You will have had your checkup at the midwife clinic after about eight weeks. This checkup includes the midwife doing a pelvic exam to see that tears have healed, but also to assess your ability to clench. If everything appears in order, you can gradually increase your level of activity. Remember to exercise from the inside out, and start by doing pelvic floor exercises.
Give some thought to whether you have any issues, and don’t hesitate to get medical attention. It’s still normal to feel tender or some feeling of vaginal heaviness, but it should be checked. Your estrogen levels are low after a pregnancy, particularly if you breastfeed. This affects the mucous membranes so you may have some vaginal irritation, tenderness and dryness. This is completely normal and will pass with time. Until then, use local estrogen that you can buy at the pharmacy. It can help to relieve discomfort and sometimes remedy the situation completely.
Your blood pressure, hemoglobin levels and weight will be checked when you have your checkup. Together you can go through the delivery, your experience of it and how you are feeling in your new role as parents. You’ll also talk about your sex life and relationship. Has your relationship been affected? It’s important to talk about this. Very often, two partners have different expectations and perceptions of the relationship after a pregnancy.
If you gave birth with a Cesarean delivery your midwife can also help you to look at the scar and will determine if it is healing properly.
Some days or moments will feel easy, and others will feel heavy. It could help to just let the heavy days or moments pass and feel confident in the knowledge that better days are ahead. Take a walk, speak with a confidant, try to interrupt whatever it is you struggle to deal with right now. Reschedule or cancel plans. You will have other opportunities.
Source:
- Janson, P.O. & Landgren, B. (red.) (2010). Gynekologi. (1. uppl.) Lund: Studentlitteratur.
- Kaplan, A. (red.) (2009). Lärobok för barnmorskor. (3., omarb. uppl.) Lund: Studentlitteratur.
- Myles, M.F., Marshall, J.E. & Raynor, M.D. (red.) (2014). Myles textbook for midwives. (16th edition). Edinburgh: Elsevier.
- Savage S. J. (2020). A Fourth Trimetser Action Plan for Wellness. The Journal of Perinatal Education. Apr 1;29(2):103-112. DOI: 10.1891/J-PE-D-18-00034