Tips to help postpartum women regain their health quickly

Postpartum women have physiological changes in their bodies, requiring physical and mental health care to recover well and reduce stress.

Nutrition for postpartum women

You need to eat a full range of nutrients, not abstain too much to regain strength and produce milk to feed your baby. Many old beliefs say that you should not eat certain foods because they can harm your body, for example, eating oranges will cause yellow discharge, eating seafood will cause keloids. According to modern medicine, these are not correct. Yellow discharge or keloids are due to each person's physiology, not related to food. If you abstain incorrectly, the mother will lack the necessary nutrients.

To get enough nutrition, you need to eat a variety of food groups. Each meal needs to have three groups of substances: starch (rice, noodles, vermicelli, sweet potatoes, potatoes...), protein (beef, pork, poultry, eggs, beans, milk...), fat (oil, eggs, meats...).

Supplement fiber from vegetables and fruits. Fiber is essential to help create stool bulk and prevent constipation. Many postpartum women face constipation, and straining too much during bowel movements can negatively affect the perineal incision, causing the incision or surgical incision to burst.

Every day, pregnant women need to provide at least 2 to 3 liters of water to ensure adequate supply for the body. Water accounts for more than 80% of the body, breast milk is also mainly composed of water.

Some foods that have strong odors such as spices, onions, and garlic when eaten will leave a body odor, which can make the baby uncomfortable and make the baby reluctant to breastfeed. Using perfume can also cause the baby to refuse to breastfeed because of the strange smell. Mothers should limit foods that have strong odors or use perfume during this time.

Clean properly

There is a view that postpartum women need to stay home, not bathe, keep warm, lie on charcoal, and warm themselves by fire to avoid getting sick later. This is not true.

Not bathing every day will cause bacteria to accumulate on the body, turning the body into a hotbed of bacteria, easily causing infections, infecting the baby when the mother comes into contact with the baby.

Lying on charcoal is a very dangerous act because burning charcoal produces CO gas. This is a toxic gas that is colorless, odorless, and tasteless. People who inhale this gas will have respiratory problems, gradually become comatose, and may die. You should not lie on charcoal during the postpartum period, especially in a closed room.

Heating the body will cause the uterus to dilate and contract poorly, leading to vaginal bleeding recurring. In severe cases, hospitalization is required.

During the postpartum period, you need to bathe every day, clean the perineal suture area and pat it with a cloth or tissue to keep the suture dry. Clean the suture after each bowel movement. Keep the incision dry. If it is sewn with non-dissolving sutures, you should go to a medical center near your home to have the sutures removed. It is not necessary to stuff cotton into the ear to keep warm because it is not effective, and there is a risk that the cotton will get deep inside the ear, causing discomfort.

Reasonable exercise

After giving birth, mothers will be monitored for a period of time. If their condition is stable, they will be transferred to the postpartum room. On the first day in the postpartum room, they should exercise early, turning in bed, sitting up, and walking. Early exercise helps the body regain strength quickly, reduces pain, helps to expel lochia better, strengthens the mother's immunity, and avoids complications of pressure ulcers due to lying down for a long time.

Be careful in the first few hours, because the body has not yet recovered well, falling may occur if you change position suddenly. When changing from lying to sitting, you need to rest for a few minutes to reduce dizziness, get used to the position before getting out of bed. You may need help from relatives during this time. When you can walk on your own, mothers can live like normal people.

Applying some exercises helps the muscles of the perineum become stronger, thereby preventing constipation and the risk of prolapse of the genital organs later.

Relax and unwind

The postpartum body has many changes in psychology and physiology, in addition to taking care of the newborn baby day and night, women really need the help and care of relatives. Everyone needs to share and help with some activities in the house so that the mother can take advantage of the time to rest and get enough sleep. The husband's sympathy and care during this time is very important in helping to relieve psychological pressure, helping women feel happy and joyful to fulfill their role as mothers.

DoctorVo Hoai Duy
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Gia Dinh People's Hospital (HCMC)