Keep the area clean by pouring or spraying warm water over the area outside your vagina and anus after you use the toilet. Use baby wipes or medicated pads, such as Tucks, instead of toilet paper after a bowel movement.
Gently wipe from the front to the back. Baby wipes or hemorrhoid pads are usually more gentle than toilet paper. If you use toilet paper, use only soft, undyed, unscented toilet paper. Take warm soaks in a tub or a sitz bath.
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.
Honestly, it took me about three weeks before I could wipe at all. But other moms have different experiences. For instance, Jenn Swartzentruber, 35, had an uncomplicated vaginal birth at home with no tear or episiotomy. She tells Romper that she felt good enough to wipe after about a week and a half.
By waiting to give the newborn the first bath, studies show the newborn is better able to stabilize his or her blood sugar and temperature.
Resume light exercise and household chores
Just remember to take it slow and avoid trying new things right now. Similarly, you should be able to resume day-to-day tasks around the house without much trouble around two weeks after delivery.
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.
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).
After delivery, the doctor or midwife usually closes the perineal tear with stitches. The stitches will dissolve in 1 to 2 weeks, so they will not need to be removed. You may notice pieces of the stitches on your sanitary pad or on the toilet paper when you go to the washroom.
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.
If you've had stitches after tearing or an episiotomy (cut), bathe them every day to help prevent infection. Have a bath or shower with plain warm water then carefully pat yourself dry. If your stitches are sore or uncomfortable, tell your midwife.
It's often due to hormonal disruptions and the shedding of the amniotic fluid, blood, and tissue that developed in your womb over nine months of pregnancy. Regular showers, drinking lots of water, and eating a healthy diet can help to alleviate these symptoms.
Lochia will smell like menstrual blood. Some describe it as musty, metallic, sour or stale. However, it shouldn't smell fishy or foul. This could mean bacteria has gotten into your vagina and caused an infection.
Most women will stop bleeding between four and six weeks after giving birth. Some women may bleed for longer or shorter than this.
Painful urination after a vaginal birth
Some general soreness is normal as your perineum recovers from all that pushing, and you might notice it more when you're peeing. If you had any tearing or an episiotomy, it's normal to experience some sharp stinging as urine comes into contact with the healing tissue.
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.
The baby will be cleaned, weighed, and measured. The nurses will observe your baby's activity, heart rate, reflexes, appearance, and breathing. Babies are born with low levels of vitamin K, which aids in blood clotting, so they will also be given a vitamin K shot to protect them against potentially dangerous bleeding.
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.
The idea that babies have to stay inside the house for several weeks after they're born is FALSE. In fact, as long as your baby is healthy, getting some fresh air can be great for mom and baby if you take a few precautions. First, be careful not to overdress or underdress your baby when you leave the house.
The first few weeks after delivery are an important time for you to rest whenever you can. Try and sleep or rest when your baby sleeps. This rest will help you recover. Avoiding heavy lifting: You should avoid lifting anything that's heavier than your baby while you're recovering.
Weird smells are normal.
Immediately after, and even six to eight weeks after delivery, there will be lochia, and lots of it. This is the stuff (mostly blood) that your uterus sheds, and it may have a mild odor to it.
If you're nursing your baby, your body will emit a stronger smell through your underarm sweat than normal to help your baby find its source of food (2). This is your body's response to naturally assist your baby in finding the breast, and will begin right after giving birth.
The hormonal shifts and weight and diet changes will begin to taper off sometime around the six to eight-week mark (3) - unless you continue to eat nachos for dinner which we totally applaud. However, the extra body odor due to nursing will stick around until you're done breastfeeding (2).
Putting ice on your stitches can help heal your wound faster by easing inflammation. You can get ice packs that you can wear just like pads. These ice packs should be worn for about 10 to 20 minutes to ease pain from stitches after birth.