Postpartum checkups

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says that postpartum care should be an ongoing process rather than a single visit after delivery. Check in with your healthcare professional within 2 to 3 weeks after delivery by phone or in person to talk about any issues you've had since giving birth.

Within 6 to 12 weeks after delivery, see your healthcare professional for a complete postpartum exam. During this visit, your healthcare professional does a physical exam and checks your belly, vagina, cervix and uterus to see how well you're healing.

Things to talk about at this visit include:

• Your mood and emotional well-being.
• How well you're sleeping.
• Other symptoms you might have, such as tiredness.
• Birth control and birth spacing.
• Baby care and feeding.
• When you can start having sex again.
• What you can do about pain with sex or not wanting to have sex.
• How you're adjusting to life with a new baby.

This checkup is a chance for you and your healthcare professional to make sure you're OK. It's also a time to get answers to questions you have about life after giving birth.