postpartum recovery process

Many people's understanding of postpartum recovery is either "it will be over after 30 days of confinement", or "it must be considered successful in the 6-month golden period before losing weight before pregnancy. If it is too late, it will be hopeless." However, judging from clinical practice and the real experience of a large number of ordinary mothers, postpartum recovery starts from the time the placenta is delivered and may last for up to 1-2 years. The transformation process can be roughly divided into three stages: acute recovery (0-6 weeks postpartum), subacute recovery (6 weeks-6 months postpartum), and long-term recovery (after 6 months postpartum). The core priority is always organ function recovery > posture adjustment > weight management. There is no universal "standard answer", and the rhythm that suits you is the right one.

During the first 6 weeks of acute recovery, to put it bluntly, your body is "cleaning the battlefield": the uterus that has been stretched 1,000 times has to slowly shrink back to the size of a fist, the tear, side incision or caesarean section wound caused by the birth has to heal, the decidual tissue attached to the uterus has to turn into lochia and be drained out, and even the hormones that have been soaring for ten months are going down like a roller coaster. There are too many controversies about this stage. The older generation always said that you should cover your hands, lie down, and not wash your hair or brush your teeth. Now popular science says that you should go to the ground 2 hours after a vaginal delivery to prevent blood clots. In fact, there is nothing wrong with either statement. It just needs to be combined with your own situation: If you have just given birth to a third-degree tear and cannot sit up, and you will easily pull the wound if you hold on to the ground, then it will be okay to lie down for two more days. ； If you are in good condition after giving birth and have no wounds, it is better to get off the ground and take a few steps slowly than to lie down and stifle bedsores or venous thrombosis. Oh, by the way, there is one of the easiest pitfalls at this stage: don’t wear a corset that is so tight that you can’t breathe. I’ve seen several mothers wear it every day in order to tighten their belly. As a result, the already fragile pelvic floor muscles are compressed even more loosely, and even those who didn’t leak urine leak. It’s really not as useful as doing abdominal breathing twice more.

When you finally get through the 42-day check-up, the doctor says that your uterus is recovering well and the wound has healed. Don’t just sign up for a fitness class and work out. At this time, your body is not as durable as you thought. The subacute recovery period of this half year, which is the "golden repair period" that is so popular among businesses, is indeed the most efficient stage of body repair, but it really does not mean that you will never recover after this half year. There are a lot of pitfalls here. For example, the pelvic repair, rectus abdominis repair, and pelvic floor muscle repair that the agency said must be done in full, otherwise you will have wide crotch leakage for the rest of your life. But if you go to a public hospital and ask, most doctors will tell you: If the rectus abdominis is separated within 2 fingers, the pelvic floor muscles are assessed to be slightly injured, and there are no symptoms of urinary leakage or bulging, there is no need to do paid items, and you can recover by practicing at home. I accompanied my cousin for a re-examination. Her rectus abdominis was separated by just 2 fingers. The institution asked her to pay 10,000 yuan for 10 repairs. As a result, the obstetrician asked her to go home and do abdominal breathing and dead bug pose for 10 minutes every day. After three months, she had only half a finger left for the examination, and she didn't spend a penny. Of course, this does not mean that all paid items are IQ taxes. If you have more than 3 fingers separated, your back hurts even when you hold a child, or you leak urine every time you cough, then don’t save the money, go to the rehabilitation department of a regular hospital, and don’t go to a small institution for massage. I have seen people being massaged to the point where the separation of the pubic symphysis is more serious.

There is also a lot of controversy about whether to lose weight at this stage. Old people always say that you cannot lose weight during breastfeeding because it will affect your milk supply. In fact, as long as you don't diet blindly, lose 0.5-1 catties per week, eat enough protein at 1.2g per kilogram of body weight every day, and drink less greasy pig's trotter soup, it will not affect your milk supply at all. I have a friend who started doing low-intensity aerobics for 20 minutes every day 3 months after giving birth. She ate more lean meats and vegetables and less refined sugar during meals. She lost 20 pounds in 3 months, and her milk supply was still enough for her baby. On the contrary, those mothers who drank Dabu Decoction every day gained 20 pounds, not to mention blocked their milk several times, and suffered from the same old sin.

After waiting for 6 months, many people think that "the recovery period is over, and if the recovery is not good, that's it." In fact, this is not the case at all. I know a mother whose pubic symphysis was severely separated. Half a year after giving birth, she still couldn’t wear high heels and it hurt when she walked for a long time. Later, she practiced pelvic stability training with a rehabilitation practitioner for half a year, and now she can run and jump without any problem. There is also the emotional recovery that many people ignore. In fact, it takes about a year for postpartum hormones to completely return. Many people still cry inexplicably eight or nine months after delivery. They always feel that they are not good at being a mother. This is not because they are pretentious, but because their hormones have not returned to normal. If you continue to be depressed, there is really no shame in going for a psychological screening. Emotional recovery is an important part of postpartum recovery.

I have met so many mothers, and the most regrettable thing is that they originally had no health problems, but were frightened by various marketing campaigns about "must-do things after childbirth" and "golden period". They spent tens of thousands of dollars on useless projects, and in turn were worried that they would not recover well. In fact, there is no KPI for postpartum recovery. You don't need to compete with others to see who can lose weight first before pregnancy or who can run and jump first. As long as you feel comfortable, hold the baby without pain, don't leak urine, and are emotionally stable, then you have recovered. Slow down, there is really no shame.