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What Happens to Your Body After Childbirth
From postnatal bleeding to the truth about breastfeeding–five things people forget to tell you about what happens after you give birth.
by: Sydney Loney
Post-Childbirth Surprises
- Postnatal bleeding can be like having a heavy period for up to two weeks and may last for six to eight weeks, even if you had a C-section.
- After giving birth, your uterus is still the size it was when you were 20 weeks pregnant, which is why you may still look pregnant when you leave the hospital.
- Breastfeeding may not be as easy as you'd hoped. If you're having trouble, talk to friends who have breastfed, attend a breastfeeding class or visit a lactation consultant or breastfeeding clinic to get help.
- Some women experience pain during sex for as long as six months to one year after giving birth and may need to explore other ways of being intimate.
oms-to-be are often bombarded with information about what happens to their bodies during labor and delivery, but many are surprised by what happens to their bodies afterwards. To help prevent post-childbirth surprises, here are the top five things most new moms don't know:
1. Postnatal bleeding can last for weeks – even if you had a C-section.
"How much bleeding there is after childbirth often comes as a surprise," says Dr. Marjorie Greenfield, an ob/gyn in Cleveland and author of The Working Woman's Pregnancy Book. "It can be like having a heavy period for two weeks and it's totally normal, even if you had a C-section."
Postnatal bleeding is caused by the placenta separating from where it was attached to the uterus and has nothing to do with the birth canal, which is why it affects all women after they deliver, says Dr. Greenfield. Bleeding can last for as long as six weeks, starting out bright red before fading to a pink or brown discharge called lochia, which eventually becomes yellowish white in color.
The fact you can't use tampons after giving birth also comes as a surprise to some women, but it's important to stock up on pads for at least six weeks because tampons can introduce bacteria to your still-healing uterus and may cause an infection. Although postnatal bleeding is perfectly normal, you should call your doctor if you experience extremely heavy bleeding that soaks a maxi pad within an hour, or if the bleeding includes large clots of blood.
2. You may leave the hospital looking almost as pregnant as you did when you arrived.
The fact you may still look pregnant when you go home with your newborn can be disheartening for a lot of new moms, but it's perfectly normal. "Your uterus is the size it was when you were at 20 weeks of pregnancy," says Dr. Greenfield. "And your abdominal muscles have been stretched out so they don't have the tone to hold everything in."
Dr. Greenfield recommends taking soft, mid-pregnancy clothes to the hospital since you won't be back to your pre-pregnancy clothes for a little while. To help you lose your pregnancy weight, go for your six-week postnatal checkup and get the okay from your doctor to begin a postnatal exercise routine. But don't get frustrated if things don't change overnight–it may take anywhere from six to nine months for you to get your pre-baby body back.
3. No matter how productive you were in your past life, things change when you have a newborn.
How little you can actually get done in a day is something that often becomes a source of frustration for new moms and can lead to stress and depression. "It's important to recognize that this is normal and that you're not crazy or incompetent or a terrible mom," says Dr. Greenfield.
Having a baby is a huge adjustment and many new moms start out feeling anxious and overwhelmed. "You have to give yourself permission not to get things done," says Dr. Greenfield. Lower your expectations, she says, and "if you get one or two of your physical needs met by 5 pm, you're doing well."
It's important to get as much help as you can, especially in the first two weeks when you're still recovering from the delivery and struggling with sleep deprivation and meeting the demands of your newborn. The best thing you can do for yourself is to get some sleep (and forget about the laundry, the dishes and the unanswered emails). Don't be afraid to rely on others for help as much as possible and talk to your doctor if you find you're really struggling to cope.
4. Nursing is not necessarily easy.
Many new moms are distressed to discover that nursing may not come as naturally as they'd anticipated, but there are things you can do, both before and after your baby is born, to increase your odds of success. "Breastfeeding needs attention and women need as much support as possible," says Dr. Greenfield. "If you want to breastfeed in our culture, you need to prepare a head of time."
The best way to prepare is to talk to friends who have breastfed, attend a breastfeeding class, watch other women breastfeed, and plan on talking to a lactation consultant as soon as you can after giving birth. If you have any problems breastfeeding once the baby is born, it's important to get help as soon as possible.
Some women find their breasts become extremely engorged and uncomfortable around the third or fourth day after the baby is born, although engorgement usually diminishes within one or two days. To ease discomfort, the Canadian Breastfeeding Foundation recommends applying ice packs or wrapping your breasts in green cabbage leaves for about 20 minutes. You may find expressing some milk will help make it easier for your baby to latch when your breasts are engorged.
"It's not ‘normal' for breastfeeding to be painful," Dr. Greenfield says. "In cultures where women breastfeed naturally, new moms don't accept pain–they simply change their position or the baby's if it's painful." Breastfeeding pain could be caused by a poor latch or an infection, which is why it's important to get help right away if you find you're having trouble.
5. Sex may be painful for as long as a year after giving birth.
"For many women, it hurts to have sex for quite a while after birth and it can be very distressing," says Dr. Greenfield. "With their first and second babies, a lot of women can have pain with sex for as long as six months to one year afterwards."Painful sex after childbirth is really variable and can even occur if you've had a C-section, Dr. Greenfield says. Some of it comes from the general trauma to the vaginal area during childbirth or the fact you may have had stitches after a tear or episiotomy, but it can also be caused by hormones. The key is to know that it's normal and that it won't last forever.
If you're finding sex after childbirth painful, talk to your doctor to see what they might recommend, says Dr. Greenfield. But don't just put up with it. "The purpose of sex is pleasure and if it's not pleasurable, wait a little longer and try other ways of connecting intimately without intercourse." If having sex is painful, talk to your partner about it. Using a personal lubricant might help, or you can try oral sex, manual sex, or being on top (which allows you to steer your partner away from sore spots).
Meet our expert:
Dr. Marjorie Greenfield is a practicing board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist and fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG). She is currently associate professor on the full-time faculty at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. Dr. Greenfield's writing career started in 2000, when she became director of obstetrics and gynecology for the Dr. Spock Company, a health and parenting multimedia enterprise. While working with the Dr. Spock team, she wrote Dr. Spock's Pregnancy Guide, published in 2003. Her new book, The Working Woman's Pregnancy Book, hit bookshelves in spring, 2008. Dr. Greenfield lives in the Cleveland area with her husband and their teenage son. www.marjoriegreenfield.com
