Getting Rest

The first few days at home after having a baby are a time for rest and recovery — physically and emotionally. A woman needs to focus her energy on herself and on getting to know her new baby. Even though she may be very excited and have requests for lots of visits from family and friends, she should try to limit visitors and get as much rest as possible. Women should not expect to keep their house perfect. New moms often find that all they can do is eat, sleep, and care for their baby. And that is perfectly okay. New moms should try to lie down or nap while the baby naps. They should allow others to help and not be afraid to ask for help with cleaning, laundry, meals, or with caring for the baby.

Physical Changes

Here is a list of common physical changes and experiences that occur after birth:

• There is a vaginal discharge called lochia. It is the tissue and blood that lined the uterus during pregnancy.
• It is heavy and bright red at first, becoming lighter in flow and color until it goes aware after a few weeks.
• There may be swelling in the legs and feet.
• Constipation may be experienced.
• Menstrual-like cramping is common, especially if the woman is breastfeeding. The breast milk comes in within three to six days after delivery.

The woman’s doctor checks a woman’s recovery at a postpartum visit, about six weeks after birth. Some women develop thyroid problems in the first year after giving birth. This is called postpartum thyroiditis. It often begins with overactive thyroid, which lasts two to four months. Most women then develop symptoms of an underactive thyroid, which can last up to a year. Thyroid problems are easy to overlook, as many symptoms, such as fatigue, sleep problems, low energy, and changes in weight, are common after having a baby. In most cases, thyroid function returns to normal as the thyroid heals. But some women develop permanent underactive thyroid disease, called Hashimoto’s disease, and need lifelong treatment.

Regaining a Healthy Weight

Both pregnancy and labor can affect a woman’s body. After giving birth, women lose about 10 pounds right away and a little more as body fluid levels decrease. Women should not expect or try to lose additional pregnancy weight right away. Gradual weight loss over several months is the safest way, especially if breastfeeding. Nursing mothers can safely lose a moderate amount of weight without affecting their milk supply or their babies’ growth.

Baby Blues and Postpartum Depression

After childbirth, women may feel sad, weepy, and overwhelmed for a few days. Many new mothers have the “baby blues” after giving birth. Changing hormones, anxiety about caring for the baby, and lack of sleep, all affect emotions. These feelings are normal and usually go away quickly. But if sadness lasts more than two weeks, the new mother should see her doctor. She may have a serious but treatable condition called postpartum depression. Postpartum depression can happen any time within the first year after birth.

Signs of postpartum depression include:

• Feeling restless or irritable
• Feeling sad, depressed, or crying a lot
• Having no energy
• Having headaches, chest pains, heart palpitations (the heart being fast and feeling like it is skipping beats), numbness, or hyperventilation (fast and shallow breathing)
• Not being able to sleep, being very tired, or both
• Not being able to eat and weight loss
• Overeating and weight gain
• Trouble focusing, remembering, or making decisions
• Being overly worried about the baby
• Not having any interest in the baby
• Feeling worthless and guilty
• Having no interest or getting no pleasure from activities like sex and socializing
• Thoughts of harming your baby or yourself

Some women don’t tell anyone about their symptoms because they feel embarrassed or guilty about having these feelings at a time when they think they should be happy. Postpartum depression can make it hard to take care of the baby. Infants with mothers with postpartum depression can have delays in learning how to talk. They can have problems with emotional bonding. Therapy and/or medicine can treat postpartum depression.

Emerging research suggests that 1 in 10 new fathers may experience depression during or after pregnancy. Although more research is needed, having depression may make it harder to be a good father and perhaps affect the baby’s development. Having depression may also be related to a mother’s depression. New fathers with emotional problems or symptoms of depression should talk to their doctors. Depression is a treatable illness.

Attributions

“The Newborn, APGAR Score, and Postpartum Period” by Troianne T. Grayson, Mary Wuergler, and Michael Konrad, Child and Adolescent Psychology is licensed under CC BY 4.0

The Postpartum Period by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services resides in the Public Domain .