276 Where There Is No Doctor 2011
THE MOTHER’S HEALTH AFTER CHILDBIRTH
Diet and Cleanliness
As was explained in Chapter 11, after she gives birth to a baby, the mother can and
should eat every kind of nutritious food she can get. She does not need to avoid
any kind of food. Foods that are especially good for her are milk, cheese, chicken,
eggs, meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, groundnuts, etc. If all she has is corn
and beans, she should eat them both together at each meal. A good diet helps the
mother make plenty of milk for her baby.
The mother can and should bathe in the first few days after giving birth. In the first
week, it is better if she bathes with a wet towel and does not go into the water. Bathing
is not harmful following childbirth. In fact, women who let many days go by without
bathing may get infections that will make their skin unhealthy and their babies sick.
During the days and weeks following childbirth, the mother should:
eat nutritious foods
and bathe regularly.
Childbirth Fever (Infection after Giving Birth, Womb Infection)
Sometimes a mother develops fever and infection after childbirth, often because
someone attending the birth did not keep everything very clean or because he or she
put a hand inside the mother.
The signs of childbirth fever are: Chills or fever, headache or low back pain,
sometimes pain in the belly, and a foul-smelling or bloody discharge from the vagina.
Treatment:
Give 3 medicines: inject 2 grams of ampicillin for the first dose, and then 1 gram 4
times a day. Also inject 80 mg. of gentamicin for the first dose, then 60 mg. 3 times a
day. Also give 500 mg. of metronidazole by mouth 3 times a day. Continue giving these
medicines until after the fever has been gone for 2 days.
Childbirth fever can be very dangerous. If the mother does not start to feel
better the next day, get medical help.