Puerperium, what is it and what happens in our body that time
We tell you what the puerperium or quarantine is and how mothers should take care of ourselves after giving birth.
Pregnancy is a tough process on a mother’s body. During the nine months that it lasts, changes occur , some drastic, and then it is necessary for you to have a recovery so that everything works normally again, just as before.
All that recovery that occurs during the postpartum and specifies the mother’s body is what is known as the puerperium, a phase in which her body suffers a series of discomforts that are normal since it has to go back to how it was before the birth. pregnancy. They are not complex and they are unavoidable.
Nine months pass from fertilization to childbirth, time in which the body adapts to a slower pace. In the case of recovery after giving birth, the recovery time is much shorter. The puerperium lasts 40 days , six weeks, barely a month and a half compared to the nine months of pregnancy.
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WHAT DOES THE PUERPERIUM AFFECT?
There are various parts of the body that are affected in this recovery after the mother’s delivery and that can cause discomfort. But without a doubt, the reproductive system of women is the most affected, since it is the one that suffers the most during childbirth, even during the days after.
After giving birth, the uterus expels blood and tissue debris. It is a normal process that can partially alter the previously considered normal routine of women. The same is true of hemorrhoids , which can become severe after giving birth and are most uncomfortable for the mother, especially when breastfeeding the baby or trying to sleep while sitting.
The breast is another part of a woman’s body that feels uncomfortable after giving birth. Rising milk can cause your skin to tighten up and become tight. Also, if the baby is breastfed, it can make the nipples sore during the first feedings.
To all these annoyances, which are common after a postpartum period, we must add those derived from the particularities of each woman. That includes discomfort from the stitches of a vaginal delivery and the pain that comes with a cesarean section , to give just a couple of examples.
Not to mention the difficulties in falling asleep, derived from the nerves due to the new motherhood or the little one’s sleep hours; and the hormonal changes that the mother’s body is experiencing after childbirth.
CARE FOR THE MOTHER
All these are the discomforts, which although not serious, are part of those that can occur during the puerperium stage. They do not require complex care or require, in most cases, the mother to separate from the baby during the first weeks of life.
But they do require that women take their recovery easy and take into account some aspects in favor of it. Unless the doctor determines otherwise, the woman who has just become a mother can gradually recover normality during the puerperium. The discomfort associated with this postpartum stage does not require you to rest, but it does require you to take things calmly and gradually recover your activity, always following the instructions given by the doctors.
That is why, during the first weeks of motherhood, a little extra help is not bad for the mother, especially when postpartum discomfort prevents or hinders her from caring for and enjoying the baby as she would like.
HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF AFTER CHILDBIRTH
The puerperium entails natural discomforts, which pass over time but things can be done to alleviate them and, above all, so that they do not become complicated and lead to other difficulties.
Thus, it is important to take extreme care of intimate hygiene , with special attention to the points of delivery. To alleviate hemorrhoids and chest pains, ointments or medicines that are prescribed by the doctor can be administered. It is important not to take any drug treatment without first consulting the doctor, especially if the mother is breastfeeding the baby.
HOW LONG DOES THE PUERPERIUM LAST?
As with all phases of pregnancy, not all periods are the same for postpartum women. The puerperium is set at 40 days, which was always known as postpartum quarantine , but the recovery time cannot be generalized.
There are women who require a recovery of less than a month and there are those who need twice as long. For this reason, it is not possible to calculate exactly how long it will take a woman to recover during the postpartum period, but it does serve to have an estimate.
Dr. Tabriella Perivolaris, Sara's mother and fan of fashion, beauty, motherhood, among others, about the female universe. Since 2018 she has been working as a copywriter, always bringing to her articles a little of her experience and experience as a mother and woman.