving birth, some mucous and blood secretions come out of her reproductive system, especially when the mother wakes up. Excretion of this type of secretions is normal and is a sign of healing of the uterus and may continue for up to 6 weeks. If these discharges are accompanied by heavy bleeding or bad smell, the mother should immediately consult a doctor. If the mother has severe pain, she should try to drink a lot of fluids, put an ice pack on her buttocks and take painkillers.

Prevention of infection:
After giving birth, the mother must fully observe the principles of hygiene in order not to get an infection of the genital and urinary tract, in such a way that after defecation, wash her genital tract from top to bottom so that the feces do not cause an infection of her genital and urinary tract. After defecating or changing pads, hands should be washed three times.

Prevention of constipation:
If the mother has difficulty giving birth or stitches. It is difficult to defecate. Therefore, he should walk every day and consume fiber-rich foods (vegetables and fruits) and if he does not improve with diet, use laxatives and consume at least 4 glasses of fruit juice or plain water every day.
Back pain: Back pain after childbirth is very common and lasts for months because it supports the spine and the weight of the growing fetus during pregnancy. Also, during pregnancy, ligaments and joints become loose and prepare the pregnant mother for back pain.
On the other hand, pregnancy itself causes the mother to lean back and move her stomach forward. If childbirth is done with spinal anesthesia, it causes back pain. After the birth of the baby, breastfeeding also causes back pain, so if the mother does light exercises after giving birth and strengthens her abdominal and back muscles, her back pain will gradually improve.
The mother should exercise with the opinion of the doctor and physiotherapist after giving birth. When standing, the mother should imagine that her head is hanging from the ceiling with a wire, so she should keep her shoulders free and her ribcage not tight and slowly pull her stomach in and make her spine taller. If the mother sits for a while, she should fill and support the lower part of her spine with an object.

Breast care:

After childbirth, the hormone prolactin is released from the pituitary gland to prepare the mother’s mammary glands for milk secretion. Sucking the baby from the mother’s breast is also very effective in milk secretion, so the baby should be placed on the mother’s breast as soon as possible to suckle.

Producer: Ms. Youneszadeh
Source: Providing midwifery and delivery services
Compilation date: Autumn 1400
Revision date: 3 years later
“Mir Hosseini Hospital, Shiraz”

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