Giving birth is not the end of your challenging journey. Not only your body will experience many changes, but your emotions will also be on the line and this includes anxiety, mood swings, sleeping difficulty and crying sessions. Pregnancy is indeed a wonderful, life-changing event. But the afterbirth phase is more challenging than ever. This is what we called the postpartum period. For extra care, you can buy postpartum care products Malaysia for your body.
The six weeks following childbirth are generally referred to as the postpartum period. As you and the baby are adjusting to one another, this is a critical period for both you and your newborn baby. You will be thrilled to be home with your new baby after 9 months of waiting. During the coming weeks and months of your postpartum period, you’ll be focusing a lot of your attention and energy on the baby while dealing with your own physical and emotional changes, but don’t forget to look after yourself.
It is important to take precautions from the moment you confirmed your pregnancy until the day you deliver your newborn baby. While most women pay attention to the posture of their bodies, exercises, sleep schedule, food intake, and stress management, travelling after giving birth to their newborns is also something they were looking forward to.
Some women would prefer to travel to unwind their minds and relax their bodies and some want to travel to show their newborns to their family and friends, especially those who live far away from their loved ones. Many people would recommend those who are in their postpartum period to avoid any long-distance travel after childbirth as they are at risk of many childbirth complications and are still in the process of recovery.
Travelling After Childbirth
It is completely understandable that you want to go on travel after giving birth as it was a mentally draining journey for women. Especially when you are restricted to move around even in your own house after you have conceived. The urge to go on a travel and relax your mind is getting bigger and bigger. Of course, you can travel, but only for a limited distance after you have passed the two-week mark. However, it is best for you to limit your movement during your postpartum period.
Indeed, postpartum complications including blood clots, bleeding, and infection have a bigger chance to occur, especially after the first week or two after birth. For c-section recovery, setbacks like wound infection and incision separation are most common within the first few days. However, if you had an episiotomy or any perineal tearing during your childbirth, you may be in agony for several weeks, which may affect you while travelling. A c-section is also a serious surgery that takes several weeks to recuperate from.
In most cases, your obstetrician will advise you to stay away from any travel journey immediately right after you have conceived. Allow yourself time to recover and have a rest at your home. Your body is not yet ready to withstand the pressure of long-distance travel.
Why Is It Impossible?
- Postpartum Fatigue
It is normal for mothers who were just giving birth to their newborn tend to experience body aches, tiredness and fatigue during the postpartum period. Especially for the first-time mothers to adapt to the new life as a mother. The strains of labour and childbirth can be quite taxing on your body. Especially when you have to care for your newborn and get a lack of sleep, it’s no surprise that most women experience fatigue and exhaustion during the postpartum period.
During this period, women who are breastfeeding with mental health issues such as depression, bipolar, amnesia and anxiety will have a higher chance to develop extreme postpartum fatigue. Therefore, travelling during postpartum is not recommended at all for them. It is important for mothers who are in the postpartum period to take extra care not only of their newborn babies but also of themselves.
- Risk of Infection
After giving birth, your newborn will take around 2 to 4 months for them to develop immunity in their bodies that can help protect your baby from any disease and infection. Travelling during the postpartum period with your newborn baby will expose you and the baby to the risk of infection. The first three to ten weeks of childbirth will require extra care for yourself and your newborn.
Even if your body may seem like it is ready for any travel journey, you have to remember that your body is more sensitive and fragile to any kind of infections after you have conceived during the postpartum period. Not only that, but women who are in their postpartum period are also at higher risk to get blood clots. For better care for your body and the baby, it is recommended to postpone your travel journey.
- Complication Risk
Mothers who have just gone through a c-section delivery, maybe at a high risk of developing any kind of complications. For example, redness, tummy pain, vaginal bleeding, infection of the wound, swelling, vaginal discharge, and blood clots. All of these complications may occur during your travel journey and you may put yourself in extreme danger.
After a child’s delivery, you should stay at home and pay attention to your health more than ever, especially for mothers who have had a caesarean delivery. Wait for another six to ten weeks before scheduling any travel journey with your lovely husband and newborn baby.
It is not recommended at all for mothers who have just conceived to go on long-distance travel unless there is an urgency for them to travel. After all, you need to consult your doctor and obstetrician for better advice about your condition as well as your newborn baby. Postpartum can be a very challenging period after giving birth to your little baby. Do not take lightly your health condition as it can bring harm to you and sometimes even death. Take extra care of yourself and your newborn baby.
