5 Common Health Issues That Occur After Giving Birth

5 common health issues that occur after giving birth.

Photo by Rene Asmussen from Pexels

Giving birth to your child is one of the most memorable and joyful moments in your life. However, you know that giving birth is accompanied by excruciating body pains, regardless of whether it’s your first child or not.

Some mothers recover from this pain within a few days, and they get back to their normal lives. Nevertheless, some are faced with postpartum health complications. In this article, we are going to look at five health issues that come after giving birth.

Breast pains

Experiencing breast pains is common, whether you decide to breastfeed your child or not. Noticeable swellings and discomfort may arise as your breasts start making milk 3-5 days after giving birth. A condition where too much blood and milk flow into your breasts, making them swell, painful, and tender, is known as engorgement.

Some of the remedies to ease this pain include taking over-the-counter pain relievers, warm showers, and hot or cold compresses. During the first days of breastfeeding, you might realize that your nipples become painful and swollen as you learn how to nurse your bundle of joy. Nipple and breast pains should not last for long. However, you are advised to visit a doctor if your nipples are painful, cracked, and bleeding.

Postpartum depression

It is normal to experience “baby blues” a few weeks after birth. You might have frequent feelings of up and down or unusually weepy. This is normal. However, if such feelings go for more than a few weeks or inhibit you from taking care of your newborn, then you might be experiencing postpartum depression.

There is no need to panic, feel guilty, or embarrassed because there is a remedy for postpartum depression. So many women have sought professional help, and their condition has been taken care of. Ensure that you visit an experienced professional in psychology who can help you appropriately deal with such depression.

Excessive bleeding

It is normal to shed blood for about 2-6 weeks after birth, whether you delivered vaginally or through cesarean section. Experiencing voluminous blood flow is normal, too, as you release huge amounts of blood cells and clots. Nevertheless, the bleeding should slow down, and the blood should be less dark or light in the after-birth days.

If you experience cramps, pains, excessive blood flow after 3-4 days, or the flow suddenly gets heavier; then, it’s time to consult a health professional. One of the causes of excessive postpartum bleeding is overexertion, which can be remedied by getting adequate rest. Some more severe cases, including uterus malfunction or retained placenta, may require more advanced medical or surgical intervention.

Infection

Vaginal tearing is done to give the baby enough outlet from your body. After the baby is born, you will require stitches to help your vagina heal completely. Often, this tearing and stitches leave open wounds that may be the landing areas for infection-causing agents. It is normal to feel pain as the stitches heal, but it is unusual when such pain becomes unbearable.

Experiencing this severe pain is one of the signs of infections. If the infection is diagnosed early enough, the most appropriate remedy is an antibiotic prescription. You are advised to seek medical attention if you get a fever, warmth to the touch, pain when passing out urine, redness, and discharge. If the infection becomes aggressive, you might require advanced treatment or hospitalization.

Incontinence

Urinary incontinence is a condition that results from an uncontrollable bladder. It is quite normal for you to experience this condition immediately after giving birth, but it can cause embarrassment and discomfort. Some professionals regard urinary incontinence as one of Diastasis recti symptoms, which is the disentanglement of the rectus abdominis (abdominal muscles). You can ask your dr. how to check for diastasis recti.

Incontinence can be remedied with at-home exercises, such as Kegels. However, you might need more serious medical attention if the issue proves to be more extreme. Fecal incontinence, or loss of bowel control, is also common after birth. For the first few days after birth, you may be required to use sanitary pads or menstrual underwear until your pelvic floor becomes strong and you regain control over your urinary bladder.

Pain, discomfort, and exhaustion are likely to be normal feelings a few days or weeks after receiving your baby. There is no need to panic. However, if you feel that things are getting out of hand,e then it would be wise to consult a health professional.

It would be best to plan for your postpartum care before you go into the labor ward. Immediately after giving birth, discuss with your health care provider so that you gain knowledge on the risk of pregnancy-related issues. To be safe, make sure that you understand different signs and symptoms for different postpartum conditions.