Did you know your 6 week postpartum appointment after having a baby is just as important as your newborn’s appointment?
You might feel like you’re all done with appointments after giving birth, but your body is still going through a lotttt of changes. For this reason, it is still extremely important to be seen at about six weeks postpartum.
After reading this post you will know exactly why you need to schedule a 6 week postpartum appointment and what to expect from it as well as the top 9 questions to ask during your postpartum appointment.
This post is all about your postpartum appointment.
Why Is A Postpartum Appointment Important?
Your 6 week postpartum appointment is soooo important. It gives your doctor the ability to identify possible signs of infection, evaluate you for any postpartum mental health issues such as postpartum depression or postpartum anxiety and provide guidance on when you can start resuming more normal activities.
Of course if something of concern comes up before the six weeks, you shouldn’t hesitate to call your doctor’s office to discuss it. For example, you might develop mastitis if you are breastfeeding or what you think are the baby blues won’t go away and you find yourself feeling anxious and overwhelmed.
Keep in mind that if you deliver your baby via c section, you will also have a 2 week postpartum appointment to check on the initial healing of your c section incision.
What To Expect At Your Postpartum Appointment
There are a few standard things you can expect to occur at the six week postpartum appointment. This includes:
- Mental health survey
- Being weighed
- Taking your blood pressure
- Abdomen check to make sure there is no tenderness
- Breast exam
- Incision check if you had a c section
- Internal pelvic exam to make sure your uterus, cervix and ovaries are returning to the normal pre-pregnancy state
- Any specific postpartum and/or mental health concerns you have
In addition to the above, your postpartum appointment allows you to ask your doctor any questions you may have about your postpartum recovery. It is important to think about what you want to discuss with your doctor ahead of time so when you come to the appointment, all of your concerns are addressed.
Questions to Ask At Postpartum Appointment
You are obviously not limited to the questions listed below but they are a good starting place and address concerns that many new moms have, especially first time moms.
I recommend writing a few questions in the notes on your phone so you can review them quickly before your appointment.
1. Ask about any physical symptoms you’re feeling that are causing pain or discomfort
This can include asking if your bleeding is normal, addressing any abdominal or vaginal discomfort, breast pain, etc.
Everyone’s postpartum recovery is different and it’s important to listen to your body and speak up about it if something feels off.
2. Any specific questions about your mental health and how you are feeling.
It is very common for moms to feel anxious, overwhelmed and sleep deprived and it is extremely important that you voice how you’re feeling to your doctor.
The baby blues, postpartum anxiety and postpartum depression are also common during this time and your doctor will be a great resource in helping you identify first steps for addressing it. This may include seeing a therapist, taking medicine or encouraging you to ask for help (let’s be honest, we all struggle with doing this).
You can also read more about mental health here:
- How To Tell If You’re Experiencing Baby Blues Symptoms
- 17+ Practical Postpartum Mental Health Tips You Need To Know Before Giving Birth
- The Shocking Truth About Postpartum Emotions New Moms Need To Know About
3. Do I have diastasis recti? If so, what do you recommend to help heal it?
Diastasis recti is a common postpartum abdominal condition. In simple terms, it’s a gap between your left and right ab muscles that can result in a rounded and protruding belly “pouch”.
Your doctor will be able to do a quick exam and confirm if you have diastasis recti and to what extent. You can also do this at home as well:
All you need to do is lie on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor. Then put the fingers of one hand at the midline of your stomach, press down gently and bring your head into a mini crunch position with shoulders on the ground. Feel the sides of your ab muscles to see if and how far separated the muscles are. Usually, separation is referred to in finger widths (example: two or three fingers’ separation.
One way you can help to avoid diastasis recti is to protect your vulnerable abdominal muscles during pregnancy. This includes only safe ab workouts during pregnancy (only a few qualify as this) and using the log roll maneuver when getting out of bed to avoid straining your ab muscles.
4. When can I start working out again? Am I limited in what I can do?
You’re not alone in wondering about when you can get back to working out. Hopefully you have been feeling up for short walks even before your postpartum appointment as a way to get out of the house and get moving but anything more physical than usually requires clearance from your doctor.
The good news is that postpartum moms usually get the ok to start resuming more normal activities if they’re feeling up to it and there are no complications at their six week postpartum appointment. But it’s so so important that you listen to your body and not push yourself in the beginning. There’s no rule that says you need to get back to things at exactly six weeks or that you need to lose the baby weight by a certain date.
It’s expected that you slowly ease back into things but only when you’re ready and even then, your workouts will probably look a little different starting out. I recommend looking into a pelvic floor and core plan to start to build your core strength back up.
This is one of my top recommended plans from Lauren Gleisberg.
5. When is it safe to have sex again?
This is another common postpartum question that goes hand in hand with #4. Typically your doctor will give you the “ok” at your postpartum appointment if you have no complications. But even though you get the go ahead, there’s a good chance that you are going to want nothing to do with that for a while.
Realistically, your postpartum recovery is still very much in process, you are healing from birth and still exhausted from getting up multiple times overnight to feed your newborn. So basically sex is the furthest thing from your mind.
But nonetheless, it’s a postpartum milestone to be cleared by your doctor
6. Breastfeeding specific questions or concerns
This is the perfect opportunity to ask any breastfeeding questions that you might still have such as a recommendation to see a lactation consultant or how breastfeeding may impact your postpartum weight loss and/or period.
7. What kinds of food should I eat to help lose weight in a healthy way?
Weight loss seems to always be at the forefront of postpartum mom’s minds. While I don’t think it’s the most important thing to focus on at six weeks postpartum, it’s a completely valid question and totally normal thing for you to wonder and possibly worry about.
Initially, just finding time or even remembering to eat can be a challenge. You’re so focused on your baby’s needs that it’s easy for a mom’s needs to be forgotten.
Your doctor should have good advice for you but from my experience, having a few things prepped in the fridge or quick snacks I can eat with one hand helped sooo much initially.
8. What are my options for birth control?
You might not be ready for sex but it’s important to have a plan in place, especially if you want to wait to have another baby. Your doctor will be able to help you determine what your best method of birth control is at your postpartum appointment and answer any questions you may have.
OR – the other option may be asking your doctor how long do you have to wait to get pregnant again.
9. When should I return for my annual exam?
Another great question and an appointment you will want to put in your calendar. The date of your next annual exam will depend on the timing of the birth of your baby. Your doctor will make sure you are seen at the appropriate time.
Just like your postpartum appointment, your annual exam is another extremely important doctor’s visit for you.
This post is all about your postpartum appointment.
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