The nature of maternal postnatal pain.

This study identifies the location and intensity of pain in a sample of 75 women during the first 4 days postpartum. The emphasis on normal processes and shortened hospital stays may decrease attention to maternal postnatal pain. Individual women's variations of pain in both location and intensity from day to day suggest that the reality of postnatal pain needs to become a more important aspect of perinatal education and postnatal care.