Don't drink alcohol, use street drugs or use harmful drugs. All of these can affect your mood and make you feel worse. And they can make it hard for you to take care of your baby. Ask for help from your partner, family and friends.
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.
No matter how you delivered your baby, the postpartum recovery period is generally considered to be the first six weeks after childbirth. This doesn't mean that at six weeks you'll magically bounce back to pre-baby condition.
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.
A person can expect changes to their vagina after giving birth. Common changes include perineal pain, pain during sex, bleeding, and vaginal dryness. According to the United Kingdom's National Health Service (NHS), it is not unusual for people to notice new and uncomfortable vaginal changes after giving birth.
Most doctors advise not to put anything in the vagina—including toys, fingers, and penises—for four to six weeks to allow for healing and reduce the risk of complications.
There are five essential factors that affect the process of labor and delivery. They are easily remembered as the five Ps (passenger, passage, powers, placenta, and psychology).
Most doctors recommend waiting six weeks after giving birth to have sex again. This allows for general healing and for your body to recover from specific birth-related issues, such as: Vaginal tear or episiotomy (an incision that enlarges the vaginal opening for the baby to come through) Cesarean incision.
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.
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.
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. “Even if it's a 10-minute walk around the block, it can be extremely helpful for the healing process.
When is it safe to leave the house with a new baby? There is no rush to go on an outing. In some cultures, women stay in the house with their new baby for a month or more. But it is also fine to take your baby outside as soon as you feel ready.
One thing that often surprises my patients is that you should not drive for two weeks after delivery. All deliveries, whether vaginal or cesarean, involve some blood loss. This blood loss could cause some weakness which could impair your driving ability.
Most people find the first six to eight weeks to be the hardest with a new baby. And, although people may not openly discuss many of the challenges in these early weeks of parenthood (if at all), there are a number of common hurdles you may face at this time.
At least five factors affect the process of labor and birth. These are easily remembered as the five Ps: passenger (fetus and placenta), passageway (birth canal), powers (contractions), position of the mother, and psychologic response.
4/5 = sitting on the pelvic brim. 3/5 = lower but most still above the brim. 2/5 = engaged, as most is below the brim. 1/5 or 0/5 = deeply engaged. If it's your first baby, engagement tends to happen in the last weeks.
Your uterus contracts and you'll be good as new soon. But to be sure to allow time for that healing, medical providers recommend a waiting period. Inserting items into your vagina could potentially introduce bacteria, which could travel through your cervix and into your uterus, and cause infection. Yikes!
“It's best to keep things out of the vagina for a few weeks. That includes tampons, saliva, penises, fingers and toys,” Dr. Zuponcic says. “Your cervix hasn't yet shrunk back down.
Lochia is the vaginal discharge you have after giving birth. It contains a mix of blood, mucus and uterine tissue. It has a stale, musty odor like menstrual period discharge and can last several weeks.
Like with many other things, the physical appearance of your vagina after giving birth will depend on your personal circumstances. However, rest assured that while the vaginal opening may look wider, the vagina itself won't be any wider. “Remember that the vagina is a tube surrounded by muscle.