Recovery after childbirth

The birth of a child, especially if he is beloved and long-awaited, is always a joyful event. But even the easiest childbirth is the strongest burden for the female body. Recovery after childbirth, going well and without complications, takes about two months. At the same time, the mother needs to make efforts, be interested in how to recover after childbirth, monitor her condition and do special exercises to help the body cope with the load.

Consequences of childbirth

Pregnancy, even for a completely healthy woman, is a process that takes a lot of energy and affects all aspects of life. When it is completed and the baby is born, a long period of recovery after childbirth begins. As a rule, immediately after them there is:

• Overweight. During pregnancy, the body actively stores nutrients in case the mother, for some reason, does not have enough food during lactation. Fat is deposited in the most unexpected places and may be one of the main reasons a woman wants to know how to recover quickly after childbirth.
• Deformity of the abdomen. In the first days after the birth of the baby, the abdominal wall cannot cope with the support of the internal organs, which can cause the stomach to sag and look ugly and flabby. Usually, looking at him, a woman begins to wonder where to begin recovery after childbirth.
• Hair loss and peeling nails. It is observed in the first few months, as a result of restructuring after birth stress.
• Stretch marks. Their occurrence is explained by hormonal changes - the skin in problem areas becomes thin, easily stretched and torn in the deep layers, which leaves white or pinkish scars. Restoration of the body after childbirth usually does not concern them.
• Breast problems. The skin becomes thinner and the breast sags - moreover, due to improper care, due to improper grip of the nipple by the child, due to the fact that the baby eats less milk than is produced, very painful cracks may appear or milk stagnation may occur - lactostasis. However, breast problems are rather aesthetic - they have little effect on how much the body recovers after childbirth.
• Contraction of the uterus. In the early days, the uterus is deformed and stretched - it takes time for it to shrink to normal size. As a rule, in the process, a woman suffers from pain similar to that which is accompanied by contractions.
• Lochia. This is the name of the discharge, which is accompanied by the restoration of the genital organs after childbirth. In form, they resemble menstruation, but can last up to two months, accompanied by mild pain.
• Absence of menses. In the process of recovery after childbirth, a woman usually does without menstruation. They are prevented by the hormone prolactin, on which the production of breast milk depends. As soon as the mother transfers the child to complementary foods, less milk begins to be produced in her body, the level of prolactin drops and menstruation returns. If a woman did not initially breastfeed, you can determine when menstruation begins, by how long the body recovers after childbirth in women in general. It usually takes about two months.

If everything went hard and was accompanied by breaks, recovery after childbirth will take longer.

Restoration of the physical form

Restoring muscles after childbirth is a much more important task than just gaining your usual weight. Physical activity reduces the likelihood of illness, makes you feel better and is required in all areas of life. But for a woman who is just after childbirth, exercise should be gentle and added gradually. Otherwise, instead of benefit, only harm will come out.

Allowed:

• dietary changes towards lower calorie intake - but it is important not to get too carried away, since feeding and caring for a baby imposes responsibility and requires strength and nutrients;
• physical exercises, the complexity of which should increase gradually, depending on how the body recovers after childbirth and how successful this process is.

Recovery of a woman after childbirth requires accuracy and attention to health.

Nutrition Features

When a woman recovers from childbirth, she needs to remember what exactly cannot be done in the field of nutrition:

• going on strict diets is not only ineffective, but also harmful to a weakened body and a child who feeds on mother's milk;
•  cut portions too much - this will have a bad effect on well-being and no matter how long the body recovers after childbirth by this moment;
• There are foods that can cause an allergy in a child:
• citrus;
• certain berries - strawberries and raspberries, cherries;
• seafood - crabs, red fish;
• tomatoes;
• chicken eggs;
• fatty cow's milk;
• honey and nuts;
• cocoa, coffee and chocolate.

Otherwise, the nutritional rules explaining how to recover from childbirth while breastfeeding are similar to those that guide people who adhere to a healthy lifestyle:

• Eat fractionally. There should be at least five meals a day, between which at least two to three hours should pass. Restoring weight after childbirth involves small portions - however, a nursing mother should not feel hungry.
• Eating great. The diet should be rich in vegetables and fruits, lean meats, low-fat dairy products and should not have too many sweets, pastries, fatty meats. It can be difficult, but it directly depends on how long the body will recover after childbirth.
• Eating is helpful. Prefer boiled and steamed dishes to fried ones, try to avoid fast food, hot spices and sauces. Drink vitamins after childbirth for recovery.

As a result, a breastfeeding mother should receive enough nutrients so that postpartum recovery and return to normal weight is easy.

Permissible Exercises

Not all types of physical activity are suitable for the recovery of a woman's body after childbirth. Definitely you can not lift weights, pump the press, make sudden movements. In some cases, nothing at all is possible:

• a month after cesarean section, physical activity is completely contraindicated;
• tears and sutures cannot be dealt with until a separate permission from a doctor who knows how long a woman’s body recovers after childbirth and how long it takes to heal in a particular case;
• with chronic diseases that prevent activity - in this case, it does not matter how much a woman recovers after childbirth;
• with birth injuries also until the doctor's special order.

And even if everything went smoothly, before choosing exercises after childbirth, it is better to consult a doctor and clarify his opinion.

Gymnastics for recovery after childbirth happens:

• The most gentle. The exercises of this group are suitable even for the first days. These include:
• Breathing exercises - lying on your back, exhale, drawing in your stomach, then inhale, inflating your stomach. Repeat 5 times to start.
• Bridge. When breathing exercises become easy, while lying on your back as you exhale, raise your hips without lifting your lower back from the surface. Repeat 5 times.
• For chest muscles. Exercises after childbirth of this group prevent the breasts from sagging. This:
• Classic push-ups, which are best done from the knees first - or, if it doesn't work, from the wall. Their admissibility depends on how long the body recovers after childbirth. There are women who better watch out, and those who can do push-ups as early as the second week.
• Lock - close your hands in a "lock", pull them forward, straining your back and remaining in a straight position.
• Mahi - hands shoulder-width apart, hands synchronously waving back and forth.
• On the press. Truly pumping the press is unacceptable until the full recovery after childbirth is completed. But you can do:
• Bicycle - lie on your back, raise your legs, make movements that imitate cycling.
• Pressure - lie on your back, raise your head, tensing your neck muscles, hold for a while.
• Twisting - lie on your back, bend your knees, lower them to one side or the other without sudden movements.
• For the spine. Allows you to take the load off your back and avoid problems. To some extent, it depends on them how long the body recovers after childbirth, since they strengthen the back. Can be used:
• Tilts - slow, forward, until there is a feeling of light tension under the knees.
• "Child" - sit on the floor, press your stomach to your hips, stretch your arms as far forward as possible.
• "Mountain" - stand on one leg, rest the other on the thigh of the first, raise and connect your hands above your head. Try to keep your balance as long as possible.
• For the pelvis. They allow you to bring the muscles of the buttocks into a state of tone. What exercises can be done after childbirth depends on how well the process is going. You can do:
• Squats - slowly, from the “legs shoulder-width” position, lower the pelvis as low as possible. The main thing is to avoid pain.
• "Ball" - lie on your back, pull your knees up to your chest, hold them with your hands, lie down for a while.
• "Warrior" - put your legs wide, parallel to each other. Turn to one side, sit down. Raise your hands and bring them over your head.
• A set of exercises after childbirth can be found on the video, you can make it yourself. The main rule is that there should be no pain. It is also a good idea to go to a professional trainer who will tell you and show you how to recover from childbirth with the help of exercises.

In addition to sets of exercises for recovery after childbirth, you can use simpler methods:

• Walks. The child needs fresh air, which means that you can lose a lot of calories just walking in the park with him. Sometimes you can leave the stroller and carry the baby in your arms.
• Games with a child. Babies are active creatures, so outdoor games and motion sickness can be included in the postpartum recovery program. You can squat with the child in your arms, you can perform twisting, reaching out to him. With a certain amount of imagination, mother's exercises can be great entertainment for the baby.

The main rule for quick recovery after childbirth is constancy. You can do not too many exercises, you can do them not too actively, but if you devote time to them every day, sooner or later the effect will appear.

Restoration of skin, nails and hair

How long the recovery after childbirth lasts depends on how easily they went and what condition the mother's health is in. There are rare lucky women whose skin, hair and nails get in order on their own in just a couple of months, but more often you need to make efforts so that the recovery of the female body after childbirth goes as quickly and easily as possible.

For the skin, this can be a massage:

• If the skin sagged on the abdomen, you should perform a simple complex every day:
• stroke the belly clockwise;
• knead the stomach with your fingertips from the bottom to the ribs, so as not to feel pain;
• with both hands stroke the stomach from the sides to the navel;
• put both hands with the ribs on the stomach, rub it - the palms should move in the opposite direction, one down, the other up;
• lightly pinch the stomach;
• stroke the belly with the fingertips in a clockwise direction.
• If the skin sagged on the chest, the complex should be different:
• stroke the breasts in a circular motion, from the edge to the nipples;
• stroke the breasts from the bottom up;
• stroke the breasts from the nipples to the edge;
• repeat the first exercise.

Massage should not bring discomfort, otherwise the recovery time of the body after childbirth can only increase. If desired, you can add a little massage oil to the process. Useful for the skin will also be a contrast shower and sunbathing.

For healthy nails and hair, you need to eat:

• vitamins to restore the body after childbirth;
• carrots, walnuts, seaweed;
• foods rich in calcium, such as cottage cheese.

You can also wash your hair with a decoction of chamomile, calendula or burdock, and paint your nails with a strengthening transparent varnish.

After how much after childbirth the body of a certain woman is restored, even doctors cannot know for sure. It remains only to do everything possible so that the process goes smoothly and quickly.

Restoration of menstruation

The restoration of menstruation after childbirth is, perhaps, the area that a woman can only minimally influence. All she can do is monitor her health:

• visit a gynecologist and consult with him until the body is fully restored after childbirth;
• wear panty liners during the period when she will have lochia - it is important that these are not tampons, since there is a chance of infection;
• every evening to carry out hygiene procedures - their quality indirectly depends on how much time is needed to recover after childbirth;
• if there are seams or ruptures, wash them with chamomile infusion for as long as recovery after childbirth takes place;
• consult a gynecologist separately if the lochia is very profuse, painful, accompanied by an unpleasant odor or has a color different from the usual color of menstruation.

You also need to see a doctor if complementary foods are introduced, milk production has decreased or stopped altogether, and:

• menstruation did not start;
• menstruation began, but became painful;
• Menstruation has begun, but it is too profuse or too scanty.

At the same time, a broken menstrual cycle at the beginning should not be scary. This is a natural part of how postpartum recovery happens. Only if it does not settle in a few months, you should start to worry and consult a doctor.

Recovery after pregnancy and childbirth is a long process. The main assistant of a woman at this time is optimism and a positive attitude.

Rejoicing at every new day, every smile of a child, every achievement of it, you can experience anything, even asking the questions “How long does it take to recover after childbirth” and “how long does a woman’s body recover after childbirth”.