Your First Period After Del...

For all the new mothers- Congratulations on your motherhood!

The life about to start now will be a brand-new era for you. A baby on board has changed your routine upside down, right? Not only the personal care product routine but also your bodily functions have gone through a lot of changes. After giving birth, you’ll notice that your body shape and size are trying to get back to what it was before your pregnancy. Just like your external body parts, your internal organs will also resume their functions to keep you healthy- Like you can expect your periods to knock after the delivery.

But after your pregnancy, you might find your period somewhat different. But no need to worry- Today we’ll be discussing what to expect from your first period after delivery. So with further ado, let’s dig in.

When to expect your first period after giving birth?

During the 9 months of your pregnancy, there is a pause in the whole process of your periods. You won’t have your menstruation instantly. You might have your periods about 6 to 8 weeks later to your delivery. But this timeline may vary from person to person as everybody is different. But according to studies, most new mothers have their first menstruation after 6 to 8 weeks. The timing of the first period may also vary on whether you are breastfeeding or not. If you do exclusive breastfeeding (feeding your child only breast milk), then you might not have your periods during this whole period of breastfeeding.

Why does breastfeeding mothers don’t get their periods as compared a non-breastfeeding mother?

The answer to this question will be – Hormones. During breastfeeding, your reproductive hormone gets suppressed due to the Prolactine (the hormone needed to produce breast milk). Due to this reason, you don’t release an egg for fertilization and ovulation is the key to having your menstruation.

Will periods affect your breast milk?

Yes, there’s a tiny tinny possibility that your periods might affect your breast milk! You might notice a decrease in the supply of your breast milk or your baby might react differently to your milk. The hormonal changes might alter the composition of your milk and differ in its taste. But none of these will change or affect your ability to breastfeed your baby. This is just a transition period that will be over soon.

What to expect from your first period after giving birth?

After giving birth, whether you had a vaginal delivery or a cesarean, you can expect some bleeding and vaginal discharge. The blood and tissue that lined your uterus while you were pregnant are still going to be shed by your body. Blood may be thicker and occur in clots in the initial weeks. This blood eventually gives way to lochia, a vaginal discharge, as the weeks pass. Body fluid known as lochia can range in color from clear to creamy white to red.

If you aren't breastfeeding, this discharge may last for around 6 weeks, during which time your period may return. If your discharge resembled lochia, stopped for a while, and then you started bleeding again, it's probably your period.

 Every mother experience or goes through different postpartum periods. It is very obvious to experience some changes as your body goes through tremendously these past 9 months. So just be patient and everything will be normal like before gradually. You may notice the following changes while your first menstruation after delivery-

• Heavy periods after pregnancy
• Strong or light abdominal cramps
• Small blood clots while menstruating
• Interrupted flow
• Increase in pain
• Irregular menstruation

These all changes occur due to the excess collection of uterine lining that needs to shed. Because of this excess lining, you might go through extreme pains and cramps while menstruating. Like- women who are having thyroids may experience heavy flow and the ones who have endometriosis before pregnancy may experience a lighter period. But don’t worry, gradually these symptoms will fade away and your body will get back to normal like before.

Calling a doctor is crucial if you see any of the following signs:

1. Soaking through multiple pads per hour
2. More than seven days of continuous bleeding
3. Discharge that stinks
4. Breathing difficulties
5. Urinary discomfort
6. Bleeding that is accompanied by severe pain
7. Clots of blood the size of a softball
8. A high fever

The Takeaway

Your body is still quite delicate in the week after delivery. Despite your want to get back to your usual schedule as soon as possible, you must proceed cautiously.

Avoid doing any hard exercise or heavy lifting. The most important thing to remember is to adhere to all of your doctor's recovery recommendations and be sure to schedule regular postpartum appointments. Within 4 to 6 weeks of giving delivery, a thorough postpartum checkup should be performed.

You can be better prepared and able to handle the symptoms if you study postpartum health or periods after birth.During this time you can also use intimate hygiene products.

Also read, maintaining intimate hygiene during pregnancy.