After Delivery - Postnatal - The Puerpirium

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Mother's Health, Wound healing, Breast feeding, Leg clots-deep vein thrombosis, Coping with baby, Postnatal depression, Weblinks

Mother's Health
The first few days after birth are consumed with the joy of being a mother. After the 'blues', typically around day 3 (feeling weepy because of the big drop in hormones), the job of motherhood gets underway in earnest. While all this is happening the body is rapidly returning to normal. Whether the delivery is by Caesarean or vaginal the vaginal bleeding should start to settle and reduce in the first week. Although it may last for 4 - 6 weeks, it should gradually reduce with time. If it increases in the first weeks you should return to your doctor for assessment. This is called a secondary post (= after) partum (= delivery) haemorrhage (= blood loss) and may indicate that there is some infection in the womb.

The womb itself reduces in size (involutes), returning to normal by about 6 weeks. The breasts will swell and engorge with milk, which starts to flow after about 3 days (continued next page)