Your Own Changes Don’t Stop Now

 Now that your months of Great Expectations have taken the form of a baby boy or girl, you can expect more physical and mental changes in yourself in the weeks right after delivery.

You’ll be sore from delivery and quite tired. Your hormone levels will return to normal and, in the process, your moods may swing much the same as in the beginning of pregnancy. And, you may become quite depressed. These “baby blues” are common, so expect them. Usually, though, postpartum depressions don’t last longer than a few days. But if you feel really down for long, let us know.

You’ll be having a bloody vaginal discharge for awhile, as the lining of the uterus sheds completely. Your normal periods may not start again for several months if you are breastfeeding.

Your uterus will continue contracting which enables it to return to original size. Expect abdominal cramps for a few days, especially if this is your second or third baby. These may happen more during breast-feeding since breastfeeding causes the uterus to contract much more noticeably.

If you are bottle feeding, your breasts may fill up with milk and become uncomfortable. Tightly binding the breasts and applying ice bags may help relieve some of the discomfort, but don’t pump your breasts to relieve the pain. The more milk you expel, the more milk will come in. Eventually, if your breasts are un-stimulated, your milk will dry up.

If you have problems urinating right after delivery, let us know. Some women do. This can be caused by the type of anesthetic, the size of the baby, or just general discomfort, especially with stitches. But you need to completely empty your bladder. If you have too much trouble in the hospital, we might empty your bladder with a catheter. This is painless. But once you leave the hospital, you shouldn’t be having this problem.

You can resume sexual intercourse after your four- to-six-week checkup. To foster intimacy between you, your partner and your new baby, try feeding your baby in bed, cradled between the two of you.

Your stomach isn’t going to be instantly flat. Don’t expect to leave the hospital and be back to your pre-pregnant size. Your stomach won’t get back to normal right away, but with exercise, your abdomen should flatten out again in very little time. Depending upon your condition, we may recommend that you start exercising just a few days after delivery, or we may ask you to wait a while longer if you had a Cesarean birth or tubal ligation.

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