Too many new mothers have or even die from health problems that would have been avoided if they were aware of things they should not do after giving birth.
Mrs. Kemi Adenuga (not her real name) did not prepare for the belly that stands out after childbirth. He did not like his dark skin and excess weight when he saw in the mirror. Her husband had to elaborate a plan to support her in the construction of her self -confidence and work on her great belly.
Days after Mrs. Aminat Hammed was discharged from the hospital, she was arrested by the police for killing her 2 -week baby. The woman's relative did not understand what took him. The case was pathetic.
They represent a small number of women who are not prepared for possible potentially mortal problems related to childbirth that can occur days or weeks after childbirth. Delivery may have been complicated or easy. It may have had to be for caesarean section (caesarean section) or vaginal delivery.
Recover completely from pregnancy and childbirth can take months, regardless of how delivery is seen due to the many physical and mental changes that the body may have passed.
That does not mean that recovery does not have its challenges. There may be abdominal pain that worsens or new, feels sad and straight after giving birth, constipation, hemorrhoids (painful swelling of a vein in the rectum) and pain in the area between the vagina and the anus.
There could also be pain and sore breasts in the first days of breastfeeding, a persistent severe headache, fainting or dizziness, vaginal bleeding and unloading with a strong smell, heart palpitations, chest pain or difficulty breathing, and discharge of pus or bloody discharge of the incision of caesarean section.
Some symptoms are expected in the postpartum and there is nothing to worry about, while others can be signs that something else is happening.
According to Professor Dapo Olayemi, an obstetrician consultant and gynecologist at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, childbirth recovery is a natural process that only requires eating good food, resting well, breastfeeding the baby and good social support.
“In a pregnancy without complications, a woman would generally have recovered from childbirth in 6 weeks, provided that the woman lived a normal healthy lifestyle,” he said.
However, Professor Olayemi said that symptoms such as a persistent severe headache, fainting or dizziness, vaginal bleeding, secretion with a strong smell, heart palpitations and filtration of pus or bloody discharge of the incision of cessatile to the hospital.
Persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness and difficulty sleeping, even when the baby is asleep, are some signs that indicate postpartum mood and anxiety disorders, one of the most little identified, subdiagnosed and little treated complications after delivery after delivery .
While almost 80% of the new parents experience changes in mild mood or sadness during the first two weeks after birth, conditions such as postpartum depression (PPD) last longer and have a deeper impact.
Postpartum depression is characterized by feelings of sadness, exhaustion, hopelessness or even anger. It is not a sign of weakness. or a character defect, but a medical condition influenced by hormonal changes, physical exhaustion and stress. Genetics and personal mental health history can also play an important role.
Some parents struggle to link their babies, feel demotivated or care excessively about their parenting skills.
Professor Olayemi added: “If there is any medical condition or complication that she transfers in pregnancy to childbirth, which must be continuously monitored and carefully cared for.”
He also advised: “We also recommend that you do not have too many babies; Put some spaces between two deliveries. It will reduce the effect on women. A woman who does not have too many births and has spacing her pregnancies properly should not have problems after pregnancy. “
A family doctor, Dr. Fisayo Oluwatatosin, also emphasized monitoring care after childbirth at 6 weeks because there are things that can happen to a woman who has just given a child.
“For the woman who has just been delivered to a child and is no longer under the scrutiny of prenatal care, there is a tendency to lose some health conditions such as high blood pressure when it does not go for postnatal care,” he added.
Even in primary health centers throughout the state of Oyo, it is expected that during follow -up visits after the baby's delivery, the mother is evaluated for things as excessive weight gain, swollen feet (edema), pain of Head, fallen and sleeping and sleeping attacks, to understand his state of health, according to Mrs. Folasade Oladle, a public health nurse.
According to Mrs. Oladele, “from these evaluations and vital signs, health professionals can identify any anomaly that must be corrected, such as high blood pressure or blood sugar, or even the conditions they need to refer to specialized attention “.
This medical checking that a woman receives after having a baby is important because new mothers run the risk of serious health complications and sometimes potentially mortal in the days and weeks after giving birth. Too many new mothers have or even die from health problems that can be prevented by obtaining postpartum care.
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