Postpartum Recovery: Addressing Weakness and Physical Challenges After Birth

Question
Before and during pregnancy, I considered myself to be relatively healthy. Beginning immediately after giving birth, however, I felt quite weak. I had to be sitting or hunched over or holding onto my abdomen (for the pressure) in order to get a good breath for the first few days. Also, it took me more than a month to get to the point of being able to stand up and shower myself. In the begining, I had to sit down and have my husband bathe me because even just the act of holding up my arms to wash myself made me feel faint. I discovered this during my first attempt by myself when I almost passed out just after getting ready for the shower. I'd like to know, for next time, what could this be? People have suggested hypotension and anemia. My birthing experience was completely unmedicated, no IVs, no hemorrhaging, and I was taking prenatal vitamins with iron and was well-nourished with lots of protein as in the Brewer pregnancy diet. Thank you.

Answer
Dear Laura

Although you have not mentioned whether your delivey or by CS, your complaint is definitely abnormal and a clinical examination and some investigations are necessary.

Anemia in the normal circumstances would be responsible. However you mentioned that you had prenatal vitamins and iron which made anemia a remote possibility unless you hemoglobin level was already much below the normal before pregnany or you may have taken the drugs for ashort duration of time. Hypotension is possible but should have been detected if you had a proper antenatal care.

I urge you to seek clinical examination as early as possible for proper diagnosis and management.