Postpartum Period

• Postparturm period - Period after childbirth o Lasts for about 6 weeks or until the mother’s body has completed the adjustment and returned to nearly prepregnant state
• Physical Adjustment --Loss of sleep that the primary caregiver experiences during this period o Sudden and dramatic hormone production o Estrogen and progesterone levels drop steeply and remain low until the ovaries start producing again
• Emotional fluctuations are common
• Postpartum Blues – 2-3 days after birth they feel depressed, anxious, and upset
• Postpartum Depression – involves a major depressive episode that typically occurs about four weeks after delivery or at least a two-week period of having trouble coping with their daily task
• Postpartum Depression could affect how the mother interacts with her infant
• Fathers may also experience depression or they may feel replaced by the baby
• Bonding - Formation of connection, especially a physical bond between parents and the newborn in the period shortly after birth
• Newborn MUST have close contact with the mother in the first few days of like to develop optimally is NOT true