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Dr. Robert Atlas, OB/GYN, Chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Mercy

Dr. Robert Atlas, Chair, Department Of Obstetrics & Gynecology At Mercy, Discusses A Women's Health Immediately After Having Her Baby, "The Fourth Trimester"

Some doctors are calling the weeks after a baby is born the fourth trimester and are detailing things new parents need to know. Seven weeks ago, Kelly Lovell had her first baby, and though she felt prepared for his arrival, she said she hadn't thought about the changes she would be going through afterward. "There are way more than I thought. For the first week, I cried all the time," she said. Mercy Medical Center's Dr. Robert Atlas, OB/GYN, and Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Mercy, said that while many women haven't heard much about the fourth trimester, the changes women go through are there. "It's really a very significant time in women's lives and a lot of changes occur to their bodies," he said. The physical changes can include hair loss, extra baby weight, sleep deprivation, severe headaches and emotional changes. "There's something called the baby blues, which typically occurs between the first seven to 10 days, but then there can be postpartum depression, which is fairly common," Dr. Atlas said. After delivery, it's important to stay in touch with your doctor. If you have a feeling something is wrong, let them know. "If you're breast feeding and you run a fever, if your breast is reddened, mastitis — that would be an important reason to call your doctor. Obviously, if you're running a fever in the postpartum period, that would be a reason to call," he said. While Lovell said she considers her post-delivery symptoms minor, she's become a believer in the fourth trimester. "I had never heard of it before, and I truly believe that it really is the fourth trimester because there's just so much that goes with it that you don't realize," she said. Dr. Atlas noted that part of the fourth trimester is recovering from the delivery itself because your body has been through major changes. For more information and to view Dr. Atlas' interview on WBAL-TV11's "Woman's Doctor," following this link: http://www.wbaltv.com/womansdoctor/19431141/detail.html.