Postpartum Care: Tips for the Recovery Process

Written By: Rachel Burns

Description: Nine months down the line, and your delivery day's arrived. You're blessed to have a beautiful baby, and after a few days, you're back home. So how do you start your postpartum care? What are the dos and don'ts? Keep reading to find out more.

Myths

 Many individuals firmly believe that once the baby is here, it's all about the baby, what it will eat, what to wear, where to sleep and how to take care of it. Mothers are assumed to be just okay and should get on with breastfeeding and life in general as if nothing happened to them. As you teach yourself how to carry the baby, dress them and bathe them, does it occur to you that the mother requires some attention to recover from the whole birth process? So the question is, have we forgotten who carried this baby for that long? Doesn't she also need care and help? So how do you go about it?

Postpartum Care

 The first six weeks after giving birth are referred to as the postpartum period. It is the period mums use to recover from the happenings to their bodies at that period. Something to note is that every mom is different, and they each get other postpartum effects, and they do have different rates of body-regrouping altogether. Nonetheless, mothers who gave birth through C-section take their first postnatal week in the hospital, and it lasts relatively longer than those who underwent standard delivery. However, regardless of the method used during delivery, postnatal care is essential to the mother.

Postpartum Symptoms

 Some are informed earlier if they get a nurse that relates well with them, but many mothers are unaware of what awaits them after birth. The following are the postpartum symptoms and alarms to get the best post birth pads.

1. Although the baby comes from the vagina, the butt will hurt more after birth.
2. A mother might get hemorrhoids (an abnormal mass that arises from the swollen tissue in engorged blood vessels that can either be internal [anal canal] or external [around the anus])
3. There'll be a series of periods that'll complete all periods (vaginal bleeding). They will be much more painful than regular periods.
4. There’ll be contractions.
5. Your anus will be under stress since you'll be scared to go for a long call. The anal trauma might tamper with the comfortability during a bowel movement.
6. Your gut's gash will hurt.
7. There will be backaches that’ll be caused by the cramps and muscle strains.
8. Experience sore nipples that might form cracks.

Postpartum Home Care

There are several steps that you can follow to ensure that you heal quickly;

1. Get your postpartum care products. It is essential to consider getting your recovery pack to facilitate smooth healing. The kind of products you should have with you includes acetaminophen (pain killers), maxi pads, ice packs, witch hazel pads, sitz bath, squirt bottle/ peri bottle. Others include cotton underpants, nursing bras, lanolin (cream for cracked nipples), nursing pads, lidocaine spray (for hemorrhoids), stool softener, heating pad, etc. postpartum recovery belt.
2. Assist your perineum in healing. Ease the pain on the perineum by icing the area, spraying warm water on it, trying a sitz bath, by sleeping on your side, and avoiding long periods of sitting or standing.
3. Ease your pains and aches using a heating pad. Similar problems to the ones during the menstruation period might arise, and the best way to ease these pains is by resting on or fitting a heating pad, which will give you comfort and reduce the pain.
4. Practice Kegel exercises. These exercises involve repetitive contractions of your pelvic muscles that will help you control the urination flow. It is to strengthen the muscles and prevent any incontinence during the six weeks after birth.

1. Ensure you don’t miss doctor’s appointments. Frequent check-ups are vital, depending on what your doctor advises you. Getting to track your recovery process and catching any unforeseen conditions at an early stage will be possible if you go to all the doctor's appointments.
2. Be on constant movements. Pushing during delivery is quite a challenging task, and in some extreme cases, it has been difficult for some moms to get out of that pain due to temporary paralysis. After delivery, it is crucial to move around to prevent any form of muscle cramps that might result from staying in specific positions. It is also a form of exercise to get the strength of your limbs back.
3. Take good care of your C-section scar. If you went through an operation to deliver, then taking good care of the area is very important. Please avoid contact with water and gently clean with a cloth to ensure that it is free from any infections.
4. Try to maintain a regular bowel movement. You should try as much as possible to influence a fixed schedule of visiting the toilet. This consistency, together with proper dieting, will help you get a regular bowel movement. Another critical thing is to avoid pushing or straining while allowing yourself to prevent muscle tears or prolapses.
5. Be gentle to your breasts. There'll be lots of changes on your boobs, including an increase in size. This transition can be painful, so taking care of the breasts will give you comfort and enable the baby to feed well.
6. Stick to a diet to avoid constipation and fatigue. You will have to eat many fiber-rich foods to give you the roughage that'll make you pass the poop comfortably.

Conclusion

It’s significantly essential to ensure that a mother who has just delivered a baby is under equal attention because they might look fine, but deep down, they are going through a lot. Ensure that you grab your postpartum recovery checklist so that you'll be able to attend to her correctly.

Do you know of any recovering mother? Now that you know the importance of postpartum care, what care can you give her? Leave a comment.

Author’s bio:

Rachel Burns is an experienced copywriter and photographer with a design diploma. She works with startups, entrepreneurs, bloggers and companies from around the world. In addition to writing articles and promotional materials, she enjoys hiking, reading, cooking and spending time with her family.