How Long Does It Take For The Body To Recover After Childbirth?

There is no exact answer to this question. Some doctors say that it takes 6 weeks for the body to recover after childbirth. Some say it takes a full two years, while others say one year.

There are many changes and processes that need to be adjusted after childbirth. In addition, it also depends on the mother’s emotional state.

Puerperium  is the Latin term for this period and a term for the phases that women experience physically and mentally after childbirth.

Your general health before and during pregnancy affects your quality of life during puerperium . This includes recovery from birth defects, cesarean section and body changes in general.

Changes in the body during pregnancy

To know how long it will take for the body to recover after childbirth, it is important to know what changes women go through during their 9 months as pregnant.

Internal organs provide space for the uterus, which grows larger and larger each month. In addition, the hormones increase a thousandfold to activate the various pregnancy processes. This causes mood swings and fatigue.

In addition, the new internal order affects the body’s digestion, urination and bowel movements. Your lung capacity decreases, which means that your heart rate speeds up. Finally, stomach growth hinders your mobility, sleep and daily life in general.

The first months after childbirth

The recovery of the body differs from woman to woman. Therefore, all women experience different stages of recovery, all of which begin and end at different times. But here comes a generalization:

It takes about 45 days for wounds to heal and inflammation and rejection to disappear

The first phase begins immediately after delivery and lasts about 45 days. It is now wounds heal, inflammation and swelling go down and the rejection begins to heal and eventually disappear.

This period is often a mental and physical chaos. But steady recovery helps the body get energy much faster in subsequent phases of puerperium .

Contractions: months 1 to 3

Uterine contractions can occur 1 to 3 months after delivery, while the internal organs return to their normal places. After a caesarean section, the wound takes about 1 year to fully recover.

During these months, breastfeeding gives rise to its own changes and requires other types of care. Drinking properly and avoiding dehydration is crucial for successful breastfeeding. An iron-rich diet also compensates for all bleeding after birth and helps to heal any wounds.

To know how long it will take the body to recover after childbirth, it is important to know how the first phase of puerperium went.

If the cervix has returned to its normal size, and if the vaginal secretions are normal, the first step is considered over and you should not experience more physical discomfort.

How long does it take for the body to return to normal?

Many women become anxious when they notice that the skin on the abdomen is loose, or that they have stretch marks or swelling, even after giving birth. However, there is nothing to worry about.

Something that may be worth keeping an extra eye on is the scar after a caesarean section, as it can cause complications if it does not heal properly, such as hernia and indigestion.

It usually takes a year to regain normal weight

It takes many women around the year to get rid of excess fat from pregnancy. Women who have had their baby by caesarean section should also wait at least a year before starting to train their abdominal muscles.

Even if the birth was vaginal, you should not perform any harder training during the first months or even the first year, unless you previously had a regular training regimen or were a well-trained athlete.

Mental recovery after childbirth

In addition to how long it takes the body to recover after childbirth, we want to point out that emotional and social factors also come into play.

In the first phase, we mainly notice the physical and anatomical aspects. But the following phases are more psychological. For some women, this recovery may take over a year.

As you can see, there are various circumstances that affect the length of the recovery time. In short, it is entirely up to the individual woman’s body and mentality – everyone takes different lengths of time to recover after giving birth.