At the six weeks postpartum checkup does the doctor check your breasts?

A constant visit to your doctors for nine months and undergoing all the check ups might get you fed up of it all by the end of it. But postpartum check ups are equally important as they determine how well you are coping up after delivery and to ensure that there are no problems and are fit physically as well as emotionally. The postpartum check up at 6 weeks is the last of all the check ups you had been through so that is a relief and it is important that you do not miss it. This is a physical exam where in your doctor will check your pelvic, breasts and in case you have had a cesarean, your doctor might check the scar. Your doctor will ask you a lot of questions about your health, your baby, if you are exhausted and so on. The doctor will check your blood pressure, weight and your abdomen. Your pelvic, uterus and ovaries will be examined as your uterus should be back to its usual size by the end of six weeks. The doctor will also check if there is any infection in the uterus and may also conduct a pap smear to detect any abnormal tissues in your cervix. If you have had a tear in you vagina during delivery the doctor will check to see if it is healing well.

Your breasts will also be checked as this is very important, especially to women who are breastfeeding their babies. There are a number of changes that your breasts undergo during pregnancy and after delivery; therefore, your doctor needs to identify what is normal and what is not. Your breasts are examined thoroughly to check if there is any blocked milk ducts that generally feel like small knots. It is important to identify these lumps as this could lead to an infection which is the result of bacteria that gets caught in between the milk duct with the infected area turning red and hot. You might also notice certain other symptoms like flu, body ache or fever. The doctor will also check for any unusual discharge from the nipples. You might be screened for postpartum depression because this is very common and around 30 percent of mothers go through this within the first year of motherhood. Make good use of this opportunity to clear out any doubts or queries that you have. Your doctor might tell you that it is safe to have sex from now on.

Submitted by P T on March 24, 2010 at 12:12

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