Congratulations Mommy! After 40 weeks of carrying your baby in your womb, you can finally hold your infant in your arms. You are now in the postpartum period for the next six to eight weeks.  

This time is a significant transition period for you and your baby. During the first few weeks, you try to adjust to your new role as the primary caregiver of your child and get use to the new schedule. You learn how to feed, bathe, burp, and change the diaper of your baby. At the same time, you are also recovering from the physical and emotional stress of child delivery. Because of this, you need to take care of your body to help it heal quickly. The sooner your body recovers, the sooner you can adjust to your new responsibility.

Symptoms to Expect during Postpartum and Postpartum Recovery Tips

During the Postpartum period, you may feel pains and discomfort. Please know that these symptoms are only temporary. While recovery time and symptoms may be different for each woman, proper postpartum care can help you relieve the symptoms and speed up your recovery.

To help you prepare for this period, use this Postpartum Care Essentials Checklist to gather all the thing you might need for postpartum care.

Also, here are tips you can follow to help you cope during this recovery period.

1.   Vaginal Bleeding

Regardless if you gave birth through normal delivery or caesarian section, you could expect heavy blood flow. It is your body’s way of expelling the extra blood and tissue you needed when your baby was in your womb. It may last from three to ten days after childbirth. After this, you may experience minimal spotting.

Tips:

a.     Use postpartum pads instead of tampons because the latter may cause bacterial infections. Ask your doctor’s go-signal before switching back to tampons.

b.     Hold off any strenuous workout. For you had a vaginal birth, wait after six weeks, and if you had c-section, wait for at least eight weeks before resuming any workout regimen.

c.      Wear comfortable underwear.

d.     Consult your doctor if you experience severe blood loss and foul-smelling discharge.

2.   Constipation

One of the challenges postpartum is constipation. It is common to experience this discomfort during the first few days of childbirth. Low fiber diet, dehydration, medications, sleep deprivation, and stress can cause postpartum constipation. 

Tips:

a.     Eat plenty of fiber-rich foods. Eat more whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.

b.     Hydrate with plenty of liquids.

c.      Go for light walks.

d.     Use stool softener if the first two tips do not help you stay regular. 

e.     Avoid forcing yourself to avoid any complications to your perineal tears of c-section wound.

f.      If you experience severe pain, see any blood or mucus in your stool, or do not have any bowel after three days of childbirth, consult your doctor.

3.    Postpartum Blues

After childbirth, do you feel emotional or moody? Do you find yourself crying uncontrollably, feeling cranky or overwhelmed, or have trouble sleeping? If you said yes, you might be experiencing baby blues. Baby blues are quite common, but it usually goes away within a week or two after giving birth.

Tips

a.     Try to get sleep and rest as much as you can.

b.     Ask for help and support from your husband, family, and friends. Do not feel guilty; delegating some tasks to other family members.

c.      Set aside time for self-care. Uninterrupted quiet time can be a good break for you.

d.     Use Essential Oils to relax.

e.     Connect with your fellow moms. Hearing from other moms who may be going through the same emotions as you are can help you cope. Release your strong feelings through sharing them with other moms.

f.      Do not drink any alcohol or self-prescribe medicines.

g.     If you experience extreme emotions for more than two weeks, you might be experiencing postpartum depression. Talk to your husband and consult a doctor immediately.  

4.    Perineum Postpartum Pain 

If you had a normal delivery, you might experience tears and lacerations in your perineum area. Do not worry; most women experience that too. The perineum tears cause pain and discomfort and increase the recovery period.

Tips:

a.     Use warm water to clean the area. You may use a Peri Bottle during washing to help dilute the urine to avoid the stinging sensation.

b.     Avoid rubbing the area. Use a gentle patting motion when you are drying the area.

c.      Regularly change your sanitary napkin to avoid infections.

d.     Avoid touching the area to allow it to heal.

e.     Lie down instead of sitting down to relieve pressure.

f.      Use doughnut-shaped pillows to relieve pain and pressure when sitting.

g.     Avoid any strenuous activity.

h.     Apply a hot compress to the area to relieve discomfort. 

5.    Pain from the C-section

If you have undergone a caesarian section, you will experience pain from the incision. It would be best if you also needed to watch out for complications such as blood clots and infection.

Tips:

a.     Try to walk as soon as you are able. Being immobile for a long time after giving birth can lead to developing a blood clot in the legs.

b.     Clean your wound thoroughly to avoid infections.

c.      Wear a postpartum recovery belt.

d.  Talk to your doctor about pain relievers. 

6.   Fatigue

Childbirth is physically and emotionally taxing, and it is no wonder you feel tired.  Coupled with the sleepless nights and breastfeeding, you may feel fatigue during the first few weeks. You may experience an inability to make decisions and concentrate too.

Tips:

a.     Focus on your recovery. Catch up on your sleep and eat nutritious food.

b.     Delegate house chores to your husband or hire a cleaner.

c.      Do not accept house guests while you are still recovering.

d.     Watch out for excessive blood loss, which may be causing your postpartum fatigue.

These are just the six common postpartum symptoms that most mothers encounter after giving birth. Watch out for Part 2 blog post as we will share the more postpartum symptoms and recovery tips as well as postpartum essentials.  

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