Postpartum Care in France: My Real Experience

My normal delivery happened in France, and after 4 days we got discharged from the hospital. This is exactly where my real after-delivery phase started — where pain, confusion, and new responsibilities all came together at once.

👩‍⚕️ What is a Sage-femme? (France System Explained)

In France, the role of a Sage-femme is very important.

• Meaning of Sage-femme: A Sage-femme is a trained medical professional who takes care of both the mother and the newborn, post pregnancy and delivery.
• She is not just a nurse, she is a midwife + postnatal care expert.
• What all does a Sage-femme do?
  • Checking the baby’s weight, height and head circumference.
  • Monitoring the overall growth of the baby.
  • Keeping a watch on the mother’s recovery, stitches, and bleeding.
  • Giving breastfeeding guidance.
• If you don’t have a GP (General Practitioner) or pediatrician available immediately, the Sage-femme is your first support system only.

📘 Baby’s Health Book (Carnet de Santé)

At the time of discharge from the hospital, one health book is given for the baby. This book contains the baby’s birth record, weight and height, vaccine schedule, and doctors’ notes.

In this health book itself, the Sage-femme and doctor also check the record of the baby’s feeding and potty-pee, from which the baby’s daily health and hydration can be tracked properly.

👶 Baby’s Potty: Understanding the colour is very important

The colour of a newborn baby’s potty changes with time — this is a completely normal process.

• 🖤 Black Potty (Meconium): For the first 1-2 days after birth, this is black, sticky, and gooey. ✔️ Completely normal
• 💛 Yellow Potty: Once the baby comes on breast milk, the potty becomes soft, mustard yellow, or light yellow. ✔️ Healthy sign. 👉 This shows that digestion is happening properly.

🚼 Pee and Diaper Observation

• Whether the baby is peeing properly or not — checking this is very necessary.
• Diapers should be changed on time.
• Keeping a wet diaper for too long can become a main reason for skin rashes.

🩸 Mother’s Recovery: Post-Delivery Bleeding Care

After delivery, not just the baby, but the mother’s body also needs a lot of care. I had bleeding for almost 1 month, which is a very normal process.

🌟 France’s Special System: Pelvic Floor Recovery (Rééducation Périnéale)

(One point that I found completely different and most necessary in the system here)

After delivery, the body becomes very weak from inside and the pelvic floor muscles become loose. About which people mostly don’t talk in India.

• My Personal Problem (My Reality): Post delivery, I started getting a lot of back pain. And one more problem which was very embarrassing — urine used to leak whenever I sneezed loudly.
• France’s Support: The best thing about France’s medical system is ‘Rééducation périnéale’ (Pelvic floor rehab). Here, 6 to 8 weeks after delivery, the government (Ameli / Sécurité Sociale) gives 10 pelvic floor therapy sessions absolutely free to every mother.
• This is done by a Sage-femme or physiotherapist (kinésithérapeute) so that the muscles can become strong again and troubles like back pain or urine leakage get finished forever.

👉 This is one such mental and physical support that mothers must get in every country!

🤱 Breastfeeding Pain: Reality + Solution (Fact-Checked)

Having pain during breastfeeding is quite common, but we should not ignore it.

❓ Why does pain happen in breastfeeding?

1. Breast engorgement: When the breast gets overly filled with milk and milk does not drain properly.
2. Blocked milk ducts: White-white dots / pimple-like blockages on the nipple, which block the milk’s path.
3. Improper latch / position: The baby does not latch properly, due to which stress falls on the nipples.

💡 Doctor-Recommended Solutions

• ✔️ Proper latch and feeding position.
• ✔️ Regular feeding (there shouldn’t be too much gap between feeds).
• ✔️ Cold cabbage leaves — reduces the swelling.
• ✔️ Hot shower / warm compress — improves the milk flow.
• ✔️ Gentle massage on the breast.

🛠️ My Personal Observation (Real Experience)

I noticed that the white blockage which used to happen on the nipple, if it is gently pressed and cleared, then the milk flow used to get better and the pain reduced drastically.

🤍 Final Note

In the after-delivery phase, every mother’s experience is different. Confusion and pain are common. But:

• Right guidance
• Regular follow-ups
• And giving your body the time to recover…

👉 This only is the strongest formula for recovery 💛