Problems Experienced During Postpartum Period and Solution Suggestions

The puerperium period covers 6 weeks after birth. This corresponds to 42 days. In fact, turning 40 is a situation that applies to the mother as well as the baby, and it means that the mother has come out of the puerperium period.

You can find the article about entering the puerperium here.

In this article, we will be talking about the issues that you live in puerperium and that create a question mark in your mind, with question examples.

Bleeding

“I predicted from the articles I read that I would have some bleeding after giving birth. However, when I got out of bed for the first time, when I saw blood flowing down my legs, I couldn’t stay calm and I was very scared.”

There is no need to panic about this. All you have to do is buy plenty of allergy-free sanitary pads and stay calm. You are experiencing lochia bleeding, which we mentioned in the previous article, and thanks to this bleeding, the remaining blood, mucus and tissues are expelled from your uterus.

You may have about 400 ml of bleeding until it starts to decrease. When you stand up for the first few days, there may be sudden discharges of blood and it is perfectly normal. The only reason for this is that the blood that accumulates while lying down or sitting is suddenly discharged. Since lochia is mostly composed of blood and sometimes blood clots in the first period of puerperium, the bleeding you experience between the first five days and three weeks will be red. After that, it gradually turns more pink, then brown, and finally a yellowish white, returning to normal. Lochia bleeding may stop and start again from time to time as long as it continues. It is not appropriate to use tampons in this process. It is healthier to choose large size sanitary pads instead. In some cases, it was observed that the bleeding decreased and continued for up to 3 months. Breastfeeding or the administration of Pitocin (Oxytocin) administered intravenously, which some doctors give after birth, can reduce lochia bleeding by increasing uterine contractions. These contractions, experienced after birth, allow the uterus to return to its normal size and compress the open blood vessels in the area where the placenta separates from the uterus.

Postpartum Pains

“I have cramp-like pains in my abdomen, especially while breastfeeding. What could be the reason for this? ”

When your pregnancy was over, you thought you had left the pains and contractions behind, didn’t you? Unfortunately, neither the contractions nor the pains caused by these contractions end immediately with the birth. These ongoing pains are called postpartum pains and the reason for these pains is that after you hold your baby in your arms, your uterus shrinks and descends to its normal place in the pelvis. You can notice how much your uterus has shrunk by gently touching it with your hand under your navel. By the end of the sixth week, your uterus will probably have shrunk so much that you can no longer feel it when you touch it with your hand. While postpartum cramps can be annoying, they do a good job. In addition to returning the uterus to its place and length where it should be, these contractions also slow down normal postpartum bleeding. The tone of the uterus may cause more contractions because the uterus has given birth before or the uterus is overstretched (in cases of multiple pregnancy, etc.). You may feel these pains more severely because the hormone oxytocin, which increases contractions, is secreted during breastfeeding, or because the hormone oxytocin is given intravenously after delivery.

Pain in the Perineum

“I did not have an episiotomy (incision) nor a tear at my birth, but my lower part aches unbelievably. Why could this be? ”

Of course, we cannot expect a baby that you have carried in your womb for nine months and that you have given birth to with a weight of approximately 3 – 3.5 kilograms, to come out of there without any effect. Even if there is no damage to the perineum during the birth of your baby, this area will be stretched, crushed and generally traumatized. Sometimes mild and sometimes not mild discomfort may occur, and this is a very normal process. You may feel more pain in this area, especially when you sneeze or cough. Even sitting up for the first few days can be painful.

“There was a tear during delivery and now it hurts incredibly. Is it hurting so much because my stitches got infected? ”

It is expected that every woman who gives birth normally will experience some pain and pain in the perineum. It is also sometimes seen in women who have given birth by cesarean section. This is usually experienced in case of a forced cesarean section as a result of long labor pains and preferring the possibility of normal birth instead of going directly to cesarean section.

Just like any newly closed wound, an incision or tear needs time to heal. This covers an average of 7 to 10 days. Feeling pain during this period does not mean that there is an infection, but if the pain is very intense, it may need to be controlled. If you have taken good care of the perineum after birth, there is not much risk of infection. Your nurse will be checking your perineum for infection, swelling or fever every day while you are in the hospital. Your nurse will explain in detail how to keep the perineum clean, and this applies to cleaning not only the perineum but also the entire genital area. We can summarize the care plan you need to make for your perineum during postpartum period as follows: Change the sanitary pad you use every 4 to 6 hours on average. If bleeding is heavy, keep this period even shorter.
To reduce burning while peeing and to keep this area clean, shower this area with lukewarm water when you are done using the toilet. You can also use an antiseptic product while taking this shower, if your doctor has recommended it. Do not rub or use harsh movements.
Keep your hands away from this area until fully healed.

You may feel a little more discomfort if you have stitches. In this case, you can follow these suggestions to reduce pain in the perineum:

Cool: Apply a cold compress for the first 24 hours after birth to reduce swelling and relieve pain in this area. You can do this once every few hours with cloths containing cold compresses or surgical gloves filled with ice.

Warm up: Sitting in warm water for 15 minutes several times a day reduces discomfort in this area. Of course, you need to dry it thoroughly afterwards.

Anesthetize: You can temporarily numb this area with a spray, cream or ointment recommended by your doctor and applied locally.

Protect: To reduce pain in your perineum, make sure to lie on your side when lying down.

You can also put bagel pillows with a hole in the middle under you while sitting. This will allow for a less painful sitting. It can also be beneficial to settle down by squeezing your hips when you sit down.

Leave It Relax: Avoid tight and tight clothing and underwear. These will cause friction in the perineum, delaying your healing and increasing the pain. Choose clothes and clothes that allow air to breathe as much as possible.

Run: Do as many kegel exercises as you can during the postpartum period. Kegel exercise accelerates the healing process by increasing blood circulation in this area. If you can’t feel the movements while doing Kegel exercises, don’t panic because this area may be numb for a while after giving birth. After a few weeks, the numbness will pass and you will begin to feel more comfortable with the movements.

If your perineum area swells too much, becomes red, painful and starts to emit an unpleasant odor, infection may occur and you should contact your doctor directly in this case.

Birth Bruises

“It’s as if I’ve just been beaten, not just left the delivery room.

This is quite normal for postpartum. Even though your opponent is an average baby of 3-4 kg, you put in a lot more effort and effort during birth than a boxer puts in the ring. Due to very strong contractions and intense straining (especially if you worked your face and chest instead of working your stomach and lower part while pushing), there may be some birth memories that you don’t want. These can range from bloodshot or bruised eyes and tiny spots on your cheeks to purple spots on the upper part of your chest. These are of course temporary deformations.

Having Difficulty Urinating

”It’s been a few hours since I gave birth, but I haven’t managed to pee yet.”

For many women Urinating in the first 24 hours after birth may not be easy. Some women do not feel the need to urinate at all, while others feel but cannot urinate. Burning and pain can be observed in those who manage to urinate. There are many reasons why basic bladder functions after birth may seem like a very difficult task.

Therefore, the need to urinate may be less than when you were pregnant.

There may have been an injury to the bladder during delivery. Even if it is full, it may not be sending the necessary signals of need because it is experiencing a temporary paralysis.

The fact that you have taken an epidural may have affected your bladder sensitivity.

Pains in the perineum can cause reflex spasms in the duct where the urine comes out, making it difficult to urinate.

The sensitivity of the stitched area due to a tear or incision may cause burning or pain. To reduce this burning, instead of sitting on the toilet, it may be more comfortable to stand on your feet and spread your legs to both sides.

“I can’t control my urine, it just keeps leaking.”

This is a livable situation as the muscles in the perineum lose their control after giving birth. Kegel exercises are recommended to recover as quickly as possible.

From this article, you can find the second part of the problems experienced during puerperium and the solution proposals.

The postpartum period covers 6 weeks after birth. This corresponds to 42 days. In fact, turning 40 is a situation that applies to the mother as well as the baby, and it means that the mother has come out of the puerperium period.

You can find the article about entering the puerperium here.

You can also reach the first part of the article on the problems experienced during puerperium and solution suggestions here.

Now, let’s continue where we left off and take a look at what awaits you during puerperium, the problems you may experience, and the appropriate solutions.

Having difficulty going to the toilet

‘I gave birth two days ago but I still haven’t had my big toilet. I need a toilet but I can’t. While doing this, I am very afraid that my stitches will hurt and I will get hurt.’

Going to the big toilet (emptying the bowels) for the first time after giving birth is probably a situation that has become every mother’s nightmare.

It is quite normal for you to be nervous the longer and delayed the process of doing this job. However, there may be many physical factors that prevent things from returning to normal on the side of the intestines after birth. At the beginning of these, the abdominal muscles, which are of great importance in assisting evacuation, may have become somewhat limp and temporarily ineffective as they were stretched, contracted and strained during birth. However, the intestines itself may have become a bit battered and lazy during childbirth. This means that it may be temporarily dysfunctional. Diarrhea may occur with labor pains. In most hospitals, evacuation of the intestines is provided before birth, but sometimes there is some evacuation when you strain. We can consider the state of the intestines as the physical part of the job, but the biggest obstacle to your evacuation is the psychological part of the job. Reasons such as being afraid of getting hurt, fearing that the stitches will open even though it is not based on a reality, and worrying that your hemorrhoids will decrease can delay this work.For this reason, you should first be comfortable and distance yourself from unnecessary fears.

Constipation

Constipation after childbirth is a common problem. No matter how common it is, it is not a permanent condition and you have a chance to fight it. Here are some precautions you can take to relieve constipation:

Consume fibrous foods: If you are still in the hospital, your meals will be served by the hospital service. For this reason, you may not have the opportunity to choose as at home, but if you have the opportunity to choose, you can choose meals with fibrous foods, or you can consume wholegrain breads and fresh vegetables and fruits as much as possible with the meal. Since your options will not be very wide, you can ask your spouse or a relative to bring you fiber foods. You can increase your fiber consumption in a hospital setting with simple supplements. For example, apples, pears, raisins, nuts and different dried fruits, wholemeal biscuits, wholemeal buns, etc. things can happen.

If you are at home, your job is much easier. However, it is useful to stay away from foods that block your intestines as much as possible. The sweets and chocolates brought by your visitors after the birth may wait for a while.

Drink plenty of fluids: By consuming plenty of fluids, you can both regain the water your body lost during childbirth and soften the stool in your sedentary intestines. You should always give priority to water in fluid consumption. You can also consume compotes that you can make with apples, plums or grapes without adding sugar. You can also consume hot water in which you squeeze lemon from time to time. When you get bored of drinking water, a few leaves of fresh mint will be a savior.

Don’t forget to chew: Take care to swallow everything you consume after chewing it thoroughly. Foods that you do not grind enough will also be difficult to get rid of from your intestines.

Move: Remember that the longer your body is still, the more inactive your intestines will be. Of course, we are not talking about doing sports that require high conditioning a day or two after birth, but light-paced walks will work very well.

Don’t push: If you have stitches, pushing will not cause these stitches to open, but it can cause hemorrhoids to form or exacerbate existing hemorrhoids. For this reason, be careful not to push too much. If you have hemorrhoids, you can sit in hot water, take care with herbal products, and use some anesthetic creams, in consultation with your doctor.

Beware of medication use: In some cases, doctors may prescribe some medications to use for a while, while the newly born mother is discharged from the hospital. These drugs have stool softener properties. If your doctor has given you such a medicine, take care to use it regularly and in dosage.

When you go to the toilet for the first time, it may be a little difficult, but as the stool softens and becomes regular, everything will be back to normal.

Excessive Sweating

‘I wake up drenched in sweat at night or during the day when I sleep.’ This is a very popular condition. No, but pretty normal. Women who are new mothers often sweat a lot. There may be more than one reason for this sweating. Of course, hormones come first.

During the change of these hormones, the body reacts by sweating. The second is the removal of water accumulated in the body with sweating. Just like urinating, sweating helps to remove excess fluid that accumulates in your body during pregnancy. There is no clear information about how long this sweating will last. While some women continue to sweat at a rate that does not decrease for weeks, some women can get over this process faster. If you sweat more often at night than during the day, you can use protective undersheets on your beds and pillows. You can also lay a soft and thin towel on the pillow that will not disturb you.

You don’t need to worry about sweating, the only thing you need to pay attention to in this process is not to neglect to take enough fluids.

Fever

‘It’s been a short time since I left the hospital, but my temperature is around 38 degrees. I don’t know if I should go to the hospital or wait for it to drop.’ If you have an increase in your fever right after delivery and you don’t feel well, it would be beneficial to contact your doctor. Fever on the third or fourth day of delivery may be a sign of a puerperal infection. Excitement and fatigue in the first days of puerperium, rather than any disease, can also cause fever. The best thing to do to understand why this is happening is to consult your doctor.

Fever, which lasts for a short time and rises slightly (below 38 degrees) in the first days of puerperium, is usually accompanied by swelling of your breasts while your milk comes in. This is normal and you don’t have to worry. You should check your fever frequently and contact your doctor when it rises above 38 degrees. Common cold, flu, etc., which can be easily seen with fever. If there is a situation, it is useful to consult your doctor without waiting for the fever to rise above 38 degrees. In addition to these, if you have complaints such as vomiting and nausea, what you need to do is to consult your doctor without wasting time. In the pre-pregnancy period, you may prefer to rest without going to the doctor for these problems, but remember that you are now a mother and you are feeding a baby. For this reason, you should be more cautious and take care of yourself better than ever in order not to harm your baby in any problem that may occur.