For medical professionals only
Will late check-ups affect postpartum recovery?
Everyone knows that after giving birth, we must return to the hospital for postpartum examination, as for why it should be arranged in 42 days after giving birth, many people may not know the reason behind it.
Postpartum check-ups are scheduled over 42 days for reasons
After giving birth, the woman's body will gradually recover, and by the six weeks after childbirth, that is, about 42 days, all organs and systems except the breast are basically restored to the pre-pregnancy state.
During the full ten months of pregnancy, the pregnant mother's body will change greatly:
The weight will increase significantly, the endocrine system will change greatly, the blood volume will increase, the pressure on the cardiovascular system will also increase, the respiratory system will also change, and the load of liver metabolism will also increase.......
One of the biggest changes is the reproductive system, the uterus is not the size of its own fist when it is never pregnant, and it has to grow up to accommodate a child weighing 6-8 pounds and there is still amniotic fluid.
After giving birth, all these organs and systems gradually return to their pre-pregnancy state, which normally takes about 6 weeks.
Since most mothers breastfeed, the state of the mammary glands will not gradually recover until breastfeeding has completely stopped and there is no milk production in the breasts.
Regarding postpartum examinations, there are two points that need to be clarified:
The first is that the criterion for normal postpartum recovery is "basic" return to the preconception state.
The second is that 42 days is not an absolute point in time, it is a time period, and it does not require you to absolutely come to the postpartum check-up on the day of 42 days, and there is no problem in dragging it out for a few days or even 1-2 weeks. But if something happens after childbirth, don't drag it out, or even come to the doctor in advance.
Although according to the classic textbook definition, all organs and systems can basically return to the pre-pregnancy state in 42 days, some body parts can never naturally return to the pre-pregnancy state.
Criteria for judging the restoration of organs or systems
To judge the recovery of an organ or system, we mainly look at three aspects: form, size, and function.
For most pregnant women, most organs and systems can be basically fully restored.
For example, the heart, blood system, respiratory system, liver, etc., including the uterus, the reproductive system can also be basically restored to the pre-pregnancy state, and the uterus that is expanded into such a large uterus during pregnancy can basically return to a non-pregnant state.
By the way, at the time of the 42-day postpartum check-up, for most people, the weight cannot be restored to the pre-pregnancy state, and only a few lucky people can do it.
At the 42-day postpartum check-up, the weight and size were basically restored to the pre-pregnancy, and the changes were so great that I would not recognize the pregnant woman who had been checked for a full ten months.
However, if a pathological condition occurs in an organ or system during pregnancy, it may not be possible to recover normally on its own.
For example, some people have more severe high blood pressure or high blood sugar during pregnancy, and after giving birth, blood pressure or blood sugar continues to rise and cannot return to normal, which becomes chronic hypertension and diabetes.
Some people have too many babies or suffer difficult deliveries during childbirth, which can lead to pelvic floor muscle damage, which cannot recover normally on their own.
Therefore, we will still encourage all people to routinely undergo a 42-day postpartum check-up after giving birth, so that the doctor can help you judge, find problems, and deal with them in time.
Unfortunately, after giving birth, some parts of the body may never go back.
For example, some people gain weight during pregnancy and can't go back no matter how much control they have after giving birth, as well as surgical scars on the skin and stretch marks.
Of course, these are not so important organs and systems for physical health, but for women who love beauty, this is unacceptable.
Fortunately, for these problems, there will be a corresponding solution, do not worry too much.
Source of this article: Dr. Duan Tao
This article is written by Duan Tao
Editor-in-Charge: Ichikawa