Hands hurt after pregnancy
Thumb and wrist pain after having a baby
New mothers can get painful thumbs and wrists.
This condition is known as de Quervain's tenosynovitis, mother's wrist or baby wrist.
It is caused by a combination of:
- hormonal changes in pregnancy
- increased pressure on wrist tendons when lifting and holding your baby
Some women also get thumb and wrist pain during pregnancy.
Symptoms
You might have baby wrist if you feel:
- pain when you move your thumb or wrist - this can travel up the arm
- pain when you tuck your thumb in and make a fist
- swelling and tenderness on the thumb side of your wrist
- a catching or snapping feeling when you move your thumb
Treatment
You can often ease the pain yourself with:
- ice massage
- stretching techniques
- painkillers such as paracetamol
- a rigid wrist splint
If the pain is not easing, see your physiotherapist.
Things you can do to avoid making the pain worse
Managing your pain is the best way to treat thumb and wrist pain. It will help you recover quicker.
You can try the following things to ensure your pain does not get worse:
- change how you move your hand and wrist until symptoms begin to ease
- scoop your baby up with your sore hand under their bottom - this can be more comfortable than lifting them under the arms
- use pillows or cushions to support your arms while breastfeeding, so there's less pressure on your hands
- try a nursing pillow to lift your baby closer
- keep your wrist rigid - this avoids pain irritation
- avoid wrist movements like opening the lid on a jar that is quite tight
- avoid using your thumb to grip objects
Massage
Massage the area of muscle at the base of your thumb called the 'thenar eminence'. Massaging this muscle can help you naturally hold your thumb further away from your palm.
Stretching exercises
Put your hand on a table, palm facing down. Use your other hand to gently move your thumb upwards and away from the table for 10 to 15 seconds. Bring your thumb down slowly. Repeat 5 times every 2 hours.
Rest the side of your hand on a table, with the little finger at the bottom. Use your other hand to move your thumb away from your fingers. Bring your thumb back down slowly. Repeat 5 to 10 times every 2 hours.
More support
Seek physiotherapy advice if you are having difficulty managing this problem.
Page last reviewed: 19 September 2022
Next review due: 19 September 2025
Wrist and thumb pain after pregnancy?
By Megan Storey | January 31, 2020
It has been a long journey and you’ve been through a lot over the last 10 months. You’re already exhausted and you’ve only just started your life with a new addition to the family. Life doesn’t get much busier than this, right?! How frustrating then that you’re having to battle through this new period with a sore wrist and thumb. If it’s any consolation, you’re not alone. One study from 2017 reported over 50% of women experienced wrist pain following delivery of their baby, and over 80% of those still had pain two months on. Read on to find out why.
The most common cause of wrist and thumb pain after pregnancy is a condition called De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis. That’s a bit of a mouthful so let us explain simply. There are a few different tendons which run from muscles in the forearm along the thumb side of the wrist, which act to move the thumb away from the hand when the palm is held out flat. The tendons are covered in a thin ‘sheath’ of tissue which provides important lubrication to allow for smooth movement. On their journey from the forearm, the tendons and their sheaths have to pass through a little tunnel, made up of bone and soft tissue. In De Quervain’s, the tendons and/or sheaths become thickened and this leads to problems with movement through the tunnel.
It is thought that new mums are at higher risk of developing this condition due to the repetitive nature of lifting and holding their baby. These movements put the hand, thumb and wrist into a compromised position and increases strain through those tissues. It has also been suggested that increased fluid retention and hormonal changes following pregnancy could also be involved in the development of this condition.
Another common cause of wrist and hand pain following pregnancy is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. This condition involves the pinching of a nerve as it passes through the wrist. This is different from De Quervain’s in that a patient will experience pins and needles and/or numbness in the hand as well as wrist pain—a blog topic for another month!
Signs and symptomsIf you develop this condition you can expect the following:
- Pain and/or swelling around the base of the thumb, and thumb side of the wrist
- Pain increased by thumb and wrist movements
- Pain associated with gripping, lifting and twisting objects
- Popping/clicking with wrist movements (in severe cases)
If you are reading this and alarm bells are already ringing, then you may want to consider giving us a call to book an appointment. We can help you with this problem so read on to see what treatment we offer.
TreatmentAs this is a busy time of your life, our aim will be to get you out of pain and functioning as soon as possible. After all, you have a little one to prioritise now and it’s not like you can just stop parenting to allow your body to heal. Fortunately, you don’t have to. Our treatment for De Quervain’s may include any or all of the below options:
- Rest and splinting: In the initial stages, you may need to alter how much you do with your wrist and thumb. Getting some extra help around the house from friends and family may help to take the load off. Using feeding pillows to support the baby during meal times is another way to reduce your ‘holding’ time. Wearing a splint or brace can help to reduce aggravating movements in key areas of the wrist whilst still allowing you to move and perform your everyday We may fit you with one of these if we think it is necessary.
- Massage and joint mobilisation: To release tight muscles and restore range of motion to the hand, wrist and forearm joints.
- Taping: To support the wrist or aid with drainage of the wrist area back up the limb towards the heart.
- Stretching: To combat any tightness of the hand and forearm muscles. You’ll also need to do some of these at home.
- Graded strengthening exercises: Evidence is pointing more towards gradual loading exercises to rehabilitate the tendon and restore full movement and strength to the tissues.
Other treatment options include therapeutic ultrasound and corticosteroid injections for pain relief. For severe or persistent cases that don’t respond to a more conservative approach, a surgical opinion may be required. We will always work hard to ensure you don’t reach that point because the recovery is always longer and it means a time period where your function will be much reduced, which is always difficult when you have a little one.
Our advice to you is to not let it get to that in the first place. No matter how trivial you think it is, if you start to feel pain in your wrist in the early days of motherhood, please get in touch with us here at Physiotherapy for Women. We can put all of the above in place straight away to avoid your pain getting out of control. That means more time for you and your baby. What could be more important at this time?
See you next month!
Hands hurt during pregnancy
Carpal tunnel syndrome: characteristic symptoms
Pain occurs, as already mentioned, due to compression of the median nerve, so the most innervation is carried out not by the median nerve, but by the outgoing branches of the ulnar nerve), wrist, palmar surface of the hand.
The period characteristic for the manifestation of this disease, when the wrist of the left hand most often hurts, is the 3rd trimester of pregnancy.
The nature of the discomfort is determined by the fact that the hands and wrists hurt, swell and go numb during pregnancy, sometimes trembling of the fingers may be present.
In addition to the above, vasoconstriction, increased sensitivity of the hands to cold, and pallor of the skin are added. Most often, the disease manifests itself at night, but symptoms can also be observed during the day.
If pain occurs in the little finger or on the back of the hand, then this indicates the presence of another disease, since these parts of the hand have a different innervation.
Often the syndrome resolves after labor. A woman's normal, prenatal metabolism is restored. . However, if the disease persists, then you need to contact a hematologist (nephrologist, neuropathologist, cardiologist) to prescribe drug therapy. Physiotherapy also helps to avoid the frequent occurrence of pain.
If the situation does not improve, then surgical treatment must be applied.
Cause of pain
So, why do hands hurt during pregnancy? As a rule, during this period, a woman begins to gain weight, which is the physiological norm for this condition. However, after weight gain, edema may appear, indicating a violation of the water-salt metabolism in the body. Here, a woman may complain that her joints of the hands hurt during pregnancy. Along with the violation of water-salt metabolism, there is a decrease in blood flow.
Innervation changes due to nerve compression. Due to the current situation, the nerve cannot conduct nerve impulses normally, and this, in turn, leads to a lack of impulses in the wrist and hand area.
Most often, women who suffer from kidney and heart problems, as well as overweight, rheumatic diseases, and fractures in the area of the hands suffer from diseases. Pregnant women also have reduced immunity, so most often they have exacerbated chronic diseases.
The hands are the most painful, since everything has to be done with the hands. In addition to numbness, pain, in the hands there may be sensations such as: hand tremor; the appearance of heaviness in the hands; feeling of weakness in the fingers; itching in the palms.
Many women are forced to remove jewelry from their fingers and hands due to severe discomfort and pain.
How to get rid of the disease
If you are still overtaken by this disease, first you need to adjust your lifestyle and diet.
Taking into account the fact that the body of a pregnant woman is undergoing restructuring, she needs the so-called "building materials". These include vitamins (especially vitamins K, B12, B6, C, E - they are all involved in hematopoiesis). Therefore, you should eat meat products (poultry), vegetables (peppers, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers), fruits (oranges, lemons, apples, bananas, kiwi), berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries), also legumes, dairy products. Flour products and foods rich in starch should be excluded from the diet.
After adjusting the diet, physical activity should be put in order. So, if you are busy with one thing, during which the woman does not particularly move, you need to periodically perform exercises for the hands: shake, make circular movements with the hands, squeeze and unclench your fingers several times, bringing them into a fist.
If possible, try to avoid unnecessary stress on the hands (lean less on the hands, use special splints during a night's sleep). Do not forget that some pain sensations are a sign of the presence of severe or chronic diseases, so you need to tell your doctor about these sensations, who observes you throughout your pregnancy. Compliance with all these rules will help you reduce pain, or even completely get rid of them. And also spend your difficult, but very happy nine months in a good mood.
📌 issues of traumatology and advice on treatment
HANDS HURRY!!!
Complain
9 November 2012 21:20 at Personal Journal
Hello everyone! I didn't seem to find such a thread. Tell me, please, did someone have pain in their hands after childbirth? They started to get sick, about a month and a half. My baby is almost 6 months old, and I began to notice that sometimes I just can’t get him out of bed, my hands hurt so much. I’m afraid to drop him. What could it be? She didn’t give birth herself, it was a KS. And then many write that they pulled their hands during childbirth. We are on IV. I would very much like you to share your experience with whom to contact and what to do
0 141893526 January 2019 01:43 at Personal Journal
Complain Sometimes less, sometimes more. If I do something to her, it really hurts. Somehow I had such garbage with my leg, They gave an injection. Everything went at once. I have already matured to put an injection in the brush, But is it possible during pregnancy? Maybe someone knows? I don’t feel like going to the doctor just like that, time, money, strength. And will this be all I have after giving birth, To still go to the doctor to give an injection?...0 8112
My hands hurt
Complain
23 May 2019 22:45 at Personal journal
I don’t know if it’s a coincidence or not, but somewhere in the second trimester my hands started to hurt. She wore red woolen threads, smeared with declofenac, nothing helped. The hands have been hurting for a long time, maybe someone had it, it will pass after childbirth or do you still need to see a doctor? And I don’t even know which doctor to turn to, for the first time in my life such garbage. 🤔
0 8116my hands hurt wildly
Complain
September 11, 2012 15:13 to bearable, the doctor says that you can’t do anything now while I’m feeding, then injections can be pricked, I just know what happens after childbirth, my hands hurt very much, but I didn’t think that I just don’t have the strength so much how it hurts!
0 8656Pain in the hands or Carpal tunnel syndrome (carpal tunnel syndrome) in pregnant women
Complain topic, but what to do, there is no answer. Below I give a brief description, reasons, how to determine that you have carpal tunnel syndrome, and what can be done to relieve pain. Carpal tunnel syndrome is a pinched, swollen, or pinched nerve that controls sensation in the palm, thumb, index, and middle fingers. How it manifests itself: pain, numbness of 1-4 fingers (individual joints of these fingers may hurt) pain and numbness go not only to the fingers, but also spread up the arm, to the elbow, and sometimes higher up to the shoulder or neck Reason: due to for hormonal changes in the body, swelling of the hands - "re...
4 141624669The hands began to hurt
to complain
August 13, 2017 07:02 In Personal journal
Already a couple of days, I wake up with small edema on my fingers and hands, the right stronger-TK. it is under the pillow, and is located below the left. She swells, therefore, more. I found a video on YouTube, which says that this is a tunnel syndrome of pregnant women, during the day all the liquid in the legs, because. the body gradually begins to accumulate water, and at night, when the body is horizontal, the liquid is distributed throughout the body, and the hands also suffer in the same way. The tissues surrounding the radius nerve compress it, which in fact causes pain. Salvation was said to be sought, in that. something, lie down on a higher pillow, put your hands above your legs, put something on while you sleep, and also keep your hands under cold water a couple in the morning ...
0 8240Hands hurt after childbirth
Complain
March 2, 2018 10:14 am at Personal log
First it started on one arm, then on the other. Pain in the hand and thumb area. The pain was tolerable, but yesterday I twitched sharply from a hot pen and now my thumb hurts on my right hand when I try to do something with it. It feels like a bunch has been pulled, maybe this? If you tore a ligament, would the pain be constant in any position? Girls who faced? We are on guards, see a doctor not until next week
0 15124Hands hurt
Complain
March 14, 2016 11:47 pm at Personal journal
Hello everyone, tell me someone? After the birth of the CS, 5. 5 months passed, the wrists on both hands began to hurt terribly, especially at night and in the area of \u200b\u200bthe thumb, and when tapping on the bone, it’s like an electric shock. We are on GV. Has anyone had this, did it go away on its own or should I see a rheumatologist? I started taking vitamins, maybe there is not enough calcium. Tell me, pliz
0 10288Restoration of the spine after childbirth
Complain
23 October 2014 14:48 at Personal journal
Found a very interesting and useful article on the restoration of the back after childbirth http://www.povonnik.org/povonnik ?view=spine-childbirth Back Pain After Childbirth New mothers often complain of back pain. According to statistics, discomfort in the lower back, neck and shoulders occurs in every second woman in labor. Sadly, this condition can last from a few weeks to 1 year. There are many reasons for back pain. These are heavy loads (everyday carrying the baby in her arms), and displacement of the axis of the spine during pregnancy, and stretching of the muscles of the back and abdomen, and childbirth itself, which are a lot of stress for the lower back and sacrum. Back pain is interconnected with the state of the abdominal muscles. During Pregnancy…
0 01684restoring the back after childbirth (long article. for those who are interested) back. According to statistics, discomfort in the lower back, neck and shoulders occurs in every second woman in labor. Sadly, this condition can last from a few weeks to 1 year. There are many reasons for back pain. These are heavy loads (everyday carrying the baby in her arms), and displacement of the axis of the spine during pregnancy, and stretching of the muscles of the back and abdomen, and childbirth itself, which are a lot of stress for the lower back and sacrum. Back pain is interconnected with the state of the abdominal muscles. During pregnancy, these muscles stretch and lengthen, diverge to the sides, as a result of this reproach ...
8 1317657Does anyone have joint pain after childbirth???
Complain
June 21, 2012 11:13 am at Personal journal 1. 8 months have already passed, 3 months ago my knee started to hurt, and some kind of lump appeared, I can’t get up on my knee at all, I went to the doctor, she said that it’s supposedly not enough calcium, you need to drink protein and all kinds of vitamins ... and now my back hurts terribly , and the chest, didn’t sleep at all tonight ... it’s scary that I’m only 19, and already sores like grannies .... (((((((
0 11406Exercises to lose weight after childbirth or how to lose weight after the birth of a child
Personal Journal
According to statistics, after childbirth, every woman has 10 - 15 kilograms of excess weight.To get rid of these unnecessary kilograms, an integrated approach is required, one of the mandatory components of a weight loss program for young mothers is a set of special exercises that help to lose weight after childbirth. loads have a wide range of beneficial effects: they improve metabolism and thereby increase efficiency, helping to get rid of the kilograms gained during pregnancy, as well as relieve stress, improve the functioning of internal organs and cheer up. When to start exercising? Time to return to physical exercises after natural childbirth will depend…
924351fitness after giving birth
Complain not only in order to become “as before” again, but also so that fatigue, despondency and weakness give way to cheerfulness, energy and joy. If someone tells you that you need to lose weight after giving birth, be sure that this person wishes you the worst. If only because excessively excessive physical activity and a strict diet are contraindicated for a young mother. Yes, and fat deposited for 9months on the hips and waist, according to the laws of nature, will leave your body along with breast milk. However, this does not mean that the movement should be forgotten. Now, when you are at home most of the time, the body does not ... in order to become “as before” again, but also so that fatigue, despondency and weakness give way to cheerfulness, energy and joy. If someone tells you that you need to lose weight after childbirth, be sure that this person wishes you the worst. If only because excessively excessive physical activity and a strict diet are contraindicated for a young mother. Yes, and fat deposited for 9months on the hips and waist, according to the laws of nature, will leave your body along with breast milk. However, this does not mean that the movement should be forgotten. Now, when you are at home most of the time, the body does not receive as much physical activity as it did before ... after childbirth It is necessary to strengthen the body after childbirth not only in order to become “as before” again, but also so that fatigue, despondency and weakness give way to cheerfulness, energy and joy. If someone tells you that after childbirth you need to lose weight - be sure that this person wants the worst for you. If only because excessively excessive physical activity and a strict diet are contraindicated for a young mother. Yes, and fat deposited for 9months on the hips and waist, according to the laws of nature, will leave your body along with breast milk. However, this does not mean that the movement should be forgotten. Now, when you are at home most of the time, the body does not get as much physical activity as it did before birth ...
I found it on the baby, it may be useful to someone else. Good luck to everyone in restoring your figure!! First Steps Complex You can start fitness classes almost immediately after childbirth, starting with easy exercises, move on to more complex ones, gradually increasing the load. These exercises will help you develop muscle strength and flexibility. Before you begin to perform them, make sure that you feel well enough. 1 - 14 days after birth: 1. Belly breathing Lie on your back, bend your knees, feet flat on the floor. Inhale through your nose, as you exhale pull your stomach in. Hold this position for 5 seconds while maintaining normal breathing. Then relax your stomach and repeat the exercise ...
5 31787Figure, belly after childbirth
Complain
19 January 2011 14:59 at Personal journal
Everyone knows in advance that after the birth of a child, she will become different (more by one, two, or even three sizes). You scare yourself with the coming catastrophic changes in the figure. But in vain. Of course, after giving birth, we really become different - this is the law of nature. But fitness is so strong that it is able to veto even such laws. We will talk about a special program for young mothers. It is important that it was developed by a professional fitness practitioner who herself went through childbirth. In fact, we have heard a lot about the need to do physical exercises after childbirth. Yes, they only came from doctors, ...
0 41712My long story before and after childbirth…
Complain
20 June 2011 23:56 at Personal journal
to end. I decided to write it, although earlier I wanted to forget everything like a bad dream. But this is my life. And now not only mine) It seems that I have matured to tell my birth story ... My husband and I stopped using protection in March 2009years, when we realized that we want to become parents and it's time for our baby to come to our house. I was 28, my husband was 36. I remember very well that after the first unprotected sex I felt very important, proud and in general “all so unearthly”, for some reason I was firmly convinced that everything should happen and ...
46 19413678My long story before and after giving birth…
Complain
June 20, 2011 11:56 pm at Birthing Stories
My story is actually VERY long, so don't be surprised if a lot of people don't read it to the end. I decided to write it, although earlier I wanted to forget everything like a bad dream. But this is my life. And now not only mine) It seems that I have matured to tell my birth story ... My husband and I stopped using protection in March 2009years, when we realized that we want to become parents and it's time for our baby to come to our house. I was 28, my husband was 36. I remember very well that after the first unprotected sex I felt very important, proud and in general “all so unearthly”, for some reason I was firmly convinced that everything should happen and . ..
25 14511421Fitness at home. Training after childbirth.
Complain
May 31, 2012 07:08 pm0005
@) It is generally accepted that, along with motherhood, one should forget about a thin waist and smooth hips. Everyone knows in advance that after the birth of a child, she will become different (more by one, two, or even three sizes). You scare yourself with the coming catastrophic changes in the figure. But in vain. Of course, after giving birth, we really become different - this is the law of nature. But fitness is so strong that even such laws can be vetoed. In fact, we have already heard a lot about the fact that after childbirth it is necessary to do physical exercises. Yes, they only came from doctors for whom your figure was in tenth place. Well, we will set ourselves the task of returning to our former body, the same one that you had before ...
4 316000Exercises after childbirth (so as not to lose :))
Complain
May 9, 2013 2:26 pm at Personal journal
or after childbirth! It is necessary to restore the body after childbirth not only in order to regain its former shape, but also so that despondency and fatigue recede, and there is more energy. Despite the fact that weight loss and strict diets after childbirth are contraindicated, any gynecologist will advise you to do the exercises. Of course, if the birth was without complications. Day after day, week after week, vivacity comes, the body becomes elastic, muscles get stronger, and the skin returns tone. When should I start exercising after giving birth? You can start exercising almost immediately after ...
2 0569Exercises for the abdomen after childbirth
Complain
19 November 2013 21:55 at Personal journal
that after the birth of a child, it will become different (more by one, two, or even three sizes). You scare yourself with the coming catastrophic changes in the figure. But in vain. Of course, after giving birth, we really become different - this is the law of nature. But fitness is so strong that it is able to veto even such laws. We will talk about a special program for young mothers. It is important that it was developed by a professional fitness practitioner who went through childbirth herself. In fact, we have already heard a lot about the need to do physical exercises after childbirth. Yes, they only came from a doctor ...
1 0599Intimate hygiene after childbirth
Complain
7 December 2010 05:04 at Personal journal
In order to avoid the threat of various kinds of complications, it is very important for a woman in childbirth to observe the rules of intimate hygiene. Features of the body of a young mother organs and systems that changed during pregnancy. It is believed that the postpartum period lasts from 6 to 8 weeks and ends when the woman’s body returns to the state it was in before pregnancy. During the postpartum period ...
8 922882Figure after childbirth
Complain
25 April 2011 15:28 to Personal Journal
so that fatigue, despondency and weakness give way to cheerfulness, energy and joy. If someone tells you that you need to lose weight after giving birth, be sure that this person wishes you the worst. If only because excessively excessive physical activity and a strict diet are contraindicated for a young mother. Yes, and fat deposited for 9months on the hips and waist, according to the laws of nature, will leave your body along with breast milk. However, this does not mean that the movement should be forgotten. Now, when you are at home most of the time, the body does not receive as much physical activity as it did before childbirth. According to this…
3 2541FIGURE AFTER BIRTH
Complain
16 July 2011 15:01 at Personal journal
and so that fatigue, despondency and weakness give way to cheerfulness, energy and joy. If someone tells you that you need to lose weight after childbirth, be sure that this person wishes you the worst. If only because excessively excessive physical activity and a strict diet are contraindicated for a young mother. Yes, and fat deposited for 9months on the hips and waist, according to the laws of nature, will leave your body along with breast milk. However, this does not mean that the movement should be forgotten. Now, when you are at home most of the time, the body does not receive as much physical activity as it did before childbirth. According to this…
1 01150We restore the body after childbirth!
Complain
May 26, 2012 11:02 pm at Personal Journal a place of vivacity, energy and joy. If someone tells you that after giving birth you need to lose weight urgently, be sure that this person wishes you the worst. If only because excessively excessive physical activity and a strict diet are contraindicated for a young mother. Yes, and fat deposited for 9months on the hips and waist, according to the laws of nature, will leave your body along with breast milk. However, this does not mean that the movement should be forgotten. Now, when you are at home most of the time, the body does not get as much physical activity as it did before childbirth. …
5 03367Exercises after childbirth
It is necessary to strengthen the body after childbirth not only in order to become “as before” again, but also so that fatigue, despondency and weakness give way to cheerfulness, energy and joy. If someone tells you that after giving birth you need to lose weight, be sure that this person wishes you the worst. If only because excessively excessive physical activity and a strict diet are contraindicated for a young mother. Yes, and fat deposited for 9months on the hips and waist, according to the laws of nature, will leave your body along with breast milk. However, this does not mean that the movement should be forgotten. Now, when you are at home most of the time, the body does not receive as much physical activity as it did before childbirth. According to this ...
0 2489Intimate hygiene after childbirth
Complain
January 6, 2014 21:38 at Personal journal
. In order to avoid the threat of various kinds of complications, it is very important for the puerperal to observe the rules of intimate hygiene. Features of the body of a young mother The postpartum period, along with the periods of pregnancy and childbirth, plays an equally important role in a woman's life, because at this time there is a reverse development (involution) of all organs and systems that changed during pregnancy. It is believed that the postpartum period lasts from 6 to 8 weeks and ends when the woman's body returns to the state it was in before pregnancy. During the postpartum period…
0 51607Super clean! Intimate hygiene after childbirth!
Complain
March 31, 2015 13:53 at Personal journal role in the life of a woman, because at this time there is a reverse development (involution) of all organs and systems that changed during pregnancy. It is believed that the postpartum period lasts from 6 to 8 weeks and ends when the woman's body returns to the state it was in before pregnancy. During the postpartum period, the body of the puerperal has a number of features that make it very vulnerable to various infections. Let us dwell on them in more detail. Firstly, there is an extensive wound surface in the uterine cavity - this is the place where he attached ...
2 0933Constipation after childbirth
Complain
December 4, 2009 10:43 am at Personal Journal
Constipation in the postpartum period is associated, as a rule, with several reasons: A sharp change in hormonal levels. Weakening and stretching of the abdominal muscles and perineum. Uterine pressure. In the early postpartum period, the uterus is still enlarged and continues to compress the intestines to some extent. (Immediately after childbirth, the mass of the uterus is about a kilogram, and it returns to normal, “non-pregnant” sizes only after 6-8 weeks). Change in the position of the intestine in the abdominal cavity, its gradual shift to the usual .