Postpartum complications what you need to know

After giving birth, you are likely to focus on taking care of your baby. However, health problems, some life-threatening, can appear in the weeks and months that follow, and many are not afraid of the warning signs. Then there's what you need to know about postpartum complications.

A growing problem

A pregnancy-related death is the death of a woman during pregnancy or within a period after the end of pregnancy. More than half of pregnancy-related deaths are postpartum.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of reported pregnancy-related deaths in the United States in 2014 was 18 deaths per 000 live births. That's up from 7.2 deaths per 000 live births in 1987. The research also shows ethnic differences. From 2011 to 2014, the pregnancy-related death rate for black women was more than three times that of white women.

Lack of mindfulness

After childbirth, it is common to witness fatigue and discomfort, as well as pain in the perineum and uterine condensation. You may not know the difference between a normal recovery and the symptoms of a complication or when to seek medical attention. However, your health care team may not identify risk factors for serious postpartum complications before you are discharged if you give birth in a nursing home.

Mothers also often do not visit health care providers until four to six weeks after giving birth, and up to 40 percent do not attend a postpartum visit, likely due to limited cash flow. As a result, they allow at most little guidance for their postpartum recovery.

Frequent postpartum complications

According to the CDC, the leading causes of pregnancy-related deaths from 2011 to 2014 were

• Cardiovascular conditions

• Other medical conditions often reflecting pre-existing conditions

• Infection or sepsis

• Excessive bleeding after childbirth (hemorrhage)

A heart muscle condition that makes it difficult for your heart to pump blood to the rest of your body (cardiomyopathy)

• Blockage of one of the pulmonary passages in the lungs, often caused by blood clots that travel to the lungs from the legs (thrombotic pulmonary embolism)

• Stroke

• High blood pressure (hypertension) disease of pregnancy

• A rare but serious condition that occurs when amniotic fluid or fetal cell-like material enters the mother's bloodstream (amniotic fluid embolism)

• Complications of anesthesia

• Occasionally the cause of pregnancy-related death is unknown.

Risk factors for postpartum complications

The overall risk of death from pregnancy-related complications is low. But women with common conditions like heart problems, rotundity or high blood pressure are at a lower risk of dying or nearly dying from pregnancy-related complications. But if you have these risk factors, it's especially important to cover your postpartum health.

Warning signs and symptoms

Numerous postpartum complications can be successfully treated if they are linked in advance.

If you have, seek emergency help

• Pain in the coffin

• Blocked breathing or shortness of breath

• Seizures

• Studies of harming oneself or one's child

• If so, call your healthcare provider

• Bleeding and soaking through one pad per hour or blood clots the size of an egg or larger

• A wound that does not heal

• A red or burnt leg that is painful or warm to the touch

• A temperature of 100.4 F (38 C) or higher

• A headache that does not improve even after taking the drug, or a severe headache with changes in vision

Tips for prevention

Prioritize your health after giving birth. Start planning your postpartum care plan before you give birth. After you give birth, talk to your healthcare provider about your risk of pregnancy-related complications and any special follow-up care you might need. Know the signs and symptoms of the problem.

The American Academy of Obstetricians and Gynecologists now also recommends that postpartum care be an ongoing process, not just a single visit after delivery. Contact your health care provider within the first three weeks after delivery. See your health care provider for a comprehensive postpartum evaluation within 12 weeks postpartum. However, talk to your doctor if you are having trouble making an appointment. Contact Family and Musketeers for help with childcare.

During this appointment, your health care provider will check your mood and emotional well-being, birth control and birth spacing, review information about baby care and feeding, talk about your sleep habits and fatigue-related problems, and perform a physical exam. This may include checking your abdomen, vagina, cervix, and uterus to make sure you are healing well. This is a great time to talk about any interests you might have, including continued sexual effort and how you're adjusting to life with a new baby.

Whenever you visit a health care provider in the postpartum period, be sure to include the date you gave birth. This can help your provider know that your symptoms may be related to your recent pregnancy.

Postpartum depression treatment depends on the type of symptoms and their severity. Treatment options include anti-anxiety or antidepressant medications.
Many women may suffer in silence, dismissing their struggles as a normal part of pregnancy and childbirth and not seeking care. This affects their quality of life; therefore, PPD should not be neglected.

Urgently treat women with major depressive disorder who are pregnant or breastfeeding. For women with moderate or severe depression or anxiety, antidepressant medication should be considered as primary postpartum doctor near me