Postpartum Recovery: 6th Week Home

What Hurts:

• Having a pelvic exam at your 6-week checkup isn't usually as bad as you might expect. Your episiotomy has probably healed by now, so this won't be much of a discomfort.

What Works:

• In the space of 6 weeks, your uterus has gone from the size of a watermelon to the size of your fist; it now weighs only about 2 ounces.
• Your visit with your doctor may be one of the more enjoyable ones. Think of all the women in the waiting room; some are just getting started.

What Doesn't Work:

• Forgetting to keep or not making your 6-week postpartum appointment. It's important. Plan to discuss several important subjects, such as contraception, your current activity level, limitations and future pregnancies. (Be sure to discuss postpartum depression if you are still having problems.)
• The little sign in the office window that says, "Doctor is in delivery." You now understand a lot better about what happens in delivery and how much you wanted your doctor there with you.

What Spells Trouble:

• Baby blues or feeling depressed every day.
• Vaginal bleeding or a foul-smelling discharge.
• Pain or swelling in your legs.
• Red or tender breasts.

It's OK If:

• You're happy not to be pregnant.
• You wish you were still pregnant.

Don't Look Now, But . . .

• When you get weighed at the office, you weigh the same or more than at your first OB visit.

Remember to:

• Ask questions; make a list. Good questions include: What are my choices for contraception? Do I have any limitations as far as exercise or sex? Is there anything I should know from this pregnancy and delivery if I decide to get pregnant again?
• If you take baby with you, take plenty of supplies. You may have to wait.
• If you're going back to work soon, check on childcare arrangements.

Call in the Troops:

• There are still times when you need help. Continue to involve your partner as much as possible.
• People in your doctor's office have probably been helpful to you. Thank them for their help, and ask if you can call with future questions.

Stop and Smell the Roses:

• You did it! Pat yourself and your partner on the back.
• Continue to write down thoughts and feelings in your journal. Encourage your partner to do the same.

Red Light, Green Light

• Red Light—If you talk with women in the waiting room at your doctor's office, don't scare them with the hardest parts of pregnancy and labor and delivery from your own experiences.
• Green Light—Exercise and sex, or sex and exercise (or sex as exercise!).

Postpartum Recovery: 3 Months After Birth