Long months of waiting for the birth and notthe most pleasant moments of the birth process are behind us. Mom and baby have finally seen each other. However, unfortunately, many young mothers do not have time to relax - complications after childbirth are a very common occurrence. And this is not surprising - after all, during pregnancy, many different changes occur in a woman's body - hormonal levels, the position of internal organs, which have changed as a result of the intrauterine growth of the child. In order for all these changes to disappear and the work of all organs and systems to be restored to their previous mode, at least one and a half to two months are needed. And at this stage, complications after childbirth often await a woman. Where do they come from? To understand this, you need to know exactly what processes occur during this period in the body of a young mother. First, let's figure out what complications are considered postpartum. Involution of organs and systems that have changed during pregnancy and childbirth lasts about six to eight weeks - this is the period that gynecologists call postpartum. And accordingly, complications after childbirth are exactly those that arise during this period of time. Normally, all organs and systems, with the exception of the mammary glands and hormonal background, which are responsible for breastfeeding, should be completely restored during this time.
The condition of the uterus after childbirth
Immediately after the baby is born andthe placenta separates, the uterus begins to contract very intensively and takes the shape of a ball. The uterus contracts very quickly in fact - in the first day after the birth of the child, it weighs about a kilogram, on the seventh day - already 500 grams, and in just four to six weeks its original size and everything (50 grams) is completely restored. This entire process of restoring the uterus is sometimes quite impressive for a woman: pain in the lower abdomen. Especially intense pain awaits a young mother in the first few days, which increases many times during feeding. This fact is explained by the fact that during the sucking of the breast by the child, the woman begins to actively produce the hormone oxytocin. It is this hormone that stimulates the contraction of the uterus, therefore, it is at the time of feeding the child that the pain is most intense. But the cervix acquires its original shape in a much longer period - approximately by 13 - 15 weeks after the birth of the child. However, no matter how easy the birth was, and no matter how low-weight the baby was born, she will never fully recover, unless, of course, the woman had a cesarean section. These changes will not affect the woman's well-being in any way. In some cases, due to a lack of the hormone oxytocin and excessive overstretching of the uterus (if the baby is large), the uterus does not contract properly. And accordingly, the uterine cavity is not cleaned sufficiently. This means that a woman's risk of developing postpartum acute endometritis increases several times. With this disease, the mucous membrane of the uterus becomes inflamed. The woman's temperature rises, sometimes to very high numbers, there are very strong pains in the lower abdomen and lower back, weakness, and profuse vaginal discharge with a very unpleasant odor may appear.
Injuries to external genital organs
Very often women soon after giving birthconsult a gynecologist with complaints of sharp pain in the vagina. During a conversation with the patient, the gynecologist usually finds out that the pain appeared soon after intercourse. And this is not surprising at all - after all, the vagina is also greatly deformed - stretched during childbirth. And it is restored only by the 6th - 8th week after childbirth. And approximately by this time, the vaginal mucosa is completely restored. After all, even if the childbirth was easy, without ruptures, the vaginal mucosa is still injured. And in order for microcracks in the mucous membrane to completely heal, some time is needed. Not to mention those situations where there were ruptures or cuts in the perineum - it will take even more time for regeneration. And in the event that the married couple does not adhere to the timeframes recommended by doctors, during intercourse there is a very high risk of repeated injury to the mucous membrane by the penis. Moreover, sometimes these injuries are so serious that doctors have to re-sew microtraumas. In addition, during sexual intercourse with unhealed microtraumas of the vaginal mucosa during sexual intercourse, there is a very high risk of introducing pathogenic microflora into them. And, as a result, an inflammatory process will inevitably begin, which also causes acute painful sensations, and a significant increase in body temperature, and a deterioration in the general condition of the body. If a woman who has recently given birth to a child notices such symptoms, she should seek help from a doctor - a gynecologist as soon as possible. In such a situation, you should not delay in any case, since the complications can be quite serious.
Complications from the cardiovascular system
In addition, childbirth after 40 years of age is complicatedoften give from the cardiovascular system. After all, during pregnancy it undergoes significant changes - the volume of circulating blood increases significantly. And after the baby is born, this volume gradually begins to decrease, reaching the previous volume in about a week. Naturally, these changes cannot pass without a trace for the vessels and heart. In the event that a woman has any problems with the cardiovascular system, complications may begin in the postpartum period. A woman may begin to complain of pain in the heart, heart contractions begin to quicken. In addition, in the first 14 - 16 days after the birth of a child, a woman's blood contains a very large number of platelets. They increase due to the fact that the coagulation system begins to work actively about a day before the onset of labor, as the body begins to prepare for the bleeding that is necessarily present during any childbirth. This is a natural process designed to protect a woman from profuse blood loss. However, this medal has two sides - due to the increased platelet count, a woman has a very high risk of developing blood clots, which threaten to clog blood vessels. This is why doctors recommend being extremely attentive to your health - because thromboembolism is a very dangerous disease.
Complications from the bladder
Very often after giving birth a woman experiencescertain problems with the bladder. As a rule, after childbirth, the tone of the smooth muscles of the bladder is significantly reduced, as a result of which the woman completely loses the feeling of the urge to urinate. And the more difficult and prolonged the birth was, the more the problem worsens. That is why in the first few days after childbirth, a young mother is simply obliged to visit the toilet about every two hours, regardless of whether she feels the urge to urinate or not. If the bladder is not emptied in time, it naturally overflows. And an overfilled bladder greatly interferes with the uterus's full contraction and removal of postpartum discharge. As a consequence of this phenomenon, the risk of developing inflammatory processes, including postpartum endometritis, is very high. If a woman feels sharp pain in the abdomen and lower back, an increase in body temperature, weakness, she should consult a doctor - a gynecologist as soon as possible.
Problems from the gastrointestinal tract
In addition to the fact that muscle tone decreasesbladder, it decreases in the gastrointestinal tract. As a result, a woman begins to have constipation, sometimes quite severe. This problem affects two thirds of all new mothers. And these constipations can and should be actively fought. Doctors recommend two methods of action for this:
- Physical impact.The simplest, but at the same time effective way to make the intestines work is a stream of warm shower directed at the lower abdomen. The shower pressure stimulates the receptors and increases intestinal peristalsis. In addition, you can use abdominal massage - stroke the abdomen in a circular motion, clockwise, for 10 minutes, at least three times a day.
- The right diet.A proper diet is no less important – eat more zucchini, prunes, pumpkin and green apples. There is no need to worry about the digestive system – these foods will not cause any harm to it at all, and there is no need to worry about diarrhea. Sometimes a young mother prefers to take the path of least resistance and uses laxative suppositories. However, doctors do not recommend abusing pharmacological drugs for longer than the first five days after the birth of the child.
There is another problem that is directly relatedwith pregnancy and constipation - varicose veins of the rectum, or, more simply, hemorrhoids. Approximately 75% of all women who have given birth to a child, to one degree or another, but still have hemorrhoids. However, the degree of severity of this phenomenon can be very different. In the mildest cases, hemorrhoids are very small, and they disappear on their own by the end of the first week, without causing any discomfort to the woman, and do not require medical intervention. However, unfortunately, this is not always the case - sometimes the pain from hemorrhoids is much stronger than the pain from ruptures and cuts in the perineum. In this case, a woman should never tolerate severe pain, or try to get rid of it on her own. It is much wiser to seek help from a doctor who will help choose the optimal treatment regimen that will not harm either the mother or the baby, but at the same time will very quickly alleviate the condition.
When should I see a doctor?
So, let's sum up everything that has been said above -When should a young mother see a doctor? After all, the problem of “I’m afraid of complications after childbirth” probably faces almost every woman who has recently given birth to a child. In order to avoid these complications, you need to be as attentive to your health as possible – only a timely visit to a doctor – a gynecologist can reduce complications to a minimum.
- Pain in the abdominal area.Despite the fact that pain in the postpartum period is, in principle, normal and typical. However, these pain sensations are quite tolerable. But if the pain becomes too intense, the young mother should worry, especially if the pain radiates to the lower back. The doctor will prescribe an ultrasound examination for the woman, which will allow identifying inflammatory processes, and also prescribe the optimal treatment regimen.
- Condition of the seams.If a woman has stitches - and it does not matter whether from a cesarean section or from cuts and ruptures of stitches, their condition must be treated with special attention. If the stitches begin to turn red, bleed, or if blood stains appear on the bandage, you need to see a doctor as soon as possible, who will really assess the condition and, if necessary, take the necessary measures.
- Discharge from the genitals.If a young mother suddenly experiences a change in the nature of her vaginal discharge – it may become more abundant, change in consistency, color and smell, she should seek help from a doctor – a gynecologist as soon as possible. In no case should you hope that everything will go away on its own – sometimes changes in discharge are really not a cause for concern.
And sometimes such changes canindicate the development of certain postpartum complications, such as an inflammatory process or vaginal dysbacteriosis. And only a gynecologist can clearly and accurately determine what caused these changes. And do not forget that even if the young mother is not bothered by anything at all, a month after giving birth she must visit a gynecologist who will conduct a preventive examination. During this examination, the doctor will determine whether the young mother's body is recovering normally and whether she is at risk of complications after giving birth. We recommend reading:
