What to expect after giving birth
Miss Shazia Malik, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at The Portland Hospital, part of HCA Healthcare UK, has been delivering babies for over 25 years and has worked at The Portland Hospital for over seven of those years. Here she shares the top six things that mums are likely to experience after giving birth.
No matter whether you have had a natural vaginal birth or a caesarean section, there are certain things that will inevitably happen to your body. All are completely normal and shouldn’t be something you should worry about. Get to grips with what you’re likely to expect here:
- Vaginal bleeding - for the first few days after giving birth you will experience bleeding. It’s completely normal for it to be heavy after the first few days but then it should tail off
- Enlarged, sore breasts – your breasts might be enlarged and feel swollen. It’s also likely that you will have sore nipples, especially if you are breastfeeding
- Painful joints - if you have had problems with your joints before or during pregnancy, it’s likely that this will continue for a short while after you’ve had your baby
- Swollen feet, legs and face – this could last for a while post-pregnancy, especially if you’ve had a difficult, prolonged birth or a C-section.
- Hormonal changes - you can expect night sweats, vaginal dryness, a bit of brain fog and the baby blues
- Tired - unsurprisingly, you’re also likely to be sleep deprived.
No two births or recoveries from birth are the same – so don’t worry if you’re experiencing differences to what I’ve described above. However, if you’re concerned about your heath or the health of your baby once you are at home, we offer the Portland mummies a helpline which is manned by specialists who can talk through any concerns 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It’s also important that you raise any concerns you have at your six-week postnatal check-up.