New mothers generally pay more attention to taking care of their babies. Well, this is the reason why most women often forget to take care of themselves. No doubt, the baby needs a lot of care and love. But, the same goes for the new mother as well. At this point in time, women experience various health issues and hormonal changes in their bodies. Some of these issues are completely normal and will be eliminated within a few days of giving birth. But, on the other hand, there are certain postpartum symptoms not to ignore. Well, these might adversely affect your body and lead to negative consequences. Please keep reading to know about them in brief.
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Some Serious Postpartum Symptoms Not To Ignore
Image credit: Office On Women’s Health
Mentioned below are some symptoms that you might experience after giving birth. These might seem like basic problems or health issues. However, to promote your and your baby’s health, you cannot ignore them.
Excessive and continuous vaginal bleeding
Image credit- What To Expect After Child Birth
Vaginal bleeding is considered to be a natural yet very normal thing that almost every woman experiences after giving birth. The bleeding is more or less similar to menstrual bleeding. This indicates that the consistency and odor of the blood are the same as that of period blood.
Postpartum vaginal bleeding should not be ignored in the following cases.
- The quantity of bleeding does not reduce three or four days after giving birth.
- You are experiencing vaginal bleeding even after it has been six weeks since you gave birth.
In case you are facing any one of these issues, you should not waste a moment and rush to your gynecologist. Well, these symptoms might be an indication of a serious issue like postpartum hemorrhage.
High Fever
Image credit- UT Southwestern Medical Center
You might suffer from a low grade fever after giving birth. Your body will remain slightly heated for up to 24 hours max. But, in case you are suffering from a high fever, you cannot ignore it. This is a clear indication that an infection is present in your body. It can be in any of your body parts—for example, breast, vagina (uterine, urinary tract), etc. Your immune system is trying to fight off that infection, which is why you are experiencing a high fever.
This postpartum symptom should not be ignored because there are chances that the infection in your body might get transferred to your baby. You might end up passing the infectious particles through breastfeeding or through regular physical contact.
Breathing issues
Image credit- What To Expect After Child Birth
Breathing issues are one of the postpartum symptoms that cannot be ignored by any chance. Either you are not able to breathe properly or continuously breathing fast; both are major health concerns for which you need a medical consultation.
Heavy breathing can be an indication of a serious internal infection in your body. On the other hand, trouble breathing could indicate various issues like an infection or blood clot in your lungs or the presence of preeclampsia. In addition, you could also be suffering from peripartum cardiomyopathy. It is a disease that causes gradual heart failure.
Severe chest/breast pain
Image credit- The Horizon Health News
Severe chest or breast pain, along with heavy breathing, are postpartum symptoms not to ignore. Tightness and pain in the chest, accompanied by rapid heartbeats and pounding in the chest, are some severe symptoms that can affect your health negatively if ignored. In addition, these symptoms might further lead to the development of various health issues and potential risks in your body. These might include a blockage and blood clots in your heart, anemia, heart attack, etc.
Loss of eyesight
Image credit- The Medical News Today
Another one of the postpartum symptoms not to ignore is loss of vision. Right after giving birth, you might experience blurry vision. Or else you might not be able to see or focus on things perfectly. This will become a matter of concern if you experience these symptoms even after 24 hours of giving birth.
Consult your doctor if you notice a blind spot in your eyes. Also, do not ignore it, even if you feel that there is a minor change/loss in your vision. If not treated immediately, this might lead to the development of major eyesight issues, which will further affect your newborn baby as well. In addition, your ignorance could also result in complete blindness.
Swelling and overall body pain
Image credit- Baylor Scott and White Health
Excessive swelling in different parts of the body, along with redness and body pain, are yet another postpartum symptoms not to ignore. If you experience swelling in any part of your body along with redness, this might be an indication of preeclampsia. This might include swelling on the face, hands, legs, etc. You might face difficulty in viewing things due to puffy eyes. Doing basic activities like picking up something or walking will seem like a huge task. Also you might also notice a loss of feeling in certain body parts.
Hence, immediately rush to your doctor if you are experiencing a regular increase in swelling as well as pain in any part of your body. Ignoring these symptoms can cause lifelong diseases and other health issues. In addition, they can hamper the growth of your baby as well.
Development of suicidal or self harming thoughts
Image credit: Office On Women’s Health
In very rare cases, women think of harming themselves after giving birth. This situation becomes worse when the self harming thoughts develop into suicidal thoughts. Further symptoms include consistent crying, difficulty in sleeping, always staying demotivated, feeling lonely, not willing to talk to anyone, etc.
If you are someone who is also experiencing this after giving birth, don’t hesitate to get in touch with your doctor. Irrespective of whether you are feeling helpless, underconfident, lonely, or doubting your existence, tell all your feelings to your doctor. If ignored, you might develop the problem of stress and anxiety. In addition, due to continuous self harming or suicidal thoughts, you might end up losing your life.
Summary of the article!
This was our blog where we discussed various postpartum symptoms not to ignore. Some of these symptoms might seem normal at first. However, they can lead to multiple health issues in the long run. Also, they can become the reason due to which you might face severe complications in your next pregnancies. However, some of these after-birth issues are completely normal, but only if they stay for a certain period of time. In case you notice them for a long time, you should not think twice before consulting your gynecologist.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are postpartum symptoms not to ignore?
The postpartum symptoms that cannot be ignored include excessive vaginal bleeding, problems in breathing, and swelling and redness on different body parts.
Is experiencing a change in eyesight after giving birth a cause of concern?
Experiencing excessive blurry vision and lack of focus after five to ten minutes of giving birth is completely normal. But, you should not ignore this if you continuously notice a change in eyesight. Excessive loss of vision is a postpartum symptom that should not be ignored.
Why do I feel like suiciding ever since I have given birth to my baby?
A woman’s body undergoes many changes while and after giving birth to a new life. The hormonal level of your body tends to change a lot. Hence, all these changes might be the reason you start developing thoughts related to self harming or suicide.
I gave birth six days back, but I still have a high fever. Can I consume medicine for the same?
A high fever could be a serious issue, which, if ignored, can lead to severe consequences. It could be the result of some specific infection that is present in your body. Hence, in this case, you should not consume any medicines without the prescription of your gynecologist. It will not only affect your health but will negatively impact your baby as well.
