What to expect from the 6-week postpartum check?
And what does it mean for your recovery?
Ah, the 6-week checkup… A lot of new parents are left a bit confused after this visit, and unfortunately, this is often where their care ends.
This post is dedicated to everything you need to know about the 6-week check and what it means for your recovery.
What is the point of the 6-week check?
I think that one of the main reasons this visit can feel so confusing is that it’s not clear what it’s actually for. Also, the fact that most new parents are left with a singular quick visit after nearly an entire year of consistent medical care is confusing in itself (to me as well).
The 6-week postpartum visit is meant to be a touch point to check on how your body is healing from birth and whether you might require further medical care. Your provider will also likely review/administer birth control options if that is something you are interested in. Unfortunately, most people’s experience with this check is that it’s quick and informal and might only last 10-15 minutes with your provider.
One thing I wish everyone knew is that the 6-week check does not mean your postpartum recovery is completed. In fact, you are far from it (studies have shown it takes up to 18 months for your body to fully heal from pregnancy and birth). However, the 6 week mark is a great time to continue recovery with a new specialist, like a pelvic floor physical therapist!
What are they specifically going to check?
It depends what happened during your birth! If you had a tear that required stitches, they are likely asking about how it’s feeling and they might check the vaginal tissue. If you are concerned about your vaginal health or healing, definitely ask them to take time to assess your tissue to be sure everything is healing properly.
If you had a cesarean birth, they will check your incision to be sure its healing properly (those who have cesarean births often have more than 1 postpartum visit for incision checks).
They will check to see that your uterus has shrunk down appropriately.
They might talk about lactation and breast/nipple health. If you are having concerns with these topics, they might examine your breasts and nipples.*
They will likely administer a mental health screen and hopefully discuss any changes or concerns you have with your mental health.*
They might check your pelvic floor and belly (for diastasis recti).*
* Your OBGYN or midwife is likely not a specialist in these fields, so lactation, mental health, and pelvic floor recovery are things they might check on but they are usually not able to provide in-depth care for. So it’s important to seek advice and care from someone who is! *
What information might they give you?
This is really all over the place, depending on your provider or provider group.
Some midwives or birth centers might give you tons of valuable information on referrals to postnatal specialists, new parent groups, newborn care classes, postpartum intimacy, and more.
However, this is quite uncommon. In fact, most of the time what my patients seem to glean from their postpartum check is that they can resume intercourse and exercise if they choose… and this is very confusing to new moms. Postpartum care should extend FAR beyond this advice, but unfortunately, this visit usually completes perinatal care for new mothers. And while we’re at it, check out this blog about postpartum intimacy.
What if I you feel like you want continued care (mental health, physical therapy, lactation help, etc).
First off, I think most new moms should automatically receive care from physical therapy, lactation, and mental health. But unfortunately, that’s not the “standard of care” in our country. So if you need/want help, I encourage you to seek it out!
I personally think it’s best to find specialists via word of mouth from friends, family, local parenting groups ,or local platforms (like facebook groups).
For my patients, I provide a huge list of postnatal providers that I have met and worked with over the years. So asking a trusted provider is also a great way to find specialists.
Just a note… hospital-based OB/midwife clinics will likely refer you within their own system. For example, if your OB is within a University system, they’ll probably refer you to providers who are also in that system. Which for a lot of people, works out great! But if there is a long wait time for an appointment or you want to explore other options or second opinions, know that there are lots of great providers in all sorts of practices (like Live Embodied :)).
So where does the 6-week postpartum check fall short?
If it’s not already apparent, it falls short in nearly every way. Mainly, because it’s considered the end of care for new moms when it should really be the beginning. It’s really not your provider’s fault either… they likely want you to have in-depth postpartum care. But right now in our healthcare system, 1 postpartum visit at 6 weeks is the standard of care.*
I’m not saying this to be on a soap box (honestly, I feel like I’m always on a soap box when it comes to perinatal care, hah) or to be overly negative. But, I have helped hundreds of new moms over the years who were left utterly confused by their 6 week visit. Which is why I wanted to write a post about what it is for, what to expect, and to highlight that it is not the end of your postpartum care. If you’re local to Salt Lake, here’s our booking link. You’re welcome to schedule a free consult to chat more about postpartum care with Live Embodied PT.
Cheers, to challenging the standard of care and shaking up the status quo.
Sam