new mom holding a newborn at home postpartum

Postpartum Care

We’re here to help you take good care of yourself and your baby during the first 12 weeks after birth and beyond.

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Postpartum Services for Women

Don’t let caring for baby in the months after birth distract you from checking in with your body. Care after birth is important for moms — and your pregnancy and birth are unique to you.

Postpartum — sometimes called the fourth trimester — is the first 12 weeks following labor and delivery. If any troublesome symptoms occur or if something just doesn’t feel right, don’t hesitate to contact your provider for help. Pain, behavioral health or other issues can all be addressed under your care with Avera.

Vaginal & Cesarean Birth Care

Your body will go through many changes as you recover. Even in a normal delivery, a woman’s body experiences a certain degree of trauma due to the physical conditions that accompany childbirth. Your care plan will be designed to treat you based on the delivery you had.

Postpartum Checkups

  • Two weeks after delivery: Mom’s follow-up appointment occurs for new moms who delivered by C-section, or those with a vaginal birth with more severe tears.
  • Six weeks after delivery: Typically, women who experience a vaginal delivery without complications see their obstetrical (OB) provider for a follow-up appointment.

During this visit, your provider will see how well you’re healing through a physical exam of your belly, vagina, cervix and uterus. The provider will help care for OB-related postpartum issues that may have occurred including OB tears or fistulas, postpartum hemorrhage, infection in the uterus and pelvic pain. Together, you’ll discuss any questions you have plus other health topics such as:

  • Your sleep, mood and emotional well-being
  • Other symptoms you may be experiencing such as urinary retention or incontinence, urinary tract infection, or accidental loss of gas and stool
  • When you can resume sexual relations
  • How breastfeeding is going and if there are any complications
  • Adjusting to life with a new baby

Warning Signs of Complications

Just as your pelvis, muscles and hormones all converged and worked together to bring baby into the world, your body will need time to recover from labor and delivery. Many women recover without issues. If there are injuries or complications, inform your provider right away. Warning signs of complications include:

  • Blood clots
  • Chest pains
  • Heavy bleeding (soaking through one pad per hour)
  • Feeling light-headed
  • Seizures
  • Trouble breathing

Postpartum Depression Signs

Women with postpartum depression (mood disorder) experience feelings of extreme sadness, anxiety and exhaustion that make daily life and activities difficult. Treatment includes counseling, talk therapy and medications as needed. Let your primary care or OB/GYN provider know if you experience any of the following:

  • Crying more often than usual
  • Feeling moody, sad, hopeless or anxious
  • Thinking about self-harm
  • Trouble concentrating

Care & Education

Depending on your birthing experience, women’s care can also include guidance from specialists in wound care, colorectal surgery and more. We also offer options for:

  • Donor milk banks: Moms can donate breastmilk to help other new moms provide newborns with the best nutrition.
  • Classes for new parents: Available online or in person, these classes cover newborn care for baby, postpartum care for mom and breastfeeding. Download our Bringing Home Baby guide for postpartum care for moms plus newborn care.

OB/GYN CareFrom birthing to postpartum to overall gynecologic care, OB/GYN providers care for women from adolescence through birthing years to menopause and beyond.
Primary CareConsult with your primary care doctor for screenings, nutrition, weight management, disease management and other overall health needs.
BreastfeedingCount on the expertise of certified lactation consultants to help you breastfeed during and after your hospital stay.
Behavioral HealthYour first stop with emotional well-being care is your primary care provider. If you need more advanced care, see our behavioral health services.
Physical TherapyTherapeutic exercise and other interventions focus on pain relief and strength of your pelvic floor and more after birth. Some therapists specialize in pelvic floor care.
UrogynecologyOur Sioux Falls urogynecology clinic offers a postpartum wellness program, sexual medicine care, and treatments for urinary and bowel issues post-birth.

Postpartum Wellness Program

Pelvic floor symptoms are very common among women, especially in the first six months following pregnancy and delivery. Avera's postpartum wellness program includes care personalized to your unique situation with access to a full range of specialists, including urogynecologists, colorectal surgeons, pelvic floor physical therapists, wound care specialists and women's health psychologists.

Potential Issues

After childbirth, specialty urogynecology services can help with these issues women may experience:

  • Accidental loss of gas and stool
  • Infection in the uterus
  • Obstetrical tears and fistulas
  • Postpartum hemorrhage
  • Postpartum urinary retention
  • Pain with intercourse
  • Pelvic pain
  • Urinary incontinence

Contact our specialty clinic in Sioux Falls, SD to schedule your consultation.

605-504-1900

Newborn Care

After a normal birth, most newborns will stay in the hospital for one to two days before going home. Babies who need extra time and care may remain in an Avera hospital or the Avera Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) until doctors clear them to go home. Before babies leave the hospital:

  • Parents receive education in baby care, which can include feeding, diapering, skin care and belly button care, infant safe sleep, how to safely calm a crying baby and more.
  • Parents learn how to watch for signs and symptoms for when to seek extra help.
  • Car seats must be approved by specific hospital staff.

If you haven’t already, you need to identify a family medicine or pediatric provider to visit for upcoming baby appointments – and get those appointments scheduled. Also, be sure to add your newborn to your health insurance plan if you have coverage. (Birth counts as a qualifying life event for health insurance.)

parent buttoning an infant's onesie on a diaper changing pad

Baby Appointments

You’ll bring your baby to his or her first appointment within a week or two of birth. Typically, subsequent well-baby appointments occur when the baby’s age reaches: 1 month, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months, 15 months, 18 months, 24 months, 30 months and 36 months. The need for appointments can change based on your child’s health and your doctor’s recommendations.

  • At various intervals throughout these appointments, your baby can receive vital immunizations within the first few months of life.
  • At the appointments, you and your provider will discuss:
    • Baby’s overall activity, behavior, movement, sleeping and development
    • Baby’s feeding, including how breastfeeding or bottle feeding is coming along
    • Baby’s weight
    • Baby’s bowel and urinary activity
    • The health of baby’s belly button or circumcision (for boys)
    • If your baby has jaundice and if it needs to be treated

Warning Signs

For babies younger than two months, call baby’s provider right away if:

  • Baby has a fever with a temperature of 100.4 F (38 C) or greater
  • Baby’s skin begins turning yellow or becomes more yellow (which could be a sign of worsening jaundice)
  • Baby’s breathing seems hard and fast
  • Refusing to eat two times in a row
  • Diapers: no wet diaper for eight hours or diarrhea (baby’s poop is watery)
  • Vomit: a dark greenish color or blood, repeated vomiting (not spitting up) or projectile vomiting
  • Crying:
    • Cries when moved or seems to be in pain
    • Constant crying for no reason and/or has a high-pitched cry for more than one hour
  • Becomes unusually quiet or inactive
  • Baby was shaken or injured
  • A rash that looks like bleeding under the skin, or purple/red freckles
  • The umbilical cord stump doesn’t fall off by four weeks after the birth
  • Circumcision has not healed (for boys) in 14 days

Call 911 if baby shows any of these signs:

  • Limp, not responsive, difficult to wake up or poor color
  • Having a seizure (period of uncontrolled shaking due to disturbance in the brain)
  • Lips or tongue are turning blue (could signal baby is not getting enough oxygen)

Child Life & Parenting Resources

  • Avera offers child life specialists who help parents and children with a variety of tips and resources as children develop. Learn more about our child and family life education options.
  • New parents can also take classes online or in person to learn more about newborn care for baby, postpartum care for mom, breastfeeding and more.
  • Download our Bringing Home Baby guide for postpartum care for moms plus newborn care.

More Programs and Services

Primary CareMany babies see family medicine providers for well-baby care, screenings, immunizations and overall health needs.
PediatricsPediatricians specialize in health care for children ranging from birth to childhood to young adulthood. They provide wellness checkups and treatment for common illnesses.
Pediatric SpecialistsIf your child needs advanced care in cardiac care, orthopedics, therapy, surgery, nephrology and more, Avera has experts who can help.

Meet Our Team

No matter what you need, count on our team of compassionate experts to care for you and your baby.

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Come see us for vaccines to protect the health of your child and others from infancy to teenage years. See Guidelines

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Care from Birth to Beyond

Rely on Avera to care for the health of your whole family. Get help with breastfeeding, including free lactation support, and find resources for child development and parenting. Schedule an appointment at an Avera clinic in your town and visit with your doctor.

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