Postnatal care Melbourne

What happens after you have given birth?

It may be a few months away and yet, it is wise to also consider your postnatal care. Melbourne Mothers can help you plan your care for those important first weeks after you give birth.

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Melbourne Mother's approach in a nutshell

Services Postnatal care Melbourne Mothers

What can I expect from my postnatal care services?

Key points

Postnatal care is mainly about supporting you as a new mum, during your recovery process
We make sure we manage your discomforts, as a consequence of delivering your baby or linked to breastfeeding.

It won’t come as a surprise that most new mums need time to recover. After all, carrying and delivering your baby has put a lot of pressure on your body.

After a vaginal birth, the level of healing that is needed will depend on how smoothly it went. You may have heard stories. You may have read them online. For some women, it is a short and smooth experience and there is nothing but bliss. But for others, there is the reality of discomfort or complications. If all goes well, vaginal healing goes quickly and you won’t need a lot of care from your obstetrician or the midwife. And in case you have a more complicated delivery, we are here to help you. After a tear or an episiotomy, the team here at Melbourne Mothers are here to optimise your recovery.

Vaginal prolapse is a potential complication that you may have heard of. It means that your bowel, uterus or bladder protrude into your vagina and…it is quite a common complication of vaginal birth. The role of your obstetrician is to look for symptoms that may indicate a vaginal prolapse. The signs would be constipation, a vaginal lump or problems with intercourse. If you are at risk of a prolapse, we help you with planning appropriate treatment.

After a c-section, postnatal care includes specific instructions to help your body heal. Not only are you recovering from surgery, you are also starting a totally new life: getting used to your new family member, caring and perhaps discovering a whole range of new emotions if this is your first baby. At Melbourne Mothers, you can count on your obstetrician and the team of midwives to support you. We check for any signs of infection, we make sure you can rest, and we follow up with you in those important six weeks of recovery after your c-section.

We help with breastfeeding as part of your postnatal care service. We adapt the support to your specific needs: we start with the essential information you need, especially if this is the first time you plan to breastfeed. We also help you manage any discomfort you experience, and we can organise extra ongoing support with breastfeeding for you with other experts in the Melbourne area.

General fitness is also a typical component of good postnatal care. We want to help you prevent complications such as vaginal prolapse or incontinence, and the way we do this is by strengthening your pelvic floor. Of course, it goes without saying that it is a good idea to take good care of yourself. In general, we recommend taking it easy. After a few days, you can gently introduce pelvic floor exercises, and depending on your birthing method we can plan a few sessions with a women’s health physiotherapist.

Your mental fitness matters as well. You may feel new types of anxiety. You may even feel emotions that are entirely new and as your obstetrician, we understand those emotions. At Melbourne Mothers, you will feel that even after you have given birth, we are still here for you and your extended family. It is not only about the physical journey; it helps to talk about the emotions and any challenges you may experience, and we’re here to help.

Fourth trimester Melbourne Mothers

Postnatal Care and the ‘fourth trimester’

You will hear us talk about the fourth trimester. What we mean by that is the 12 weeks after you give birth. Your baby is no longer in the womb, but there is a lot going on and you can still use a lot of care to get started in your whole new life.

“The first important focus in postnatal care is breastfeeding. You may be worried about the ‘arrival of your milk’ if this is your first baby. It usually happens after about 72 hours. Postnatal midwives are experts at this and they are ready to help you with breastfeeding.”

If you just need that extra bit of help, or you experience a few challenges with breastfeeding, we put you in touch with expert lactation consultants. Working with a consultant helps you and your baby get used to the new situation.

Generally, postnatal care is planned over a period of 6 weeks after you give birth. Here at Melbourne Mothers, it just means that we are here for you when you need us. The postnatal care you receive is fully personalised and depends on your needs, and these are just a few examples of what that could mean for you:

Discomforts you may experience as you recover from giving birth
A check of your overall mood – we want to look out for any signs of postnatal depression
An updated cervical screening
A conversation about future pregnancies and contraception

Vaginal tear & Postnatal care Melbourne Mothers

What if I have a vaginal tear and what about bleeding?

A vaginal tear is a typical risk when you give birth vaginally. It is a common complication and we often have to explain to a new mum that this is in no way your fault. You may think that a tear is related to the way you pushed, but in actual fact, it is a common and perfectly normal possible consequence of giving birth vaginally.

“You hear all these daunting stories but don’t let them discourage you. A tear does not mean that your vagina is too small or that your baby’s head is too big. As part of your postnatal care, we follow up and do everything we can to optimise your healing and your recovery.”

A vaginal tear is sutured by your obstetrician. It typically heals by itself in a few weeks. If the tear is more extensive, we examine you after you give birth and we plan further treatment. It could mean that we plan a consultation early after birth. The main thing is to look out for any signs of infection. If there is no tear, the typical postpartum checkup (your main postnatal care appointment) is planned a few weeks after you have given birth.

Postpartum bleeding is another big area in postnatal care. You will hear and read many different stories and the bottom line is that your body is unique. Again, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. What happens is that your uterus returns to its normal size, and your body will take its own time for that. The uterus tissue is obviously very delicate in this stage and you may experience bleeding for about three weeks: from light to heavy, from red to brownish. In some situations, we will recommend dilation and curettage, to remove tissue from inside your uterus. It helps to avoid Ahserman’s Syndrome which may affect your fertility in the future.

In postnatal care, we discuss simple habits that may help you recover well, from taking a warm bath to sitting on a pillow or using ice packs. We talk about pain relief, numbing creams and stool softener and we adapt our advice to how your delivery went, and the level of discomfort you may feel.

Recovery after delivery

How soon will I recover after I have given birth?

It depends. You may be lucky and recover really quickly, or we may have to manage some of the discomforts and complications for a little longer. Whatever your circumstances, we are here to help you at Melbourne Mothers.

“Mothers I have helped giving birth in Melbourne tell me that they have appreciated a balanced and honest summary of what is possible. Some mothers return to a normal routine after a few weeks, others would mention 6 to 8 weeks as ‘full recovery’. If you recover at a slower pace, be gentle on yourself and bear in mind that you are not alone.”

You are still tired, you have just given birth, and it’s tempting to think that a complication means that your body is betraying you. We will help you navigate the stories and the information, and most importantly, make sure that you recover well.

It could be because labour took a lot of time, and your body may need to heal from a vaginal delivery. Or you may be recovering after a c-section – after all a major surgery. Whatever the situation, whatever the plan was and how it turned out, we will be there to support you.

With a c-section, it is wise to stay at the hospital for 3-4 nights and to allow 6-8 weeks for recovery.

And at Melbourne Mothers, you can rest assured that it is perfectly fine to vent any frustration you feel. We can talk about how things are going and you have our permission to use your obstetrician as a sounding board.

If at any stage you feel low, let us know. We understand what you are going through and we are here for you.