How does your body change after giving birth?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted by a Doctor of Obstetrics and Gynecology - Vinmec Central Park International General Hospital
Pregnancy and childbirth are sacred duties of a woman. However, after each "birth", a woman's body has many changes to ensure the development of the baby and the process of raising children later. Let's review the changes of a woman's body after giving birth to better understand this stage.

1. Uterus changes after birth

During the birth of a baby, uterine contractions begin to become stronger and painful, this is called labor, the stronger these contractions help the placenta separate from the uterus and bring the baby out. After the birth of the baby, the uterine muscles begin to gradually contract as before. After giving birth, you will feel your uterus becoming heavier and it will take up to 2 weeks for your uterus to return to its normal feeling.

2. Weight change

You won't be able to return to your pre-pregnancy weight. Weight will decrease when the baby is delivered by the placenta and the amniotic fluid is no longer in the abdomen. However, your weight will continue to drop in the postpartum period because of the extra water in the body's cells that is retained during pregnancy, and the loss of fluid from the extra blood during this time. That's why in the first few days after giving birth, you urinate more than usual and last after the first week of birth.

3. The second round is as big as "pregnant"

Even after the baby is born, your breasts can still be as big as a pregnancy. It is a condition in which your abdominal muscles relax as your baby grows. After giving birth, the abdominal muscles do not disappear, but even enlarge and sag just like you are pregnant. Overcoming this situation, you need to have time to exercise regularly and in moderation to regain the shape of the second round to become as beautiful as before. However, depending on the case, some women cannot escape this change and live with such big abs.

4. Loss of feeling sad to go to the toilet

The process of giving birth can completely damage your bladder, specifically the bladder can lose sensitivity, or lose the feeling of needing to urinate. In the first few days after giving birth, you may not feel the need to urinate. This is often the case with women who have a long, long labor. You can ask your doctor to put a catheter in during labor to help you urinate and as a way to keep your bladder from getting so damaged that you don't feel the need to urinate.
After giving birth, the extra fluids that are not needed in the body cause the bladder to become full quickly, if normally you will feel the need to urinate constantly, but if the bladder is damaged, you will lose the feeling sad. Women need to urinate after giving birth even if there is no feeling of need to go to the bathroom after giving birth. Overstretching your bladder at this point will cause your uterus to contract harder and cause more problems. If you can't urinate for a few hours after giving birth, or don't want to go to the bathroom, you should ask the nurse to insert a catheter.

5. Vagina changes

After giving birth, the woman's vagina is completely changed, the vagina is dilated, larger, even swollen and bruised. This condition over time can be improved with care with Kegel exercises that bring good effects to your vaginal area. At the time of delivery, the amount of estrogen in the vagina also decreases and may not be the same as before sex. Therefore, women need to know how to take care of their private parts with effective measures.
Besides, vaginal discharge in 1-2 months after giving birth is normal, you don't need to worry too much. This fluid can be watery or pink and is secreted to balance the vaginal area before the change in birth. This epidemic will gradually disappear after 1-2 months after birth, depending on the condition and location of each person.

6. Breasts change

After giving birth, your breasts begin to swell, swell, and become much harder, which leads to an uncomfortable, throbbing sensation. And the best solution for you is to breastfeed your baby. Your breasts will not stop producing milk to feed your baby during this time. If you don't breastfeed your baby, more milk can lead to breast enlargement, pain, and discomfort. These pains will take place for 3-5 days, when your milk glands begin to stabilize in milk production, you will be less uncomfortable. However, if you don't breastfeed your baby, lactation will still cause discomfort for you.

7. Bad skin, hair loss

Women during pregnancy and especially after giving birth, hair loss is common. Many women may panic because of the amount of hair loss during this time. Because estrogen levels drop sharply after giving birth, causing your hair to fall out a lot, or make your hair much more frizzy than before.
This also entails a change in your skin. Your skin can darken, appear melasma, have acne and be vulnerable to severe damage if exposed to the sun without protection.
Most of the changes in a woman's body after giving birth are negative. However, women should also know how to take care of themselves after giving birth to overcome these bad changes as soon as possible.
Register for maternity package at Vinmec International General Hospital for health care and advice before, during and after childbirth. At Vinmec, mother and baby receive full attention and care, helping to restore your physical and mental health as quickly as possible.

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