Childbirth is a complex process that is difficult to predict.
It’s good when everything goes smoothly and without complications, but sometimes the birth of a baby entails many negative consequences for the mother’s health.
Below we will examine why temperature can rise after childbirth, as well as what to do about it.
Fever after childbirth: why
There are many reasons why the temperature rises after childbirth, many of which threaten serious complications.
Milk supply
The main reason for the increase in temperature is the influx of milk. It forms deep in the tissues, and its temperature is more than 37 degrees. When feeding a baby, the muscles in the duct of the glands contract, which also entails the generation of heat. In order to correctly measure the temperature, it is necessary to use the rectal method. You can put an armpit thermometer no earlier than half an hour after feeding.
Past birth
The natural cause of this condition is the hormonal surge that the body experiences during childbirth, as well as a strong loss of fluid, which can reach up to 8 liters.
Inflammatory processes after childbirth
The temperature after childbirth exceeding the level of 37.6, occurring two to three weeks after the birth, indicates that, most likely, an inflammatory process develops. It is possible that chronic infections worsened.
In order to avoid complications, the temperature after childbirth should be constantly monitored. Upon reaching 38 degrees and severe pain in the abdomen and perineum, it is necessary to consult your doctor. It is by no means possible to wait for all symptoms to pass on their own.
Lactostasis and mastitis
When mastitis occurs, the temperature can reach 40 degrees, the attack bacteria (in most cases Staphylococcus aureus) become the reason for such a standing. The breast enlarges in size, pain occurs on palpation, the skin turns red.
Mastitis can occur with non-compliance with personal hygiene, cracks in the nipples, endocrine diseases and other factors. Another reason that affects the development of mastitis is lactostasis (milk is retained in the chest). The disease occurs after childbirth, a lot of milk arrives, but the baby cannot drink everything. A woman will feel that her chest is bursting.
Body temperature will rise to 38-39 degrees. After some time, the process of milk ejection is normalized, however, if the problem has been disturbing for a long time, you must seek advice from a medical institution.
Endometritis
Endometritis is a disease in which the temperature after childbirth can increase both in a day or in a month. The thing is that the inner layer of the uterus becomes inflamed, the temperature can reach 39 degrees.
In 5% of cases, women have endometritis, after a cesarean section, the probability increases to 20%.
After the placenta is separated from the uterus, a small scar forms in its place. With prolonged childbirth, the microbes that live in the vagina penetrate the wound and begin to attack there. Particles of the placenta remaining after the birth in the uterus can also provoke the development of the disease.
Parametritis
10 days after birth, another disease can manifest itself - parametritis. There is an inflammatory process in the perinatal fiber, as a result of infection.
Vein Thrombosis
With late toxicosis, cesarean section, varicose veins, the likelihood of thrombophlebitis is high. The first symptoms can manifest themselves several weeks after the birth. A slight temperature will hold for some time, but then it will begin to rise higher. At the site of thrombosis, there will be severe pain and swelling.
Peritonitis
The temperature after childbirth can rise to 40 degrees due to peritonitis. After childbirth, an infection can enter the abdominal cavity from the uterus, usually with a caesarean section, when the sutures diverge or become damaged.
Pyelonephritis
A cause of fever after childbirth can be a disease such as pyelonephritis. Usually occurs in the category of women in labor who have already suffered from this. Body temperature rises to 39-40 degrees, with urination, pain, constipation and severe pain in the side.
Other reasons
Not always the temperature that arose after childbirth may be their consequence. An ordinary cold or poisoning can cause it. In this case, you need to visit a therapist.
Elevated temperature after childbirth: how to properly measure it
Immediately after childbirth, women begin to receive a lot of blood to the mammary glands, which is why the temperature in these places will be much higher than that which was before. Measuring the temperature in the armpit, you can get inaccurate results.
In the maternity hospital, women in labor change the temperature in other places - through the nose, in the ulnar fossa. For this, it is necessary to take not a mercury thermometer, but a digital one, it is believed that its results are more accurate.
Important! When measuring the temperature in your mouth, remember that it will be 0.5 degrees higher than it actually is.
The first day after childbirth, the temperature in a woman can be slightly increased. Even if the mark on the thermometer is 38 degrees, and there is no headache, chills and other symptoms, then this is normal. However, if the temperature rises after childbirth and does not fall after a few days, then this is a good reason to consult a doctor.
Fever after childbirth: when to see a doctor
After giving birth, a woman usually spends several days in a hospital, at which time doctors monitor the condition of the mother and baby. If everything is fine, they are discharged home on the third or fourth day. Once at home, young mothers may face a problem such as fever. Not everyone knows what to do, and whether to see a doctor. However, you should know that when you reach the mark on the thermometer 37-38 degrees, you need to immediately notify the doctor about this.
It is especially dangerous if the temperature is accompanied by unusual discharge from the genital tract or nipples. Only an experienced doctor can determine the cause of all this, he is also involved in treatment.
A timely diagnosis will allow mom to quickly return to a full life and her baby.
Fever after childbirth: what to do
What should I do if a young mother feels bad after giving birth, her temperature rises, and her general condition leaves much to be desired? First of all, you need to find out what caused the malaise. To do this, measure the body temperature not in the armpit, but in the elbow, only then the indicators will be real. If you feel weakness, nausea, abdominal pain, then you must call an ambulance.
The first weeks after the birth, you can seek advice from the doctor who took your birth. This is most relevant if, in addition to general malaise, there is no infection.
After the specialist makes a diagnosis, treatment should be started. Many women care about how to deal with feeding a baby? It is impossible to unequivocally answer this question, since everything depends on many circumstances. It is not worth worrying ahead of time, there are many factors that every woman should know:
1. Temperature does not mean that you can’t feed the baby.
2. Modern medicine allows you to choose a lot of drugs that you can drink and not be afraid that they will harm the baby.
3. If the reason for the temperature increase is lactostasis, then the baby will help to cope with the problem.
Even if the attending physician prescribes medications that can not be combined with breastfeeding, you do not need to despair, you can express milk. Thanks to this, lactation will continue and it can be resumed as soon as treatment is over.
You need to know what a young mother can use in order for the temperature to fall:
1. It is allowed to use suppositories with paracetamol, as well as ibuprofen. They favorably affect the body without exerting negative consequences, and most importantly do not penetrate into milk.
2. In some cases, you can take children's antipyretic drugs.
3. Use wipes, but in no case should you take vinegar or alcohol for this.
4. Drink warm water as often as possible.
In the presence of inflammation, the development of infection, the actions of doctors will be different. You can not self-medicate, because now the life and health of your crumbs depend on you.
