The contraction of the uterus and its return to its original state and position is called involution, and the violation in this process is a subinvolution . The process begins immediately after birth - the uterus is greatly reduced. Due to the fact that the large uterus rapidly decreases in size after delivery, at first it has a folded character. Over time, folds are smoothed.
The condition of the uterus after childbirth and the speed of its contractions directly depends on several reasons. Among them:
- general health of a woman;
- age of the mother in childbirth;
- features of the course of pregnancy;
- endocrine processes;
- number of pregnancies and length of labor;
- presence of diseases of the reproductive system;
- way of feeding a child.
The latter factor plays, perhaps, the most important role in the process of contraction and recovery of the uterus after childbirth. In lactating women, the uterus contracts much faster.
How and when is the uterus restored after delivery?
The process of involution occurs immediately after the birth of the baby. If immediately after birth the uterus weighs about 1 kilogram, then by the end of the first week its weight is reduced by half. Gradually the uterus decreases in size and volume, becoming the same.
By the end of the second week, the uterus weighs 350 grams, by the end of the third - 250 grams. And already a month after the birth the uterus acquires its former shape, size and weight - it weighs about 70-75 grams. This completes the process of involution.
As for the location of the uterus, in the first day after delivery, its bottom is still quite high - at the level of the navel. With each next day, she falls on one cross-finger. At the end of the second week, the uterus is usually hidden behind the bosom.
How much the uterus will contract after delivery and how intensive this process will be, depends on the breastfeeding of the baby. No wonder the barely born baby is put to the mother's breast. In addition, in the first 2-3 days after delivery it is useful to sleep on the stomach.