POSTNATAL CARE

When a woman gives birth to a baby and embraces motherhood, safe child delivery is not the end of the problems, dangers, and weaknesses that pregnancy can cause to the body of a woman. Prenatal care for a pregnant mother is necessary for delivering a healthy baby. Postnatal care is needed to nurse the mother back to health, as child delivery weakens the mother's body. The right kind of postnatal care is required for a new mother to recover her health properly and take care of the baby.

The World Health Organization (WHO) describes postnatal care as the most critical period. Also known as the postpartum period, the postnatal period is when hormone levels and the uterus size of the mother return to a non-pregnant state or the pre-pregnancy state. Negligence, sometimes by doctors and sometimes by family members, often causes maximum maternal and newborn deaths during this period.

Crucial period for Postnatal Care

The period in which the highest level of postnatal care is required is the postpartum period. Being a crucial period regarding postnatal care, this period has been divided into three phases.

Acute Phase:

This phase is 8 to 19 hours after childbirth. The exact duration can vary depending on the health of the woman. This is a time when there can be rapid change with the potential for immediate crises such as amniotic fluid embolism, eclampsia, postpartum hemorrhage, and uterine inversion. Usually, this is the time that new mothers spend with intense nursing supervision.

Subacute Phase:

The duration of this phase is between 2 to 6 weeks. During this phase, the new mother's body goes through major changes in genitourinary recovery, hemodynamics, metabolism, and emotional status. In this phase, biological changes are faster than in the acute phase.

Delayed Postpartum Period:

This phase can last up to six months. During this phase, changes are extremely gradual, and pathology-related impact is rare. This is the time when muscle tone and connective tissue are making progress toward restoration to their prepregnant state. With subtle changes, the woman's body takes six months after delivery to restore its prepregnant physiology.

According to a survey, 87% to 94% of women (new mothers) experience at least one medical problem. 31% of women experience long-term problems.

Postnatal care that should be given to women

Regular medical checkups:

Gynecologists can do medical checkups of new mothers when they meet them face to face. However, online, experienced gynecologists can ask women what kind of symptoms they are feeling, and based on that, gynecologists can estimate the tentative duration of recovery.

Gynecologists away from the city can also advise the medical checkups women should get by visiting nearby hospitals.

Nutrition:

Nutritionists can advise new mothers about vegetables, fruits, and meat, along with a protein-rich diet that is necessary for them and can help them to recover.

Medication:

Doctors can advise women about medicines and health supplements for health recovery.

Fitness training:

This is something when the body of a new mother has fully recovered. The fat accumulated in the mother's body during pregnancy, commonly known as baby weight, can cause joint pains during old age. Exercise and fitness training is required so women can lose that weight. Earlier, only models and actresses were interested in fitness training to regain their pre-pregnancy figure. But now, to avoid joint pain in old age, women invest time and energy in this. Fitness trainers can tell women the exercises they should do to lose weight and fat, along with regaining their pre-pregnancy figure.

 

Finding Postnatal Care Experts on HelloDr

It is not a good idea to be your doctor and allow your husband to be your doctor regarding postnatal care. Gynecologists, nutritionists, fitness trainers, and doctors can give the right advice regarding the proper medical checkups, diet, exercises, and medication that a new mother requires during postnatal care. Click here to see the list of doctors who can be expert advisors regarding postnatal care. The list of such experts is visible only to registered users.

For more health-related blog:https://hellodr.com/article/impact-of-stress-and-depression-on-endocrine-system-part-2