Do you still believe in the myths that have been circulating for a long time about postpartum rest and recuperation? Dear moms, you have just accomplished a superheroic task - conceiving and giving birth to a new life! But after this miracle of life, don't forget that you also need to be treated with tenderness and care. However, rumours about postpartum recovery are like trails in a misty forest, some leading to the light, others to disorientation.
For example, there's this idea that moms who have just had a baby should sit around all day resting and enjoying the peace like a princess. Wrong! If you sit still for a long time, your lower back will start to “protest”, and the joints of the whole body are calling for freedom. Postpartum recovery is not synonymous with “sedentary” a moderate amount of activity and exercise, as if the body injected a dose of vitality magic, not only to make the body light and comfortable but also to make the mood better and more mothers and babies to make the emotional bond between the mother and child more solid, intimate.
It's Q&A time, and a mom asks, “I've been feeling down lately, and shouldn't I be full of joy when my baby is just born? Am I the only one?” Hey, honey, don't beat yourself up and don't be lonely! The postpartum period is a roller coaster of highs and lows, and it's perfectly normal to experience occasional episodes of anxiety and depression.
First of all, you need to know about the physiological changes that occur after childbirth:
1. Uterine rejuvenation: Inside your body lives a superhero that has just completed its mission - the uterus. It has just birthed a little life and is now busy changing back to its old self. After giving birth, you may feel a small, round, hard lump in your lower abdomen. Don't worry, that's the recovering uterus. It will slowly contract until it gets back to its original fist size and quietly hides back in the pelvis, a process that takes about 4-6 weeks.
2. 2. Post-partum menstrual discharge: After giving birth, your body will also discharge the residue in the uterine cavity. At first, it may seem like a little “red storm”, but over time, the amount will gradually decrease, and the colour will fade. Don't worry, even if it does increase occasionally, it will not exceed the amount of your period. The postpartum period usually tapers off within 6 weeks until it disappears, like a perfect curtain call.
3. 3. Hormonal revelry and curtain call: After giving birth, it's like a big party in your body, with estrogen and progesterone retiring and hormones such as prolactin taking the stage. This fluctuation in hormone levels can make your mood as changeable as the weather, sometimes sunny and sometimes rainy. Don't worry; it's not your fault; it's just your body adjusting to its new role and identity.
4. There are some challenges that every new mom needs to face in the days after childbirth. Labour stress is an extreme challenge to the body and will, and sudden hormonal changes that are like a tidal wave catching you off guard. Add to that postpartum maladjustment, and it's like suddenly entering a whole new world where everything needs to be learned and adapted to again. These factors intertwine to make many pregnant women's emotional boats sway in the storm. Most pregnant women even experience varying degrees of depression. But maternal depression is not as scary as we think it is. It's like an unseasonal cold that is uncomfortable but with enough rest and love to allow the body to gradually recover.
5. On the day after delivery, mothers should mainly stay in bed to recuperate and enjoy the peace and joy of being a new mother. You can start to perform some gentle and beneficial exercises, with the assistance of family members, and slowly turn over, not only to relieve the stiffness that may be brought about by a long period of lying in bed but also to let the body feel a different sense of comfort and relaxation. Next, you may want to do a little “ankle pump exercise”, which is a small secret to prevent bedsores and blood clots! Think of your ankles as small pumps, and with each slow but strong upward and downward pressure, it's like refuelling your body's internal blood circulation and getting the blood flow happily.
