What to do if the stomach hurts after childbirth. After giving birth, the lower abdomen hurts. The most common causes of pain in the lower abdomen after childbirth

childbirth - a difficult process that the female body endures. Delivery is accompanied by pain, muscle strain, ruptures and other complications often occur. Doctors warn - generic activity is unpredictable and it is almost impossible to predict events. But if the pain during the birth of the baby - is a completely natural state, then its appearance after childbirth can be dangerous. When should new moms worry?

The physiological norm of postpartum pain

Reduction - this is the main reason that some time after childbirth, a woman feels intense, sharp pain. As soon as the baby takes the breast, the active production of oxytocin begins. - hormone responsible for this process, residual, waste materials come out of the body.

Similar phenomenon - this is a normal response of the body to the changes that have occurred, which does not require additional interventions. But painful symptoms appear in the first hours and may disturb in the first 1-3 days, gradually decreasing.

If a woman has undergone a caesarean section, then this process is somewhat delayed, and the woman is given special drugs that normalize contractile reflexes. However, if the stomach hurts after childbirth after 2 weeks or more, then we can talk about pathological processes.

After all, 2-3 months after delivery, the female reproductive system is restored, and the risks of complications are high. In most cases, 3-4 weeks after the birth of a child, a woman forgets about the discomfort.

Pain syndrome can occur due to the following conditions:

• fragments of a child's place remain in the fallopian tubes;
• an inflammatory process develops, localized in the uterine mucosa - there are many reasons, and if the lower abdomen hurts 2 weeks after childbirth, then perhaps this is a symptom of inflammation;
• inflammation in the uterine appendages;
• the inflammatory process has spread from the reproductive organs to the peritoneum - if you ignore the primary symptoms and attribute discomfort to the postpartum state, then you can expect similar complications.

If additional symptoms join the pain: purulent discharge from the vagina or chest, fever, swelling, etc., then most likely a serious infection has developed in the body. Any of the conditions requires an appeal to a gynecologist, and a woman should protect herself from possible infection.

In addition, some women are faced with such a pathological condition as the divergence of the pubic bones. This phenomenon occurs even during pregnancy, and during childbirth there are risks of tissue rupture. After some time, inflammation may occur on the damaged area. The disease is called, which requires mandatory complex therapy.

And if the pain is not associated with childbirth?

If the stomach hurts 2-3 weeks after childbirth, then it is worth excluding conditions that are not associated with them. Pain syndrome develops:

• against the background of the pathological condition of the intestine;
• due to dysfunction of the bladder;
• due to kidney disease;
• with inflammation of the appendix.

Most of the above ailments are extremely dangerous and require emergency hospitalization. It is not recommended to solve the problem on your own, especially to stop unpleasant symptoms with the help of painkillers and analgesic medications. Taking any medication lubricates the general clinical picture and makes it difficult to make a diagnosis.

If 3 weeks after childbirth, the lower abdomen hurts, in no case can one ignore such a phenomenon and think that this is the norm. A woman should better monitor her health, undergoing timely examinations and adequate treatment.

After childbirth, literally all women have a stomach ache, and in most cases this is completely normal. Naturally, if there was a cesarean section, you will suffer from postoperative pain, however, natural childbirth means that you will have pain, and you will not get away from it.

Causes of abdominal pain after childbirth:

This pain will persist for 3-5 days, and then it will pass. To avoid such unpleasant sensations, you just need to prepare for childbirth, if the muscles are initially strong and accustomed to stress, this will prevent pain and help you give birth much faster and easier.

However, this is not the only reason why the stomach hurts after childbirth.

These sensations are reminiscent of the contractions you just experienced, you feel painful uterine contractions when the baby suckles. In this case, there may be an increase in vaginal discharge, the uterus actively gets rid of the contents,. So these pains in the lower abdomen are not only not dangerous, they are useful, as they contribute to the early contraction of the uterus after the birth of the baby.

However, if your lower abdomen hurts after childbirth and outside of feeding, the pains are accompanied by a change in the nature of lochia, their smell is not rotten and weak, as it should be, but sharp and unpleasant, the color has changed, this may be a sign of a complication, an inflammatory disease of the uterus, endometritis. Then you just need to inform your gynecologist about it.

With excessive pain in the lower abdomen, antispasmodics are sometimes prescribed, but most puerperas do not need this at all, the pain is quite tolerable, and only benefits, reducing the period of lochia after childbirth.

It's done! Behind 9 months of waiting, worry and doubt. Hello baby! The feeling of euphoria, all-consuming happiness and endless tenderness for your child is familiar to every mother. However, the first days and even weeks after childbirth are often clouded for a woman by pain in the lower abdomen. And the first question is: is this normal? Should I sound the alarm and run to the doctor? And in general, why does the stomach hurt after childbirth? Let's figure it out.

Abdominal pain after childbirth is normal

Childbirth is a process that requires incredible tension of all the forces of the female body. At the time of childbirth, ligaments are stretched, bones diverge, and ruptures occur. Therefore, there is nothing to worry about when the seams hurt in the postpartum period (unpleasant sensations can be given to the lower abdomen) and microcracks. This means that your body is back to normal.

The stomach hurts after childbirth also because the uterus is reduced to normal, prenatal sizes. Many women note that pain is especially strong during breastfeeding. When the baby suckles, the mother's body produces the hormone oxytocin, which is responsible for uterine contractions. Sometimes these contractions are so strong that they resemble contractions during childbirth. You shouldn't worry about this. It is better to put the baby to the breast more often, and after 1-2 weeks the pain will stop.

The lower abdomen hurts after childbirth, carried out by caesarean section. This is also normal: any surgical intervention for a long time reminds of itself with pain at the incision site. In this case, the young mother needs to follow the rules of hygiene and monitor the condition of the seam. After a while, the pain will pass.

It pulls the lower abdomen even if after childbirth you have been scraped. In the maternity hospital, all young mothers must undergo an ultrasound examination. They do it 2-3 days after childbirth to determine whether the afterbirth remains in the uterus. If the remains of the placenta are found, scraping is done. This procedure is very painful, in fact it is the same abortion, with the only difference being that it is not the fetus that is removed, but the remains of the placenta. Naturally, a woman then experiences discomfort in the lower abdomen for quite a long time.

Stomach pain after childbirth - an alarm signal

In most cases, if your lower abdomen aches after giving birth, you should not worry. However, discomfort does not always go away on its own. If a month has passed after the birth of the child, and the pain does not stop, be sure to consult a doctor! It is better to be safe than to overlook a dangerous disease.

Sometimes the cause of pain lies in improper operation or exacerbated diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Try to adjust your diet, exclude heavy foods from it. Eat little and often, drink plenty of fluids. But if the pain persists, see a doctor.

Drawing pains in the lower abdomen, accompanied by fever, the appearance of bloody or even purulent discharge from the vagina, can be symptoms of a dangerous disease - endometritis. This is inflammation of the endometrium, the layer of cells that lines the uterus. Endometritis occurs after abortion and childbirth, if viruses or fungi have entered the uterus. In this case, you should immediately consult a doctor. Procrastination is literally like death here.

Very often, after childbirth, a woman is faced with the problem of pain in the lower abdomen.

There may be several reasons for this phenomenon. Some of them are physiological in nature, some are associated with certain pathological conditions. Let's look at them in more detail and try to understand why the stomach hurts after childbirth, how it hurts and how long these pains can last.

Causes of abdominal pain after childbirth

Pain in the lower abdomen of a cramping nature is due to the fact that after childbirth the uterus still continues to contract, and this is a completely natural process. Doctors perceive complaints about this kind of pain positively. This is due to the fact that after the process of childbirth, a large amount of oxytocin, the hormone responsible for uterine contractions, is released into the blood. This hormone regulates labor pains.

These pains continue until the uterus returns to its original state. After all, from the size of a large ball, it should decrease to the size of a fist.

These pains can become stronger when a woman starts breastfeeding her baby, because during this physiological process there is also an increased production of oxytocin, which leads to the activation of uterine contractions.

Typically, such pain in the lower abdomen persists after childbirth for 4-7 days. To reduce pain, you can do special exercises. If after childbirth the stomach hurts very much, then you should definitely consult with your doctor about the appointment of painkillers.

The lower abdomen hurts after childbirth and after the operation. This is also a variant of the norm. Indeed, after any surgical intervention, painful sensations remain for some time at the incision site. In such a situation, a woman needs to monitor the condition of the seam and observe hygiene. After a certain time, the pain will stop.

It also pulls the lower part of the abdomen after the scraping, which is done if, after childbirth, the remains of the placenta are found in the woman. After that, the woman feels pain in the lower abdomen for quite a long time.

If a woman had tears during childbirth, then the stitches may hurt. Moreover, pain from the perineum can also pass to the lower abdomen. In such a situation, there is also no cause for concern, since such pains pass as the stitches heal.

Another cause of pain in the abdomen of a physiological nature is that after childbirth it is necessary to re-establish the process of urination. At first, this is accompanied by sore pain and burning, but then everything returns to normal and the pain goes away.

All of the above causes of abdominal pain after childbirth are natural, and there is no point in worrying about them.

Abdominal pain after childbirth

But it also happens that abdominal pain can be caused by certain pathological changes in the body, which should be paid special attention.

These changes include - inflammation of the endometrium - the layer lining the uterus. It can occur after childbirth by caesarean section, when pathogens enter the uterus. With endometritis, abdominal pain is accompanied by fever, bloody or purulent discharge.

Sometimes the cause of pain can be an exacerbation of gastrointestinal diseases. In this case, you need to try to adjust the diet. Eat little, but often, and drink plenty of fluids.

Very often, after childbirth, a woman loses her appetite. Eating out of necessity and the resulting constipation can also provoke abdominal pain. Therefore, the nutrition of a woman who has given birth to a child should be complete, regular and balanced.

If symptoms of pathological conditions occur, it is very important to consult a doctor in a timely manner in order to prevent complications of the disease.

The period after the birth of a child is called rehabilitation, because at this time the woman is recovering from the colossal load that she has endured. All organs and systems of the body, which has experienced severe stress, return to normal. If a month after giving birth, the stomach hurts, this may well be a variant of the norm. However, you should be aware of some of the signs in which you should seek qualified help.

Dangerous symptoms accompanying abdominal pain

Abdominal pain that worries you a month after giving birth may not pose any danger or, on the contrary, require immediate medical attention. Pay attention to the occurrence of dangerous symptoms that may accompany pain:

1. temperature rise;
2. the pain becomes acute, almost unbearable;
3. the pain is accompanied by secretions that have clots;
4. painful sensations are concentrated in the abdomen, but are given in the back;
5. dizziness;
6. vomiting or severe nausea;
7. stomach and back pain.

If you are experiencing several (two is enough) of the symptoms listed above, then it is best to seek the help of a specialist in order to avoid complications.

Causes of abdominal pain a month after childbirth

If you experience pain and discomfort in the abdomen after childbirth, then this may be due to both physiology and pathological causes. It is important to identify them in time, because some require treatment, while others can be dealt with quickly and independently. During the birth of a child, a woman's body, muscles and internal organs experience significant overload, so it takes time for their full recovery.

Physiological causes of abdominal pain after childbirth

Hormone production

As you know, hormones play a very important role in the female body, largely determining the well-being and mood. After childbirth, the hormonal background undergoes serious changes, for example, oxytocin is actively produced. This hormone is responsible for uterine contractions, stimulating the uterus to return to its previous size, which causes pain.

Breast-feeding

Breastfeeding alone does not cause abdominal pain. This happens due to the fact that during lactation, the production of oxytocin continues, which provokes uterine contractions, as mentioned above.

Pathological causes of abdominal pain after childbirth

Disorders of the digestive system

Pain in the lower abdomen can be caused by disorders of the digestive system. This happens due to the use of foods that provoke gas formation, or due to a lack of fiber in the diet, which leads to the same consequences.

Divergence of the hip joint

Pain in the lower abdomen a month after childbirth may indicate that it takes time to restore the hip joint in case of its strong divergence. Sometimes it takes up to six months to get back in shape and get rid of new pain.

endometritis

Endometritis is an inflammatory process in the lining of the uterus. This happens most often after a caesarean section, when microbes and infection get inside. You can recognize it by elevated temperature and secretions that come with clots of pus.

Placenta in uterus

If a month after giving birth, the stomach hurts, then this can be a serious reason to seek medical help. Perhaps after the birth of the child, the placenta did not completely leave the uterus. In this case, these residues could stick to its wall and provoke the formation of blood clots. This may be the beginning of the decay process.

The gynecologist should conduct a thorough examination and prescribe an ultrasound to confirm the diagnosis.

Inflammation of the appendages

Postpartum inflammation of the appendages can be identified by pulling pain, which is localized in the lower abdomen. It may not be strong, but it may be permanent.

Peritonitis

Peritonitis is a dangerous infection that requires immediate medical attention. Its symptoms are severe pain that cannot be tolerated, and a significant increase in temperature.

Displacement of the vertebrae

Vertebrae that have shifted during labor is a problem that can cause trouble even a few months after childbirth. You can recognize it by pain in the lower abdomen and lower back. Such pain is often given throughout the back in the region of the spine and is aggravated by any physical activity.

Treatment of abdominal pain after childbirth

Treatment is always prescribed by a doctor after an appropriate examination. How it goes depends on the correctly identified cause of the pain. The sooner it is diagnosed, the less serious the complications will be.

Treatment of abdominal pain with surgery

Curettage of the uterine cavity

If the placenta remains in the uterus, then its remains are scraped out. This is a surgical medical intervention followed by antibiotic therapy.

Removal of the appendix

Peritonitis is treated by urgent intervention of surgeons, an operation is performed.

Medical treatment of endometritis

With a confirmed diagnosis of endometritis, treatment is prescribed in the form of therapy using a variety of medications. In addition, it should be combined with good nutrition and rest.

Treatment of vertebral displacement

The displacement of the vertebrae, which occurred during labor, is treated with manual therapy.

Normalization of digestion

Digestive problems can be eliminated by making a complete balanced diet, which includes foods rich in fiber. Do not forget about the much-needed dairy products that can restore digestion and improve bowel activity.

Attentive attitude to any manifestations of imbalance in the body will allow you to get rid of adverse consequences in time. This is especially important when the body has recently endured the most severe stress associated with childbirth.