Your life and your body have gone through many changes in the last 4 to 6 weeks. Learning to manage a new infant can be exciting but also difficult. You may be very tired and have times of high and low energy levels. How you feel can vary widely and depends on a lot of things. Your body is gradually returning to a pre-pregnancy state. Your uterus should be about the same size it was before your pregnancy. The vaginal discharge should have stopped. Episiotomies and tears in your vagina should be healed, although they may be sore for many weeks. The muscles in your abdomen should be tightening. Stretch marks may shrink or fade, or may not go away completely. If you are nursing, your breasts will be producing milk and have developed a let down reflex. Even if you are not breast feeding, some milk may still leak from your breasts. Your body may not yet respond sexually as rapidly or intensely as it did before your pregnancy; however, your response should return to normal by about three months after delivery.
New parents, both mother and father, have many feelings. While you may be excited about being a new parent, you may also be worried, anxious, or depressed. Learning how to manage a new baby and your own life is not easy. Many of these feelings are common to new parents. It may be difficult to find time for yourself and your relationships with your partner and other children. Ask for help when you need it and use help when it is offered. This may give you the time you need for yourself and your other family members.
You will get advice from many places, but you need to make the choices that work for you, your baby, and the rest of your family. We want to make sure that you are able to cope with the work of parenthood. There are many resources available to help you, and we can help you find these resources. Most new parents have questions and concerns about their baby, themselves, their families, and the changes in their lives. Now is a good time to discuss these matters.
A physical exam will be performed to make sure that you are healing well. If you had problems like diabetes, preeclampsia, or high blood pressure, you may need to have laboratory tests repeated. If you are nursing your baby, a breast examination will help make sure there are no problems such as mastitis (a breast infection). Rest, a good diet, and exercise are important for your recovery. Your body needs more rest now than ever before. You still need extra nutrition, whether or not you are breast-feeding, to help your body recover.
If you do breast-feed, remember that anything you eat or drink goes into your breast milk and can affect your baby. This is why you need to make good choices about food, drugs, alcohol, and smoking. You need to use birth control, even if you are breast-feeding. Talk with your doctor about the best method for you and your partner. Breast-feeding women have less vaginal lubrication, so you might want to use a water-based lubricant such as K-Y jelly for comfort during sexual activity.
Contact your doctor right away if you have a hard, red, swollen, or sore place on your breast and a fever. You may have an infection which can get worse. Also notify your doctor if you have a vaginal discharge or are bleeding more than you do with a normal period.
