How long does it take to recover after giving birth?

There has never been a unified standard answer for postpartum recovery. Among the more than 300 mothers I have contacted, the quickest ones have basically completed basic physiological reset after 42 days of review, while the slower ones are still struggling with urinary leakage and rectus abdominis separation in one or two years after delivery. The vast majority can complete the basic recovery of core functions in 6 weeks to 12 months. To completely return to the physical condition before pregnancy or even better, it depends on the individual foundation and the energy invested.

The often-talked-about 42-day puerperium is actually the hospital's default first-stage recovery node. This stage is mainly the process of uterine retraction, wound healing, and lochia elimination. Mothers who have had vaginal births without serious tearing and side incision can basically complete basic physiological recovery by this time. Mothers who have had caesarean sections may have to wait an extra week or two. After all, the wounds of the uterus and abdominal wall heal more slowly. Many people will feel a pulling sensation at the incision after holding the baby for a long time after two or three months. This is normal.

There have always been two opposing views in the circle. One group says that after the golden 6 months after childbirth, there will be no recovery. The other group says that as long as the method is right, it is enough time to adjust after three or four years. The two mothers I met can cope with these two situations. Xiao Min, born in 1995 and born in 1995, has been keeping her weight under control during her pregnancy. She only gained 21 pounds during the whole pregnancy. She started doing abdominal breathing on the day after giving birth. At the 42-day reexamination, the rectus abdominis separation was only half a finger, and her pelvic floor muscle score was 86. Except for her belly, which was still a bit loose, other indicators were back to the pre-pregnancy range. She then did low-intensity core training for more than three months. She wore her pre-pregnancy jeans in about half a year, and her waistcoat line was back. There is also Sister Lin, a mother of her second child, who had no concept of postpartum recovery when she was pregnant with her second child. When she was pregnant with her second child, her rectus abdominis muscles were already separated by more than two fingers. After giving birth to her second child, it reached three and a half fingers. She started leaking urine when coughing or holding the baby for a long time. She only started systemic rehabilitation 8 months after giving birth. It took a year and a half to get her rectus abdominis muscles back to within one finger, and the problem of urine leakage basically disappeared.

In fact, to put it bluntly, postpartum recovery is like resetting a rubber band that has been stretched for ten months. When it is first stretched, it is still elastic, and it is definitely more efficient to pull it back in time. That is to say, the hormones have not dropped back in the first 6 months, and the condition of the muscles and ligaments can be adjusted easily, and recovery is faster. But this is not the case after this time. It will be completely "set" within a short period of time. As long as the method is correct, you can still get results by spending more time. What I fear most is that I am eager for quick success. I follow the online tutorials to do crunches and aerobics before I am out of confinement. The rectus abdominis muscle is originally separated, but doing so will make the abdominal linea alba even looser. I have seen this pitfall too many times.

As for whether you should go to an institution for rehabilitation, it also depends on your personal situation. If you have mild diastasis recti and no obvious pelvic floor muscle leakage and prolapse, practicing at home with regular public welfare courses is completely sufficient. If you already have severe urinary leakage, uterine prolapse, or more than three fingers of rectus abdominis diastasis, you should find a professional rehabilitation practitioner for evaluation before targeted intervention. Don't waste time by practicing blindly on your own.

What I usually tell the mothers who come for consultation the most is, don’t be dazzled by the anxiety-mongering content on the Internet about “you will lose weight again after the full moon”. You were pregnant for ten months and spent half your life giving birth to the baby before bringing the baby into the world. Give yourself a few more months to recover. There is really no shame at all.