How long does it take for uterus to shrink after c section

Q: Why is my belly still big 3 months postpartum?

However, a belly bulge that doesnt go away for months after delivery can be a sign of diastasis recti—a separation of your abdominal muscles. The normal separation between your abdominal muscles is about 0.5 – 1 centimeter or about one finger width.

Most mothers have those occasional (or more frequent) thoughts about how long their body is going to take to get back to its pre-pregnancy self. Growing a baby is a big project for any body, and while it is miraculous and incredible, it also has to happen in your body, which can be a little uncomfortable (to say the least). But while most of us wonder when our pre-baby bodies are going to come back, what about the organs involved? How long does it take for your uterus to go back to normal after giving birth? Thankfully, as with almost everything parenting related, nothing lasts forever: including the size of the organ that houses your baby for 40 weeks (more or less).

Table of Contents Show

How to Shrink Uterus After Birth?
1.Breastfeeding
2.Skin to Skin contact:
3.Belly Binding/Postpartum Girdle:
4.Fundal massage:
5.Mild Exercise:
6.Red Raspberry tea
Why is uterus not shrinking after pregnancy?
Signs of Uterus Sub Involution:
How long does it take for a belly to go down after C
How do I know if my uterus has gone back to normal after C
What happens if uterus doesn't shrink after C
Why is my belly still big 3 months postpartum?

While I've never been pregnant (I am, however, an adoptive mom to two incredible children) I've thought a lot about being pregnant and often wondered about what my body would look like after giving birth. Truth be told, though, I've never thought about what my uterus would do after playing such a big role in growing, housing, and expelling a baby. As it turns out, your uterus knows just what to do after giving birth (as does the rest of your organs) and gets right down to business, shrinking itself up as soon as you have a baby.

According to BabyCenter, "Within minutes of your baby's birth, contractions cause your uterus to shrink, its crisscrossed fibers tightening just like they did during labor. These contractions also help the placenta detach from the uterine wall." A week after giving birth, BabyCenter says your uterus will shrink to half the weight of what it was when you gave birth, down to about a pound in weight. Two weeks after giving birth, your uterus will have shrunk to about 11 ounces, and after four weeks it will be just about the same size it was before you gave birth. So, in the end, it will probably take a total of four weeks for your postpartum uterus to "get back to normal."

For reference, The Bump gives soon-to-be and/or new moms an idea as to just how large the uterus expands during pregnancy. Guys, it's incredible:

"It starts out about the size of your fist and hangs out deep in your pelvis. By about 18-20 weeks it will have grown out and up — reaching about as high as your belly button. From then on, it will measure about as many centimeters as the week you are in your pregnancy (so at 38 weeks, it will likely measure about 38 centimeters)."

So a woman's uterus shrinking back down to pre-pregnancy size is no small task, my friends. Just consider this example number 223,553,119 of how miraculous and badass the human body truly is.

One factor that plays a role in how long it takes your uterus to return to its pre-baby self is, believe it or not, breastfeeding. Women who breastfeed have the benefit of the hormone oxytocin that will help the uterus shrink even more quickly, according to Fit Pregnancy. If you choose not to breastfeed, or you're unable to breastfeed, your uterus will shrink, but likely less quickly than if you did and/or were able breastfeed. If you don't breastfeed, your uterus might take up to 10 weeks to return to its pre-baby size, instead of four to six weeks if you do, according to Fit Pregnancy.

Just like pregnancy, postpartum life is all about change, adjustment, and managing expectations. For the most part — and barring any complications — your body will know what to do in order to recover from pregnancy, labor, and delivery. Of course, if you ever have any lingering questions or odd feelings, it's best to contact your physician. After all, that's what they're there for.

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Your uterus is an amazing organ. It continually stretches to accommodate your growing baby. Before pregnancy, your uterus is in size of an orange; then it grows as big as a grapefruit by the end of the first trimester.

At the end of your third trimester, it is roughly the size of a watermelon.

Incredible, right?

But once your baby is born, the uterus starts contracting to return to its pre-pregnancy size. This process of your uterus contracting is medically known as involution. Once you have delivered your placenta, the uterus immediately starts to contract. The contraction of the uterus plays an important role in controlling postpartum bleeding.

How long for uterus to shrink after birth?
How to Shrink Uterus After Birth?
- 1.Breastfeeding
- 2.Skin to Skin contact:
- 3.Belly Binding/Postpartum Girdle:
- 4.Fundal massage:
- 5.Mild Exercise:
- 6.Red Raspberry tea
Why is uterus not shrinking after pregnancy?
Signs of Uterus Sub Involution:

Your uterus generally takes around 6 – 12 weeks to get back the pre-pregnancy state. In varies significantly based on the type of delivery you had, whether it was a C section or vaginal birth.

About one hour after birth, the fundus (the top part of the uterus) is firm and can be felt at the level of your belly button. After which the uterus reduces in height by 1 cm per day approximately.(source)

After around 12 days, your fundus should be non-palpable, meaning should be felt by touch. Your nurse might touch and feel your belly as a part of your postpartum check-up to make sure your uterus is contracting properly.

How to Shrink Uterus After Birth?

Your hormones and uterine muscles mainly drive the uterine involution (or contraction). But, there are certain things you can do to help your body.

1.Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding releases a hormone called oxytocin that helps the uterus contract. Oxytocin makes the breast muscles contract and helps them release milk. While doing so, they also help your uterus.

Every time I put my baby on my breasts I would feel increased tummy cramps. It is because when your baby sucks, oxytocin is released to trigger the ‘let down’ which also increases the after-birth pains.

Honestly, I felt more pain when I was nursing my second baby. But, don’t worry these uterine cramps should not last longer than a few days.

If you are unable to breastfeed, then you can try pumping milk. Pumping also has a similar effect of nipple stimulation and signals body to release oxytocin.

2.Skin to Skin contact:

If you didn’t want t0 pump or nurse, spending skin to skin time with your newborn baby also releases the ‘love’ hormone (oxytocin) which helps the uterus contract. You can even bond with your baby when you are giving your baby a bottle.

Strip your baby and let him wear only a diaper, and put him on your bare chest, shoulders or against your tummy if you are giving them a bottle.

3.Belly Binding/Postpartum Girdle:

Traditionally belly binding is done to help the uterus return to its original size. While there is no scientific evidence to back up the claim, there is much anecdotal evidence to support that belly bending helps with uterine contractions.

Think of belly wrapping as casting when you have broken legs. It helps support the internal organs and fasten the healing process. One of the well known method of belly binding is the Bengkung Belly Bind method. You can either ask your doula to bind you or learn how to self-bind. Here is a video on how to use the Bengkung Belly wrap after postpartum.

If you think belly binding using a fabric is too much hassle, then you can consider investing in a postpartum girdle. The concept of using postpartum girdle is the same as of belly binding except girdles are more straightforward and a lot quicker to wear. You do not need to learn the technique of traditional belly binding.

I can personally attest to the fact belly binding make moms feel confident,well-supported which eases them to transition to their regular routine.

4.Fundal massage:

Fundal massage or uterus massage helps in uterine involution but also helps relieve after birth pains, and reduce postpartum bleeding. Don’t expect fundal massages to be relaxing though.

It feel uncomfortable! Pushing and poking the uterus doesn’t really feel so good. Though it is undesirable, uterus massages are found to help expel blood clots from the uterus and help it to contract better thus reducing the risk of postpartum hemorrhage.

5.Mild Exercise:

When I say mild,I mean walking and not any strenuous exercise. Nobody is expecting to you run or do crunches after giving birth to a baby. That said, you should start moving as soon as you can. If you had stitches and had a long labor, you probably dread getting out the bed, but you need to.

Walking helps empty your bladder, or pas gas off your tummy, which gives more space for the uterus to contract. For example, a full bladder can push your uterus to a side impeding contractions. In short, walking helps your body overall and encourages every organ to get back to its normal state.

6.Red Raspberry tea

You might have known that red raspberry tea helps firms your uterus, and it is also touted as one of the natural remedies to induce labor. But, can it help post-delivery? Sure Can!

Red Rasperry tea is known as the women’s herb for all the amazing benefits it has for women. I drink this tea during my menstrual period, during pregnancy and postpartum. In the postpartum period, the tea helps in toning the uterus and reduce the bleeding.

Why is uterus not shrinking after pregnancy?

Sometimes for reasons (discussed below) your uterus might have trouble shrinking. Medically it is called as sub involution (source). You need to be watching for these signs because uterine sub involution is one of the primary cause of postpartum hemorrhage, where your bleeding does not stop and can be life-threatening in some cases.

In my case, the doctors realized that my uterus was not contracting because my bladder was full and I was not able to pass urine. When you have a long labor, it could put a lot of pressure on your organs and they might need help to get back to performing their normal duties.

They had to use a catheter to empty my bladder, and once my bladder was empty it gave space for my uterus to shrink back. Constipation ( a full rectum) can have a similar effect. Uterine Subinvolution might also happen if your placenta was not fully removed from your uterus.

Signs of Uterus Sub Involution:

It is so important to watch for these signs because a uterus that is not contracting can cause serious problems. If you are experiencing abnormal bleeding then you will have to talk to your doctor about this because, this could be a sign of your uterus not contracting.

One of the easiest way to check if your uterus in contracting is by feeling your fundus. You can learn how to decipher the position of your fundus from your doctor and keep checking at home.

How long does it take for a belly to go down after C

Once the baby is out, whether by vaginal or c-section delivery, the uterus contracts and shrinks to GRADUALLY go back down to size. That full process takes 6 weeks.

How do I know if my uterus has gone back to normal after C

During your postpartum checkup, your provider will check to see that your uterus is returning to its pre-pregnancy size. If your uterus isn't decreasing in size as it should (a condition called subinvolution), your healthcare provider may order an ultrasound to see what's happening.

What happens if uterus doesn't shrink after C

What Is Atony of the Uterus? Atony of the uterus, also called uterine atony, is a serious condition that can occur after childbirth. It occurs when the uterus fails to contract after the delivery of the baby, and it can lead to a potentially life-threatening condition known as postpartum hemorrhage.

Why is my belly still big 3 months postpartum?

However, a belly bulge that doesn't go away for months after delivery can be a sign of diastasis recti—a separation of your abdominal muscles. The normal separation between your abdominal muscles is about 0.5 – 1 centimeter or about one finger width.