Is a postpartum checkup necessary?

Is a postpartum checkup necessary?

Go to your postpartum checkups, even if you’re feeling fine. They’re an important part of your overall pregnancy care. Postpartum care is important because new moms are at risk of serious and sometimes life-threatening health complications in the days and weeks after giving birth.

How important is 6 week postpartum checkup?

Postpartum visits generally take place around 6 weeks after delivery. Six Reasons Your Postpartum Appointment Matters: Your doctor will be making sure that you are healing as expected. By 6 weeks postpartum, your uterus should also have returned to its normal size – about the size of a grapefruit.

What is included in postpartum visit?

The comprehensive postpartum visit should include a full assessment of physical, social, and psychological well-being, including the following domains: mood and emotional well-being; infant care and feeding; sexuality, contraception, and birth spacing; sleep and fatigue; physical recovery from birth; chronic disease …

When do you get a pap smear after having a baby?

If you are due to have your smear test, you should wait for at least three months after having your baby. You do not need a smear test simply because you have had a baby. If you are breastfeeding and are due your routine smear test, wait for at least three months after having your baby before going for your smear test.

How long is the postpartum period?

The initial or acute period involves the first 6–12 hours postpartum. This is a time of rapid change with a potential for immediate crises such as postpartum hemorrhage, uterine inversion, amniotic fluid embolism, and eclampsia. The second phase is the subacute postpartum period, which lasts 2–6 weeks.

Does the 6 week postpartum check up hurt?

The pelvic exam portion (with a speculum and all) felt surprisingly close to a regular exam—a tad more uncomfortable but manageable. There were some follow ups and notes to keep an eye on certain issues, but nothing too overwhelming.

What happens if u dont get a Pap smear?

A Pap test is a test of cells of the cervix. The cervix is the opening between the vagina and the uterus. The Pap test looks for cells that are not normal and can cause cervical cancer.

Do you have a Pap smear after pregnancy?

After the sixth month and until 12 weeks after birth, you shouldn’t have a Pap smear. During the last three months of your pregnancy, a Pap test could be uncomfortable. After birth, you could get unreliable results due to insufficient or inflammatory cells present after birth.

What to expect at your postpartum checkup?

What to expect during your postpartum exam. During your physical exam, your doctor will check your weight, blood pressure and signs that your body is returning to its pre-pregnancy state: Check your abdomen for tenderness and C-section incision healing.

What happens at the 6 week postpartum checkup?

The sixth-week postpartum checkup lets the doctor evaluate how you are recovering, physically and emotionally, after childbirth. Also, this checkup is a must if you have had a C-section or any complications during delivery, and to discuss any concerns such as post-delivery pains and aches.

How important is the 6 week postpartum checkup?

Every new mother should undergo a postpartum check-up. This is a basic medical check-up you need to undergo after pregnancy. This normally happens around 6 weeks after giving birth to your child. Postpartum checkups are very critical for both you and your child. This checkup will make sure whether you are recovering in a proper manner.

What is a six-week postpartum checkup?

About six weeks after giving birth you will visit your doctor or midwife for a check-up. You will have a pelvic exam, breast exam and a physical review of your Cesarean scar if you gave birth by C-section. This is typically your last visit with your OB or midwife unless you are having complications.