✓ Postpartum midwife: what she does and why it is useful

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Postpartum midwife

If in the past the midwife she was considered an important figure especially during pregnancy and at the time of childbirth, in recent years we began to understand how her help, in reality, is precious even after, once your baby is born. This professional, in fact, can provide you with a whole range of advice on how to manage the delicate postpartum period and how to best take care of you and your little one. It is for this reason that some hospitals and some regions offer women who have just given birth the opportunity to request protected resignation, that is, to receive obstetric assistance at home in the days following the happy event.

Regardless of the protected discharge, however, any new mother can rely on a midwife in the post-partum period, by contacting consultants and ASST or following the path of the private regime. This is a choice worth making for many reasons. Let's see the main ones.

Read also: The role of the freelance midwife. Violeta Benini's opinion

Check the health of mom and baby

First, the midwife can visit you and your baby and check that you are well and have no particular problems. For example, it can check that the baby responds correctly to stimuli, urinate regularly and discharge with the right frequency.

Still, it can evaluate the wound from a possible caesarean section o the points of the episiotomy, the lochiations (the secretions of a semi-solid consistency that are expelled vaginally during the puerperium), the uterine contractions, hemorrhoidal varices and so on.

You must not forget that he is one of the reference figures for the pelvic floor rehabilitation, the set of muscles that plays a fundamental role in urinary continence and that is severely tested by pregnancy and childbirth. Therefore, if you have urine leakage or pelvic muscle laxity, it can teach you how to behave and what exercises to perform to improve the situation.

Promotes breastfeeding

The postpartum midwife, even more so if she has specific training in the field of breastfeeding, can become your great ally in the breastfeeding process. Indeed, it can answer all your doubts, help you correct any errors, suggest solutions to be adopted in case of difficulty.

She is the right professional to consult if you suffer from breast fissures, if you think the baby is not latching on properly, if you feel too much badly during feeding, if you are convinced that you do not have enough milk, if you do not know how often to feed the baby.

Read also: Breastfeeding: a handbook for the first months

The growth of the baby follows

One of the worries of any new mother is that her puppy is not growing up enough. Well, the postpartum midwife can calm your anxiety in this sense too, keeping track of the baby's growth.

If there are no particular problems, we recommend weigh the baby once a week: the midwife can do it, checking that the curve follows a regular trend and in line with the standards considered normal.

It is psychological support

The postpartum midwife is always ready to give you a hand and to intervene in case of difficulties and emergencies. But her role goes beyond merely practical support. He is also an important figure from a psychological point of view. The first weeks of a baby's life, however wonderful and full of emotions, can also be a little destabilizing for new mothers. Often, women need to have a word of encouragement, to receive comfort and support, to be encouraged, to be hugged, to being told that they are good and that everything will be fine.

The midwife can do this too, listening to your outbursts if you are in crisis, your silences if you don't want to talk, your tears if you are at the limit, your smiles if you need to express your joy.

In short, entrusting yourself to a midwife after childbirth is a beautiful gift that you can do to yourself and your baby.

Sources for this article:
-https: //www.ostetrichebrescia.com/aree-di-consulenza/dopo-il-parto/il-puerperio.html
-https://www.ajmc.com/view/obstetricians-are-well-positioned-to-diagnose-treat-postpartum-depression-speakers-say
-https://www.msdmanuals.com/professional/gynecology-and-obstetrics/postpartum-care-and-associated-disorders/postpartum-care

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