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In normal delivery, the mother-to-be is required to push as hard as she can to help the baby get out of the womb. The strong force from the stomach can cause muscle injury in several parts of the body. So, which muscles are at risk of injury and how to deal with them? Check out the full review below.
Causes of muscle injury during childbirth
Every woman has a different experience during childbirth. There are those who feel excruciating pain, some are able to cope well. Regardless of the pain you feel during childbirth, all will disappear at once when you see the baby that has been waiting for three trimesters.
Basically, normal delivery is a process in which the mother exerts all her strength to bring the baby in the womb through the process of pushing. Not only the uterine muscles, all the muscles in the body work hard during childbirth.
The abdomen feels tight, the uterine muscles contract more and more to dilate the cervix, and the pelvic area feels full as a result of the baby's pushing out. This is why expectant mothers experience tremendous tension and fatigue in the legs, arms, back, and even the whole body. The urge to contract and push is what can cause muscle injury during childbirth.
The pelvic floor muscles (pelvic floor muscles) are the muscles most at risk for muscle injury during childbirth. The reason is, the pelvis is the place for the uterus and other reproductive organs which are the most important parts during pregnancy and childbirth.
When the pelvic floor muscles are injured, the condition is called pelvic floor disorderwhich is when a group of muscles attached to the pelvis becomes damaged during childbirth. This pelvic muscle injury is usually felt for one week after childbirth, although there are also those who feel it more than one week after childbirth.
Pelvic floor disorder with chronic pelvic pain can lead to pelvic organ prolapse. Pelvic organ prolapse is when the bladder, uterus, and / or rectum descend into the vagina, or even outside the vagina. As a result, patients tend to experience urinary incontinence and alvi incontinence.
Injury to this pelvic muscle can be prevented with an episiotomy procedure, which is an incision in the perineum (the muscle area between the vagina and anus) to help the baby be born. The healing process depends on the area of the perineal muscle that is torn. The wider the incision, the longer the healing process tends to be.
How to reduce pain due to muscle injury during childbirth
Pelvic muscle injuries usually subside 7 to 10 days after delivery. To help reduce the pain that is caused, compress the painful area with a towel soaked or moistened with warm water.
Reporting from the Everyday Health page, you can also gently wash the vagina or perineum with warm water (the direction is from front to back, not the other way around). This method can help reduce pain.
Stitches in the perineum resulting from an episiotomy tend to make it difficult for you to walk or sit up. You can overcome this by adjusting the sitting position as comfortable as possible. Use a soft base to help relieve pain.
Women who have recently given birth generally have difficulty defecating. Especially after undergoing an episiotomy, muscle pain will be even more pronounced when you have a bowel movement. Therefore, avoid the possibility of constipation so as not to make the pain worse. Eat foods high in fiber from vegetables and fruits and fill your fluid needs to avoid constipation and speed up the healing process.
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