Uterine contraction after childbirth: how to speed up the process? Causes of uterine contractions and methods of therapy What size of the uterus should be after childbirth.

During pregnancy, the uterus undergoes great changes. During the period of bearing a baby, it grows more than 10 times. After the birth of a child, the reproductive organ gradually returns to the prenatal state. Sometimes contraction of the uterus after childbirth takes on a pathological character. If the problem is not recognized in time, it may be necessary to remove the organ. How long does it take for the uterus to recover normally?

What is the uterus at the end of childbirth?

Childbirth is completed at the moment when the child's place, or placenta, comes out of the uterus. The uterine cavity becomes like a bleeding wound. The site of separation of the placenta is subjected to the greatest damage, since a large number of vessels are torn there.

How does the uterus contract normally?

Despite the duration of the stretching process, the recovery of the uterus after childbirth is fast. Immediately after childbirth, the bottom of the uterus is 1-2 cm above the navel. Every day it moves down. After 10 days, the uterus descends into the pelvis. Simultaneously with the omission, there is a decrease in the size of the reproductive organ and the exit of lochia. These processes are caused by contraction of the uterus.

The contractions after childbirth are like contractions. The organ tenses, and the woman feels discomfort in the lower abdomen. Uterine contractions increase when breastfeeding. In primiparas, they are more intense than in multiparous ones. The table describes the standard terms for recovery processes in the uterus.

As shown in the table, recovery, also called uterine involution, normally takes 1.5 to 2 months. The most intense uterine contractions are felt during the first week after childbirth.

Why is the organ not contracting or is the process going badly?

The rate of recovery of the reproductive organ depends on the individual characteristics of the woman and the level of the hormone oxytocin in the body. After a cesarean section, the contractility of the uterus is lower than after a natural birth (we recommend reading: how long does the uterus contract after a cesarean section?). However, regardless of the method of delivery, the recovery period should not exceed 2 months. The uterus contracts poorly due to a number of reasons:

• a woman in labor is less than 18 or more than 35 years old;
• repeated abortions in the past;
• childbirth after a previous caesarean section;
• inflammation of the uterine endometrium;
• hormonal deficiency;
• refusal to breastfeed;
• the birth of a large baby;
• multiple pregnancy;
• complications that arose during childbirth (weak labor activity, rapid labor);
• premature birth of a child;
• congenital pathologies of the structure of the reproductive organ;
• polyhydramnios;
• the presence of a neoplasm in the uterus;
• violation of the hematopoietic function.

How to understand that the uterus is not contracting well?

Poor uterine contraction prolongs the postpartum recovery process. There is a danger of inflammation of the uterine endometrium due to a delay in the release of lochia, which can lead to infertility. In this regard, it is very important to identify deviations within a 2-month period. There are a number of ways in which you can determine that the body is almost not reduced.

Ultrasound examination

In the case of a normal course of the postpartum stage, ultrasound is prescribed for 4–6 days after childbirth. If delivery and the first day of the postpartum period passed with complications, the study is carried out earlier. Ultrasound is done abdominally. 2 hours before the procedure, a woman needs to drink 1-1.5 liters of fluid to fill her bladder. In the case of a slowdown in the recovery of the uterus after childbirth, an ultrasound scan will reveal:

• a large number of clots or blood in the uterine cavity;
• the presence in the uterus of the remains of the placenta or membranes;
• discrepancy between the size and height of the fundus of the uterus to the norm.

The nature of the discharge

With poor recovery of the uterus after delivery, lochia lingers in its cavity. The processes of decay and inflammation begin.

You can understand that the body has failed if the discharge:

• smell bad;
• have a green tint;
• scarlet blood is secreted for more than 4 days;
• lochia are absent;
• after the complete cessation of the allocation resumed;
• lochia ended before the 6th week or lasted more than 8 weeks.

Feelings of a woman

Normally, during uterine contraction, a woman experiences pain in the lower abdomen, as during contractions. However, the sensations are short-lived and not intense. There is also soreness of the mammary glands, pulling pain in the perineum. These symptoms are most pronounced in the first week after delivery. However, after 1.5 months they completely disappear. If the uterus contracts too long, the following symptoms appear:

• there are no signs of contractile activity;
• unbearably hurts in the lower abdomen, in the lower back and perineum;
• the intensity of contractions increases after 7 days;
• when touching the stomach, it feels like the uterus is hard;
• the urge to urinate does not come on the third day after the birth of the child.

A woman may experience severe chills, fever and fever, fainting, weakness and dizziness. Sometimes urinary incontinence occurs.

What to do to speed up the contraction of the organ?

If it is determined that the involution of the reproductive organ is slow, doctors determine why this is happening and take measures to help reduce the uterus. In some cases (if endometritis or placental remains are found in the uterine cavity), curettage is done. If the general condition of the woman is satisfactory, measures to help reduce the organ are carried out at home.

Medications

Since the organ contracts under the influence of oxytocin, doctors use it at a reduced recovery rate. In order to help the uterus contract, pills, injections and intravenous infusion of oxytocin preparations are used.

The regimen for the use of the drug is determined depending on the condition of the woman and the severity of the pathology. As a rule, the medicine is prescribed in the first days after childbirth. For 3–4 days, 2 ml of oxytocin is administered 3–5 times a day.

In the form of tablets, oxytocin is prescribed in case of minor violations of contractile activity. The use of the tablet form of the drug is also aimed at improving the production of prolactin and, as a result, lactation. To speed up the natural production of the hormone, doctors recommend frequently applying the newborn to the breast.

Physiotherapy (cold, massage, physical education)

Applying ice to the stomach is one of the oldest ways to involute faster. In some maternity hospitals, in the first hours after delivery, a heating pad with ice is placed on the stomach of a woman in labor. Under the influence of cold, the muscular organ begins to shrink. Sometimes the procedure is carried out throughout the entire period of the woman's stay in the hospital. Ice is placed on the stomach 4-5 times a day for 5-10 minutes, placing a towel under the heating pad.

However, this procedure gives the woman discomfort and increases the risk of activating inflammation in the appendages. In this regard, the use of cold has become an unpopular therapeutic measure.

A special massage also helps to speed up the recovery of the reproductive organ. There are 2 types of procedure:

• Interior. The first day after childbirth, the doctor performs manipulations inside the uterine cavity every 2 hours. The process makes the woman uncomfortable. However, it allows you to quickly cause contractions.
• External. The obstetrician makes light pressure on the uterus, massages and strokes the stomach. The doctor's touch causes pain, since manipulation causes contractions. The procedure is also canceled on the second day.

One of the simplest physiological exercises for involution of the uterus is resting on the stomach. Lying in this position is also recommended after a caesarean section. In the absence of contraindications, experts recommend from the third day to engage in special physical education every day. Recommended exercises:

• Lying on your back, unbend and bend your legs. At one time, you need to do 10 flexion and extension movements.
• Kegel exercises.
• Sitting on a fitball, raise your legs alternately and hold them up for 10 seconds. In this case, it is necessary to tighten the muscles of the vagina.
• Sitting on a gymnastic ball, make circular movements with the pelvis.

If sutures were placed during childbirth or complications arose, physical education should be agreed with the attending physician. You need to work in a well-ventilated area. Before classes, you should empty your bladder.

Traditional medicine

Many adherents of traditional medicine claim that the uterus will recover better if you drink the uterine collection or decoctions, tinctures and juices of medicinal herbs. The following herbs help restore the body:

• Nettle. To prepare the drug, you need to take 40 g of dry nettle leaves and pour 0.5 liters of boiling water over them. The liquid must be infused for at least 40 minutes. Take an infusion of 0.5 cups before meals.
• Shepherd's bag. The infusion is prepared in the same way as the previous remedy. The prepared liquid is designed for a one-day intake.
• Burdock juice. The leaves must be crushed with a meat grinder and squeeze the juice out of them. Drink 2 times a day, 1 teaspoon.

To induce uterine contractions, they also use white lamb, birch and raspberry leaves, bay leaf, barberry roots, and sage. Components can be combined. However, it should be borne in mind that many medicinal herbs are prohibited during breastfeeding. The use of uterine fees must be agreed with a specialist.

How to relieve pain from intense contractions?

Since different women have different pain thresholds, some mothers in the first days after childbirth are so painful that they need painkillers. Various medicines help relieve pain. However, their use must be coordinated with the attending physician. For anesthesia it is recommended:

• No-Shpa;
• ibuprofen;
• Paracetamol.

As soon as the child is born and the placenta is removed, a long and responsible period begins - the postpartum period. Its main goal is the complete restoration of the genital organs and their return to their original form. One of the main processes of the postpartum period is uterine contraction. It is about that amazing process, its norms and deadlines that we will talk about today.

The uterus is a truly amazing organ. From an organ the size of a large chicken egg, it turns into a container that can hold one or even several fetuses, the placenta and amniotic fluid. After childbirth, it should shrink in record time and take on an almost original appearance.

The contraction begins immediately after the separation of the birth of the child, already with its help, the placenta begins to separate and stand out. This is a very important process, since the stop of bleeding depends on its course. A feature of the vessels that fed the placenta is the complete absence of the muscle layer. That is, such arteries cannot close on their own. It is the compression of the walls of the uterine arteries by the contracting muscle of the uterus that causes the bleeding to stop.

In the future, the processes of contraction of muscle fibers will be aimed at reducing the size of the uterus and the formation of its neck.

Approximate timing of uterine contractions

On average, a complete restoration of the size and shape of the reproductive organ occurs during the entire postpartum period - that is, in 42 days. For some women, this happens faster, for others it can be delayed. This slow contraction is called subinvolution of the uterus.

Why does the uterus not shrink after childbirth?

As a rule, the recovery processes in women are slower:

1. After caesarean section.
2. After giving birth to twins or triplets.
3. In women who have given birth to a large child.
4. In patients who used surgical aids and inadequate stimulation during childbirth.
5. In overweight women or debilitated, malnourished patients.
6. In puerperas with infections of the genital tract and uterus: postpartum endometritis, suppuration of the sutures of the vagina and cervix.
7. With retention of fragments of the placenta, fragments of membranes or blood clots in the lumen of the uterus. These foreign bodies mechanically prevent the muscle from contracting.
8. In mothers who refuse to breastfeed, since the main hormone responsible for the contraction of the muscle fibers of the uterus, oxytocin, is released into the blood in large quantities when the nipple is stimulated.

It is interesting that women after the second birth do not have any significant advantages in such terms over mothers who have given birth to their first child.

Normally, the recovery processes are not felt by the woman in any way, but sometimes, especially after the baby is put to the breast, the puerperal woman may feel painful contractions similar to labor. These are quite normal feelings. To ease the pain, you need to lie down on your stomach a little after each feeding.

Treatment of subinvolution of the uterus

Most often, certain violations of the involution process are noticed by doctors of the postpartum department, when, when examining a young mother on an armchair, they find an enlarged size of the uterus or notice the flabbiness of its walls. Sometimes, during a planned ultrasound, the doctor sees an accumulation of blood clots or other foreign bodies in the cavity.

Less often, a woman herself can notice a slowdown in contraction: after discharge, she will be disturbed by abdominal pain, a sharp decrease in discharge, or, conversely, bleeding, fever and discharge with an unpleasant putrefactive odor. In such cases, you should immediately contact your gynecologist.

Most often, with subinvolution of the uterus, the following are used:

1. Oxytocin preparations in the form of injections, droppers or lozenges.
2. Antibacterial therapy for confirmation of endometritis.
3. With the accumulation of a large number of clots in the cavity or the ineffectiveness of oxytocin preparations, curettage or curettage of the uterus is necessary. This is a simple and quick operation under intravenous anesthesia, after which the uterus quickly returns to normal.

How to speed up the recovery process at home?

Of course, any methods of self-treatment are applicable only after consultation with a doctor.

1. Herbal treatment. The most effective remedies include nettle decoction and water pepper tincture. Nettle must be brewed based on the proportion of 3 tablespoons per half liter of boiling water. The resulting volume of broth should be drunk in small portions throughout the day. Water pepper can be purchased at a pharmacy in the form of an alcohol tincture and taken 30 drops 3-4 times a day.
2. Breastfeeding on demand and frequent attachment of the baby. This is a very good method, helping both the production of oxytocin for uterine contractions and increasing the amount of milk for the baby.
3. Gymnastics. There are no special exercises specifically for uterine contraction, but general motor activity, with elements of Kegel exercises, yoga, breathing exercises and dosed tension of the abdominal muscles definitely help to free the uterus from clots faster and recover.

Alexandra Pechkovskaya, obstetrician-gynecologist, specially for the site

Useful video

From the moment the child is born, when the period of gestation and childbirth has already passed, the final stage of postpartum recovery lasting 6-8 weeks starts in the woman's body. The cardiovascular, endocrine and genitourinary systems should return to their normal (pre-pregnancy) mode of operation. The future health of a woman directly depends on this.

Recovery of the uterus after childbirth - involution

The uterus undergoes the most intensive changes in the postpartum period. For nine whole months, it stretched as the child grew, until its mass reached 1000 g. Now it decreases daily to the original 50 g. This is due to the rapid contraction of the uterine muscle. Its walls thicken, the shape becomes spherical again, and the hypertrophy of muscle tissue formed during pregnancy disappears.

Uterine involution is the process of reverse development of the uterus after pregnancy and childbirth. It begins after the placenta has passed and lasts 6 months. - 8 weeks. The determining indicator of the involution of the uterus is the change in the height of its fundus:

• already on the first day after childbirth, the bottom of the uterus is at the level of the navel, then the prolapse occurs by about 1 cm per day;
• on the fifth day, the bottom is in the middle between the womb and the navel;
• on the tenth day it is already behind the womb;
• after 6 - 8 weeks the position and size of the uterus reaches its non-pregnant state.

Changes in the uterus after childbirth

Subinvolution, or violation of the process of uterine contraction

After separation of the placenta, the endometrium (the epithelial lining of the uterus) is damaged, forming a wound surface. In the process of its healing, postpartum discharge appears - lochia. In the first week, they are as plentiful as possible and have a bloody character, then their number gradually decreases, they become light (without admixture of blood), and by 5 - 6 weeks stop altogether. In the event of a violation of the normal discharge of lochia, the cervical canal may be closed with a blood clot or a piece of membranes, and then postpartum discharge will accumulate in the uterus and reduce the rate of its contraction. This deviation is called subinvolution of the uterus or "lazy uterus". It is worth noting other factors that can affect the rate of uterine contraction:

• large fetal weight or multiple pregnancy;
• low attachment of the placenta;
• weak generic activity;
• complicated pregnancy (for example, nephropathy or hypertension) or childbirth;
• passive, sedentary behavior after childbirth.

There are times when the uterus does not contract at all. The reason may be:

• inflection of the uterus due to relaxation of the ligamentous apparatus;
• injury to the birth canal;
• polyhydramnios during pregnancy;
• inflammation of the uterus and its appendages;
• benign tumors - fibromas;
• blood clotting disorder.

Symptoms of subinvolution of the uterus can be:

• profuse discharge (bleeding) of a dark color, having an unpleasant odor;
• causeless increase in temperature from 37 0 С to 38 0 С;
• an increase in the size of the reproductive organ, the heterogeneity of its inner shell.

During their stay in the postpartum department, I would advise newly-made mothers to take all the proposed procedures and examinations with responsibility, not to refuse anything. I remember how hard it was every time to go for suture treatment or another ultrasound. But timely examinations and analyzes helped to exclude any deviations in the first days after childbirth.

How to stimulate uterine contractions?

To solve the problem of the "lazy uterus" there are a number of activities, including special gymnastics, medications and folk remedies.

Kegel exercises

To strengthen the muscles of the vagina and restore the tone of the uterus, the exercise system developed by the gynecologist Arnold Kegel is perfect. For proper execution, you first need to determine the location of the pelvic floor muscles. To do this, you can try to stop the stream of urine during urination. The muscles involved at this moment need to be trained.

A set of Kegel exercises consists of several types of techniques:

• Contraction of the pelvic floor muscles for 5 seconds - relaxation.
• Rapid contraction of the pelvic floor muscles without delay.
• Slight straining as during childbirth or the act of defecation.

You should start training by performing each technique 10 times 5 sets a day. Gradually increase up to 30 times a day.

Detailed instructions for performing Kegel exercises: video

In order not to forget to do Kegel exercises, I installed a special application on my mobile phone. It is very comfortable!

Gymnastics

It is better to start more active types of exercises after the cessation of postpartum discharge, especially if the birth was not without complications. However, you should not completely abandon gymnastics. You just need to start with light exercises and increase the load gradually. For example, you can:

• In the supine position, bring your legs together, then slowly bend them at the knees and straighten them.
• In the supine position, straighten your legs and stretch your socks towards you.
• Tighten and relax the feet, tighten and relax the toes.
• Breathe deeply, connecting the abdominal wall. Raise the abdominal wall as you inhale and lower it as you exhale, while helping yourself with sliding movements of the hands to the pubic bone from the navel.
• As you exhale, squeeze the muscles of the pelvis, pull the navel as close to the chest as possible and hold your breath for ten seconds.
• Sitting on a gymnastic ball, perform circular movements with the pelvis, swing in different directions.
• Sitting on the ball, squeeze the intimate muscles and in this position raise the leg for ten seconds, then repeat with the other leg.

The main thing is to perform all the exercises regularly, without sudden movements, not to overwork. Then even the simplest gymnastics will bring good results.

Medications

Among the medications to stimulate uterine contractions, an artificial hormone, oxytocin, is widely used. More often it is prescribed in the form of injections. And if a woman is very weakened after childbirth (for example, after a caesarean section), a dropper may be prescribed. But the use of oxytocin makes sense only in the first four days after birth. Then the uterus loses its susceptibility to its action.

If the contraction of the uterus is too painful, then No-shpa is prescribed to alleviate the condition of the woman.

Folk remedies

Do not forget about the time-tested folk remedies. All these herbs are easy to find in any pharmacy:

• White lamb - 2 tablespoons of plant flowers pour cold boiled water (500 ml) and leave overnight. Strained tincture take 100 ml 3-4 times a day.
• Shepherd's purse - 4 tablespoons of grass brew with 2 cups of boiling water. After wrapping, leave in a warm place, strain. Take the entire prepared dose throughout the day.
• Field yarutka - brew 2 tablespoons with one glass of boiling water, leave overnight, strain. Take one teaspoon 5 times a day.
• Blood-red geranium - pour 2 teaspoons of herb with 2 cups of cold boiled water, leave overnight. Take the entire prepared dose throughout the day.

And also in pharmacies, ready-made Tincture of water pepper is sold. This is a very effective remedy for stimulating uterine muscle contractions and reducing bleeding. It is recommended to take tincture 3-4 times during the day, 30-40 drops, course - 5 - 10 days. But often the doctor sets the dose and duration of treatment individually.

water pepper tincture

It is important to always remember that you should always consult your doctor before taking any herbs or tinctures.

How to understand that the uterus began to contract

Recognizing uterine contractions is fairly easy. They feel like weak contractions if the birth was the first, and more intense with repeated births. During breastfeeding, the hormone oxytocin, which increases the tone of the uterus, is produced, and therefore contractions can be felt more clearly.

Other signs of normal uterine contraction include: pain in the mammary glands, the presence of lochia, discomfort in the lower abdomen, pain in the perineum, diarrhea (but only in the first 1 - 4 days postpartum).

Normally occurring uterine contraction after childbirth is an extremely important stage in the overall recovery process in a woman's body. It is worth paying attention to any deviations that arise, because the future health of the entire reproductive system depends on this, as well as the ability to have children in the future. There are enough methods for treating subinvolution of the uterus, both medical and folk. But it's best to avoid this problem. And the easiest way to prevent is regular physical activity in the form of simple exercises. In addition to being useful, they will give strength and energy, which are so necessary for a young mother.

During pregnancy in the female body there are many changes: the mammary glands swell, hormonal changes make themselves felt, and, of course, the baby grows, and with it the uterus also increases in size.

This organ is unique in its properties, because during pregnancy the uterus increases in volume by more than 500 times. Well, after the birth of a child, it begins to gradually decline.

Due to the fact that the body of each person is unique, the return of the uterus to its original size in women takes a different time. However, there is a number of factors, which can contribute to or, on the contrary, prevent its faster reduction.

How does uterine contraction occur?

If all of the above methods did not have the desired effect and the uterus still does not contract, the way out of the situation may be. The fact is that lochia (postpartum discharge) or part of the placenta may remain in the uterine cavity, or the uterine pharynx may be clogged with blood clots formed.

Without cleansing, all this will inevitably lead you to the development of an inflammatory process, and, perhaps, not only in the uterus itself, but also outside it. If this does not help, unfortunately, the consequences for the woman become even more serious: they will have to undergo surgery or, in the worst case, even remove the uterus.

But, fortunately, healthy women who follow all the recommendations of doctors, as a rule, do not have serious problems with uterine contractions after childbirth. So take care of yourself and be healthy!

After a caesarean section, the mother's uterus recovers somewhat more slowly than after a normal birth. This is due primarily to the fact that caesarean is still an abdominal operation, which is not natural for the body, but rather, on the contrary, traumatic. So, during surgery, blood vessels, muscle fibers, and nerve endings are damaged. After the procedure, the uterus has a scar, which requires a certain amount of time and special care to heal.

How long the uterus can contract after a cesarean depends on many factors. With a planned operation and the absence of any complications, in order for the woman’s body as a whole and the uterus, in particular, to come to a satisfactory condition, it takes no less than 2 months, that is, almost the entire postpartum period. With a good outcome, the reduction process occurs by itself. However, in some cases, the appointment of drugs is required that would stimulate this process to go a little faster. These drugs have a stimulating effect on contractile activity, and also have a hemostatic effect on damaged vessels.

In general, the process of complete recovery of a woman's body after a cesarean section takes about two years. Why so long, you ask? Did you know that during the period of pregnancy, the female uterus increases almost 500 times? So your body will have something to work on.

In the meantime, when the uterus after cesarean is still quite stretched and is 10 to 12 cm in diameter, when the scar is still quite fresh, the woman feels some discomfort. It can be associated with pain in the incision area, fear and difficulty going to the toilet, coughing, rolling over from side to side, etc.

All these nuances are discussed and resolved with the doctor, whose mother is observed during the postpartum period.

As measures that help to more comfortably survive the postpartum period, in addition to medications, a woman is prescribed a diet that is acceptable for both her and the baby, as well as wearing a special bandage that prevents tissues from further stretching at a time when effective physical exercises for a woman are still not under force. The first time, while the uterus has not yet contracted after the cesarean section, and the seam has not healed properly, a woman should get an assistant who unloaded her from housework, lifting weights, which can very significantly affect the quality and speed of the recovery process.

What can you eat after a caesarean section?

While the uterus is contracting...

After a caesarean section, however, as after a normal birth, the uterus is one continuous bleeding wound. The greatest damage to the organ in this case is located at the site of attachment of the placenta and the incision area. There are still remnants of blood clots and fetal membranes. On the 3-4th day, the bulk of bloody discharge (lochia) comes out. After that, the color of the discharge gradually becomes lighter, they acquire the character of an ichor (about the third week after the operation) and after 6-7 weeks should stop altogether. By this time, the process of regeneration of the epithelium ends.

How is everything going?

How long does the uterus shrink after a caesarean section? We have already said that in 9 months it increases almost 500 times. Immediately after childbirth or caesarean delivery, the body weight is 1 kg. A week later - already half less, that is, half a kilogram. After another 7 days - about 350 grams, and by the end of the third month, she will have to come to her prenatal size and weight.

Thus, we see that the uterus contracts most actively in the first days after childbirth. Further, this process gradually slows down.

Sometimes the period of uterine contraction is accompanied by cramping, pulling pains in the lower abdomen. As a rule, they are not a cause for concern and are not permanent. However, sometimes, especially after repeated childbirth, these sensations can cause some inconvenience, and some women cannot lead a normal life due to pain. In this case, you should consult a doctor. Most often, such situations are resolved by the appointment of antispasmodic drugs.

Sometimes there are cases when the uterus does not contract or this process is too slow. Such situations can become harbingers of bleeding or other complications, which means that here you just need to seek help from a specialist.

If the contractile activity is too long?

What can affect the timing of uterine contraction after caesarean section? First of all, it is worth mentioning a multiple pregnancy or a large size and weight of the fetus. At the same time, the uterus stretches more and, accordingly, the mother's body needs more time and effort for it to contract.

The contraction process can also be slowed down if the placenta was low, if the caesarean section was not planned, but due to weak labor, and if the woman after childbirth leads a very passive lifestyle, moves too little. Among other things, one cannot discount the general health of a woman, her readiness for a caesarean section, concomitant diseases (hyper- or hypotension, nephropathy, etc.).

When does milk come after a caesarean section?

Speaking about how long the uterus can contract after a cesarean section, one cannot help but draw your attention to inflammatory processes, physiological developmental features (such as bending or underdevelopment of the uterus), which, by the way, can cause the uterus not to contract generally. This is also possible in the case of an injured birth canal, the presence of fibrous formations in the walls of the uterus, inflammation of the appendages of the present or even the past, in violation of blood clotting or polyhydramnios that accompanied pregnancy. Then only timely and correctly prescribed treatment can affect the time required for uterine contraction.

The doctor should determine how normal the process of uterine contraction is going before discharge.

If he deems it necessary, mom will be prescribed drugs that stimulate contractility - oxytocin or prostaglandins.

Sometimes a massage of the bottom of the uterus is also prescribed, which is performed through the anterior wall of the peritoneum.

What else contributes to uterine contractions?

An excellent contraction stimulant is breastfeeding, during which oxytocin is also released. That is why, in order for the uterus to contract more actively, women who have given birth (here - cesarean) women are recommended to start breastfeeding their babies as often as possible. In some maternity hospitals, in the first days, mothers are given a rest, and antibiotics are also prescribed to prevent postoperative infections, and for these reasons, babies are bottle-fed for the first days. Therefore, being aware of these issues, you can discuss such nuances with your obstetrician-gynecologist in advance.

An active lifestyle, in this case - ordinary walks in the fresh air - walking.

Such physical activity not only helps to reduce the time of uterine contraction, but also is a preventive measure to start the adhesive process after surgery.

In addition, in order for the uterus to contract better after delivery by cesarean section, women are advised to lie on their stomach more often, ideally (if the chest allows) - to sleep on it.

It is also worth taking hygiene procedures very seriously, processing the seam on time and correctly, preventing the penetration and spread of infections.

Length of stay in hospital after caesarean section

An important factor affecting the normal contraction of the body of the uterus after cesarean section is the timely emptying of the bladder and the implementation of defecation. Often, these processes, which are quite natural for a healthy body, deliver a woman who has given birth (whether on her own or by caesarean section) a lot of discomfort. Nevertheless, these nuances are extremely important not only for the normal contraction of the uterus, but also for the functioning of other systems and organs, the recovery of the body after surgery in general. Unfortunately, many women are embarrassed by such problems and delay contacting a doctor. In no case should this be done in order to avoid problems in the future, to ensure a good quality of life for yourself and your baby. After all, healthy children most often grow up with healthy mothers.

If the uterus does not contract at all ...

There are times when the time of contraction of the uterus is too long and the woman experiences some discomfort and inconvenience. As a rule, this happens because lochia remains in the cavity, which should have gradually come out naturally. However, the cervix of the uterus may be blocked and this does not happen. Then doctors resort to cleaning (also called scraping), when the remnants of labor are removed mechanically.