What Happens to Your Womb During & After Pregnancy?

The womb is a fascinating organ inside the human body. It bleeds every month yet still has the capability to house a new life inside it. It is impressively flexible, as it could stretch from the size of a small apple during pre-pregnancy to the size of a watermelon. This is an amazing feat because no other organs could stretch on the same degree drastically without invoking any permanent damage. But that is not the only thing that happens to your womb, so what are the changes that take place in your womb during and after pregnancy?

Womb Changes During Pregnancy

When you are pregnant, the blood vessels of your uterus would become larger and the lining of your uterus would thicken. This is to provide nourishment for the growing baby inside of your tummy. As you progress into later weeks of your pregnancy, your uterus will gradually expand to create more space for your baby.

Womb Changes After Pregnancy

After delivery, your womb will have expanded dramatically compared to its pre-pregnancy state. Your womb will then take around six weeks for it to shrink back to its original state post-birth, this process is called ‘involution’. 

Moments after your baby’s birth, your womb will start to contract and this causes it to shrink. Its criss-crossed fibers would tighten up similar to how it did during labor. This process would aid the placenta detach from the uterine wall. Plus, you might feel afterpains or postpartum cramps due to the closing of opened blood vessels due to the uterine contracting. 

During the first few days post delivery, you will still be able to feel the top of your uterus in the area of your belly button. As time passes, your uterus will weigh just a bit over a pound after a week. This is remarkable considering that this weight is only half of its weight moments after your childbirth. After around two weeks, your uterus weight would go down to around 0.3kg, and it would gradually be entirely inside your pelvis. Around four weeks post delivery, your womb should be close to its pre-pregnancy weight of 0.1kg or less.

Uterine Prolapse

After pregnancy, some women may experience a condition called prolapsed uterus. For women who experience this condition, their pelvic muscles weaken due to the strain and weight placed on the womb. Around this point, the womb may sag or come out completely of your body. If you notice discomforts with your womb after childbirth, do consult your local doctors or experts for further advice.

You May Also Read this : Ways to Prevent Uterine Prolapse During Pregnancy

Womb Care After Labour with Postnatal Massage

After delivery, it is important to give your womb the best care it deserves. One of the ways to take care of your womb is with a postnatal massage. It is worth noting that a postnatal massage therapy could improve the natural discharge of lochia by including a specific care on the abdomen area to treat the uterine.This can aid with the positioning of the pelvic muscle back into place. 

For enhanced comfort when you enjoy your postnatal massage from home, adding a massage bed portable would help you to get the best relief in any massage position! Meanwhile, if you are looking for mom-related or mom-care products to ease your postnatal period, you can head over to MumChecked. They have a plethora of options that would be able to improve the quality of your postpartum daily routine.

In conclusion, understanding how your womb works during and after pregnancy is important in order for you to take better care of yourself during this stage. With a proper understanding of your body, you would be able to plan your postpartum recovery better and you would certainly deal with less stress knowing that this is a normal phase experienced by all mothers. Until next time mommies!