Caring for a baby around the clock can cause strain to your back and surrounding muscles. Mothers tend to do a lot of hunching over while breastfeeding. They also do a lot of bending over to pick up children and other objects. This can strain the upper back and neck muscles.
Activities like spinning can be great for postpartum women who are having trouble walking, but be wary of leaning over and putting too much strain on a C-section scar.
If your postnatal bleeding (lochia) gets heavier or changes colour (becomes pink or red) after activity, you could be overdoing it. You're also likely to feel very tired. Listen to your body. Pace yourself and make sure you get plenty of rest too.
Woman on top or side-to-side might be easiest for your first few attempts, as these positions put less pressure on tender areas and give you control over the depth of penetration if you're having penetrative sex.
Resist sitting with crossed legs, or any sitting position that allows your labia to gape open, if you have a tear or stitches. This assists to reduce strain on your perineum or stitches. Practice several very gentle pelvic floor “pulses” each hour without trying to “hold”.
Your postpartum recovery won't be just a few days. Fully recovering from pregnancy and childbirth can take months. While many women feel mostly recovered by 6-8 weeks, it may take longer than this to feel like yourself again.
The 555 postpartum rule is a great guideline that suggests five days in bed, five days on the bed, and five days around the bed, adding up to 15 days of taking it easy and allowing yourself to recover gently during this time.
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.
Prepare for the 5-5-5 rule: 5 days in the bed, 5 days on the bed, 5 days near the bed. This gives you a solid two weeks of focused intentional rest. It also helps to get your priorities in order when it comes to those eager visitors. They will get to see the baby, but they don't get to make the rules.
1 Week Postpartum. The first week postpartum is the most intensive in terms of adjustment and recovery. You have just given birth, are taking care of a newborn, and may have experienced vaginal or perineum tearing (and stitches) or other delivery complications.
Other red flags to take note of are: chills, abdominal pain, foul-smelling discharge or a foul-smelling incision cite, redness, swelling, tenderness or pain in the breast, abdomen, or uterus, or flu-like symptoms.
Many health care providers recommend waiting 4 to 6 weeks after giving birth to give your body time to heal before you have sex. When you're ready for sex, be careful – you can get pregnant even before your period starts. This is because you may ovulate (release an egg) before you get your period again.
How long does it take a vaginal tear to heal? Most women feel relief from any pain caused by a vaginal tear in about two weeks. If your tear required stitches, they will dissolve within six weeks.
The cut may bleed quite a lot at first, but this should stop with pressure and stitches. Stitches should heal within 1 month of the birth. Talk to your midwife or obstetrician about which activities you should avoid during the healing period.
Start easy with short walks
It may not seem like much, but taking a short walk can help tremendously during your postpartum recovery. “I encourage patients to be getting up and walking around almost immediately after delivery,” Prager says.
The 40-day period is called the lochial period, from 'lochia' the normal vaginal discharge of cell debris and blood after birth. The Bible says “40 days” for the vaginal discharge resulting from involution and can also be described as the red lochia, lasting 4–6 weeks [29].
In Latin American cultures, the first 40 days after having a baby is traditionally known as la cuarentena, a time for new moms to rest, recover, and focus on breastfeeding while the women in their communities provide housekeeping and other support.
There are four main causes of postpartum hemorrhage that account for the majority of cases. Also known as the “Four T's”, these are Tone (uterine atony), Tissue (retained placenta), Trauma (laceration), and Thrombin (coagulopathy).
This process varies in women and depends on where the wound is, how deep the gap was, and how long any infection was present. The new tissue may look red and may bleed a little. Usually, when the healing process is complete, there will be a red scar for a short while. This will eventually fade like any skin scar.
In the Chinese tradition of Zuo Yue Zi (or “sitting the month”), for example; new mothers are expected to stay at home and rest for a full 30-40 days after their new arrival, while grandmothers and other female relatives take over all daily household tasks. Mom's only job is to rest and feed the baby.
Your incision will not reach its maximum strength for approximately four to five weeks, so take care not to overexert yourself. Usual activities such as walking, climbing the stairs and light housework are safe but do not lift heavy objects for approximately six weeks.
Your doctor will be making sure that you are healing as expected. By 6 weeks postpartum, your uterus should also have returned to its normal size – about the size of a grapefruit. If you are due for a pelvic exam, or if you had a complicated delivery or episiotomy, you can expect a pelvic exam.
Clitoral Stimulation After Birth
There is no reason that you can't have an orgasm as soon as you feel healed and comfortable enough after birth. For most women, this will generally be about a week, but if you have any medical problems, you will need to check with your doctor.