Very often, after childbirth, women complain of severe pain of various types. Many mothers in labor experience headache, which is caused by improper breathing during contractions and normally goes away within a few days after birth. Often, young mothers complain of chest pain due to the flow of milk and hardening in the mammary glands. In this case, doctors advise them to purchase a breast pump and constantly express the remaining milk after each feeding.

Also, unpleasant pain after childbirth can occur in some parts of a woman’s musculoskeletal system - in the neck, spine and muscles. In its intensity, childbirth can be compared to intense sports training. And for an unprepared body such a load can be excessive. This may well lead to a feeling of stiffness in the neck and shoulders. Stretching of the spinal muscles during childbirth leads to lower back pain, which can spread to the legs. Your hands may also hurt a little, but not because of a difficult birth, but because the woman is forced to constantly carry her newborn baby in her arms.

But the most severe pain after childbirth usually occurs at the sutures, in the lower abdomen and back.

Pain in the sutures torments not only those mothers who gave birth through caesarean section, but also those women who developed ruptures during childbirth. The stitches should heal within a few weeks after delivery. And all this time they need to be properly handled, avoiding contamination, getting wet, and heavy load on them. You cannot sit on the seams suddenly, but it is better to generally adapt to sitting down reclining.

If your stitches hurt a lot after childbirth, you can take painkillers. But it is important, together with your doctor, to choose a drug that is safe for breastfeeding. Try to move more. You will feel some discomfort in the stitches, but this will prevent you from experiencing really bad pain. If you notice swelling of the suture or bleeding, contact your doctor immediately.

Abdominal pain after childbirth

Abdominal pain also brings a lot of discomfort to a woman. They are quite natural, since the genitals return to normal after passing through birth canal child. Stretched and damaged internal tissues heal, microcracks formed in them are healed. And during the first week after giving birth, my stomach feels very tight.

The stomach also hurts after childbirth for another reason - under the influence of the hormone oxytocin, the uterus begins to actively contract, causing sensations similar to contractions. Abdominal pain worsens during breastfeeding, when oxytocin is most actively produced. But such pain also goes away within 1-2 weeks. And the more often you put your baby to your breast, the faster everything will pass.

In some cases, after childbirth, scraping of the placenta remains from the uterus is required. Doctors may notice this immediately after birth or a few days later with an ultrasound. Curettage is a rather painful procedure and is subsequently accompanied by prolonged pain in the uterine area.

Sometimes the cause of abdominal pain is endometritis. This is an inflammation in the uterus that occurs due to the entry of bacteria, viruses or fungi into it during a difficult birth or cesarean section (also very common during abortion). In addition to abdominal pain, endometritis is accompanied by fever, as well as bloody discharge in a woman. Treatment should be started as soon as possible.

And it also happens that the cause of abdominal pain is problems with gastrointestinal tract or, for example, constipation. And in this case, to get rid of pain, a woman only needs to adjust her diet.

But it is often difficult to independently determine the cause of pain. Therefore, it is best to consult a doctor who can diagnose and prescribe the correct treatment.

Another problem that plagues young mothers is back pain after childbirth. The lower back, neck and shoulders hurt, and there can be many reasons for this. Stress during childbirth and daily carrying of a child in your arms are only a small part of the possible causes.

During the birth of a child, a woman's pelvic muscles are greatly stretched to allow the baby's large head and body to pass through. Also, during childbirth, a woman may experience birth injuries - displacement hip joints or sacral vertebrae and lumbar regions. It is especially difficult for women in labor who are overweight, women with spinal curvature, and those who lack physical fitness.

In order to avoid such problems, doctors advise pregnant women to attend preparatory courses, where they will be taught how to breathe correctly and take the safest positions during labor. In addition, doctors recommend that women in labor refuse strong anesthesia, which does not allow the woman to control the birth process. When there is a strong load on the joints, the woman in labor feels increased pain and automatically changes position to ease the load. If anesthesia completely relieves pain, then the woman may not feel the displacement of the joints. And having painlessly survived several hours of labor, she begins to suffer from severe daily pain in the hips and lower back, which only goes away within a year. And in the case of severe birth trauma, it may even be necessary surgery. But most often they use physiotherapy, exercise therapy and massage. The choice of drugs during lactation is very limited, so choosing a pain reliever is extremely difficult.

Another common cause of abdominal pain after childbirth is stretching of the abdominal muscles and contraction of the back muscles during pregnancy. Such pain tends to persist in postpartum period, reminding you of yourself during squats, bends and lifting weights.

Whatever the causes of pain after childbirth, women should remember that during the postpartum period it is very important to limit their activity, not engage in heavy labor and simply take care of themselves. Pay attention to your health so that your body’s recovery is quick and painless.

Sometimes after childbirth you may experience pain similar to menstruation. This can be due to endometritis, peritonitis, intestinal diseases, or vertebral displacement. The doctor examines you in a chair and does an ultrasound.

Why after childbirth can your stomach hurt like during menstruation?

During the postpartum period, the mother's body recovers from stress associated with pregnancy and childbirth. These processes are especially intense in the first four to seven days from the birth of the child. If after a month after birth, pathology must be excluded. In this case, you need to consult a gynecologist.

The entire maternity process consists of three periods:

• smoothing and opening of the cervix;
• birth of a child;
• birth of a child's place.

During pregnancy, the reproductive organ increases in accordance with the growth of the fetus, the muscles stretch. During childbirth, they contract rhythmically, expelling the fetus and then the placenta from the uterine cavity.

Physiological reasons

After childbirth, the uterus reverses its development - it becomes smaller in size, the muscles contract, and their volume decreases several times. The most active muscle contraction occurs in the first hours and days. This process is accompanied by the presence of pain in the lower abdomen after childbirth of a pulling nature, but this should soon pass.

The process of reverse development occurs under the influence of the hormone oxytocin. It affects the muscles of the uterus, bladder, abdominal wall, and pelvis, promoting their contraction. Under its influence, it begins to produce breast milk. The release of oxytocin increases when the baby is latched to the breast. The nipple and the area around it are abundantly dotted with receptors, upon irritation of which a large amount of oxytocin is produced, the muscles of the uterus contract more strongly under its influence.

When a baby is born by caesarean section, recovery is more difficult and takes longer. The reason for this is the presence of a wound on the wall of the abdomen and uterus.

Pathological causes

Most often, a month after childbirth, the reproductive organ is restored, painful sensations disappear. This process is delayed when complications arise:

• the presence of pieces of the baby's place in the uterus;
• inflammation of its mucous membrane;
• inflammatory process appendages;
• transition of inflammation to the abdominal cavity;
• vertebral displacement;
• divergence of the bones of the pubic symphysis;
• intestinal pathology;
• bladder dysfunction.

A number of reasons why the stomach hurts after childbirth go away on their own in month period and do not cause significant harm to a woman’s health. However, the occurrence of inflammatory complications can be dangerous to the health of the mother.

Symptoms

Pain in the lower abdomen after childbirth in all women. At first, nagging, unpleasant pain appears in the lower abdomen. Each time during breastfeeding, they intensify and may become cramping, but tolerable. At first they are more pronounced, later the above symptoms will go away on their own as the discharge disappears. If complications occur, the pain does not go away until 4 months.

Symptoms of endometritis and inflammation of the appendages

Blood is an excellent breeding ground for the growth of pathogenic microbes. If pieces of the placenta remain in the uterus, the uterus cannot fully contract; bacteria rise from the vagina into its cavity through the open pharynx. During a caesarean section, infection can enter through the surgical wound.

Symptoms of inflammatory complications:

If the child was born through surgery:

• the seam and the skin around it turn red;
• become hot;
• mucus and pus begin to come out of it.

If a mother continues to breastfeed her baby, he becomes restless, constantly cries and kicks his legs. Your baby's stool may become loose with unpleasant smell, regurgitation or vomiting appears.

Symptoms of mastitis

If the infection gets into mammary glands nursing mother, she may experience abdominal pain from below and the nature of the discharge may change. This often happens in a situation where 2 months have not passed since birth.

The patient will experience pain and discharge of pus from the chest, It's a dull pain lower abdomen, temperature rises.

Symptoms of peritonitis

The transition of the inflammatory process to the abdominal cavity can occur from the source of inflammation in the uterus or its appendages when late application behind medical care. In this case, the patient’s condition worsens:

• the whole stomach hurts;
• intensifies when touched;
• becomes unbearable the moment the hand is removed from the stomach;
• body temperature jumps to the highest possible numbers;
• pressure decreases;
• pulse quickens.

If two months have passed since the birth of the child, there is no longer any discharge; when such a complication develops, it appears again and becomes greenish with an unpleasant odor.

Symptoms of vertebral displacement

If the pain does not subside after 4 months of the baby's birth, you need to think about vertebral displacement. It is typical for him:

• the pain is acute;
• localized in the lumbar area;
• intensifies when turning to the sides, bending, trying to lift the child;
• “jamming” may occur.

When “jammed,” a woman cannot straighten up after an unsuccessful bend or turn. In severe cases, the substance becomes pinched spinal cord. Then the woman will be bothered by numbness in one or both legs.

This complication will not go away on its own. The patient should consult a neurologist.

Symptoms of intestinal pathology

As the fetus grows, the uterus pushes the intestines upward. He is in a compressed position throughout the pregnancy. After childbirth, women often experience constipation. On average, up to 4-6 months are needed to normalize intestinal function.

In this case, the patient bloats it. The stomach may hurt when you want to go to the toilet, the pain may go away after a bowel movement.

Diagnostics

When 2 or 3 months have passed after childbirth and the pain persists, the doctor conducts a series of studies:

• examination on a chair;
• examination of vaginal contents;
• examination of discharge from a suture on the abdomen;
• X-ray of the spine and pelvic bones;
• urine and blood analysis.

Such studies help detect pieces of the placenta in the uterus. At the same time, the reproductive organ remains large in size, its wall will be loose. Found in secretions pathogenic microbes. A blood test shows inflammatory changes.

An X-ray of the spine and pelvic bones will detect displacement of the vertebrae or divergence of bones in the symphysis area.

Treatment

The treatment program depends on the cause of the pain. In case of inflammation, antibiotics are prescribed, solutions are dripped into a vein to reduce the manifestations of intoxication, and drugs are administered to contract the muscles of the uterus.

For intestinal diseases, a diet including fermented milk products and natural yoghurts. Vegetables and fruits are allowed depending on the child’s age and reaction to their consumption. If peritonitis occurs, surgery is performed. The patient also receives antibiotics.

In the first time after childbirth, at the first urge to go to the toilet, a woman should recover. Each restraint leads to the development of constipation.

Do not use synthetic pads or tampons. They must be from natural fabric. Such pads need to be changed as they become saturated with secretions, but at least every two hours. You need to wash yourself using special means. At first, at least 4 times a day.

You need to put your baby to the breast at his request. The remaining milk needs to be expressed. The chest should be kept warm at all times.

If, a month after giving birth, the lower abdomen hurts, the patient should consult a gynecologist.

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

Dangerous symptoms accompanying abdominal pain

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

1. temperature increase;
2. the pain becomes acute, almost unbearable;
3. pain is accompanied by discharge with clots;
4. painful sensations are concentrated in the abdomen, but radiate to the back;
5. dizziness;
6. vomiting or severe nausea;
7. stomach and lower back pain.

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

Causes of abdominal pain a month after childbirth

If you experience pain and discomfort in the abdomen after childbirth, this can be explained by both physiology and pathological reasons. 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, the woman’s body, muscles and internal organs experience significant overloads, so it takes time for them to fully recover.

Physiological causes of abdominal pain after childbirth

Hormone production

As you know, hormones play a very important role important role V female body, largely determining your well-being and mood. After childbirth, hormonal levels undergo major changes, for example, oxytocin is actively produced. This hormone is responsible for uterine contractions, stimulating the uterus to return to its previous size, this causes painful sensations.

Breast-feeding

Breastfeeding itself cannot cause abdominal pain. This happens due to the fact that during lactation the production of oxytocin continues, which provokes uterine contractions, as discussed above.

Pathological causes of abdominal pain after childbirth

Digestive system disorders

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

Hip discrepancy

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

Endometritis

Endometritis is an inflammatory process on the lining of the uterus. This happens most often after a cesarean section, when germs and infection get inside. You can recognize him by elevated temperature and discharge that comes with clots of pus.

Placenta in the uterus

If your stomach hurts a month after giving birth, this may be a serious reason to seek medical help. It is possible that after the birth of the baby, the placenta did not completely come out of 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 rotting process.

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

Inflammation of the appendages

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

Peritonitis

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

Vertebral displacement

Vertebrae that during labor activity have shifted, this is a problem that can cause trouble even several months after giving birth. You can recognize it by pain in the lower abdomen and lower back. This pain often radiates throughout the back in the spinal region and intensifies with any physical activity.

Abdominal pain after childbirth: occur against the background of physiological processes, such as hormonal changes and lactation, or with pathologies such as indigestion, hip discrepancy, endometritis, placental remnants in the uterus, inflammation of the appendages, peritonitis, vertebral displacement

Treatment of abdominal pain after childbirth

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

Treatment of abdominal pain with surgical methods

Curettage of the uterine cavity

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

Appendix removal

Peritonitis is treated by urgent surgical intervention and surgery is performed.

Drug treatment of endometritis

If the diagnosis of endometritis is confirmed, treatment is prescribed in the form of therapy using a variety of medical supplies. In addition, it must be compatible with good nutrition and rest.

Treatment of vertebral displacement

Displacement of the vertebrae that occurred during labor is treated with manual therapy.

Normalization of digestion

Digestive problems can be eliminated by creating a complete, balanced diet that includes foods rich in fiber. Don't forget about this necessary for the body dairy products that can restore digestion and improve intestinal activity.

Attentive attention 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 suffered severe stress associated with childbirth.

So 9 months of waiting have passed, your long-awaited baby has been born, and, it would seem, everything discomfort behind. But very often the joy of meeting a child is overshadowed by the appearance of pain in the young mother. different parts bodies. What causes pain, and what can be done to reduce it?

What kind of pain occurs after childbirth

The process of childbirth is a huge stress for a woman’s body, and, naturally, it does not go unnoticed for her health. Even if a woman is absolutely healthy and her birth took place without complications, very often postpartum period young mothers experience unpleasant painful sensations.

Lower abdomen hurts. After childbirth, all women feel nagging or cramping pain in the lower abdomen of varying intensity. This is normal, since the cause of this unpleasant feeling is uterine contraction. During lactation, pain becomes more severe, as irritation of the nipple activates the pituitary gland's production of the hormone oxytocin, which stimulates uterine contractions. In most cases, pain in the lower abdomen goes away within 7-10 days after childbirth.

Perineum hurts. The vast majority of new mothers feel pain in the perineum within 3-4 days after childbirth. Even if a woman gave birth without ruptures and did not have an episiotomy (surgical cut in the perineum), she will still feel pain, especially when defecating, sneezing, coughing, or laughing. And this is quite natural, since as the child passes through the birth canal, the perineal tissues are greatly stretched. After an episiotomy, the perineum hurts for 7-10 days.

Pubis hurts. Some women experience pain in the pubic area after childbirth. The cause of this pain is damage to the cartilage that connects the pubic bones. During childbirth, the pubic bones move apart and the cartilage stretches. If after the birth of a child the bones do not fall into place, then the cartilage remains deformed.

Back hurts. After childbirth, young mothers often complain of pain in the lumbar region and back. There are quite a few reasons for the appearance of this condition: displacement of the spinal axis during pregnancy, excessive stretching and modification of the abdominal and back muscles; divergence of the pelvic muscles, displacement of the vertebrae of the sacrolumbar spine and hip joints during labor.

As we have already found out, pain after childbirth is a natural reaction of the body to the stress experienced. But what to do if the pain is so severe that it prevents you from leading a normal life? How to reduce the intensity of pain?

Lower abdomen hurts. A week has passed since giving birth, but your lower abdomen still hurts? Due to overexertion due to childbirth, a woman does not feel the body’s urge to urinate, so she bladder It is often overcrowded, which prevents the uterus from contracting normally. To reduce pain, a young mother needs to ensure that her bladder is emptied regularly.

Perineum hurts. To speed up the healing of the injured perineum and reduce pain, gynecologists advise young mothers to use Panthenol spray several times a day. It has a wound-healing, analgesic and bactericidal effect, therefore it promotes the rapid restoration of mucous membranes and skin. In order to injure the perineum less during the postpartum period, doctors recommend that women use special sanitary pads for women in labor rather than regular ones, since they upper layer made of a special material that does not stick to the seam.

Pubis hurts. Women in labor with pain in the pubic area should wear a pelvic band and, if possible, remain in bed. If the pain is severe, then you should consult a doctor so that he can prescribe approved painkillers and the necessary physiotherapeutic procedures.

Back hurts. After giving birth, doctors do not recommend that women engage in heavy labor or vigorous activity for 5 months, since during this period the abdominal and back muscles return to normal. Also, avoid lifting anything heavy and frequently bending forward. To reduce the intensity of pain in the back and lower back, you need to perform a simple exercise every day:

• Lie on your back on a hard surface. Bend your right leg at the knee, and let your left leg remain straight.
• Place the toe of your right foot under the calf of your left leg.
• With your left hand, grab right thigh, and slowly tilt your right knee to the left.
• Then return right leg to the starting position.

Repeat this exercise 8-10 times, and then the same number of times, bending your left leg.

Childbirth is the most main job in a woman's life. In this process to the expectant mother it is necessary to skillfully combine moral and physical strength so that everything is fine. When contractions begin, the woman experiences severe pain and stress. After some time, when the child is actually born, the woman also has a hard time. In most cases, tears and cracks occur in the perineal area, which then take a long time to heal and are very painful. Let's find out when the pain goes away after childbirth?

What hurts most often after childbirth?

Gynecologists note that, as a rule, young mothers complain about pain in the perineum after childbirth. Because no matter how much a woman prepares for childbirth or follows all the necessary recommendations, there are very rarely cases when a baby is born and the woman in labor has absolutely no tears or cracks. Often these are the wounds that hurt the most. In addition, in the first days after the birth of the baby, the 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 may take at least one and a half to two months.

Many women after childbirth complain that their back and lower back hurt. There is nothing surprising about this. During pregnancy, the spine and back muscles were subjected to powerful stress and changes as the fetus grew. As a result, after giving birth, the young mother experiences pain. This pain goes away gradually, but it takes at least six months. In addition, the painful condition may worsen, since the woman has to carry the baby in her arms, sometimes for several hours a day, at least. Therefore, if pain in the back and lower back after childbirth does not go away after two to three months, but only worsens, then you need to consult a doctor. A woman may need to undergo a course of massage or physiotherapy that has an analgesic effect and 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, and the pain is sometimes as strong as during contractions. But it passes quickly, and literally after 5 days such unpleasant sensations no longer bother the young mother.

How to help the body so that it does not suffer from pain?

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

So to get rid of different types pain after childbirth, a young mother needs to take 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 has had tears and cracks in the perineal area, then for the first week you cannot sit on a chair, you can only lie down or sit in a “reclining” state. After a week you can sit down carefully. A young mother is obliged to rest more when the baby is sleeping, not to lift weights, not to carry a stroller, and not to move suddenly. A woman also needs to carefully monitor her diet to avoid constipation. Because when going 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 eat well so that the body recovers faster after childbirth, and monitor her psychological state. Experts also do not recommend “getting hung up” on your painful condition and not forgetting that all pain will gradually pass. We would like to draw your attention to the fact that if the pain is too severe and torments you every day, then you need to seek help from a doctor who will advise you on what needs to be done to reduce the pain.

Especially for- Tatyana Argamakova