Postpartum – Questions and Answers

Pregnancy can be wonderful, but it also brings some fears and requires care. But those 9 months when your whole life changes are only the beginning of a new life: there is a lot to learn and many surprises also after childbirth. To reduce anxiety and make the postpartum period a bit less daunting, we can look into the most common questions that arise about this topic.

How to Lose Postpartum Belly?

Breastfeeding, a healthy diet and hydration are essential for losing postpartum belly. It’s normal for abdominal elasticity and fat to look a little different after pregnancy, but by following some steps, your belly can return to normal.

How to Lose Weight After Childbirth

To lose weight after childbirth, you need to take care of your health with exercise, diet, and activities that help you burn more energy, especially by breastfeeding a lot! Right after delivery, it’s common for women to naturally lose about 6 kilos compared to pregnancy, and during breastfeeding, about 800g to 2 kg per month.

Tips for Losing Weight Postpartum

Some tips for losing weight after childbirth include:

• Do not hold back on breastfeeding, every time the baby wants: milk production burns more energy, about 400 to 500 calories per day;
• Drink 2 to 3 liters of water a day to ensure good milk production;
• Eat foods cooked by steaming;
• In some cases, use a compression belt;
• Some teas are diuretics, such as green tea or fennel tea, and do not harm the baby;
• Take a walk with your baby for at least 30 minutes per day, as this improves circulation and burns some calories;
• Do exercises at home with your baby.

What to Eat in the Postpartum Diet

The postpartum dietcannot be too restrictive and must be healthy, because during breastfeeding breast milkneeds to be rich in nutrients. The ideal is to have 5 to 6 light meals a day, drinking plenty of water between them to aid digestion. Raw salads and foods high in fiber help the body eliminate localized fat. Avoid sweets, fried foods, and processed meats.

Sample Menu

An example menu for the postpartum diet is:

How to Get Rid of Loose Skin on the Postpartum Belly

Loose skin on the belly happens because of the yo-yo effect of the skin stretching and retracting quickly, mainly after pregnancy, causing wrinkled excess skin. To get rid of it, you need patience for your body to readapt and a healthy lifestyle, with abdominal exercises to eliminate swelling from hormones more quickly.

What Not to Do on the Postpartum Diet

It is not recommended to eat a lot of processed foods in the postpartum diet, as they may harm the baby, since everything you eat passes into breast milk. Also, it’s not good to skip meals or reduce the quantity in your diet, because to produce milk rich in nutrients and to nourish the baby you cannot let yourself get malnourished! Breastfeeding itself helps burn calories and lose weight, so just focus on health in your postpartum diet.

How to Reduce Postpartum Swelling

To reduce postpartum swelling, the best exercise recommended by specialists is Pilates, which strengthens and tones the abdomen. Additionally, breastfeeding itself, gentle lymphatic drainage, and some devices help reduce postpartum swelling.

Postpartum Cesarean Belt: When to Use

The use of a postpartum compression belt should be decided together with your doctor, as there is a risk of seroma formation (fluid accumulation) at the cesarean incision. When recommended, the woman can use it right after the cesarean or 1 month after vaginal delivery, to help reorganize the abdominal organs, and reduce swelling and loose skin.

How to Use a Postpartum Belt

There are several models available for those who want to use a postpartum compression belt: ones that go down to the legs or not, those that have a higher or lower waist. One thing to keep in mind is that you should only wear it for 5 to 6 hours per day to avoid injury. Generally, these belts have an opening or Velcro so you don’t have to remove the whole belt every time you go to the bathroom.

Where to Buy a Postpartum Belt

The postpartum belt can be found in some lingerie stores or in specialized maternity and pregnancy clothing shops.

How to Put On a Postpartum Belt

The belt should be the correct size for your body and be put on without being too tight, so never choose a smaller size. It should cover the cesarean scar; if it sits below the scar, it may cause swelling and do more harm than good.

What is Postpartum Eclampsia

Postpartum Eclampsia is the progression of Preeclampsia that can emerge at the end of pregnancy. It is characterized by seizures, and the patient starts with symptoms of high blood pressure and proteinuria, then persistent headaches, swelling, fatigue, dizziness, albuminuria*, and oliguria*.

Risk Factors for Preeclampsia

The risk factors for preeclampsia are:

• First pregnancy
• Pregnancy before the age of 18 or after 35
• Family history of hypertension, diabetes, or preeclampsia

Treatment for Eclampsia

The treatment for eclampsia consists of rest and a low-salt diet, and in cases of more severe Eclampsia, medications to control blood pressure and anticonvulsants may be prescribed. Normally, after childbirth and removal of the placenta, the condition begins to improve.

What is Postpartum Relapse

Postpartum relapse is a popular term that may represent various situations involving negative mental states after pregnancy, which may or may not be assessed by doctors as postpartum depression.

What is the Postpartum Recovery Period

The postpartum recovery period is also called the “Quarantine”, a time during which women should take specific precautions. This period lasts until the sixth or eighth week postpartum. Recovery mainly involves rest, not lifting weight, and abstaining from sexual activity.

What is Postpartum Depression

Postpartum depression is a persistent state of sadness and irritability after pregnancy that goes beyond the physiological causes associated with pregnancy and childbirth. If depressed mood and anxiety last more than 15 days after the baby is born, it may indicate postpartum depression.

How to Prevent Postpartum Depression

Since postpartum depression never has a single cause and depends a lot on context, environment, and prior psychological background, there is no magic formula to prevent it.

As with depression in general and other mental health conditions, positive family, economic, relational, and health circumstances and a supportive environment help prevent the development of postpartum depression.

How to Treat Postpartum Depression

The majority of women who suffer from postpartum depression do not receive adequate treatment and are not diagnosed. But this is a serious condition and requires therapy, as it is a disease and is part of mental health. The professionals who provide this care are psychologists and psychiatrists.

Women in this state not only have difficulties with motherhood tasks, but lose interest in things that once brought them pleasure, including hobbies and leisure activities. It is necessary to assess the set of symptoms for diagnosis and proper treatment with psychiatric medications and psychological counseling.

Postpartum Sadness: What to Do

To a certain extent, it is normal to feel some sadness after childbirth. According to the Dr. Dráuzio Varella website, it’s estimated that between 50% and 80% of women experience sadness or irritability postpartum, which goes away spontaneously. This usually appears from the third day and disappears within 15 days. If it lasts longer or is more intense, seek psychological care, as it may develop into postpartum depression.

Postpartum Hair Loss: What to Do

Postpartum hair loss is normal and can last for 3 months, with up to 500 hairs falling out per day. What you can do in this situation is take some vitamin supplements, such as folic acid, iron, and vitamin A, but from a health perspective this is not really necessary. This situation happens because of hormones and is temporary.

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See Also: 7 Common Pain and Discomfort Situations in the Postpartum Period