3 Symptoms You Should Pay Attention To After Delivering Your Baby

The postpartum period starts when you deliver your baby and ends when your body recovers to the state it was in pre-pregnancy. You move through many changes in this period, both physically and emotionally. Taking care of yourself is important to build up your strength so you can take proper care of your baby. 

You need to think about your postpartum care long before you give birth. Some discomforts after giving birth are perfectly normal, such as a lack of energy, mood changes, and vaginal discomfort. Symptoms of some serious health conditions to watch out for after giving birth include extreme pain, heavy bleeding, or trouble breathing. Here are three symptoms you may experience after birth that are less serious, but still require attention. 

1. Lack of energy

Forty percent of new moms experience postpartum fatigue for the first week or two after delivery. Nearly a quarter of them continue to feel fatigued up to a month after the birth. Your body needs rest and nourishment to recuperate from all the challenges of giving birth. If you had a C-section, you are also recovering from abdominal surgery. For new moms, sleep is often fragmented and less restorative, which also contributes to the problem. 

You need to eat a healthy, balanced diet to give you the energy you need. This can be difficult given all the demands on your time when you have a new baby. Along with balanced meals, you also need to drink more fluids if you are breastfeeding, or you could become dehydrated. Without proper nutrients and sufficient hydration, you will struggle to build up your energy levels. A lack of energy may persist for a long time, depending on how well your baby sleeps, how much rest you get and how much support you have. 11% of new moms report still feeling exhausted a year after childbirth.

As your baby starts to sleep better and you get more rest, your fatigue may gradually wear off. If it doesn’t improve, you should reach out to your doctor to help find ways to manage your symptoms.

A postpartum drip can help you to replenish all the fluids and nutrients you have lost during birth to make you feel refreshed and revitalized. Drip Hydration. Remedi IV and Holistique IV Lounge offer intravenous therapy Seattle that can help to restore your energy levels.  

2. Mood changes

After birth, you may experience a number of emotional symptoms, including:

• Feeling exhausted but being unable to sleep
• Mood swings and feeling irritable
• Difficulty with decision making and mental fog
• Feeling weepy or crying inexplicably over minor issues
• Feeling unattached or unbonded to your baby
• Anxiety over your baby’s health and safety

These symptoms, also called the ‘baby blues,’ usually start two or three days after delivery and typically subside within a week or two. It helps if you have support and a loved one, friends or family with whom you can share your feelings. 

If you have mood swings, overwhelming fatigue, a loss of appetite, and feelings of depression after birth that persist, you may have postpartum depression, which is much more serious. Prompt treatment can help you to manage your symptoms, so it’s important to contact a health care provider. 

Common treatment options for postpartum depression include medication like antidepressants or hormone therapy, support group participation, or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).  The most effective treatment generally involves a combination of medication and CBT. Ignoring the signs of postpartum depression can lead to more serious symptoms. Postpartum psychosis can also occur after birth, but this extreme mood disorder only happens rarely. 

3. Vaginal soreness

It is normal to feel some vaginal soreness after delivery. You will have a discharge made up of membrane and blood for a while, and it eventually tapers off and turns from red to pinkish brown and then a yellowy white. If you had a vaginal tear, it may take some time to heal and might hurt for a few weeks. 

To ease the discomfort while recovering, it’s helpful to sit on a padded ring. You can cool the area with an ice pack and use a squeeze bottle to pour lukewarm water over your perineum when you pass urine. Sitting in a warm, shallow bath for five minutes can also bring relief, as can over-the-counter pain relievers such as numbing creams or sprays. Talk to your healthcare provider about using a laxative to prevent constipation. 

If your vaginal pain is severe and persistent even with medication, it could be a sign of infection. Other signs of infection include foul-smelling discharge and fever. You should contact a healthcare provider if you are experiencing symptoms of an infection. This is also necessary if your vaginal discharge is very heavy and you have pelvic pain.