01
Understanding postpartum health
It is common to need practical and emotional support after birth. Persistent pain, pelvic-floor symptoms, feeding concerns, low mood, anxiety or feeling unable to cope are all valid reasons to contact a healthcare professional.
Postnatal depression and anxiety are treatable health conditions. They are not a personal failure and support is available for you and your family.
02
What might be worth noticing?
Experiences vary. These are prompts for a conversation, not a checklist for self-diagnosis.
- Perineal, pelvic, abdominal, back or caesarean-wound pain
- Bleeding, bladder or bowel changes and pelvic pressure
- Feeding concerns, exhaustion and sleep disruption
- Persistent sadness, fear, numbness, irritability, intrusive thoughts or difficulty coping
03
What should I track before an appointment?
Track only what is useful and manageable. A simple, consistent record is more helpful than a perfect one.
- 01Pain, bleeding, wound changes and temperature
- 02Bladder, bowel and pelvic-floor symptoms
- 03Sleep in realistic blocks rather than aiming for perfection
- 04Mood, anxiety, intrusive thoughts and ability to manage daily tasks
- 05Feeding symptoms and concerns, if relevant
- 06What support you need and what actually helps
04
Questions you could take to your doctor
- “Is my physical recovery progressing as expected for my birth?”
- “Could a pelvic health physiotherapist or other specialist help?”
- “How can I get support for anxiety, low mood or traumatic birth experiences?”
- “Which symptoms mean I should seek help sooner?”
Appointment tip: lead with the change that worries you most, how long it has been happening and what it stops you doing.
05
How can this affect mental and emotional wellbeing?
Emotional wellbeing belongs in postpartum care. Tell a GP, midwife or child and family health nurse if worry or low mood is hard to control, lasts more than two weeks or makes daily activities difficult. PANDA supports expecting and new parents on 1300 726 306.
06
When should I seek medical help?
- Call 000 for a life-threatening emergency, severe difficulty breathing, collapse, severe bleeding or if you or your baby are in immediate danger.
- Seek urgent mental-health help if you feel unsafe, may harm yourself or your baby, feel confused or are seeing or hearing things others do not.
- Contact PANDA on 1300 726 306 or Lifeline on 13 11 14 for support in Australia.
This guidance is general. If you are unsure what to do, call Healthdirect on 1800 022 222 to speak with a registered nurse in Australia.
07
Sources and further reading
We used these Australian health sources to check the factual information in this guide.