postpartum care

what is postpartum care

The period of around 6 months after giving birth to a baby is called the postpartum period. For the mother, this period is difficult in more than one way. Her body has to recover from delivery while there are a lot of hormonal changes going on. The care provided to her during this period is called postpartum care. 

Postpartum care can be both physical care and emotional care. In the physical care, it is made sure that the mother is getting proper rest, she does not suffer from cramps, breastfeeding the baby is comfortable, and so on. 

Emotional care includes listening to the mother about her problems, preparing her for a changed life, and much more. A problem called ‘baby blues’ often happens in the postpartum period which includes extreme sadness or even depression. Emotional care includes taking care of the baby blues and ensuring that it gets in control before further complications. 

why do you need postpartum care

People generally think that only the baby needs care, the mother does not. But the truth is that the mother also needs care as she is also physically and emotionally vulnerable in the postpartum period. In fact, if you do not take care of the mother, the health of the baby will also get affected in the future. 

There are a lot of physical and emotional changes going on in the mother during the postpartum period. It is very hard for a layperson to detect and take action for those changes. In such a case, taking the help of a professional in the form of postpartum care comes very handy. 

postpartum care services

A large part of postpartum care for mom includes supervising the health of new mothers after delivery. It includes checking if the mother’s body is healing, if she needs medical help for something, or if there are any symptoms of post-delivery complications like excessive bleeding etc. 

Here is a list of things you can expect from postpartum care in India:

1.External Care:

There are many health complications that occur in mothers’ bodies that can easily be seen, for example, breastfeeding issues, sore nipples, etc. The nurse will regularly check for such issues. The nurse will also inform the doctor about the problem.

2. Internal Care:

Most complications that occur in a mother’s body are actually not visible to the eyes. Hence, taking care of these problems becomes relatively hard for a layperson. These problems include body aches, fatigue, cramps, etc. Professional nurses know many techniques that can help manage symptoms of these internal problems. 

3. Mental Health:

The most ignored part of a mother’s health during the postpartum period is her mental health. Thanks to the development in medical sciences, we now know that it is very common for mothers to feel anxious, stressed, and even depressed during this period. It is essential to identify the symptoms of these problems at the right time and manage those symptoms. 

Apart from checking for complications, postpartum care for mother also includes checking if the mother’s body is healing at the right pace or not. If the nurses feel that the body is not getting recovered for some reason, they will promptly contact the doctor and take the needed action. 

post-operative c-section care

When the baby is delivered by caesarean section or C-section, the postpartum care is called post-operative C-section Care. The mother needs even more care in the case of the caesarean section because the baby is brought out by making a cut in the mother’s belly and uterus. 

When the baby comes out of the birth canal and vagina, the mother’s body heals in a natural manner. But the cut takes a long time to heal and during this period, the mother needs quality care to ensure that no infections happen to the cut and the recovery is happening at the right pace. 

Here is a list of things that are includes in postpartum care after C section:

• There is no excessive bleeding through the vagina. 
• The menstrual cramps do not last longer than a few days. 
• Ensure that the baby feeds on the mother’s milk without any problem and breast soreness does not happen during this period. 

how can portea help?

At Portea, we provide you with world-class postpartum care with the help of our expert doctors and nurses. These specialists have years of experience in helping mothers during their postpartum period. In addition to this, the nurses can also educate the mothers how to care for themselves while looking after the baby. 

Our team also understands the emotional value of this period for the parents. Hence, they ensure that they do their job with compassion and love. To know more about our services and packages, feel free to contact us. 

Content is medically reviewed by: Dr Renu Raina Sehgal (Advisory Panel, Portea), Surgery, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Robotic Surgery