Pregnancy Signs & Symptoms, Week by Week Pregnancy Guide

Almost throughout pregnancy, most of you are focused upon the delivery that you forget what follows next. The thought of delivery is so consuming that most of the pregnant females are not prepared for the step that comes post-delivery.

While the basic picture is clear about the baby and raising it, but there are many surprises in store for you or rather things that you might not be expecting or are prepared for. Some of these experiences can be pleasant while some may be a little gross. Here’s a look at the 7 surprising things that can happen after labor:

1. The body shaking-post-delivery, many females experience this jittery sensation or even full body shaking. This shaking has nothing to do with feeling cold and is absolutely normal. These shakes occur due to a sudden hormonal shift or change in the body and die off in a few minutes. These might also result due to the effect of the endorphin release or the anesthesia given to you.

2. Stitches-minor vaginal tearing is common during delivery of the baby and due to this reason; your doctor may give you a few stitches down there. This is especially the case with first time mothers. Most pregnant females may not know of this and don’t expect it but it is a common scenario.

3. Baby may not be interested in breastfeeding-you might have been getting prepared for breastfeeding by taking tips from others or by doing a lot of reading during pregnancy but something that can surprise you is your baby not interested in breastfeeding. Most babies may not want to eat for atleast 15 to 30 minutes after delivery so don’t push or force in such a scenario. Take this time to hold the baby and make skin to skin contact to initiate the bonding.

4. You’ll feel like a punching bag-another surprise that might come your way right after delivery is that you may feel like a punching bag. What happens is that the bump that you had during pregnancy needs to shrink down in size and for this; the doctor or midwife may massage your uterus. The nurse may press on your belly and massage it frequently for the first few hours after delivery. This can be a painful process especially if you didn’t have an epidural.

5. There may be blood-yes, this too sounds very surprising but it is a fact that right after delivery, a woman loses a lot of blood and this may go on for about 10 minutes. It’s normal to pass clots of blood for the next 24 hours after delivery.

6. You’ll sweat-after the delivery, you may find yourself sweating quite a bit for the next few weeks because of the fact that the estrogen level in the body drops tremendously.

7. Vaginal swelling-don’t be surprised if your vagina swells after delivery in the case of a natural delivery procedure. If you have pushed for a long time, then it can swell up to 3 times its size.

Photo Credit By: aestheticclinic.com.sg