Pregnancy is described as the most beautiful phase of a woman’s life, but it comes with its own baggage of pains. Most prominent being the post pregnancy pains. Keep reading to know more on that.
The phase that a woman goes through during the pregnancy period is amazing, and every women will agree with me. But this pregnancy phase comes with its own pains and woes. There is dizziness, fatigue, nauseous and so on. The post pregnancy woes go like cramping, breastfeeding, lack of energy, and what not. This article briefs you about the abdominal cramping that occurs after pregnancy.
If you have just delivered your first child, your life is bound to turn upside down. You are just getting out of the pregnancy phase. During this time, your body is healing, it has to undo all the changes it actually went through to create a comfortable room for your baby. Give your self some time to adjust and let the body undo the changes. These changes can have painful results, but give it time, adjust yourself, and you will be just fine.
What is Cramping
You have just delivered your baby! It’s cute. It’s sweet. And most importantly, it’s OUT. Finally, your done with those dreaded labor pains. Now your crotch is sore, numb and bleeding. Sometimes, women also have to go through the whole episode of episiotomy, where there is a surgical incision of the perineum to enlarge the vagina, so as to facilitate delivery during childbirth, and end up having a few stitches.
Now, your uterus, your vagina, and lots of other things are returning to its pre-pregnancy size, and there you notice a sudden painful contraction of muscles. This is called cramping after pregnancy. It is very normal, but differs in intensity from woman to woman, and pregnancy to pregnancy.
What Causes Cramping
There are various reasons as to why cramping occurs. The chief reason being, soon after you deliver your baby, the nurse gives a deep massage to the uterus, for it to retain its original pre-pregnancy size. This can cause a sudden contraction of the muscles and leads to cramping.
Cramping during the first delivery is mild and doesn’t last long. But it is more intense and painful during the second time. This is because the uterus has to compensate for its previous stretching as well as the current one. Also, because during the second time, the mother’s uterus tends to contract and remain contracted, instead of intermittently relaxing and contracting again.
Breastfeeding is another cause that leads to cramping. Your baby’s sucking actuates the release of certain hormones like oxytocin. Oxytocin is responsible for bringing on these cramps and making them more intense than before.
Now, these cramps can last up to 3 weeks and sometimes more than that. See your obstetrician is case the pain is unbearable, and otherwise take help of the following tips to combat the pain.
How to Combat Cramping
- Soak in a warm tub or have a hot water shower. This will help you relieve the pain and it will be fine eventually.
- Pee often, even when you don’t feel like it. A full bladder will displace its weight or put pressure on the uterus, not allowing it to contract.
- Lying on your stomach with a little pillow under your lower belly will also help you relieve the cramping pain.
- A gentle massage for the lower belly will work wonders in overcoming pain caused due to cramping.
- Your uterus is shrinking and getting back to its original shape. Hence, relax and take as much rest as possible.
- Ibuprofen is the best that works in alleviating the cramping pain after pregnancy.
- Using a hot water bag in the painful area also helps eliminate the pain caused due to cramping.
Any kind of unusual or unbearable cramps should be reported to your doctor right away, as you don’t want to get into further complications. Moreover, the sight of your baby in your arms will eliminate the pain caused due to cramping.Take care!
Disclaimer: This HerHaleness article is for informative purposes only and does not, in any way, intend to replace the advice of a medical expert.
