5 days after giving birth, the lower abdomen hurts. Postpartum abdominal pain: normal or cause for concern? Why postoperative stitches hurt

Pulling or spastic pains in the lower abdomen after childbirth are normal.

The body of a woman in labor undergoes a serious test, the internal organs experience an increased load throughout the entire period of pregnancy.

Postpartum chores take up most of the time, so mothers do not always find time to observe changes in well-being.

However, if the lower abdomen hurts for more than a month, this may be a symptom of complications, which should be reported to the doctor immediately.

Natural causes of pain

The passage of a child through the birth canal is accompanied by a divergence of the pelvic bones, stretching or tearing of tissues.

In addition, often a woman in labor needs medical assistance, which consists in dissecting the perineum.

If there are certain indications, a caesarean section may be necessary. The postoperative period is accompanied by pain in the lower abdomen, which can last a month or more.

Both during the dissection of the perineum, and after surgical delivery, burning and discomfort can be observed in the suture area.

Other natural reasons why the lower abdomen hurts after childbirth are:

1. Contractions of the uterine muscles in terms of intensity can resemble contractions. However, the return of tissue to prenatal form is a natural process that breastfeeding can help speed up. During the application of the baby to the breast and irritation of the nipples in the mother's body, the production of oxytocin, the hormone responsible for uterine contractions, occurs. The pain associated with this process disappears on its own within a month.
2. The postpartum period is associated with a radical change in the woman's diet. The menu is compiled so as not to harm the fragile body of the newborn. However, such changes can lead to stagnation of feces in the mother's intestines. Constipation and increased gas formation cause pain in the lower abdomen. A diet will help to avoid discomfort, which a doctor will help to make after childbirth. Compliance with the rules of nutrition and timely emptying of the bladder contribute to the normalization of bowel function and reduce the intensity of pain.
3. Caring for the sutures left after cesarean at home should be done very carefully, since an infection that has entered the junction of tissues can cause not only pain in the lower abdomen, but also suppuration, which will lead to repeated surgical intervention and hospital treatment.
4. After childbirth, a woman must definitely undergo an ultrasound examination aimed at identifying the remnants of the placenta, epithelium or fetal egg. Foreign tissue can cause the process of decay. If they are not removed, purulent spotting will appear within a month after childbirth, and the pain syndrome will worsen.

If the remains of the placenta are found, the patient must undergo a curettage procedure, which is performed under local or general anesthesia.

After cleaning, the stomach hurts a lot, but the discomfort disappears within a month.

Thus, the answer to the question of why the stomach hurts after childbirth can be natural causes that do not require the intervention of specialists.

A woman needs to carefully monitor her health. If additional symptoms are found, such as discharge or fever, you should consult a gynecologist.

Pathological causes of pain

Discomfort in the lower abdomen should disappear by the end of the month after childbirth. This happens if the pain is natural.

If the discomfort has not passed, its cause may be pathologies that are dangerous to the life and health of the mother.

You should consult a doctor if a month has passed after the birth, and the lower abdomen still hurts, and the following symptoms appear:

• the patient experiences weakness, quickly gets tired;
• body temperature rises;
• the intensity of the pain increases or they are pronounced cramping;
• purulent discharge appeared, in which blood can be seen.

If the abdomen hurts on the left, below or in the right side, this may indicate the development of a purulent-inflammatory process that occurs as a result of infection penetrating through the vagina or postoperative scar.

Pathogenic microorganisms enter the mucous membranes during childbirth from the outside, or develop against the background of the following pathologies:

• reduced concentration of hemoglobin;
• severe form of toxicosis;
• protracted childbirth;
• diabetes;
• tuberculosis, etc.

There are such types of postpartum infections:

1. Ulcers that form in places of tissue ruptures, postoperative sutures, as a result of violation of the terms or norms of treatment with antiseptic preparations.
2. Endometritis is an inflammation of the uterine lining, the most common type of complication after childbirth. Pathology is characteristic of caesarean section, during which the inner walls of the uterus come into contact with air. A few days after the onset of the inflammatory process, the patient experiences severe pain in the lower abdomen, purulent discharge with a characteristic odor is observed, body temperature rises to 39º. Symptoms appear a few days after delivery.
3. The lower abdomen can hurt against the background of the development of parametritis - an infectious lesion of the periuterine tissue. Pathology is dangerous because an infiltrate forms on the lateral surface of the uterus, which eventually develops into an abscess.
4. Symptoms of postpartum pelvioperitonitis are intoxication, vomiting, high fever, tension of the anterior wall of the peritoneum.

If a woman in labor has pain in her lower abdomen, the intensity of discomfort increases and additional symptoms appear, you should immediately consult a doctor, undergo a comprehensive examination and begin a course of treatment.

Treatment and prevention

In the case when the lower abdomen after childbirth hurts for more than a month, it is necessary to find out why the discomfort does not go away.

Based on the data obtained as a result of laboratory and instrumental studies, the doctor must make a diagnosis and prescribe a comprehensive treatment aimed at eliminating the cause and symptoms of the pathology.

It is important to remember that the course of therapy should take into account the patient's condition after childbirth.

Pain that occurs against the background of endometritis is eliminated with the help of antibiotics, antihistamines, immunomodulating drugs. Treatment is carried out in a hospital.

After childbirth, the microflora may be lost, so antibiotic therapy should be selected individually. If the lower abdomen hurts a lot, physiotherapy procedures can be prescribed:

• local ultraviolet irradiation;
• laser therapy;
• exposure to ultrasound, etc.

Complex therapy helps to relieve pain and improve the patient's condition after childbirth. In some cases, drug treatment may not have the desired effect, the lower abdomen continues to hurt.

For advanced infections and abscess formation, surgery may be needed.

If the stomach hurts as a result of an infection of the suture or ruptures formed during childbirth, the wounds should be treated with antiseptic agents, and the dressings should be changed in a timely manner.

The following can be mentioned as preventive measures:

1. Compliance with the rules of personal hygiene during pregnancy planning and gestation.
2. Timely sanitation of foci of infection.
3. Performing gymnastics exercises for pregnant women allows you to avoid tissue ruptures, spinal injuries, and divergence of the pelvic bones.
4. Compliance of the staff and premises of the obstetric institution with all sanitary standards.

It should be remembered that the lower abdomen after childbirth can hurt due to natural causes. In this case, the discomfort gradually disappears and after 2-3 weeks the patient feels well.

If the pain continues to torment the young mother, other symptoms are observed, you should immediately contact the antenatal clinic, as they may be signs of complications.

Useful video

Childbirth is a complex process that causes significant changes in the body. And the period of postpartum rehabilitation in young mothers proceeds in different ways. Many women feel pain in the abdomen, which they try not to pay attention to, because all the worries are concentrated around the baby. How normal are these feelings? Can they be a symptom of any disease?

Causes of postpartum abdominal pain

Abdominal pain in the postpartum period can be caused by both physiological and pathological causes. A woman must be aware of them in order to assess the seriousness of her situation and take the necessary measures in time.

Natural causes of pain:

1. After childbirth, the female body begins to intensively produce the hormone oxytocin. It causes an intense contraction of the uterus - this organ gradually returns to its original size and shape. At the same time, a woman usually feels pain in the abdomen of varying intensity: it is especially strong in the first postpartum hours and gradually weakens over the next 4–7 days (for multiparous women, this period is longer, since their uterus has less tone). The release of oxytocin increases even more when the baby is breastfed (namely, when the female nipples are irritated): as a result, the uterus begins to contract even more, provoking increased pain.
2. During childbirth, a woman sometimes gets an injury to the pubic bone, which also causes pain for a certain time. This usually happens in fragile women in labor: the passage of a child (especially a large one) through the birth canal causes a divergence of the pubic symphysis. At the same time, the mother does not feel pain at first, thanks to the hormone relaxin (it makes the joints and ligaments more mobile), but then discomfort occurs.
3. Tears of the labia, vagina, cervix during childbirth, followed by suturing. Within a few days after this, the woman feels a burning pain in the perineum and in the lower abdomen.
4. Sometimes, some time after the birth, the mother is scraped to remove the remains of the placenta (they are determined by ultrasound). This procedure is quite painful, so the woman then feels discomfort in the abdomen for quite a long time.
5. The performed caesarean section, of course, also causes pain (after the local anesthesia departs): after all, the operation leaves an incision that does not heal immediately (the process of complete scarring takes about a month).
6. Sometimes, during a caesarean section, gases do not have time to leave the intestines, which then begin to burst the stomach, causing pain to the woman.
7. During childbirth, microcracks in the external genitalia often occur, and when urinating, a young mother feels a slight burning sensation in the lower abdomen. These sensations usually go away within a few days after delivery.

Physiological pain in the abdomen, as a rule, increases when a woman sneezes, coughs, lifts even small weights. The duration of such pain is due to how easy or difficult the birth was.

Photo gallery: physiological factors that provoke abdominal pain

In the process of feeding, oxytocin is produced even more, which increases uterine contractions, causing pain Microcracks in the genital organs make urination painful Sometimes during childbirth, the pubic bones diverge, which causes pain for a long time

Pathological causes requiring medical attention

If the pain in the abdomen does not subside a month after delivery (and even more so when they intensify), the woman should consult a doctor. Most likely, pathological factors take place here:

1. If, after an episiotomy, the stomach hurts for more than a month, this may be due to the introduction of an infection or to the divergence of the sutures.
2. In some cases, fragments of the placenta, ovum, or dead epithelium remain in the uterus. The body tries to get rid of them by frequent contractions, which leads to pain. And if you do not take any measures, then the likelihood of suppuration is high.
3. At any time after childbirth, the mother may develop endometritis - inflammation of the epithelial tissue of the uterus. This is due to the fact that in women in labor, as a rule, immunity decreases, as a result, pathogenic microflora multiplies in the body. Especially often this pathology develops after a cesarean section (a skid during an infection operation), during aspiration or another procedure.
4. Inflammation of the ovaries (adnexitis) or appendages (salpingoophoritis).
5. Peritonitis - inflammation of the abdominal cavity: the most dangerous complication due to infection.
6. During childbirth, the spine can be injured - individual vertebrae are displaced. Moreover, the injury manifests itself only after a few months. Pain increases with physical exertion or normal walking.
7. Childbirth sometimes causes a divergence of the hip joint in a woman, as well as sprains with muscles. In this case, the stomach will hurt for a long time - more than a month.
8. Discomfort in the lower abdomen can also be caused by disorders in the digestive system. They, in turn, are caused by a change in diet, fatigue, lack of sleep, and a stress factor. Insufficient consumption of vegetables and fruits provokes increased gas formation, fermentation in the intestines and constipation. Deficiency of dairy products (especially fermented milk) also causes digestive disorders.

These types of pathology are usually accompanied by a deterioration in the general condition of the woman.

Table: the nature of pain in the lower abdomen, depending on the disease

Treatment

Therapy of pain after childbirth depends, of course, on their origin. A special set of physical exercises will help to quickly bring the uterus into tone and stop pain. You can perform them already in the delivery room, lying on the bed.

1. The woman lies on her back, bending her knees, and takes deep breaths in and out. Breathing is calm and even. With the first breath, the air is directed to the chest area, the second - to the stomach (inflates like a balloon), and in the process of the third, both the stomach and chest are involved. The exercise is repeated daily several times.
2. Lying on her back, the woman lifts her chest up while inhaling. Shoulders, buttocks, heels are tightly pressed to the surface of the floor or bed. Relax on the way out. On the first day, the exercise is performed 4 times, and then one more repetition is added daily (up to 12 times).
3. I. p. - lying on your back, legs bent at the knees. On inspiration, the lower back should be pressed to the floor (bed), and on exhalation, the coccyx - the sacrum seems to be rolling on the floor.
4. I. p. - lying on your back, hands under your head. Toes should be pulled towards you, and then away from you, alternating tension with relaxation.
5. I. p. - lying on your back. Legs bent at the knees should be alternately tilted to the right and left, touching the floor or the surface of the bed.
6. I. p. - lying on your back, legs bent at the knees. On inhalation, the pelvis slowly rises.
7. I. p. - lying on your back, shoulders and heels tightly pressed to the surface. In this position, you need to linger for about 7 seconds, and then relax.

Exercises 2-7 are performed 4-5 times.

A number of exercises can speed up the process of bringing the uterus into tone

As for the stitches after an episiotomy on the genitals and on the abdomen after a cesarean section, they are treated daily with brilliant green until completely healed (a bactericidal patch can also be used on the abdomen). After some time, the pain will disappear.

Proper care of the stitches will help to avoid complications and quickly get rid of pain.

After the second and third births, the stomach hurts especially badly. To alleviate the mother's condition, the doctor may prescribe her special drugs that suppress the process of prostaglandin synthesis: these are Diclofenac, Nise, Aspirin or Dicloberl. However, most of them are incompatible with lactation.

You can also stop a strong pain syndrome with painkillers (again, if a woman does not breastfeed a child), for example, Ketoprofen, Artokol, Ketorol, etc. (ordinary analgin also helps some).

To avoid possible adverse reactions from the gastrointestinal tract, you can choose medications in the form of rectal suppositories, which are also absorbed faster.

Therapy of pathological conditions

In pathological conditions that make themselves felt with abdominal pain, the doctor prescribes the appropriate treatment for the woman:

1. Peritonitis requires immediate surgical intervention.
2. The remains of the placenta in the uterus are removed by curettage, and after it the patient is prescribed antibiotic therapy. Vacuum aspiration is also used.
3. Endometritis requires complex therapy: these are antibiotics (usually intravenously), drugs to increase the contractile activity of the uterus (to reduce the absorption of decay products), immunomodulators, vitamins, antiviral agents, vacuum aspiration, enzymatic curettage (treatment of the walls of the uterus with special enzymes that dissolve dead tissue) .
4. Pain associated with spinal injury is treated with professional massage, acupuncture, physiotherapy, and exercise therapy. Also, the doctor may prescribe the patient to wear a special corset that helps the vertebrae to take the correct position.
5. With the divergence of the pelvic bones, the traumatologist will prescribe to limit the mobility of the joint by wearing a bandage.
6. Problems with the digestive system are usually resolved by following a diet based on eating enough dairy products, vegetables and fruits (fiber). In this case, slowly digesting foods should be excluded. With constipation, you can also take appropriate medications (for example, doctors recommend Dufalac to nursing mothers). To relieve the pain caused by the accumulation of gases, self-massage will help: you need to make delicate circular movements in the abdomen in a clockwise direction.

Photo gallery: treatment of pathological abdominal pain

With the displacement of the vertebrae, manual therapy will help. Problems with the gastrointestinal tract after childbirth will be solved by the diet. Peritonitis requires urgent surgical intervention.

To avoid the appearance of postpartum abdominal pain (or minimize it), a young mother should adhere to the following recommendations:

1. Don't lift heavy things.
2. Do not engage in intimacy until the birth canal is fully restored.
3. Carefully monitor intimate hygiene, in particular, wash yourself after each trip to the toilet.

Throughout the entire period of bearing a child, the female body adapted to changing conditions. The uterus increased as the fetus grew, the location of the internal organs changed, the vessels and nerve plexuses were compressed.

Childbirth is a sudden deliverance from 4-5 kg, and sometimes much more weight, as well as a decrease in the volume of the abdomen. The organs must return to their original state, so it can be accepted as normal that the lower abdomen hurts after childbirth. In most cases, this is an indicator of the physiological course of the postpartum period.

When is this the norm?

Throughout pregnancy, the main hormone of the female body was. It reduced the tone of the uterus until the moment of delivery, suppressed the secretion of prolactin. But by the day of delivery, its concentration decreased, but the active production of oxytocin and prolactin began. Oxytocin controls the contractility of the smooth muscles of the uterus, but it is also necessary in the postpartum period, as well as throughout lactation.

Contractions of the muscles of the uterus are necessary during childbirth, not only to open the cervix and expel the fetus. After separation of the placenta, the uterine walls are a continuous wound surface with bleeding vessels. For hemostasis, only the activation of the coagulation system is not enough. A spasm of the vessels and a decrease in their lumen should occur. Oxytocin provides further contraction of the uterus after the birth of the child, allows you to stop bleeding.

The size of the uterus in the postpartum period decreases very quickly. The doctor evaluates them daily during the bypass according to the height of the standing day. The following are considered normal rates of reduction:

• immediately after childbirth - 4 cm above the navel (or 20 weeks of pregnancy);
• the end of the first day - at the level of the navel;
• on the second day - one finger width below the navel;
• on the 3rd day - 2 fingers below the navel;
• 4 days - in the middle of the distance between the pubic joint and the navel;
• on the 6th day - up to 9 cm above the pubis;
• on the 10th day - protrudes slightly above the bosom;
• by 6-8 weeks corresponds to the state before pregnancy.

Very painful, but postpartum contractions cannot be called pleasant. Most often they are associated with breastfeeding.

Two hormones are involved in the mechanism of milk production and secretion. Prolactin ensures the synthesis of milk in the alveoli. Its excretion is regulated by oxytocin. During attachment of the baby to the breast, irritation of the nipples occurs, which stimulates the release of oxytocin by the pituitary gland. The hormone affects not only the myocytes of the mammary gland, its stimulating effect also extends to the myometrium. In the first few days, with each breastfeeding, a woman experiences cramping pains that resemble those during childbirth.

How much does the stomach hurt after childbirth?

This is a physiological process, it depends on the individual characteristics and the rate of uterine contraction. In most cases, discomfort stops after 2 months.

Also, do not forget about those who gave birth by caesarean section. In this case, physiological pain in the lower abdomen will be a natural reaction to a violation of the integrity of the anterior abdominal wall. The pain is postoperative. But she is short-lived. In a hospital setting, narcotic analgesics are used to relieve pain; they have a more pronounced analgesic effect. After about two days, you can switch to anesthesia with an analgin solution, which, at small doses, will be safe for the child.

Signs of a pathological process

If after childbirth the stomach hurts for a natural reason, this condition is not characterized by additional signs. In the presence of a pathological process, pain can be of a different nature and be accompanied by changes in the general condition.

endometritis

During the first day, the discharge from the genital tract should acquire the character of brown, mucous, less and less resembling blood. But sometimes the bleeding does not decrease, but suddenly increases. At the same time, there are pulling pains in the lower abdomen. Additional features are the following:

• temperature rise;
• signs of intoxication;
• purulent discharge from the genital tract;
• signs of subinvolution of the uterus;
• tachycardia.

These symptoms are characteristic of postpartum endometritis. The condition most often develops after a caesarean section, but may also be the result of natural childbirth. Endometritis refers to infectious postpartum complications and requires immediate medical attention.

The reason is the violation of contractility, which is associated with the retention of parts of the placenta or fetal membranes. While they are in the uterus, it is not able to contract normally, which means that the pathological process will progress.

Endometritis threatens to turn into parametritis - inflammation of the periuterine tissue, pelvioperitonitis - damage to the pelvic part of the peritoneum, peritonitis - an infectious and inflammatory process in the abdominal cavity. Pain in the abdomen in this case will only increase.

Symphysite

In some cases, only a radiologist together with a traumatologist can determine why the lower abdomen continues to hurt even in the remote period after childbirth. The cause is often symphysitis - a divergence of the bones of the pubic joint.

The prerequisites for the appearance of this pathology are associated with physiological causes. The same progesterone is to blame, as well as the hormone relaxin secreted by the placenta. It leads to softening, divergence of the joint of the pubic joint. This is necessary so that the birth canal can adapt as much as possible to the parameters of the fetus.

Normally, the distance between the two bones of this joint does not exceed 1 cm. The pubic articulation refers to semi-movable joints. This means that the minimum amount of displacement of its surfaces relative to each other is allowed. During the birth of a child, the joint may diverge by an additional 5-6 mm. But sometimes pathological processes are included in the case, then the displacement reaches a critical value and leads to the appearance of pain localized in the lower abdomen.

Degrees of discrepancy:

• 1 degree - discrepancy 5-9 mm;
• 2 degree - 10-20 mm;
• 3 degree - more than 20 mm.

Postpartum pain, provoked by symphysitis, most often appears 2-3 days after childbirth. A woman, lying in bed, cannot lift her legs up, walking brings pain. An accurate diagnosis can be made only after X-ray diagnostics.

Constipation

Postpartum abdominal pain may be due to a more mundane cause. The intestines after pregnancy and childbirth do not always quickly return to normal. Sometimes it takes time to get it going. But all this time, the feces will accumulate, expand the sigmoid colon and rectal ampulla. This is accompanied by a pulling, aching, arching pain in the abdomen, which manifests itself about a week after delivery. If timely action is not taken, then constipation will go to the extreme.

In some women, after childbirth, going to the toilet is associated with a certain fear of damaging the existing stitches on the perineum or hemorrhoids. At the same time, stagnant processes in the intestines are aggravated: the liquid from the feces is gradually absorbed back into the intestines, it becomes dry and, to a greater extent, can lead to damage to the lower intestine.

The presence of stool disorders harms not only the digestive tract. This results in displacement or compression of the uterus, and may lead to subinvolution.

placental polyp

The retention of parts of the placenta in the uterine cavity is likely to lead to bleeding in the early postpartum period. But sometimes small parts, microscopic villi of the chorion allow the uterus to fully contract, and signs of pathology appear after a long time.

The clinical picture appears after 4-5 weeks. Pain in the lower abdomen is not a characteristic sign of pathology, bleeding comes first, resulting in a decrease in hemoglobin, weakness, dizziness, tachycardia. Uterine pain after childbirth appears after the attachment of infection and the development of endometritis. Further, the clinical picture will develop according to the classical pattern of inflammation of the uterus.

Osteochondrosis

During pregnancy, a woman's posture changes. This is due to the increase in weight and its redistribution in the abdomen. If the pregnant woman did not use a special supporting bandage, then the pain syndrome will be pronounced.

After delivery, not everything immediately falls into place. Sometimes during pregnancy, compression of the nerve plexuses occurs, and after childbirth, this can manifest itself as signs of osteochondrosis or neuritis. Pain in the lower abdomen will be combined with its irradiation into the abdominal cavity.

When to see a doctor

The duration of the period of pain depends on the individual characteristics and the rate of uterine involution. In most cases, during the first two weeks, the physiological discomfort associated with feeding the baby gradually decreases. The pain does not appear for every feeding, its intensity decreases. When the uterus contracts completely, this symptom will disappear.

But there are signs that indicate a possible pathological process. When they appear, do not delay a visit to the doctor:

• temperature, at first it may be small, and then rise to 39 ° C;
• violation of general well-being - weakness, not passing after rest;
• pulling pain in the lower abdomen, which is constantly present;
• chills as a symptom of fever;
• headache;
• spotting from the genital tract (they can intensify, change the character from mucous to more liquid, resembling scarlet blood);
• cramping pain, resembling spasms, after which blood clots are released;
• no stool for more than two days;
• inability to tear off the heels from the bed in the supine position;
• change in gait to waddling, "duck";
• sudden onset of bleeding after a long period after discharge from the hospital.

With a placental polyp, bleeding is usually intense, begins a month or two after the birth of the child. At the same time, it can be differentiated from menstruation: during menstruation, the nature of bleeding changes daily, it becomes less intense. In the case of a placental polyp, the discharge is scarlet and only intensifies.

A gynecologist can be contacted for any changes that a woman considers different from physiological.

Ways to improve the condition

In the presence of a pain syndrome resembling abdominal pain, as with menstruation, it is necessary to establish the cause of this condition. Obligatory stages are examination of the doctor. It allows you to assess the size of the uterus, how they correspond to the term, consistency, mobility of the organ, the prevalence of pain.

An ultrasound is also required. With its help, you can notice the expanded uterine cavity, the presence of clots in it, the remnants of the placenta. If the cause is in the placental polyp, a volumetric formation will be noticeable. Inflammatory infiltrate around the uterus speaks in favor of the development of the inflammatory process.

Additional diagnostics depends on the information obtained in the first two stages. It may be necessary to carry out, laparotomy, x-ray diagnostics.

It is possible to improve the condition of a woman and reduce the pain syndrome, depending on the causes of pain.

In the postpartum period, drugs should be used with caution, most of them pass into breast milk. Those minimum concentrations for a small fruit weight may be enough to cause adverse reactions.

Pain associated with the natural process of uterine involution is not relieved with antispasmodics or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Labor-like contractions are a natural process and only appear when the baby is breastfeeding. They are short-lived and do not disturb the general well-being. When they appear, you need to make a few calm breathing movements. Gradually, these symptoms will disappear on their own.

Subinvolution of the uterus, which has not yet led to the appearance of endometritis, is treated by removing the remnants of the fetal site from the uterine cavity. A further tactic is to prescribe reducing agents, antibiotics to prevent infection.

If the pain syndrome is associated with inflammation, it is necessary to assess the severity and prescribe the appropriate treatment. With endometritis, antibiotic therapy is carried out, which prevents the infectious process from spreading further, and detoxification with the help of intravenous infusion solutions.

After stopping acute inflammation, to prevent the adhesive process, which leads to the appearance, it is necessary to prescribe physiotherapy:

• magnetotherapy;
• laser therapy;
• diadynamic currents;
• medicinal electrophoresis.

Constipation after childbirth must be treated with diet and laxatives. Means that act gently in the intestinal lumen are recommended. Sometimes a spoonful of castor oil is enough to start the intestines. Lactulose is also used, which is sweet in taste and without an unpleasant odor. It is safe for newborns.

Diet for constipation includes foods rich in fiber and have a laxative effect. You need to eat several fruits of dried apricots or prunes a day, boiled beetroot salad or beetroot soup. But you should not overdo it, the abuse of a laxative diet will lead to a pronounced acceleration of peristalsis and spastic pain in the abdomen.

The divergence of the pubic articulation is treated for a long time, it is necessary to comply with bed rest. If possible, the woman is not in a traditional bed, but in a special hammock that helps bring the pelvic bones closer together. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used for pain relief.

To alleviate the condition, it is necessary to wear a bandage, a cane is used to evenly distribute body weight. Good help in restoring blood circulation and accretion of the symphysis of physiotherapy.

Many believe that during the time of bearing a child, a woman's body is updated and rejuvenated. But this opinion is rather misleading. During pregnancy, the female body experiences tremendous stress, it is rebuilt to the needs of the child, sometimes to the detriment of the mother. After giving birth, she needs a period of recovery, which is not always painless. But it is necessary to distinguish physiologically acceptable pain from signs of pathology in order to consult a doctor in time and prevent the development of complications.

Childbirth is the most important work in a woman's life. In this process, the expectant mother needs to skillfully combine moral and physical forces so that everything is fine. When contractions begin, a woman experiences severe pain and stress. After some time, when the child is directly born, the woman also has a hard time. In most cases, there are gaps and cracks in the perineum, which then heal for a long time and hurt a lot. Let's find out when the pain after childbirth goes away?

What hurts most often after childbirth?

Gynecologists note that, as a rule, young mothers complain of pain in the perineum after childbirth. Since, no matter how a woman prepares for childbirth, or follows all the necessary recommendations, it is very rare that a baby is born, and the woman in labor has absolutely no tears or cracks. These are often the wounds that hurt the most. In addition, in the first days after the appearance of the crumbs, a woman feels discomfort in the perineal area, it seems to her that the unpleasant painful sensations in this part will never go away. But this is not so, every day the pain will fade away. Meanwhile, of course, it is necessary to wait until the wounds heal. This process can take at least one and a half to two months.

Many women after childbirth complain that they have back and lower back pain. There is nothing surprising in this. During pregnancy, the spine and back muscles were subjected to a powerful load and changes as the fetus grew. As a result, after childbirth, the young mother experiences pain. This pain passes gradually, but it takes at least six months. In addition, the painful condition can be aggravated, since the woman has to carry the baby in her arms, sometimes for several hours a day, at least. Therefore, if the pain after childbirth in the back and lower back did not go away after two or three months, but only worsened, then it is necessary to consult a doctor. A woman may need to undergo a course of massage or physiotherapy, which produce an analgesic effect, and which can be used during lactation.

Also, women in labor often complain of pain in the lower abdomen. These unpleasant sensations are associated with contraction of the uterus, since this organ in the female body undergoes the greatest changes during childbirth. In the first days after childbirth, the uterus contracts strongly, especially when the baby suckles the breast, and the pain is sometimes as strong as during contractions. But it quickly passes, and literally after 5 days such unpleasant sensations no longer bother the young mother.

How to help the body so as not to suffer pain?

In the first weeks after childbirth, many women feel that their whole body aches and hurts. This is due to the fact that during childbirth, the body of the woman in labor experienced a huge load on all organs and muscles of the body. And now it just takes a few weeks or even months (depending on how the birth went) for the body to recover.

Thus, in order to get rid of various types of pain after childbirth, a young mother needs to take good care of her health. Despite the numerous worries about the baby, you should make time for yourself. Do not forget that if a woman in labor had tears and cracks in the perineum, then the first week you can not sit on a chair, you can only lie or sit in a “reclining” state. After a week, you can already sit down gently. A young mother is obliged to rest more when the baby is sleeping, not to lift weights, not to carry a stroller, not to move sharply. Also, a woman needs to carefully monitor her diet so that there is no constipation. Since during the trip to the toilet "by and large", in case of constipation, you will have to push, and such muscle tension will also lead to pain.

In addition, the mother needs to fully eat so that the body recovers more quickly after childbirth, and monitor her psychological state. Experts also do not recommend "getting hung up" on your painful condition and not forgetting that all pains will gradually pass. We focus your attention on the fact that if the pain is too strong and torments you daily, then you need to seek help from a doctor who will advise what needs to be done to reduce the pain.

Specially for- Tatyana Argamakova

Childbirth is a complex process associated with certain unpleasant sensations. However, it is a mistake to believe that after the birth of a child, all of them will end at once. The most common phenomenon for many mothers is pain after childbirth. What are they related to? What are they like? Why do they appear? And is it really possible to fight them?

What kind of pain can be observed in women in labor?

Most often, women in labor have unpleasant sensations in the lumbar region and coccyx. Sometimes there may be a headache, discomfort in the chest, back or abdomen. At the same time, it is accompanied by unpleasant, pulsating or pulling, sharp or, conversely, blunted spasms that hinder movement. In addition, for example, back pain radiates to other parts of the body, which leads to certain problems when feeding a baby, walking, lifting objects of different weights, etc.

Should I be worried when my stomach hurts?

One of the most common problems that young mothers face is discomfort in the lower abdomen. But is it worth it to be scared and even more so to panic when the stomach hurts after childbirth? To answer this question, it is worth considering the possible causes of this disease, which may be physiological or pathological.

It's all about oxytocin

There are many potential causes associated with pain in the lower abdomen. Moreover, each of them is characterized by different symptoms. For example, if there is cramping or pulling pain, this indicates the active production of a special hormone oxytocin in you. It is he who helps the uterus to open and increase in size to take its original shape.

Sometimes a woman in labor experiences unpleasant and undulating sensations that intensify during breastfeeding. In this case, the culprit is also oxytocin, which is released as a protective barrier against an external stimulus and again leads to involuntary contraction of the muscles of the uterus. As you can see, in both cases, the stomach hurts after childbirth for quite normal physiological reasons. As a rule, such pains do not have a protracted nature and disappear after 5-10 days.

When should you sound the alarm?

When the pain in the abdomen becomes protracted (does not stop for more than a month), you should immediately consult a doctor. Its cause may be, for example, the presence of placental remains inside the uterus, which did not come out with the fetus, but, on the contrary, stuck to the walls and provoke inflammatory processes in the body.

In addition, pain after childbirth in the abdomen can occur when pathogenic bacteria and microbes enter the uterine mucosa. Most often this happens when the elementary rules of hygiene are not observed during the surgical intervention of physicians (caesarean section).

In a word, if the pain does not go away for a long time, but is complicated by inflammation, purulent discharge, fever, or any other unpleasant moments, consult a doctor immediately.

What causes headaches after childbirth?

Some women in labor in the postpartum period have frequent migraines. In most cases, they appear in those women who had headaches before pregnancy. Less often, women who refuse traditional breastfeeding of babies become victims of migraine.

Some of the most common causes of headaches include:

• excess in the body of progesterone and estrogens;
• the use of oral contraceptives without prior approval from the doctor;
• stress;
• fatigue;
• lack of adequate sleep.

Why does my chest hurt?

Many mothers complain that their breasts hurt after childbirth. What is it connected with? As practice shows, often discomfort in the chest area occurs due to an increase in the mammary glands during recovery processes in the uterus and abdomen, during stress.

In addition, pain in the chest and in the chest area may be associated with the restoration of the ribs, which open during pregnancy, making room for the unborn baby.

It also hurts and, according to sensations, “poured”, “becomes stone” during the flow of milk. At the same time, if you do not feed the child in time, then milk stagnation will occur - as a result, mastitis will develop.

It is very important when your chest hurts after childbirth, to bring out the true cause of the discomfort. To do this, it is worth eliminating external stimuli and contacting a specialist.

What causes back pain?

Acute or pulling pain in the back (lower back) - many mothers know firsthand about this unpleasant moment. It can be either constant or "wave-like", that is, either stop or worsen.

Such back pain after childbirth is associated with a number of reasons, among which is the restoration of the position of the bone tissue. Recall that during pregnancy, the pelvic bones diverge and facilitate the passage of the newborn through the birth canal.

In the postpartum period, there is a systematic restoration of the original position of the bones. However, the normalization of bone tissue affects both muscles and nerve endings, which causes discomfort in the lower back.

Why do postoperative stitches hurt?

Many women who have undergone surgery (caesarean section, suturing the perineum with ruptures) have pain in the sutures after childbirth. Why is this happening? Most often, such pain is associated with certain actions of the woman in labor. For example, when it occurs when bending over, squatting and lifting weights too often.

Less commonly, soreness is associated with frequent constipation. It can also appear during early sexual intercourse (it is not recommended to have an intimate relationship earlier than 2 months after the birth of the child).

If you have pain, redness, swelling and purulent discharge, you should immediately go to the doctor.

What should be done for pain?

If you experience discomfort in your chest, back, abdomen, or head after giving birth, you first need to determine the cause. For this, it would be better to see a specialist. And then you just have to follow the advice of a doctor prescribing individual treatment.

For example, with pain after childbirth in the perineum (at the site of suturing), it is recommended to use the wound healing cream "Rescuer". Also, women in labor with similar problems should not eat foods that can cause constipation.

In order to minimize pain after surgery, it is necessary to maintain personal hygiene and properly care for the sutures. Therefore, the seams on the perineum must be regularly washed with water, using extremely smooth movements. In case of inflammation, alternate washing with plain water and potassium permanganate.

If the chest hurts due to too much milk flowing, it is necessary to purchase a breast pump, express it and put the baby to the breast more often. For back pain, use cooling ointments to relieve discomfort. Manual therapy, light massage and therapeutic exercises will help in these cases. It is also recommended to perform the “cat” exercise more often. To do this, you need to get on all fours, raise your head up and at the same time arch your lower back, then lower your head down and round your back. Do this exercise three times a day for three sets.

If you have after childbirth, walk more often in the fresh air, do yoga, get enough sleep. may be associated with problems in the gastrointestinal tract, therefore, in this case, a sparing diet is usually prescribed.

In a word, for any pain and possible deviations from the norm, consult a doctor. And then you will be able to avoid complications.