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- Nurse, what should I know about the changes in my body after childbirth?
- Here's what you need to know...
- You will experience involution, wherein yourreproductive organs return to their prepregnant state. Youmay develop perineal edema, lacerations, and episiotomy that may lead to discomfort and pain.
- The secretion from your breasts called colostrum increases after childbirth. Colostrum is rich in protein, vitamin and immunoglobulins, and other humoral factors and provides an immunological defense for yournewborn.
- The onset of your first menstrual period after delivery depends if you arelactating or not. If you are not going tobreastfeed, in most cases, it will return by 6-8th week postpartum. The duration of anovulation relies on the frequency and intensity of breastfeeding and attributed to high serum prolactin levels.
- How about my menstrual period?
- On another note, your bladder wall may become edematous, hyperemic, and might be overdistended without the urge to pass urine.Within 4 to 8 weeks, the dilated ureters and renal pelvis usually return to prepregnant state and there is an increased risk of developing urinary tract infections, that is why it is necessary for you to void every 3 to 4 hours.
- In the first two weeks after childbirth,there is brisk diuresis and it is not unusual to have a urinary output of 3000 cc/day since the amount of loss is usually in line with the amount of fluid retained during pregnancy.
- In terms of your cardiovascular system,there is an increase in circulating blood volume from the contraction of the uterus and an increase in preload from the relief of inferior vena cava obstruction, leading to an increase in stroke volume and heart rate resulting to a 60to 80% increase in cardiac output, which rapidly decreases to pre-labor values in 1to 2 hours following delivery and to pre-pregnancy values in two weeks.
- You may develop flatulence or constipation due to intestinal ileus, loss of body fluids, laxity of abdominal wall, and hemorrhoids.After delivery, your levels of progesterone and gastrin fall within 24 hours,andthe acid reflux and associated symptoms resolvein the next 3 to 4 days.
- Your skin pigmentation would usually disappear in 6to 8 weeks. Yourabdominal muscles are overstretched during pregnancy and strained during labor and slowly recovers their normal tone and elasticity in about 6to 8 weeks. You may have divarication of recti, and the striae or stretch marks over the abdomen and legs that might not disappear.
- Thank you for all these information.
- I know it is a lot and there are actually more information, but I hope you learned something. It is important that you know about these changes.
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