Postpartum Care

Summary

Taking home a new baby is one of the happiest times in a woman’s life. But it also presents both physical and emotional challenges. :

• Get as much rest as possible. You may find that all you can do is eat, sleep, and care for your baby. And that is perfectly okay. You will have spotting or bleeding, like a menstrual period, off and on for up to six weeks.
• You might also have swelling in your legs and feet, feel constipated, have menstrual-like cramping. Even if you are not breastfeeding, you can have milk leaking from your nipples, and your breasts might feel full, tender, or uncomfortable.
• Follow your doctor’s instructions on how much activity, like climbing stairs or walking, you can do for the next few weeks.
• Doctors usually recommend that you abstain from sexual intercourse for four to six weeks after birth.

In addition to physical changes, you may feel sad or have the “baby blues.” If you are extremely sad or are unable to care for yourself or your baby, you might have a serious condition called postpartum depression.

Dept. of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health

Patient Handouts

• After vaginal delivery – in the hospital Medical Encyclopedia
• Losing weight after pregnancy Medical Encyclopedia
• Questions to ask your doctor about going home with your baby Medical Encyclopedia
• Questions to ask your doctor about post pregnancy care Medical Encyclopedia
• Vaginal delivery – discharge Medical Encyclopedia

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Postnatal Care National Institutes of Health
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Postpartum Period National Institutes of Health
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Puerperal Disorders National Institutes of Health

Encyclopedia

• Episiotomy – aftercare Medical Encyclopedia

Find an Expert

• Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Related Issues

• Exercise after Pregnancy American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
• Partners, Friends, and Family of Pregnant or Postpartum Women Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Postpartum Birth Control American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
• Your Postpartum Checkups March of Dimes Foundation

Specifics

• Infections After Delivery Merck & Co., Inc.
• Mastitis Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
• Postpartum Blood Clots Merck & Co., Inc.

Start Here

• Pregnant and Postpartum Women Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Recovering from Birth Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women’s Health
• Recovering from Delivery Nemours Foundation
• Your Body after Baby: The First 6 Weeks March of Dimes Foundation

Journal Articles

• Postpartum Care

Symptoms

• Urgent Maternal Warning Signs Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Diagnosis and Tests

• Warning Signs to Look for After Having a Baby March of Dimes Foundation