Your hospital may provide you with some nipple cream and perhaps a nipple shield to help with latching. You might be so lucky as to leave with a hand pump of your own, as well as supplies for your own electric pump. Any informational packets.
Most hospitals offer complimentary items like pads and non-slip socks for mom, as well as caps, shirts and swaddles, as mentioned above, for baby. These basics are all you'll need while focusing on caring for your post-birth body and newborn. You can ask during your birth center tour what's provided and what's not.
Ibuprofen is usually the preferred first step because little of it passes through breastmilk. Acetaminophen also is safe to take while breastfeeding. Both medications are available over the counter. Talk with your ob-gyn if you feel you need other options, or before combining two or more pain medications.
Birthing and Recovery Aids
After you give birth, the hospital will provide plenty of, ice packs, witch hazel pads, peri squirt bottles, and anything else you might need to aid in your physical recovery.
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.
Some pregnant individuals pass no clots at all. During days 4–10, your flow will be lighter each day and be brownish or pink. You'll need to change your menstrual pad every 3–5 hours or every time you go to the bathroom. After 10 days and until about 2–6 weeks, your flow will be yellowish white.
You'll likely still feel the pressure of your contractions (which will be helpful when it's time to push) and be aware of (but not bothered by) vaginal exams during labor. And you'll still be able to feel your baby moving through the birth canal and coming out.
Does labor still hurt if you have an epidural? It's normal to worry that you'll still feel some pain even after you've been given an epidural. Most women experience great pain relief with an epidural, but it won't be 100 percent pain-free.
Aim for one outfit in newborn size and one 0-3 months. Don't forget hats and/or socks, if weather-appropriate. Your pediatrician's contact information. The doctors and nurses will ask you for this information several times, so it's good to have it handy.
The hospital will likely provide essential items for your baby, such as swaddling blankets, pacifiers, wipes, and diapers.
You don't have to. Most people choose to wear the gown because it's easier, but you can wear your own clothes, if you prefer. Just make sure they're comfortable and can get dirty (or straight-up ruined), like a simple, cheap nightgown or a stretchy, knee-length skirt.
In most cases, however, an epidural will not be given until the mother is at least 3-4 centimeters dilated. Once the mother is fully dilated most doctors and hospitals will consider it too late for an epidural to be given.
What's the ring of fire in pregnancy? The ring of fire refers to the burning, stinging sensation you may feel when your baby's head presses on and stretches your vaginal opening. (You may not feel it if you have an epidural.) Though it's painful, the ring of fire lasts just a few minutes.
When your baby's head crowns, you will experience a burning or stinging sensation, often referred to as “the ring of fire,” as your baby stretches the vaginal opening. As soon as you feel this sensation, stop pushing!
Most of the time, you can walk within a half hour or so of your epidural injection. However, you will not necessarily be walking normally at this point. Most clinics and hospitals monitor you for 15 minutes to an hour after an epidural injection. During this time, they will likely ask how you feel.
However, if you're later in your labor or if you have an epidural and can't really feel things and you suddenly feel a ton of pressure, like you need to have a bowel movement, you need to call your labor nurse ASAP.
You can squirt yourself with warm water from front to back. Gently pat dry with clean toilet paper or clean wipes. Soak in a bath. If you have delivered vaginally, soaking in a bath tub can also help with cleaning and wound healing.
Caring for your wounds and stitches
Sitting on the toilet backwards can ease stinging caused by urine passing over the injury (it sounds strange but it can really help!)
Nappies – approximately 6-8 a day. Baby wipes (non-perfumed) and/or cotton wool balls. Clothes: 3 x vests, 3 x babygros, cotton scratch mitts and a hat (most babies will wear a hat for the first 24 hours until they can maintain their temperature).
In those first few weeks postpartum, your cervix is still somewhat dilated, regardless of whether you had a vaginal delivery or a c-section. There's a theory – though no research has confirmed this – that tub water could travel into your uterus, introduce bacteria, and cause an infection.
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.
Wait a week to drive a car after a vaginal birth, says Robert Atlas, M.D., an OB-GYN at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore. "You use your abs to move your foot from the gas to the brake." If you've had a C-section, expect to wait two to three weeks before getting behind the wheel.
Some people describe the feeling as being like intense period cramps, others say it feels like a tightening or pounding feeling in your uterus or across your belly, others describe the feeling as being like very intense muscle cramps, while still other people describe contractions as being like the sort of wrenching ...