Recovering From A Normal Delivery
You have worked hard to give birth to the baby from normal delivery. Now your body needs some time to get into normal conditions, so do not expect any miracle! We are elaborating in this article how will you feel in the days to come.
How Would I Feel After Normal Delivery?
Every woman has a different experience in normal delivery. Some women feel active, alert, happy and physically, mentally and emotionally satisfied. At the same time, some feel hurt, scared and battered. Even between these two extremes, you can feel anything!
Whether there are complications in your delivery, delivery is difficult, or the place between the vagina and anus is cracked, you are still relieved to have a healthy baby. It is better that you rest for a few days and weeks to come. Focus on postnatal pain, start breastfeeding and spend time knowing and loving your kid.
Why Do I Get Stomach Cramps After I Give Birth?
You feel this because your uterus is shrinking now and is coming back to its pre-pregnancy size. These are called after-pains, and they usually last for two to three days after the birth of the baby.
Your uterus was 10 to 20 times larger than the size of your pregnancy immediately before the birth of your baby. Now your uterus is coming into its actual size
If you have twins or triplets babies in your womb, more than one pregnancy or you are breastfeeding, then these pain can sometimes be more intense. If you are breastfeeding, then the doctor will give you pain relief medicine that is safe.
After your delivery and again before you are discharged from the hospital, your doctor will check your womb. In relation to your tummy button and pubic bone, she will place her hand on your tummy and feel at the top of your womb. If she feels sore when she does this, let your doctor know, as it may mean you have an infection.
At your six-week postnatal check, your doctor will check your belly again. She should not be able to feel your womb by this time.
How Long Will It Take To Recover My Stitches After Delivery?
Small tears to the area between your vaginal opening and back passage (anus) are common during vaginal birth. These usually heal quickly, but it may take longer to heal a more severe tear or a cut (episiotomy). For a few days or even weeks, stitches may be painful.
It can also make sitting uncomfortable if you have a perineal tear or an episiotomy. Your doctor will give you pain relief medicine. You can also use cold gel packs to soothe the area on your perineum.
To prevent infection there as well, you will need to keep this part of your body clean. Take at least once a day a bath or shower and regularly change your maternity pad. Learn more about following a normal delivery how to take care of your stitches.
And don’t forget your exercises on the pelvic floor. Doing exercises can help reduce swelling and accelerate healing.
Tell your health care provider immediately if your perineal pain and discomfort do not improve or if your wound smells.
Is It Normal To Have Pain In Breasts After Delivery?
Your body gets to work again as soon as you give birth. Suckling in your baby and two hormones, known as prolactin and oxytocin, encourage the production of milk.
Your breasts are filled with mature milk and blood flows into your breasts to make the tissues swell during the first few days after the child is born. Heavy, warm, strong and sometimes lumpy may feel your breasts.
It does not often last as unpleasant as it sounds. You should start to soften your breasts within a day or two and feel much more comfortable.
If the congestion does not settle with frequent feeding, see as soon as possible with your doctor or breastfeeding specialist. You are more vulnerable to mastitis if your breasts remain overly full.
Some moms also find that in the early days of breastfeeding they have sensitive, sore, and painful nipples. Your baby doesn’t latch well is the most common cause of sore nipples.
Keep in mind that while feeding comes to your baby naturally, it may be a little bit of a learning curve for you. Some women find it easier than others, but for their baby, almost all women will produce enough milk. You can help ensure that your baby gets enough milk through:
- Check that baby is properly latched when feeding
- Offering both breasts for each feed or switch feed (switching frequently when your baby is sleepy)
- Feeding more frequently
- After feeding, expressing milk
- If you’re worried your baby doesn’t get enough milk, speak with your doctor.
How Do I Know If My Postpartum Bleeding Is Normal?
Your vaginal bleeding will start immediately after birth. This hemorrhagic (Locia) can be very high, but it gradually decreases in the coming days and weeks.
Hemorrhoids start with red color and then in the next few days, it changes color and becomes brown. That’s because now your womb heals and returns to its pre-pregnancy size. This bleeding is usually stopped until the baby is six weeks old.
If you breastfeed the baby, this bleeding may be more red and more. You can get cramp like menstrual pain, which is called after-pains. This happens because of breastfeeding contracts in the uterus. Many times bleeding is much more than normal ones. This is called postpartum hemorrhage (PPH).
Talk to the doctor immediately in the following situations:
- Suddenly the bleeding gets very heavy, soaking up more than one pad an hour.
- After you give birth, even after you rest, the bleeding becomes persistently fresher (bright red) and heavier for four days or more.
- You’re going through a lot of big blood clots.
- You begin to feel weak or dizzy and your heart begins to race
Why Am I Peeing So Much Now That I’ve Had My Baby?
When you were pregnant, your body retained the fluid. Now when your body is coming in normal condition, then all this liquid will emerge out of some way.
Until a few days after the birth of the baby, you will urinate again and again. This is a way to extract excess fluid from the body. You will also sweat more. While passing through this phase, you will probably feel the need to take a bath or wash.
You may also have swelling in your legs and ankles for some time because the extra fluid present in the body rotates around it. It can be more than swelling during pregnancy.
Even if your body is trying to take out fluid, yet still you need to drink enough water to keep your bladder healthy. Staying hydrated will help prevent constipation as well.
You’ll often be thirsty if you’re breastfeeding, so have a handy drink while feeding your baby. Water is the best. You could also try fresh fruit juices for breastfeeding mums (with no-added-sugar) or traditional containment drinks.
Why Do I Look Pregnant Even After Normal Delivery?
As the baby develops in the womb, your stomach muscles get stretched and they become weak. That’s why your little stomach may get out and you may feel uneasy for some time. It will help you ton up by eating a healthy diet and being active.
Doing specific postnatal exercises can also help you get back into shape and help back pain. These include deep exercises in the stomach that strengthen your abdominal muscles. You might be able to find a local postnatal exercise class, or you might ask for suggestions from friends and family. Start with any exercise program and listen to your body at all times. Get your doctor’s advice before you exercise. This is all the more important when you were pregnant with back pain or pelvic pain.
I Feel Very Tired As A New Mother. How Can I Recover From This?
It’s no wonder if reading just about it gives you the impression of having a nap. The dramatic shift from a pregnant woman to a new mother is exhausting, and when combined with a lack of sleep, you’re not surprised to be tired.
Your body reverses changes that took nine months to occur in just a few weeks. So, get things started slowly, and let yourself recover from giving birth. Try to have extra rest throughout the day as your baby sleeps. This can be difficult if you have other kids to look after, so ask your husband and family to help. You might also think about hiring a live-in maid or part-time help to give you a hand. If you look after yourself with your baby, your new role as a mother is easier and more pleasant.
In the day when your baby is sleeping, you also try to relax. If you are an older child, maybe this might not be easy to do. So you can take help of your husband or family members. You can also have full time or part time domestic help with you. If you take care of your child as well, then this role of a new mother will be easy and you will enjoy it.
You may well have forgotten the other most important person with the excitement, the hustle, and bustle of the new arrival–you! It is as vital to take ample rest, get enough sleep, eat a nutritional diet after birth as taking care of your baby. You can only get your little one to be fit if you’re fit too!
Also Read: Post Pregnancy Skin Ageing
