Six weeks is not full recovery: Doctor shares truth about motherhood healing

Motherhood changes a woman physically, mentally, and emotionally, but recovery is often ignored once the baby arrives. This Mother's Day, a Gurgaon-based paediatrician is reminding families that caring for a mother is just as important as caring for a newborn.

In Short

• Healing after childbirth can continue physically and emotionally for several months
• Pelvic floor symptoms after delivery are common and can be treated
• Doctors say balanced meals and hydration are vital for maternal recovery

Motherhood is often described as beautiful, life-changing, and magical. But behind the joy of welcoming a baby, many women quietly go through exhaustion, pain, emotional overwhelm, body changes, sleep deprivation, and loneliness.

While families celebrate the arrival of a newborn, the recovery journey of the mother is often overlooked.

For years, postpartum recovery has been treated as a short phase that ends after a routine six-week check-up. However, doctors say healing after childbirth is far more complex and can continue for months physically, mentally, emotionally, and hormonally.

This Mother’s Day, Dr Anjali Vyas is urging people to rethink how society treats new mothers after childbirth.

According to her, one of the biggest problems is that mothers are expected to “bounce back” quickly while silently carrying the pressure of caring for a newborn, managing household expectations, and dealing with their own recovery.

“In my years of working with new mothers, the most heartbreaking thing I witness is not a medical complication, it is a woman who has given everything and received nothing in return,” she says.

Dr Vyas believes that postpartum care should not end once the baby is born. Instead, mothers should receive continuous emotional support, proper nutrition, medical care, and understanding from their families and society.

Here are the five important things she wants every new mother to know.

1. SIX WEEKS DOES NOT MEAN FULL RECOVERY

Many women are told they are “fine” after their six-week postpartum check-up. But according to Dr Vyas, this is only the beginning of recovery, not the end.

Pregnancy and childbirth put immense pressure on a woman’s body. Muscles, hormones, sleep cycles, energy levels, and even mental health take time to stabilise. Some women may continue to experience pain, weakness, fatigue, back problems, or emotional changes for months after delivery.

Doctors say mothers should not feel pressured to return immediately to their old routines or body image expectations. Recovery is gradual, and every woman heals differently.

2. PELVIC FLOOR PROBLEMS ARE COMMON BUT TREATABLE

One of the most ignored postpartum health issues is pelvic floor dysfunction. Many women experience leaking urine, heaviness in the lower abdomen, pain, or a feeling of body disconnection after childbirth.

“The leaking, the heaviness, the pelvic disconnection you feel is not normal. It is treatable. Please ask for help,” says Dr Vyas.

Experts say these symptoms should not be dismissed as “normal after pregnancy.” Physiotherapy, medical treatment, exercises, and guided recovery plans can help women heal properly.

Unfortunately, many mothers suffer silently because they feel embarrassed or assume nothing can be done.

3. POSTPARTUM NUTRITION IS NOT ABOUT DIETING

After childbirth, women often focus so much on the baby that they forget to nourish themselves. Some also feel pressure to lose pregnancy weight quickly.

Dr Vyas says this approach can be harmful.

“What you eat directly determines your energy, your hormones, your hair and your milk. Postpartum nutrition is clinical care, not a diet,” she explains.

A mother’s body needs proper nutrition to recover from delivery, produce breast milk, regulate hormones, and rebuild strength. Doctors recommend balanced meals with enough protein, iron, calcium, healthy fats, fibre, and hydration.

Skipping meals, crash dieting, or surviving only on tea and snacks can worsen fatigue and recovery.

4. EMOTIONAL CHANGES AFTER MOTHERHOOD ARE REAL

Becoming a mother is not just a physical transformation; it is also a psychological and emotional shift. Experts describe this transition as “matrescence,” a phase where a woman adjusts to her new identity as a mother.

Dr. Vyas says many women feel guilt, sadness, emotional numbness, anxiety, or pressure to appear happy all the time.

“The identity shift, the invisible load, the guilt of not feeling joyful enough. This is matrescence, not weakness. It deserves professional support, not just reassurance,” she says.

Mental health experts stress that emotional struggles after childbirth are common and should never be ignored. Therapy, counselling, support groups, partner involvement, and rest can make a huge difference in a mother’s wellbeing.

5. SUPPORTING THE MOTHER HELPS THE BABY TOO

According to Dr Vyas, one of the biggest misconceptions is that the baby’s needs and the mother’s needs are separate.

“A mother who is supported, nourished and emotionally held is the single greatest gift you can give a baby. Her recovery and her baby’s well-being are not separate. They were never separate,” she says.

When mothers receive emotional support, sleep, healthy meals, and medical care, they are better able to care for their babies and themselves.

Experts say postpartum recovery should become a shared responsibility involving partners, grandparents, workplaces, healthcare systems, and society.

A MESSAGE FOR MOTHERS THIS MOTHER’S DAY

Dr Vyas has one final message for women this Mother’s Day:

“You are not just someone’s mother. You are a person with a body that needs care, a mind that deserves support, and a heart that has given everything.”

As conversations around women’s health grow louder, doctors hope postpartum recovery will finally receive the attention it deserves. Because healing after childbirth is not a luxury, it is essential care.

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