Principles of Postnatal Care are discussed in this article and we hope you find it informative and helpful for your research or findings.
Principles of Postnatal Care
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Postnatal care is the care required by the mother needed to pass through stages of labor which is the process of childbirth.
It involves the expenditure of much energy. Contractions of the uterus occur, and the cervix dilates to allow the head of the baby to pass through childbirth.
Guidelines for Postnatal Care
In most cases, the doctor usually instructs the mother to return to the hospital for a checkup after five or six weeks of childbirth because of the following guidance and importance of Postnatal Care for any pregnant woman.
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The Guidelines for Postnatal Care are as follows:
Take Care of Your Self
Postnatal care enables the doctor to examine the mother to ensure that there are no medical crises with the mother.
It gives the mother the opportunity to discuss any problems she has with the doctor. Any information is meant to be cheated with medical attention since the health of the mother matters a lot after childbirth.
It also provides the woman with an opportunity not to only discuss her only but to discuss the subject of birth control.
Taking care of your baby
You don’t need to bathe your baby every day, but you should wash their face, neck, hands, and bottom carefully each day. You can do this on your lap or on a changing mat.
Choose a time when your baby is awake and contented, and make sure the room is warm. You will need a bowl of warm water, some cotton wool, a towel, and a fresh nappy.
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If you want to use soap, make sure that it is mild and unperfumed. If you want to use soap occasionally, use a mild, unperfumed soap.
Unwrap your baby and soap them all over, but keep them on your lap so you have a firm grip. Take the nappy off at the last minute. Put your baby gently into the water.
Using one hand for support, gently swish the water to wash your baby without splashing their face. You should never leave your baby alone in the water even for a few seconds.
For boys, gently clean the top of the foreskin of the penis. The foreskin can be pulled back very gently to clean. Lift your baby out and pat them dry with the towel.
Dry carefully in all the creases. If your baby’s skin is dry, gently massage in some baby oil or cream (not aqueous cream).
Your baby may enjoy this. If your baby seems frightened of the bath and cries, it may help to try bathing together. You may like to do this anyway.
Make sure the water is only warm, not hot, and don’t add anything to the water. You should also think about how you are going to get out of the bath with your baby.
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Feeding
After childbirth, most women breastfeed their babies. At this period, a mother is referred to as a lactating mother.
A lactating woman is one who is breastfeeding a baby and in order to produce enough milk for the baby, a lactating mother requires additional nutrients.
She requires good nutrition in order to produce milk. The nutritional needs of the lactating mother should include extra protein and calcium which can be conveniently provided from milk and other sources.
This is important to note that poor nutrition during lactation, especially when the woman is doing active work, could lead to loss of weight which in turn will result in her becoming easily tired she requires energy foods to obtain some energy from the body fat laid down during pregnancy. The mother should drink plenty of water and milk at this postnatal stage.
Exercise
Postnatal exercises are useful to restore muscle tone and figure after childbirth. The exercise should be done daily for at least a period of three months.
It is important that exercises carried out by pregnant women should not be extremely stressful but should be done as advised by the doctor. Such exercises could be mere or easy body postures to help in the restructuring of the muscles.
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Conclusively, it is important to note that the supply of breast milk should be maintained during the period of postnatal care.
Feeding is a priority even if the mother’s diet is poor or inadequate. The consequences will be critically shown as the mother stores nutrients drawn up resulting in the malnutrition of the baby.
