The 6-Week Appointment: What to Ask For 🩺

You deserve more than ten minutes. Here's how to get it.

You waited six weeks for this appointment. You have questions, concerns, maybe even a list. And then — it's over in ten minutes. You're "cleared," handed a birth control pamphlet, and sent on your way. If that experience left you feeling invisible, you're not imagining it.

Why this happens

The standard 6-week postpartum visit was designed decades ago, when "recovery" was measured by whether your uterus had returned to normal size. The emotional, neurological, hormonal, and musculoskeletal changes of new motherhood weren't part of the picture. That's slowly changing — but many moms still leave this appointment with their biggest concerns unaddressed.

Questions worth asking out loud 🗣️

• "I'm feeling anxious / rage-y / numb / disconnected. Is this postpartum depression, or something else?"
• "My pelvic floor doesn't feel right. Can you refer me to a pelvic floor PT?"
• "I had gestational diabetes. What's my plan for monitoring my glucose going forward?"
• "My incision / perineum / tailbone still hurts. What's normal at this point?"
• "I'm not sleeping more than two hours at a stretch. What support is available?"

The GD follow-up that often gets skipped 🩸

If you had gestational diabetes, you should have a glucose test (OGTT) at 6–12 weeks postpartum to check your current blood sugar status. Studies show this test is ordered for fewer than half of women who had GD — meaning many women who have already developed prediabetes don't know it yet.

If your provider doesn't bring it up, you bring it up: "I had GD — should I have a postpartum glucose screening today?"

You are allowed to advocate for yourself 💪

Your body just went through one of the most demanding physical and neurological events of a human life. Ten minutes is not enough. If you leave feeling unheard, you are entitled to call back, ask for a longer follow-up, or seek a second opinion.

You advocated fiercely for your baby for nine months. You're allowed to advocate for yourself now. 💛