Is postpartum check-up necessary?

We all know that pregnant women should be very careful during pregnancy and need to do many different examinations. They can only breathe a sigh of relief when they know the baby is born. But the period after delivery is actually very important. Both mother and baby need to undergo postpartum check-ups, and there are many postpartum check-up items. Some mothers may think it is unnecessary, but it is actually very important for both the baby and the mother herself.

1. Is postpartum check-up necessary?

Mothers should have a health check-up 42 days after delivery so that the doctor can understand their recovery. It is necessary for mothers to take some time to do a check-up to understand the recovery of the whole body and pelvic organs, detect abnormalities in time and prevent sequelae.

Postpartum examination for mothers mainly refers to the puerperium examination. The puerperium is the period of recovery for the mother's various systems. Some potential diseases may mutate during the puerperium (such as depression or infection, etc.). At the same time, diseases may also be caused by the customary treatments of the mother and her family (such as heat stroke). Therefore, paying attention to postpartum examinations is of great significance for the prevention and early detection of puerperal diseases.

In some areas with relatively sound community medical service systems, community medical care workers will visit the mother's home 3 days after discharge, 14 days and 28 days after delivery. The main purpose is to understand the mother's diet progress and sleep, examine both breasts and understand the breastfeeding situation, check the uterine involution and observe the lochia, observe the healing of the perineum and abdominal wounds, and understand the growth, feeding, and vaccination of the newborn.

2. Postpartum examination items for mothers 42 days after delivery

1. Weigh yourself: This is the simplest item, but don’t ignore it. Weight is the most convenient health standard for self-measurement. New mothers may wish to keep a convenient scale at home to keep an eye on their weight and balance their diet.

2. Measure blood pressure: The normal blood pressure for adults should be 120/80 mmHg. A mother's blood pressure is somewhat different after pregnancy. Some mothers also suffer from pregnancy-induced hypertension. After delivery, blood pressure generally returns to pre-pregnancy levels. If blood pressure has not returned to normal, the cause should be identified and symptomatic treatment should be given in time.

3. Urinalysis: Mothers who suffer from pregnancy poisoning and feel discomfort when urinating need to do a routine urine test. On the one hand, it can check whether pregnancy poisoning has returned to normal, and on the other hand, it can check whether the mother who has discomfort in urination has a urinary tract infection.

4. Routine blood test: Mothers whose pregnancy is complicated by anemia and postpartum hemorrhage should have their routine blood test repeated. If anemia is found, timely treatment should be given. If a mother has symptoms such as high fever, she also needs to undergo a routine blood test to determine whether there is inflammation in the body.

5. Pelvic organ examination: Pelvic organ examination is the most important examination in the 42 days after delivery and can best reflect the mother's postpartum recovery.

6. Contraceptive guidance: This item is unique to postpartum check-up. "Breastfeeding period" is not a "safe period". Mothers must take effective contraceptive measures. Getting pregnant again is very harmful to the recovering body. As for what kind of contraceptive measures to take, mothers can make full use of this examination opportunity to consult a gynecologist, and then adopt the most suitable method for contraception. Generally speaking, breastfeeding mothers cannot use birth control pills to prevent pregnancy, but condoms and IUDs are good options. Mothers who give birth naturally can have an IUD inserted after 3 months, while mothers who give birth by caesarean section need to wait for half a year.