Skin Conditions—Postpartum Care

Also called: Post-pregnancy health

Taking home a new baby is one of the happiest times in a woman’s life. But it also presents both physical and emotional challenges.

• Get as much rest as possible. You may find that all you can do is eat, sleep, and care for your baby. And that is perfectly okay. You will have spotting or bleeding, like a menstrual period, off and on for up to six weeks.
• You might also have swelling in your legs and feet, feel constipated, have menstrual-like cramping. Even if you are not breastfeeding, you can have milk leaking from your nipples, and your breasts might feel full, tender, or uncomfortable.
• Follow your doctor’s instructions on how much activity, like climbing stairs or walking, you can do for the next few weeks.
• Doctors usually recommend that you abstain from sexual intercourse for four to six weeks after birth.

In addition to physical changes, you may feel sad or have the “baby blues.” If you are extremely sad or are unable to care for yourself or your baby, you might have a serious condition called postpartum depression.

Dept. of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health

• After vaginal delivery – in the hospital (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Losing weight after pregnancy (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Vaginal delivery – discharge (Medical Encyclopedia)

Also called: Cutaneous disorders, Dermatologic disorders

Your skin is your body’s largest organ. It covers and protects your body. Your skin

• Holds body fluids in, preventing dehydration
• Keeps harmful microbes out, preventing infections
• Helps you feel things like heat, cold, and pain
• Keeps your body temperature even
• Makes vitamin D when the sun shines on it

Anything that irritates, clogs, or inflames your skin can cause symptoms such as redness, swelling, burning, and itching. Allergies, irritants, your genetic makeup, and certain diseases and immune system problems can cause rashes, hives, and other skin conditions. Many skin problems, such as acne, also affect your appearance.

NIH: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

• Acrodermatitis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Cryotherapy (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Cutaneous skin tags (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Dry skin — self-care (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Erythema multiforme (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Granuloma annulare (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Keratosis pilaris (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Lichen planus (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Milia (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Sebaceous cyst (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Seborrheic keratosis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Skin lesion removal (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Skin lesion removal-aftercare (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Stasis dermatitis and ulcers (Medical Encyclopedia)