Uterus after childbirth: video

Labor ends when the placenta is born – the placenta and amniotic membranes. Immediately thereafter, the uterus contracts strongly, expelling all blood clots and possible placenta residues. At this point, the walls of the uterus are arranged in folds, but over time they gradually become smooth.

The rate of contraction of the uterus depends on various reasons, for example, from:

• general condition and characteristics of the course of labor
• breastfeeding
• age
• endocrine disorders
• duration of labor
• number of births
• presence of inflammation

In weakened women who have given birth many times, old-born women, as well as in women who have undergone difficult childbirth, involution is usually slowed down. If the birth was successful and fast, the new mother is breastfeeding, she does not have inflammation, after 6 weeks her uterus will return to its previous form.

The process of reverse development of the uterus proceeds at the following speed. The uterus of a woman who has just given birth weighs about 1 kg. In the first week after childbirth, the weight of the uterus decreases by 500 g, in the second week she loses in weight another 150 g, by the end of the third week – another 100 g. Thus, she already weighs 250 g. As a rule, with a favorable course of the postpartum period, by the 6-8th week, the weight of the organ is already 70-80 g, this is the normal size of the uterus.

If on the first day after childbirth the bottom of the uterus is located in the navel area, then on every subsequent day it drops 1,5–2 cm lower (obstetricians-gynecologists make sure that the height of the uterine fundus in the postpartum period corresponds to the norm). After two weeks, the bottom of the uterus is completely hidden under the bosom.

Changes also apply to the inner surface of the uterus. By the end of the 10th day, epithelization on the inner surface of the walls ends, the remnants of the placenta, blood clots are melted or rejected. By the end of the third week, in the place where the placenta was located, the ruptured vessels heal, and the surface takes on a prenatal appearance.

Contractions of the uterus do not go unnoticed by a woman. Periodically there are aching pains in the lower abdomen, sometimes comparable in strength to contractions. Pain is felt especially strongly during feeding, since during sucking, the endocrine system produces oxytocin, which has a contracting effect on the uterus. This property of the female body was one of the reasons why a newly born child is immediately applied to the mother’s breast, right in the delivery room.

Oxytocin can also be administered intramuscularly, as prescribed by a doctor

In order for the uterus to contract better, in the first days after childbirth, a woman is recommended to lie more on her stomach and do strengthening exercises. Massage of the uterus is useful: you need to lie on your back, relax your abdominal muscles, feel the bottom of the uterus and gradually move it with your hands up and towards the center.

After childbirth, the cervix changes its appearance – due to tears and stretching, the cervical pharynx becomes slit-like. If before childbirth the cervix had a conical shape, then after childbirth it takes the form of a cylinder. This fact does not affect a woman’s life in any way, but any obstetrician-gynecologist will quickly distinguish a woman who has given birth from a woman who has not given birth. The exception is women whose childbirth took place using a caesarean section. Finally, the cervix is ​​formed only by the 12-13th week of the postpartum period.

Discharge from the uterus after childbirth is called lochia and has a specific odor. The first days they are bloody and quite abundant, from the 3-4th day they become bloody, after the 10th day they look like white-yellow or brownish discharge. Starting from the third week, in addition to lochia, mucus is also secreted from the cervical canal, up to the sixth week. After 1,5 months, lochia in most women stops or takes the form of ordinary discharge.

The first weeks after childbirth, the cervix has not yet fully contracted, so there is a high risk of pathogens entering the uterus. It is necessary to wash thoroughly twice a day or more often, change the pads every two hours.

The rate of restoration of menstrual function depends on the individual characteristics of the mother’s body and on the presence of lactation. If a woman for any reason refused to breastfeed, the menstrual cycle resumes after 1,5 months. In women who are breastfeeding, the recovery period is about 6 months.

At the time of physiological postpartum amenorrhea, a method of natural contraception is calculated – a woman has practically no chance of becoming pregnant if the following conditions are met:

• no more than 6 months have passed since birth
• feeding takes place on demand
• in addition to the breast, the child does not receive any mixture, complementary foods, or water
• there are morning feedings, from 3 to 8 in the morning

Sometimes menstruation becomes regular only a year or a half after birth. As many women note, their soreness is reduced. The readiness for the next birth is determined individually, but the mother’s body is fully restored only after 2 years.

Read also an interesting article on how to prepare for childbirth.