Throughout the entire period of pregnancy, the restructuring of the body of each woman takes place, it is exposed to certain loads. The strongest influence is, naturally, during childbirth. Most often, it is accompanied by fairly strong pain. An indisputable fact is that the vagina changes significantly. So, consider what happens to the vagina after childbirth.
How to help yourself?
For faster recovery, you need to perform exercises specifically designed to work out the muscles of the perineum and pelvis. They need to be done not only at the beginning of pregnancy, but also before conception. Thus, the muscles will be strengthened, which means that childbirth is more likely to pass easily and correctly.
But in most cases, many women do not think about this or start doing it after the birth has passed, when considerable discomfort is already felt. At this stage, there are no barriers to the restoration of the muscles of the birth canal, only desire is needed. It is worth noting that in many cases, the intervention of the surgeon can be avoided.
The recovery period for everyone lasts differently. In order for the vagina to quickly return to normal after childbirth, you need to remember some nuances.
Physical transformations
In order to visualize in what condition the vagina is after childbirth, you need to remember how the child moves along it. It happens that some children are quite large, and their weight reaches five kilograms. That is why it becomes clear to what extent the load on the birth canal is carried out.
Sometimes vaginal ruptures can occur that take quite a while to heal. In this case, a woman will feel discomfort for several months due to gradually healing stitches.
One of the changes in the vagina is its stretching. Since it is a muscular organ, at the time when the baby moves through the birth canal, the walls are stretched, and this process is absolutely normal. In a few weeks, its usual size will be restored. And even a too large vagina will return to its previous state, but at the same time its shape will be lost.
There is also swelling of the vagina after childbirth, which goes away after three to four days, and no one feels any discomfort.
Abrasions and cracks in the vagina are noticeable during examination, its walls acquire a bluish-purple color. In just two weeks, the usual condition will be restored: the swelling will go away, the cracks will heal gradually, and the walls will again acquire the usual pale pink color.
The relief of the walls of the vagina after childbirth changes (photos from medical publications illustrate this well). There is a misconception that after childbirth a woman’s vagina increases significantly, but in fact it all consists in changing the walls. Nulliparous relief is sharper, and after childbirth it is more smooth. That is why it may seem that an organ enlargement has occurred. This can prevent men from having sexual intercourse, but with the right choice of posture, discomfort is not difficult to avoid.
Scheduled inspection
After the baby is born, the doctor performs a routine examination, which may result in the diagnosis of certain disorders. If a woman noticed such symptoms while already at home, it is not recommended to postpone a visit to the gynecologist.
Since the vagina is formed by muscle tissue, over time, its previous shape will be restored, maybe not one hundred percent, but this should not become a cause for concern.
How should the vagina not look after childbirth?
Possible deviations
There are situations when a woman may experience unwanted symptoms. To prevent them from developing into complications and to avoid treatment, you must be aware of the possible ways to deal with them.
Deviations are indicated by such signals.
1. Decrease in sensitivity. It is a temporary sign, and there is no need to panic about this. For some time, a woman can generally lose sensitivity, since the walls of the vagina are no longer the same as before, and for their recovery a certain period of time is needed.
2. The pain. Very often women experience discomfort, and for all the vagina after childbirth (the photo clearly reflects the problem) it hurts in different ways. The reason lies in the rupture of the perineum and stretching, while always suturing. Unpleasant sensations are characteristic just for the area where the stitching is done, since the nerve endings are often affected. However, over time, the woman will no longer be bothered by pain.
3. Itching. With such a symptom, you should immediately consult a specialist. The reason for it may lie in an allergic reaction to the material used for the suture or the antiseptic used during childbirth. No need to try to solve this problem without a medical examination, since only a competent person can choose the appropriate treatment. Most often in these cases, douching is prescribed.
4. Dryness is another symptom recently complained of by women who have given birth. It appears due to a decrease in estrogen levels and most often affects nursing mothers. Over time, this symptom disappears, and before this happens, you can use special gels that help moisturize the vagina, or use intimate lubricants based on water. Products with an oil base are undesirable because they create a heavily permeable film. What a vagina looks like after childbirth is of interest to many women.
What other deviations are there?
Omission. Due to the fact that the muscles of the pelvic floor are weakened, they can no longer hold their organs. That is why there is an omission, having various stages: partial, when the walls do not extend beyond the vagina; protrusion outward; prolapse in which the intervention of the surgeon is already required.
A bad smell from the woman’s vagina after childbirth indicates any inflammation or suppuration of the suture. In this case, you can not be treated on your own, after consulting a specialist, certain medications will be prescribed.
Allocations. After the woman has given birth, they have the appearance of mucus with a splash of blood and are called "lochia." Initially, they look like menstruation, later their intensity decreases. After two months, such discharge stops completely. If this did not happen, you should immediately go to the doctor.
How is the vagina restored?
When the muscles of the vagina after childbirth stretch too much, this does not very well affect the future life of a woman. This process is especially strongly reflected in the sexual sphere, as partners may experience a decrease in the quality of physical relationships.
The recovery period for the vagina lasts from six to eight weeks, however, these periods are relative, since they are determined by the individual characteristics of each organism and possible complications that may appear after the birth of the baby. There are a number of recommendations, adhering to which, you can speed up the recovery process. What about the vagina after giving birth? It is better to check with a gynecologist.
Medical advice
Doctors advise to refrain from sexual relations during this period. It is necessary to know the periods during which the vagina is restored after childbirth, and the uterine wound surface, which forms in the place where the placenta was attached, heals. During sexual contact, there is a chance of infection in an open wound, and in this case endometritis is inevitable, that is, an inflammatory process that affects the uterus. That is why for two months after giving birth, a couple needs to be patient in this regard.
If dryness is a concern, then during an intimate relationship you need to use various lubricating gels.
Difficult but achievable
To return the muscles to their previous tone, you need to work hard. But this is not a reason for gloom and thoughts that the process of restoration of the vagina will be too complicated.
Currently, there are several ways to help solve this problem. Moreover, you can immediately not think about surgical intervention, because there are easier methods. You need to contact a surgeon only if there is no other way out. How to reduce a large vagina after childbirth?
Kegel exercises
One of the most effective methods is the implementation of a series of exercises that were developed by A. Kegel and brought him worldwide popularity. These exercises are very simple to perform, they can be done almost everywhere, in addition, they have a good result. Thanks to their use, the blood circulation of organs located in the pelvic area is enhanced, the muscles of the vagina become elastic, elastic and strong. Doing exercises is recommended five to six times every day, resulting in significant muscle strengthening. One of the most effective ways is the following: you need to tighten the muscles of the perineum and keep them in this state for as long as it turns out, and then gradually relax them. Initially, it may seem that they cannot be kept tense. But after some time, when the muscle elasticity increases, the implementation will be much easier. However, for a greater effect, it is worth performing all the exercises from the complex created by Kegel.
Most women wonder: if the vagina is stretched after childbirth, how long will it recover? Most often this occurs within six weeks. But when performing Kegel exercises, the period can be significantly reduced.
Surgical method
Sometimes complications arise in which it is impossible to avoid surgery. If a woman does not restrain urination during laughter, feels significant discomfort, and various complexes of special exercises do not help at all, you need to agree on a surgical method to solve the problem. In addition, surgery is necessary when the prolapse of the uterus has occurred or muscles are very badly damaged.
Due to the fact that muscle breaks can occur, in the maternity hospital often stitches of inadequate quality are placed, due to which the size of the vagina after childbirth increases, and the woman does not get pleasant feelings during sexual contact. To solve this problem, it is necessary to produce intimate plastic. Usually also implied is plastic cervix, often damaged during childbirth.
Conclusion
Since childbirth is a very complex process, in addition to unforgettable and happy moments, some complications may arise. That is why you need to take care of your own health in advance and prepare for pregnancy and the birth of a baby.
If a woman realizes what processes are taking place in her body, she is already calm about them. The main thing for a young mother is to help her body return to its normal state.
Also, do not panic if air comes out of the vagina during intercourse. This happens even in women who have not yet given birth. Do not be shy about this, but just discuss what worries with your partner, do not keep your thoughts inside.
We discussed in detail what the vagina looks like after childbirth, we hope that the information was useful.