Symptoms of postpartum recovery

If the medical examination indicators are normal, there are no symptoms of discomfort in daily activities, and the mental state is stable and happy, even if the three are satisfied, even if the recovery is in place, the "lost back to pre-pregnancy weight", "no fat on the belly" and "vest line restoration" widely circulated on the Internet are not necessary indicators.

I have been a postpartum recovery coach for almost 6 years, and I have met as many as 800 mothers. There are really very few people who can fully comply with the "perfect recovery list" listed by marketing accounts. Many people hold the so-called standard card to themselves, but they have a lot more anxiety for nothing.

Let’s start with the most uncontroversial hard indicator, which is the medical data of the 42-day postpartum review: lochia has been completely eliminated, there is no recurring brown discharge or abnormal bleeding, B-ultrasound shows that the uterine size has returned to the pre-pregnancy state, there is no uterine cavity residue, and the rectus abdominis muscle is divided The distance is within 2 fingers, and there is no moderate or severe bulging or prolapse in the pelvic floor muscle assessment. Basic indicators such as blood routine and sex hormones are also within the normal range - these are the bottom line. As long as there are problems with these, no matter how good you feel or how tight your body is, you are not considered recovered.

But just looking at the numbers on the report is not enough. I met a mother last year. The report of the 42-day review was extremely beautiful. The diastasis of the rectus abdominis was only 1 finger, and the pelvic floor muscle score was 85. The doctor told her that there was no problem. However, she held the baby for more than half an hour every day and her back was sore that she could not stand upright. She also felt pain in her lower abdomen after walking for a long time. She also leaked some urine when she sneezed. Do you think this can be considered a recovery? Definitely not.

Many times, physical sensations are more honest than reports. If you usually hold your baby, climb stairs, or even jump rope occasionally without leaking urine, the pubic pain and low back pain left during pregnancy have basically disappeared. After menstruation resumes, there will be no significantly worse menstrual cramps than before pregnancy. The amount of bleeding is also normal. You will not feel tired at every turn. Even if you are three to five kilograms heavier than before pregnancy, you will recover better than those who have perfect reports but feel uncomfortable all over.

Speaking of which, I have to mention the currently controversial "body standard." Nowadays, many fitness bloggers regard "losing back to pre-pregnancy weight 3 months after delivery", "reducing body fat rate to less than 20%" and "exercising the vest line" as the core signs of good recovery. Many mothers also use this to ask themselves. In fact, there are quite different opinions on this point of view in our industry.

Most of those who hold a supportive attitude are practitioners in the fitness field. They believe that the return of body fat rate to pre-pregnancy levels means the recovery of metabolic function. A tight body also shows that core strength is sufficient and can reduce the probability of low back pain. However, most doctors in obstetrics and gynecology and clinical rehabilitation do not agree with this as a hard standard. , I was chatting with the director of obstetrics and gynecology, and she said that she had seen too many mothers who dieted and exercised excessively in order to lose weight quickly, and ended up with severe anemia, hair loss, and insufficient breast milk. Some even aggravated the separation of the rectus abdominis because of premature core training such as abdominal crunches, which was completely putting the cart before the horse.

I met a mother who was born in 1995 before. She lost 90 pounds to her pre-pregnancy weight in 3 months after giving birth. She also developed a clear vest line. She took a lot of beautiful photos and sent them to the little red book. When she came for a routine check-up, it was found that her hemoglobin was only 90, which is moderate anemia. She told me that she had insomnia at night and could not sleep all night long. She was breathless after taking only two steps with a 10-pound baby. Do you think this is called recovery?

Oh, by the way, there is another point that everyone often overlooks, which is the recovery of mental state. In the past two years, our industry has long placed psychological evaluation in an equally important position as physiological examination. If you don’t shed tears over trivial things after confinement, don’t get inexplicably irritable when looking at your baby, don’t always dwell on self-denial of “Am I an unqualified mother?”, and can even take half a day to drink milk tea and go shopping with friends, then even if you still have loose stretch marks on your belly and weigh five or six pounds more than before pregnancy, you will recover much better than those who have a perfect figure but are emotionally consumed every day.

I once had a client whose belly was still soft at 10 months postpartum and weighed 7 pounds more than before pregnancy. However, she was happy every time she came to class. She said that she could play with her baby on the climbing mat all afternoon without getting tired. Her husband and she were in the same condition as before pregnancy. All the indicators during the last review were normal. The maternal and child doctor told her that her recovery was much better than many people who lost weight back to before pregnancy in 3 months.

Many people regard postpartum recovery as meeting KPIs and insist on completing the so-called standards within three months or six months. It is completely unnecessary. This is like planting crops. Some people mature early and others mature late. As long as they can bear good results in the end.

To put it bluntly, postpartum recovery is your own business. Only you know whether you feel comfortable or not. Don't be fooled by the "standard" PUAs of those marketing accounts. You can eat, sleep, and play with your baby. There is no pain or discomfort. Your mood is stable. This is better than anything else.