Your Golden Period for Post-Partum Recovery

In line with the government circuit breaker measurements that it will close non-essential industries temporarily for one month, it had brought about much inconvenience and worries for some mothers who are about to give birth or had given birth in this month. The challenges and questions that moms are concerned about is: “I can only have my postpartum massage after delivering, is it still as effective?

The answer is Yes! Because after mommies given birth, your body will undergo many change and it will take time to adjust the body and restore the body (especially the uterus) to the pre-birth level. The recovery of the uterus can be divided into Uterine recovery, Cervical recovery, and Endometrial recovery.

One month after giving birth is what TCM refers to as “Mini Postpartum Confinement”, and three months (100 days) after giving birth is Full Confinement.

This period is the best time for the mother to return to her pre-pregnancy state . During maternal labor, qi and blood are both in great deficiency and vitality is damaged. All aspects of bodily functions require time to adjust.

Uterine repair takes 6-8 weeks, qi and blood adjustment takes 2 months, and true recovery of vitality takes 3-6 months. Therefore, it takes 3-6 months to regulate the whole body qi and blood and restore the function of kidney, liver and spleen. Therefore, mothers who can’t do post-natal massage recovery now, don’t worry too much, , the same effect can be achieved within first 180 days after birth. We will be sharing more tips in the next few sharing on what you can do at home during your postpartum confinement to care for yourself!

1. Uterine recovery

After the placenta is delivered, the uterus begins to contract and recover. Starting from the horizontal position of the navel, it drops by 1-2 cm every day. In 10-15 days after delivery, the uterus returns to the pelvic cavity. At the same time, within 6-8 weeks postpartum, the size of the uterus also gradually reduced, from about 1,000 grams in the third trimester to about 50 grams before pregnancy, and its form will also returned to the state before pregnancy.

2. Cervical recovery

At the end of childbirth, the cervix appears soft, congested, and edema. The cervix wall is also very thin, wrinkled like a cuff, and will not return to its original shape after 7 days. After 7-10 days, the inner cervix will be closed for internal repair. After about 30 days, the cervix returns to normal size.

3. Endometrial recovery

At the time of delivery, the area of the uterine wall attached to the placenta is about the size of the palm; about 2 weeks after delivery, the diameter can be reduced to 3-4 cm, but it takes 6-8 weeks for complete healing. In addition to the attached part of the placenta, in about 10 days after delivery, the other part of the uterine cavity will be covered by the new endometrium, the mucous membrane lining the uterus , and it takes about 2-3 weeks to completely rebuild. The uterus can be said to be the organ that changes the most during pregnancy and childbirth. It can grow from the original size of 50 grams to 1000 grams at full term of pregnancy. It will take about 6-8 weeks for the postpartum uterus to return to its original size.

if you have any questions regarding post-partum recovery, breastfeeding challenges, feel free to Ask Madam Partum through our customer service team and Chinese Physican Judy at 8166 0060/8166 0070

above is written by Madam Partum’s Chinese Physician Judy Chen