The Baby is Here... Now What?
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Postpartum is the time after the baby comes. It lasts for four to six weeks and is considered to be the time needed to recover from pregnancy and birth. In many circles, this time is also known as a babymoon (like a honeymoon), when everyone gets to know the baby and figure out how everyone fits in.| YOUR COMFORT Some moms may feel a little tender in their privates after the birth. While it is amazing how that portion of our anatomy can stretch to let a baby out, it can leave us a bit sore. Some moms even have a small tear to contend with. A really good postpartum remedy for soreness is to make frozen witch hazel pads. Take menstrual pads and saturate them with witch hazel. Place the pads inside a soup bowl and place it in the freezer. By freezing them in this shape, they'll fit the natural contours of the body well, relieving the soreness and any swelling that may have occurred. Replace with a fresh one as needed. Witch hazel is very soothing and helps bring down swelling. Make enough so you can have a supply to last at least a few days. Going to the bathroom postpartum can also be an adventure. Urine will sting when it touches tears and skidmarks (the term used for a split in the upper layers of skin). Using a peribottle to spray water or an herbal solution after going to the bathroom can help soothe and heal this area. When you wipe, be sure to pat yourself dry, don't wipe like you normally do. Watch your bleeding after the birth. Lochia (the bloody discharge you experience after birth) can last up to six weeks in some women. It starts out dark red, then slowly changes to brown, and finally to white. If it has changed color, and then goes back to red, you're doing too much. This is a reminder to take it easy and just rest with your baby. Be sure to drink plenty of fluids and eat nutritious food postpartum. Your body is making milk and recovering from the loss of a lot of blood and fluid. |
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By taking in plenty of water and other liquids, you will help prevent constipation, which is really no fun after having just had a baby. Red raspberry leaf tea and nettle tea are both very nutritious and will help establish a good milk supply as well as keeping you in tip top form.
Be sure to rest. If at all possible, stay in bed or on the sofa with your baby. Allow the rest of your family to attend to the other children, cook meals and other every day tasks. If you can take a week or more to do this, your recovery will go much faster and you'll find you don't feel so run down. I know this is next to impossible in some situations. If you find yourself in such a place that you must cook or clean as well as care for other children, try to rest as much as you can between tasks. It helps to have prepared foods available for a quick thaw and reheating from the freezer. Maybe older children would enjoy sitting with you and the baby on the bed or sofa and reading a book, coloring or watching a movie. Getting enough rest after the birth can help you get off to a good start and help prevent postpartum depression.
There is a good saying that goes "Sleep when your baby sleeps." Do this whenever possible. By spending a few sleepy days with your baby in your arms and feeding him or her on demand, you both will begin to be ready to face the world much faster.
If you can, get help for the first week or two postpartum. This may be your spouse or partner, a family member or friend, or you may want to consider a postpartum doula if you have the budget for one. Let these people help around the house, entertain older children and cook and clean. It is your job as the new mom to cuddle the baby, not theirs. If you can, try to keep visitors to a minimum until you feel rested and able to deal with the extra effort required to entertain.
If you had a homebirth, you may get a few visits at home from your midwife if you had one. She will check on you and your baby to see that baby is eating well, soiling enough diapers per day and if you're getting the rest and nutrition you need. If you have any concerns, ask her about them. Some reasons to be checked out include soaking a menstrual pad in an hour or less, a foul smelling discharge from the vagina, sore nipples or troubles with feeding the baby, if the baby is lethargic and not interested in eating or if he or she does not produce enough wet and soiled diapers per day.
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