After pregnancy, it’s important for a woman to take care of herself.

The health of a woman’s pregnancy ends with a postpartum visit to her doctor four to six weeks after delivery. Every woman, every pregnancy, and every delivery is different; therefore, every recovery is different. The purpose fo the visit is to assess her physical recovery, see how she is doing emotionally, address breastfeeding concerns, ensure she is taking a multivitamin with folate and address her future contraceptive needs.

The postpartum check-up is a good time to determine if a woman can resume all normal activities, such as exercise, sexual intercourse, or work outside the home. It is also the best time to get any health conditions discovered during pregnancy, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, treated and under control. The postpartum visit is the first step to ensuring women are healthy BETWEEN pregnancies.

It is important for a woman to give her body time to recover after birth and time to adjust to being a mother of a newborn before becoming pregnant again. After delivery it is time for a woman to make a decision about birth control. It is best to wait at least one year between pregnancies to have another baby.