For those first few weeks after giving birth, it's best to stick to showers – and don't worry, they'll probably feel just as relaxing! Use warm water and mild soap, and gently clean your body without scrubbing too hard at your c-section incision site or around your pelvic region.
You may shower, bathe or wash your hair at anytime after the birth of your baby. During your first six weeks, avoid strenuous work. You may choose to limit visits with family and friends during the first two weeks, as it may cause undue fatigue for you and could also be detrimental to your baby's health.
It is important to keep the incision clean and dry. You can take sponge baths or showers. Drip plain or soapy water over the incision and dry gently with a clean towel. Your incision may itch as it heals.
Having a shower and simply letting the water and mild soap run over the incision area is enough to keep it clean. Don't scrub it in the shower and when drying off, don't rub the incision. Instead, gently pat dry with a clean towel.
2 weeks and beyond
You don't need to bathe your baby every day. You may prefer to wash their face, neck, hands and bottom carefully instead. Most babies will regain their birthweight in the first 2 weeks. Around this time their care will move from a midwife to a health visitor.
In the first week or two, you'll want to just use a peri bottle (filled with warm tap water) and gently blot dry with super-soft TP or, even better, medicated wipes (such as Tucks). You should be sent home with a peri bottle from the hospital — if not, ask for one before leaving.
The WHO also recommends not wiping off the vernix at birth. The main reasons to wait with your baby's first bath include: Keeping your little one warm and stabilizing blood sugar levels. Babies who are bathed too soon after birth are more likely to become cold and could develop hypothermia.
If you delivered vaginally, you may drive when you feel comfortable and have stopped taking pain medications. If you had a cesarean section, wait at least two weeks before driving. Sitz baths (warm, shallow baths), regular baths, and showers are safe after vaginal delivery and can help with discomfort.
After 48 hours, surgical wounds can get wet without increasing the risk of infection. After this time, you can get your stitches wet briefly with a light spray (such as in the shower), but they should not be soaked (for example, in the bath). Make sure you pat the area dry afterwards.
A tear is usually healed in about 4 to 6 weeks. This care sheet gives you a general idea about how long it will take for you to recover. But each woman recovers at a different pace. Follow the steps below to feel better as quickly as possible.
Avoid stairs and lifting until your doctor says these activities are OK. Don't take a bath or go swimming until the doctor says it's OK. Don't drive until your doctor says it's OK. Also wait until you can make sudden movements and wear a safety belt properly without discomfort.
Bleeding often lasts for around for four to six weeks, but could last up to 12 weeks after your baby's born (RCOG, 2016). If you're worried, you can talk to a health professional. Bleeding will start off heavy and red to browny red. It will become lighter in colour and flow over time (NHS, 2021).
It is important for people to follow their doctor's care instructions after having dissolvable stitches. In many cases, a person can shower 24 hours after the wound closure. However, a doctor may advise a person to avoid soaking in a bathtub for a specified period.
"There is no data to suggest that a wound with stitches that is kept dry heals faster, has less incidence of infection, has less pain, or has greater . . . strength," said Noe. Allowing patients to wash their stitches has several advantages, he said. "First, it tends to make people less intimidated by their wounds.
The time it takes for dissolvable or absorbable stitches to disappear can vary. Most types should start to dissolve or fall out within a week or two, although it may be a few weeks before they disappear completely. Some may last for several months.
Many midwives recommend a full week of bed rest, but Brewer understands that a week isn't always possible for most women (especially if you have other children). Try for at least a few days, if you can.
Delayed bathing fits into the Baby-Friendly practices by promoting skin-to-skin contact right from birth and throughout the breastfeeding process. Studies have shown that increasing skin-to-skin contact early after birth decreases the stress on the newborn and starts the bonding process more quickly.
After the birth of your baby, the umbilical cord needs to be clamped and cut. This can happen straight after birth, or you might be able to cuddle your baby for a minute or two before the cord is cut. Your birth partner can usually cut the umbilical cord if that's what you and your partner want.
If skin-to-skin contact with your newborn happens before the baby's even cleaned off, there's evidence that he'll be less prone to infection because he has more time in contact with the beneficial bacteria you transmit to him during a vaginal birth.
We found out that It is not necessary to use wipes to wipe your baby down during every nappy change. Urine rarely irritates the skin and disposable nappies are very absorbent limiting the amount of urine that comes into contact with your baby's skin.
If you've had stitches or a tear, doing a poo won't make the tear any bigger, or make your stitches come away. It's understandable to feel vulnerable about this part of your body. Feeling tense will make it harder for you to do a poo, though.
Hemorrhoids (Piles)
A hemorrhoid is a painful swelling of a vein in the rectum. After having a baby - especially after a vaginal delivery - many women develop hemorrhoids. Symptoms include pain, rectal itching, bleeding after having a bowel movement, or a swollen area around the anus.
Eat plenty of fresh fruit, vegetables, salad, wholegrain cereals and wholemeal bread, and drink plenty of water. This should make pooing easier and less painful. Try not to push or strain – this will make the piles worse. Let your midwife know if you feel very uncomfortable.
Generally absorbable sutures are clear or white in colour. They are often buried by threading the suture under the skin edges and are only visible as threads coming out of the ends of the wound. The suture end will need snipping flush with the skin at about 10 days.
If the wound environment is dry, the cells will have to find moisture deep in the wound bed so that they can migrate. This slows down the healing process. In fact, studies show that moist wounds heal 50 % faster than dry wounds.