After months of pregnancy, labor, delivery, and bringing your baby home, your postpartum checkup is one of the few appointments focused on you. It is a chance to talk about your recovery, bleeding, mood, pelvic floor, birth control, medications, and any concerns that may have come up since birth.
Although many people think of this as the “6-week postpartum checkup,” postpartum care does not have to be limited to one visit. ACOG recommends postpartum care as an ongoing process, with contact within the first three weeks after birth and a comprehensive postpartum visit no later than 12 weeks.1
Use these questions as a guide for your postpartum visit. Your provider may cover many of them, but bringing a list can help you remember what you want to discuss while you are recovering and caring for a newborn.
Key Takeaways
- Your postpartum checkup is a time to focus on your recovery, not only your baby.
- Ask about bleeding, mood, medications, testing, birth control, pelvic floor health, and future pregnancies.
- Postpartum care may include more than one visit, depending on your needs.
- If you had gestational diabetes, ask about postpartum glucose testing.
- If you feel depressed, anxious, overwhelmed, or unlike yourself, tell your provider.
Questions to Ask at Your 6-Week Postpartum Appointment
Your postpartum visit is an opportunity to check in on your physical recovery, emotional well-being, birth control options, pelvic floor health, and long-term care. These questions can help you make the most of the appointment.
1. Do you have any recommendations for my future pregnancies?
Based on your pregnancy and birth experience, your provider will likely have recommendations for a future pregnancy. For example, if you experienced preterm labor, your provider may recommend progesterone supplementation, additional ultrasounds to monitor your cervical length, and/or cerclage placement in a future pregnancy. If you developed gestational hypertension or preeclampsia, they might recommend taking baby aspirin in the future.
Your provider may have discussed some of these before or during your delivery. However, with the excitement and sometimes chaos surrounding the birth, you may have forgotten much of what they said. Revisiting these recommendations at your postpartum appointment can be helpful when there are fewer distractions.
Also, don’t forget to ask your provider about your complications, why they occurred, and if there are any steps you can take to help prevent them in the future.
2. Is my bleeding normal?
It is normal to have bleeding and discharge in the weeks following your delivery, called lochia. The majority of the bleeding will resolve by three weeks postpartum. However, many women will continue to pass lochia until 6-8 weeks postpartum. On some days, bleeding will be heavier (like a period), and on others, there will be only spotting.
It is important to discuss with your provider the quantity of bleeding you are experiencing. Your provider will perform a pelvic exam to ensure the bleeding is normal. Your cycles will likely remain absent or irregular until you wean your baby if you are exclusively breastfeeding.
If you are soaking a pad in an hour, passing large clots, feeling dizzy, or bleeding suddenly becomes much heavier, contact your provider right away.
3. Do I need any medications, vaccinations, or blood tests?
If you had gestational diabetes, ACOG recommends screening for diabetes or prediabetes 4 to 12 weeks postpartum.5
Your provider might recommend that you receive the MMR vaccine if you are non-immune to rubella. Or, if you started any medications (such as blood pressure or thyroid medication) during pregnancy, your provider may recommend continuing them, adjusting the dosage, or stopping them entirely at your postpartum checkup.
If you were diagnosed with gestational diabetes, you will also need postpartum testing because your risk of developing diabetes remains higher after pregnancy.
This is an important discussion for your long-term health and future pregnancies.
4. What can I do about vaginal dryness?
Vaginal dryness is a common complaint in the postpartum period. This is especially true in women who are breastfeeding. It is also something many women forget to ask about during their postpartum visit. Sometimes, over-the-counter lubricants are not enough. Your provider may recommend a non-hormonal option, such as hyaluronic acid or an estrogen cream, to improve your symptoms while breastfeeding.
5. How do I know if I have postpartum depression or anxiety?
Your provider should perform a screening for postpartum depression at your 6-week postpartum appointment. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale is a commonly used survey.1
Approximately 70% of women will develop postpartum blues, so knowing the difference between baby blues and postpartum depression is important.2 Both have similar symptoms of anxiety, depression, crying, and insecurity regarding the care of an infant. However, the severity and timing of symptoms can distinguish them.
To receive proper care, it is essential to openly discuss your thoughts and feelings with your healthcare provider. Initial treatment can range from counseling to lifestyle modifications to medications as determined by your provider.
Related: Signs of Postpartum Depression
6. What are my options for birth control?
Your 6-week postpartum visit is a great time to ask about birth control. Even for breastfeeding moms, there are many options to choose from! Condoms, pills, implants, and IUDs represent the most common reversible options available, yet many more exist.
Because each option has risks and benefits, discussing it with your provider will help you determine the best method for you. They will consider pre-existing conditions and personal and family planning goals.
7. How can I help prevent pelvic organ prolapse?
Unfortunately, pregnancy and vaginal birth are some of the biggest risk factors for developing pelvic organ prolapse in the future. Most women don’t develop pelvic pressure, vaginal bulge, urinary incontinence, and difficulty emptying their bladder/bowels until after menopause. However, you can take action now to help reduce your risk.
The most commonly recommended practice is Kegel exercises. However, many women do not perform this effectively without proper coaching. Ask your provider to help you learn how to perform Kegel exercises correctly. Also, ask whether they recommend consulting a pelvic floor physical therapist. Other lifestyle changes for prevention include avoiding constipation, maintaining a healthy body weight, and smoking cessation.
Related: Pelvic Organ Prolapse: What You Should Know Now
8. How can I safely return to exercise and support my postpartum body?
Instead of focusing only on “getting your pre-baby body back,” use this appointment to ask how your body is healing and when it is safe to return to exercise, sex, core work, and daily activities.
If you notice a bulge in your abdomen, ask your healthcare provider about diastasis recti (the separation of your abdominal muscles), which can be treated with physical therapy. And be sure to ask when you can start exercising again (they will typically clear you to begin exercise at your 6-week postpartum checkup).
Related: Breastfeeding: Weight Loss or Weight Gain?
9. How long should I wait before getting pregnant again?
ACOG recommends avoiding interpregnancy intervals shorter than six months and counseling patients about the risks and benefits of becoming pregnant again sooner than 18 months.6
This may be the last question on your mind, but it is an important one.
A short interval between pregnancies has been associated with significant adverse outcomes, particularly if less than six months.3 Yet an increased risk has been reported at intervals of up to 18 months. These potential complications include maternal anemia, preterm labor, premature rupture of membranes, and placental abruption. Based on the circumstances of your delivery, your provider may recommend a modified timing.
10. When should I see you again?
By the end of your pregnancy, you have likely developed a relationship with your provider. By this point, many women are ready to shift their focus from pregnancy care to long-term preventive health.
Ask when your next well-woman exam and/or Pap smear is due. ACOG has recently updated its guidelines on the frequency of Pap smears.4 However, it is still recommended to have a yearly pelvic and breast exam, routine blood testing, and STI testing. The timing of your next appointment will vary based on factors including recent lab results, pre-existing conditions, and age.
When Should You Have a Postpartum Checkup?
Many people still think of the postpartum visit as a single appointment around six weeks after birth. However, postpartum care can include more than one touchpoint. Depending on your delivery, medical history, blood pressure, mood, feeding concerns, incision healing, or other symptoms, your provider may want to see you sooner or more than once.
If you have heavy bleeding, severe pain, fever, chest pain, shortness of breath, severe headache, vision changes, thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, or you feel something is not right, contact your provider right away or seek emergency care.
What To Bring to Your Postpartum Checkup
Before your appointment, jot down any symptoms, questions, medications, birth control preferences, feeding concerns, mood changes, and recovery issues you want to discuss. It can also help to bring your discharge paperwork, home blood pressure readings if you were asked to track them, and any questions about your delivery or future pregnancies.
Those early weeks can feel blurry, so writing things down ahead of time can make it easier to use the appointment well.
Your postpartum checkup is an important part of your recovery and long-term well-being. Use this appointment to ask questions, talk honestly about how you are feeling, and make sure you have the support you need as you continue healing.
Caring for yourself is not separate from caring for your baby. It is part of it.
