Postpartum
Recovery timelines, mental health guidance, breastfeeding support, and what your 6-week checkup should really cover.
Baby Blues vs Postpartum Depression — Here's the Line
Baby blues are mood swings, tearfulness, and anxiety that peak around days 3–5 and resolve by two weeks postpartum — they affect up to 80% of new mothers and don't require treatment. Postpartum depression affects 1 in 7 women, involves persistent sadness, loss of interest, and difficulty functioning beyond two weeks, and is a highly treatable medical condition — not a sign of weakness.
6 questions answered · Updated 2026-02-16
Your Postpartum Body — Weight, Diastasis Recti, and Returning to Exercise
Your body has changed — some changes are temporary, some are permanent, and most are normal. Diastasis recti affects 60% of women at 6 weeks postpartum and usually improves with targeted exercise. Weight loss takes 6–12 months for most women, and 1–5 kg of retained weight at one year is average. Returning to exercise should be gradual, pelvic-floor-first, and guided by how your body responds rather than arbitrary timelines.
6 questions answered · Updated 2026-02-16
Breastfeeding Challenges — Mastitis, Pumping, Combo Feeding, and Weaning
Breastfeeding challenges are incredibly common — not a sign of failure. Mastitis affects up to 20% of breastfeeding women and needs prompt treatment. Clogged ducts respond to continued feeding, massage, and heat. Pumping requires strategy and support, especially when returning to work. Combination feeding (breast milk + formula) is a valid choice that doesn't have to be all-or-nothing. Weaning should be gradual and on your timeline — whether that's 3 months or 3 years.
6 questions answered · Updated 2026-02-16
Breastfeeding — Getting Started, Latch, Supply, and Engorgement
Breastfeeding is natural but not always intuitive — most women need support to get started successfully. Colostrum (the first milk) is produced in tiny but sufficient amounts. Mature milk typically comes in by day 3–5. A proper latch is the foundation of pain-free, effective feeding. Engorgement peaks around days 3–5 and resolves within 24–48 hours with frequent feeding. If breastfeeding hurts beyond initial tenderness, something needs to be adjusted — pain is not normal and shouldn't be endured.
6 questions answered · Updated 2026-02-16
Pelvic Floor Recovery After Birth — Kegels, PT, and When to Get Help
The pelvic floor supports your bladder, uterus, and rectum — and pregnancy and birth stretch, strain, and sometimes injure these muscles and connective tissues. Up to 50% of women have some degree of pelvic floor dysfunction after birth. Kegels help, but proper technique matters. Pelvic floor physical therapy is the gold standard treatment. Most issues are highly treatable — but they won't fix themselves, and they tend to worsen without intervention.
6 questions answered · Updated 2026-02-16
When Does Your Period Actually Come Back After Birth?
If you're not breastfeeding, your period typically returns within 6–8 weeks postpartum. If you're exclusively breastfeeding, it may not return for 6–18 months. The critical fact most women don't know: you can ovulate before your first postpartum period — meaning you can get pregnant without ever seeing a period return.
6 questions answered · Updated 2026-02-16
Physical Recovery After Birth — Lochia, Healing, and What to Expect
Postpartum physical recovery involves healing from an event comparable to major surgery. Lochia (postpartum bleeding) lasts 4–6 weeks and follows a predictable color progression. Perineal tears heal in 2–6 weeks depending on severity. Cesarean incisions take 6–8 weeks for initial healing. Afterpains, night sweats, hair loss, and joint changes are all normal. Understanding what to expect helps you distinguish normal recovery from warning signs that need medical attention.
6 questions answered · Updated 2026-02-16
Postpartum Hair Loss — When It Starts, When It Stops, What to Do
During pregnancy, elevated estrogen keeps hair in the growth phase so you shed less and hair feels thicker. After birth, estrogen drops 90–95% and all that "extra" hair falls out at once — starting around months 2–4, peaking at months 3–6, and regrowing fully within 12 months. It looks alarming but is completely normal and temporary.
6 questions answered · Updated 2026-02-16
Postpartum Mental Health — Intrusive Thoughts, Bonding, Identity, and Going Back to Work
Postpartum mental health is far more nuanced than the 'baby blues vs. PPD' binary. Intrusive thoughts about harm coming to your baby are experienced by over 90% of new parents and are usually a normal (if terrifying) part of new parenthood. Bonding doesn't always happen instantly — and delayed bonding doesn't mean you're a bad parent. Identity loss, relationship strain, and the emotional upheaval of returning to work are all real, valid, and addressable. You deserve support for all of it.
6 questions answered · Updated 2026-02-16
Nobody Told Me About Postpartum Rage
Postpartum rage — explosive, disproportionate anger that feels completely out of character — is a recognized symptom of postpartum mood disorders including PPD and PPA. It's driven by hormonal fluctuations, chronic sleep deprivation, and the overwhelming demands of new parenthood, and it is highly treatable with therapy, medication, and support.
6 questions answered · Updated 2026-02-16
Postpartum Self-Care — Sleep, Nutrition, Help, and Finding Your Village
Postpartum self-care isn't bubble baths and face masks — it's the basic infrastructure that keeps you functioning: sleep strategies that actually help, nutrition that supports recovery and breastfeeding, accepting help without guilt, and building a support network. The most important self-care is allowing yourself to be cared for. You cannot pour from an empty cup, and the cultural expectation that new mothers should do it all alone is both historically unprecedented and psychologically harmful.
6 questions answered · Updated 2026-02-16
Sex After Baby — When to Resume, Libido Changes, and Body Image
Most providers recommend waiting at least 6 weeks before intercourse, but many women aren't ready at 6 weeks — and that's completely normal. Low libido postpartum is driven by hormones (especially if breastfeeding), exhaustion, pain, body image changes, and the psychological transition to parenthood. Pain during sex is common and treatable. There's no timeline for when you 'should' want sex — it comes back when the conditions are right, and creating those conditions is a shared responsibility.
6 questions answered · Updated 2026-02-16
Postpartum Recovery Timeline — Week by Week for the First Year
Postpartum recovery takes far longer than 6 weeks. While the uterus returns to pre-pregnancy size by ~6 weeks, full physical recovery takes 6–12 months, hormonal stabilization can take a year or more, and many women report still feeling 'not quite themselves' at 12 months. Understanding the real timeline helps you set realistic expectations, ask for help, and recognize when something isn't progressing normally.
6 questions answered · Updated 2026-02-16
Your 6-Week Checkup Is NOT Enough — What to Actually Ask For
The standard 6-week postpartum checkup is typically a brief visit that misses critical issues. You should proactively ask for a pelvic floor assessment referral, diastasis recti check, validated PPD/PPA screening, thyroid panel, and a real contraception conversation — because full postpartum recovery takes 12–18 months, not 6 weeks.
6 questions answered · Updated 2026-02-16