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VERIFIED CONTENTAuthor: lek. Agnieszka ŻalińskaIntra-labor complications, as well as postpartum complications, are all problems that affect young mothers. Some are relatively easy to learn and can be done using the so-called home remedies, others are serious enough to require medical attention. Before terminating the pregnancy, it is worth talking to your doctor, not only about the course of labor, but also about possible early and late complications and how to deal with them.
Complications after childbirthcan affect not only the mother but also the baby. The problems of women immediately after childbirth, appearing immediately after giving birth to a child, depend to a large extent on the type of termination of pregnancy. It should be clearly emphasized that a cesarean section is a surgical procedure, and in this case complications may occur at any time of the operation, starting with anesthesia.
The most common symptom common to both births is severe pain. In the case of cesarean section, the complaints are concentrated along the postoperative wound, and apart from this location, patients complain of discomfort in the area of both hypochondriums, which is related to the extraction of the child during the operation.
After a physiological childbirth, women may experience pain in almost the entire body, which is associated with high physical effort during childbirth, when various muscle groups are involved. Symptoms such as after intensive training in the gym without prior preparation may appear.
Another problem that affects women after cesarean section is the feeling of discomfort after the insertion of the catheter, burdening the urine accumulated in the bladder. Very often irritation of the urethra, slight abrasions, which become the gateway to infection, occur.
Consequences of childbirth
The first noticeable complication or a natural consequence of childbirth by means of natural pathways and forces of nature are perineal tears.In many centers, the element is urged to make a small incision in the perineum, because the wound after such an injury is much smaller and relatively easier to care for than a broken crotch. The degree of fracture varies.
Sometimes these are only minor abrasions of the mucosa, but it happens that the extent of the dissection of individual layers of the perineum also affects the muscleanal sphincter. Very often, only after a few years, patients report the first problems: urinary incontinence, initially after increased physical activity, but after a certain period of time even in static conditions.
Women mention problems with faecal incontinence much less frequently. On the other hand, the most common ailment is pain during sexual intercourse. Sometimes this is just a minor discomfort, but all women agree that sex life after childbirth is completely different. Another common problem is hemorrhoids, i.e. lumps that keep getting bigger during pregnancy.
Other problems arising after childbirth
Above all, cramp-like pain in the lower abdomen. Patients should be adequately instructed on how to interpret pain and which situation requires intervention. Most complaints are physiological contractions that constrict the stretched uterus during pregnancy. After excluding this cause, increasing abdominal pain may signal obstruction of the gastrointestinal tract or, in case reports, internal hemorrhage.
Abundant vaginal discharge with an intense, unpleasant smell accompanied by contractile pain in the uterine muscle, as well as with a fever, which suggests infection and requires the introduction of broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy, i.e. one that should be effective against many strains of bacteria
Inflammation of the mammary gland on one or both sides, associated with obstruction of the milk ducts. Another cause is microcracks of the nipples, which then constitute a gateway to infection. The clinical manifestation is primarily: excessive tenderness during palpation, sometimes leakage of pathological contents from the nipples.
Antibiotic therapy is the recommended form of therapy in most cases. Rarely, although it does not belong to strictly casuistic situations, we deal with the formation of a breast abscess, i.e. a limited oil reservoir. In these patients, the procedure of choice is to cut the lesion and evacuate the pathological content.
Edema - a symptom resulting from the accumulation of too much water in the body. In such a situation, be very vigilant. This may be the first sign of pre-eclampsia. The obstetric situation is reserved primarily for the period of pregnancy, but it happens that it occurs during the puerperium.
In addition to limb swelling, other parts of the body may also become swollen, including even the face. Additionally, nausea, vomiting, followed by headaches and dizziness. This situation requires immediate actioninterventions.
Skin stretch marks - probably the most common cosmetic complication. The market abounds in preparations dedicated to pregnant women, which are to take care of the patient's skin and protect it from unsightly changes.
It should be remembered that in the fight against this problem, a properly balanced diet and physical activity are recommended. These are preventive measures, but when stretch marks appear, there are dermatological preparations that lighten the scars, and eventually plastic surgery.
Some fetal complications
The topicof postpartum complicationsis very extensive and concerns not only the mother but also her newborn baby. Some of the perinatal complications can be so serious that they can lead to death.
The highest prenatal mortality among newborns is in Asia. An example of a relatively common problem is the umbilical cord wrapping the neck of the fetus. Apart from asking about the gender, this is one of the most common questions asked by future mothers during a routine ultrasound examination.
Such a situation requires close supervision, especially during physiological delivery, when the lumen of this vessel may become constricted, leading to hypoxia. That is why such great value is assigned to intrapartum CTG records.
There are still contradictory opinions regarding the descriptions of ultrasound examinations whether such an entry should be included in the result. This seems to be of greatest value in the pre-labor test, thanks to which the maternity team has a chance to properly prepare.
Another type of cord hazard is umbilical cord prolapse, where during delivery the umbilical cord becomes a guide point and extends into the lumen of the internal opening. Such a situation is a great threat to the mother and the child, therefore the conversion from vaginal delivery to surgical delivery should be performed.
Here are only fetal complications, the number of which is large and exceeds the scope of this article.