After birth, the mother's body and mind undergoes many changes and approximately 40 days after giving birth you have to go to the gynecologist to the so-called "puerperal visit". After a marathon of consultations during pregnancy, with the arrival of the baby and overturned in their care, we often forget or downplay to return to the gynecologist.
But it is a very necessary revision, since at this time the return to normal of certain aspects of the puerperium will be assessed. And, although the puerperium or quarantine lasts much more than forty days, it is physically time to perform a gynecological examination.
Will be done a general scan (weight gain, blood pressure ...), a vaginal touch, spectroscopy (examination of the vagina with a speculum), colposcopy (examination of the cervix) ... The specialist can check, if necessary, the healing of an episiotomy or the caesarean section, check that everything evolves correctly, advising us the ways to favor it.
Another important assessment is the condition of the pelvic floor, since this area suffers greatly in the last months of pregnancy and during childbirth. You can advise us exercises to improve the firmness of the pelvic floor muscles. Also, if the mother has had iron requirements, a blood test will be done to check the levels.
Together with the assessment of physical health, the gynecologist should ask about mother's emotional health, inquiring about the possibility of postpartum depression, which should not be hidden and is more frequent than we might think.
Finally, in the puerperal visit they can advise us on contraceptive methods if we wish, or the waiting time to look for a second baby.
We can take advantage of the puerperal visit to ask the gynecologist all doubts that have arisen in this time that is lived so intensely, with so many changes and sometimes fears. Do you remember this visit after delivery? Was it useful?
