The painful cramps you experience after delivery is known as afterbirth pains or afterpains. You experience these contractions because after the delivery of your baby, the uterus continues to contract to get back to its original size and location. These contractions also pinch of blood vessels in the uterine lining to control postpartum bleeding.

Afterpains are mild for first time mothers, However with each successive pregnancy, it increases in intensity and becomes quite uncomfortable. This is due to the fact that first time moms have better uterine muscle tone so the uterus tends to contract and stay contracted rather than intermittently  relaxing and then contracting again.

These cramps are more intense in the first day or two after giving birth and tend to get mild as the days go on. Breastfeeding  brings on these cramps and make them more intense. This is because the hormone oxytocin is released as the baby sucks the breast. This hormone causes contractions.

How to manage afterpains

 
These steps may help you manage afterpains.

• urinate  often even if you don’t feel like. This is because a full bladder displaces the uterus and prevents it from contracting as well as it should
• some women say it helps to lie  face down with a pillow under their lower belly
• getting a gentle massage on the lower belly has helps some women too
• ibuprofen is  usually effective for relieving afterpains.  Let your caregiver know if it is not helping enough

 
If cramping gets worse or unbearable after a few days, call your health care provider right away. It could be a sign of an infection  or another health problem that needs immediate care.
 
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