As if giving birth wasn’t enough for your body! What else can you expect the first 6 weeks? Here are some things to keep in mind for a healthy recovery.
Swelling – During pregnancy, many women will have swelling in their face, hands and feet. This is due to extra fluids in your body that will help you get ready for labor and birth. Usually, swelling will go down a few days after giving birth or it may take some time.
-Try to stay cool and wear loose clothing
-Put your feet up and lie on your left side
Perineum Soreness – This is the area between your vagina and rectum. This is stretched out during labor and for first time Moms, it usually tears. If it’s not just sore from stretching, it will be sore and tender if you had an episiotomy (a cut made at the opening of the vagina, to help the baby fit, when exiting the vagina). It will also be sore if you had stitches after giving birth. To help with the discomfort here are some suggestions:
Use a sitz bath. I do not recommend taking a bath in a tub because you are very delicate postpartum and would need help to get in and out of a tub and at this stage, it is a safety issue. A sitz bath is a bucket that fits under the toilet cover. You simply warm up some water and place one tsp of Epsom salts or witch hazel. Then, you just sit on the toilet seat and enjoy the soothing for about 10-15 minutes or until the water is too cool.
- Pre-make some frozen perineum packs using a maxi pad, some aloe and witch hazel and place for no more than 30 minutes, while having a resting period of 1 hour. You can also buy these as well. Some great ones are offered by FridaMom and Medline. If the hospital doesn’t give you any Witch hazel pads, get some, they are fabulous. If you have the pads, but have discomfort still and pain, use Dermoplast pain relieving spray, it is glorious!
- Sit on a pillow, adding the extra padding can help until you recover or you can get a padded seat (made for hemorrhoids).
- If you do not use a spray like Dermoblast, ask your Provider about using an over the counter pain medicine.
- Remember to wipe from front to back to help prevent infection (if you have had an episiotomy) in order for it to heal.
- Continue doing Kegel exercises. A Kegel is the tightening of the muscle when you are holding in your urine. Simply squeeze the muscles that you use to stop yourself from passing urine and count to ten, then release. No one can see you doing it and it will strengthen the muscles in your pelvic area.
Uterine Cramping – You will feel these cramps as you breastfeed your baby, but it is the body’s way of shrinking your uterus back to normal size again. After birth, your uterus typically weighs 2.5 pounds, but by the end of 6 weeks, it will only weigh 2 ounces! You can use some natural tincture drops to help with the pain and discomfort, simply add into your water or you can ask your Provider about using a pain reliever.
Hemorrhoids – These can be painful, they are basically swollen veins around your anus and when taking a shower, don’t freak out if you feel something that might be the size of small grapes around your anus. To help relieve them, here are some suggestions:
- Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated
- Ask your Provider what type of over the counter cream or spray you can use to relieve the pain.
- Soak in a warm sitz bath.
- Use some stool softener pills to prevent you from straining when passing a bowel movement.
- Try to eat foods high in fiber to help with easy bowel movements.
Vaginal Discharge – The first few days, you will be bleeding heavily, it is like your body is making up for not having a period during pregnancy! The discharge is simply your uterus cleaning itself out (yes, we have a self-cleaning oven, ladies)! This fluid is called lochia. The first few days it will be heavy and you should expect some blood clots come out. The rule of thumb is that they should be no larger than a 50 cent piece. If you do have large clots, please contact your Provider, as this could be a sign that you are hemorrhaging and this is serious. Most women will stop bleeding by the third week, but definitely by your 6 week postpartum visit.
Urinary Incontinence – This is when you feel burning or pain, while urinating. Sometimes you can’t stop urinating and other times you try to stop yourself, but it just comes out anyway! Here are some tips:
- Soaking in a sitz bath will help
- Keeping hydrated (even though you are avoiding urinating, I know) but it helps.
- Call your Provider if this does not help,
Can I get pregnant while breastfeeding?
Yes! You can get pregnant whether you are breastfeeding or not. Women are more fertile when they are breastfeeding, so please be aware that even though you do not have a period while breastfeeding, you can still get pregnant. This should be addressed at your 6 week postpartum visit with your Provider. Just be aware that if you do have unprotected sex before then, your chances of getting pregnant are very high.
After giving birth, your body is recovering from a very traumatic event. You will not only be exhausted from giving birth, but you will be exhausted because you will not be getting 8 hours of straight, uninterrupted sleep for some time.
- Take naps while your baby is sleeping.
- Make sure to be hydrating, especially if you are breastfeeding. Keep bottled water wherever you sit down to breastfeed and hydrate while your baby is eating. Remember to take your body weight and divide it by two. This number is how many ounces you should be taking in.
- Make sure you are eating foods that contain whole grain. Oatmeal is fantastic for breastmilk production and it is also high in fiber and giving you the fuel you need during those early months. Plenty of fruits and veggies and lean meats like chicken and fish.
Pay Attention to Your Body Temperature
While you are getting your breastfeeding down, make sure to allow baby to feed on each breast for 10-15 minutes. If baby absolutely prefers one breast, make sure to use a breast pump or a Haakaa manual breast pump on the other breast. This will reduce the other breast from getting engorged and will also keep it from getting lopsided. Many Moms are tired and will forget to do this and engorgement that is not dealt with can lead to Mastitis. Cracked nipples that get blistered can have bacteria that enter the breasts, causing Mastitis. Having a weak immune system and smoking can also lead to developing Mastitis. Remember that having a proper latch is important and is also a cause of Mastitis, if you are in pain at all from the latch itself, it is not correct. Unlatch baby gently by placing a finger inside the opening of your baby’s mouth and prop it open enough to detach your baby from your breast. When you re-latch, the baby’s mouth should cover most of your areola for a good latch.
The Signs of Mastitis
- Painful breasts
- Swelling of breasts
- Breast lumps that are obvious and hurt at the touch
- Not feeling good, having flu like symptoms
- A fever of 101 or greater
- The breasts will be hot to the touch
Make sure to contact your Provider, if antibiotics are needed, they can be prescribed to you by your Doctor and they are safe for both you and baby.
What Do I Do to Help Treat Mastitis?
- You should keep a regular feeding schedule with your baby (as much as possible).
- Place hot or wet compresses 20 minutes before expressing your milk. If a breast pump is too painful, use a manual one like a Haakaa.
- Massage your breasts while expressing your milk.
- Wear loose fitted tops like a bath robe and do not wear a bra.
- You should keep a regular feeding schedule with your baby (as much as possible).
- Place hot or wet compresses 20 minutes before expressing your milk. If a breast pump is too painful, use a manual one like a Haakaa.
- Massage your breasts while expressing your milk.
- Wear loose fitted tops like a bath robe and do not wear a bra.
What our bodies go through and endure is amazing ladies, but it can also be overwhelming! Just be aware of what to look for and pay attention to your body’s signs. With proper care, you will recover well, but remember that although you do not experience all these conditions you are still recovering. You might feel “normal” after 6 weeks, but a woman’s body takes one year to fully recover from pregnancy and childbirth.
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO BENEFIT YOUR BODY
Your morning is literally going to be at whatever time you choose because you will be up every 2-3 hours to feed your Newborn, so pick a time where you can drink a non-caffeine cup of tea to help you relax. One of my favorites is Rooibos with some milk and honey.
Then make yourself a cup of coffee. It is said that 1-2 cups of coffee is allowed per day. Some research shows that very small traces of caffeine crosses breastmilk and can enter the baby’s system. This peak usually occurs 1-2 hours after you’ve had your coffee in the morning. My advice is just keep an eye on your baby’s behavior. If you notice your baby is more fussy, irritable or just won’t go to sleep during their normal time, then you might want to switch back to a decaffeinated coffee or tea.
Having some warm green tea, made with some Almond milk and sugar or honey is also a nice treat or just have it the traditional way (like tea). The only thing you might notice is that it might affect the color of your breastmilk (if you are breastfeeding).
Starting your morning with a healthy breakfast is essential. It should be high in fiber, especially if you are breastfeeding because it will help with your production process. Plus, you need the fuel to get you started for a long 24 hour day. Make sure you eat small meals throughout the day to keep your metabolism up.
Make sure to stay hydrated! Water is essential for breastmilk production and also for getting your body back to normal. Just remember the rule, make sure you try to keep your urine clear, if there is still some coloring in it after you use the bathroom, you need to hydrate more.
Let’s face it, we all want our bellies back to normal, postpartum. There are a few lucky ladies that are blessed with fabulous abs after birth, but that is not the majority. Your abdominal area will feel loose and like jelly after giving birth, so what can you do to help? I recommend using a postpartum wrap as early as two weeks after you’ve been discharged from the hospital, only if you’ve had a normal vaginal birth. This can help give support to your abdominal area. If you have had a cesarean, please wait until you have had your 6 week postpartum checkup and your Provider has cleared you. For best results, wear 5-8 hours a day, never when sleeping and never when eating, allow your food to digest 30 minutes before putting it back on again. After two months, you should see the results.
Remember, it took your body 9 months to get to where it was before birth and you should give yourself a goal of 9 months to really get back to where you were before you were pregnant. There is so much pressure out there, if you’re not a celebrity that has her body insured for profit, then please enjoy being a real Mother and pouring into your precious baby.
Be sure to look for another post about postpartum depression. It will be in more detail about the mental side of things, postpartum.
