Living and Loving – September 2019

PHOTOGRAPHY

GALLO IMAGES/GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCK

L&L | SEPTEMBER 2019 | 21

pregnancy & birth

The importance of

antenatal care

Regular antenatal check-ups are

important, as they allow problems

to be identified and dealt with early.

When antenatal care was unheard

of, many women died in childbirth

due to avoidable complications. One

of these was haemorrhaging caused

by anaemia, weak contractions

or an overstretched womb.

Our blood clots in order to control

excessive bleeding, and iron helps

the body do this. Haemoglobin

tests done during pregnancy help

avoid anaemia by way of iron

supplements, diet and lifestyle.

The womb is one of the strongest

muscles in the body and consists

of three independent layers. We

know that to stop bleeding, one

simply applies pressure. After

giving birth, the womb continues to

contract, and this helps to control

bleeding from the raw patch left

on the womb by the placenta.

Click on Birth, then General

Articles for more on what to expect

from your period after baby.

LIVING

AND

LOVING

.CO.ZA

High levels of these hormones keep

the ovaries switched off for a while

and this stops the menstrual cycle.

If a woman isn’t breastfeeding, her

periods usually come back six to

eight weeks after giving birth. If she’s

given the contraceptive injection,

her periods will not come back for

as long as she is having the injection

(usually every three months). As the

contraceptive pill often interferes with

breastfeeding, the progesterone-

only pill is usually prescribed.

Heavy bleeding after birth should

not last longer than a day or two

at the most. Bleeding through two

pads in an hour is considered heavy

bleeding. It’s a problem when you

bleed heavily for weeks after giving

birth. This can be caused by a piece

of the placenta or membranes that

have been left behind after the

birth, and needs medical attention.

Serious bleeding can also be caused

by cuts and tears or a blood clot of

soft tissue called a haematoma. LL

How your healthcare

provider prevents

complications

DURING LABOUR

● Minimises the length of labour.

● Monitors the length and

strength of contractions.

● Puts up a drip, so extra

fluids can be given.

● Monitors blood pressure and the

baby’s heartbeat during labour.

AFTER BIRTH

● Keeps the womb contracted

with frequent rubbing.

● Puts the baby skin-to-skin with

the mother to start suckling. This

releases extra oxytocin and helps

to keep the womb contracted.

●Checks vaginal bleeding.

Resuming normal

periods

The length of time it takes

for ovulation and periods to

return, is individual. While

some women (even when

breastfeeding) start their

periods quite soon, others

may take much longer.

Immediately after the birth,

hormones focus on recovery and

feeding. Oxytocin and prolactin

come from the pituitary gland in the

brain, mostly when the baby suckles.

Who’s atrisk

Olderwomenandteenagers,

womenhavingaC-section,those

whohavehadanumberofpregnancies

(especiallyinquicksuccession)andwomen

whohavehadmorethanoneC-section

aremoreatriskforhaemorrhagingafter

givingbirth.Whenthere’safamilyhistory

ofbleedingandblooddisorders,women

mustbecarefullymonitored,asshould

womencarryingmultiples,averybig

babyortoomuchamnioticfluid

(calledpolyhydramnios).