Proper postpartum care (postnatal care) in the afterbirth confinement period is of utmost importance to restore and re-balance the new mother’s vital energies and physical constitution.
Improper postpartum care can result in a variety of health issues later on in life, such as arthritis, asthma, problems with the ovaries, uterus and vagina, menopausal problems, and infertility, to name some examples.
Particularly when a woman had complications during her last labor and delivery, health issues like pelvic bowl displacements or fractures, uterus displacement (such as uterine prolapse), or scar tissue in the uterus or fallopian tubes may be the case.
In fact, neglected postpartum care can be a cause of so-called secondary infertility, which means that a woman, man or a couple experiences difficulties having a baby after already having had one or more children.
Notably in Asian traditional midwifery systems lots of effort is put on giving proper postpartum care, using a vast range of treatments, like abdominal binding, vaginal steaming, herbal baths and saunas, herbal compresses, hot stone compresses, massages, uterine repositioning, pelvic floor exercises, and nutritional, dietary and behavioral rules, to name the most commonly applied modalities.