What to do with postpartum pelvic pain?

It is very common to experience pelvic pain after a painful childbirth process. New mothers don't need to worry. This symptom can be changed by properly controlling weight, doing more pelvic floor muscle exercises, and resting in bed.

1. What to do if you have pelvic pain after childbirth

1. Control your weight during pregnancy. Excessive obesity will increase the burden on the pelvic floor and make postpartum recovery difficult.

2. Pelvic floor muscle exercises before and after delivery (ani levator exercises, Kegel exercises).

3. As the effect of hormones decreases, pubic pain will gradually ease after delivery. If pubic pain occurs during pregnancy, you should reduce your activity or even rest in bed.

4. If the baby is too large, it is best to consider a caesarean section or perform an appropriate episiotomy to avoid separation of the pubic symphysis and serious damage to the surrounding ligaments.

5. When the pain is severe, the new mother must rest in bed and use a pelvic recovery belt to stabilize the pelvis, which will help the recovery of the pubic bone.

6. Eat more calcium-rich foods such as shrimp and oysters. You can also take liver and kidney tonic drugs under the guidance of a doctor.

7. After giving birth, make sure to get more rest and reduce activities such as going up and down stairs and walking on slopes. When you need to walk, be sure to slow down and don't take big steps to avoid aggravating pubic injury.

2. The mechanism of pain generation

The pelvis is formed by the fusion of the sacrum, coccyx, ilium, ischium, and pubic bone. The left and right pubic bones are connected in the middle of the front of the pelvis to form the pubic symphysis, with ligaments attached above and below.

During pregnancy, endocrine hormones cause the pubic symphysis to gradually separate, and the ligaments relax; during childbirth, endocrine hormones cause the cartilage at the pubic symphysis to dissolve. The relaxation of the pubic symphysis reaches its maximum extent during delivery, and sometimes even separation may occur.

Especially for first-time mothers, in order to allow the baby to pass smoothly during delivery, they often use great force to stretch the pubic symphysis, damaging the pubic bone and surrounding ligaments, causing pain in the pubic area. Therefore, new mothers will feel pain in the pubic area when squatting or lifting heavy objects, or even defecating after giving birth. New mothers with severe pain cannot even move their legs or use strength when walking. Sometimes they may also suffer from urinary incontinence, uterine prolapse, uterine dislocation and other painful conditions.