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.
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.
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.
While it's important to keep your incision site clean to prevent infection, you should avoid taking a bath or using a sitz bath until it's healed. Having a shower and simply letting the water and mild soap run over the incision area is enough to keep it clean.
The cervix generally doesn't close fully for around six weeks, so up until that point, there's the risk of introducing bacteria into the uterus and ending up with an infection, Pari Ghodsi, M.D., a board-certified ob/gyn based in Los Angeles, tells SELF.
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.
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.
It is going to need time to recover. 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.
This also means that some activities and behaviors may need to be avoided or adjusted until you're at least 6 weeks postpartum, you're fully healed, or your doctor has confirmed it's OK to do so. Avoid: stomach sleeping.
Ice your perineum every couple of hours for the first 24 hours post-birth. Spray warm water over the area before and after peeing to keep urine from irritating torn skin. Try warm sitz baths for 20 minutes a few times a day to ease pain. Aim to avoid long periods of standing or sitting, and sleep on your side.
According to most pediatric health experts, infants can be taken out in public or outside right away as long as parents follow some basic safety precautions. There's no need to wait until 6 weeks or 2 months of age. Getting out, and in particular, getting outside in nature, is good for parents and babies.
Along with extra movement, an awake baby also has more heart rate accelerations. Based on the estimates of 95% of time spent sleeping, your baby might snooze right through a lot of the birth process. Some studies even suggest babies remain in a sedated state until the moment of childbirth.
The quick answer: When you're comfortable! There simply isn't a general, one-size-fits-all rule on when to welcome visitors after baby arrives (let alone who gets first dibs on newborn snuggles!).
While it's understandable that grandparents are drawn straight to the new baby, they really should sit down with the older grandchildren first.
Most pediatric health experts agree that babies can head outside right away, as long as you use basic safety precautions. (More on those to come, so keep calm and read on!)
Twilight Sleep (Dammerschlaf) was a form of childbirth first used in the early twentieth century in Germany in which drugs caused women in labor to enter a state of sleep prior to giving birth and awake from childbirth with no recollection of the procedure.
The umbilical cord doesn't have nerves so your baby has no feeling in the cord. Your baby doesn't feel pain when the doctor cuts the cord. The cord doesn't hurt your baby as it dries, shrinks and falls off.
Your ribs may have expanded, and your hips will often widen to make it easier for the baby to exit the birth canal. For some women wider ribs and hips will be permanent. As your baby grows during pregnancy you will gain weight . This helps to support your baby before and after birth.
Signs of hypothermia include shivering, breathing slowly and having pale, cool skin. Babies who are hot, tend to look uncomfortable. Like adults who overheat, a baby's skin will become red, and they will look flushed.
By two weeks, your baby might start to recognize their caregiver's face, focusing on it for a few seconds as you smile and play with them. Just remember to stay within their field of vision: it's still around 8-12 inches. This is where all of that up-close-and-personal time with your child pays off.
Your baby sees things best from 8 to 12 inches away. This is the perfect distance for gazing up into the eyes of mom or dad (a favorite thing to do!). Any farther than that, and newborns see mostly blurry shapes because they're nearsighted. At birth, a newborn's eyesight is between 20/200 and 20/400.
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.
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.
The pelvic floor muscles elongate during pregnancy and are stretched with birth. As a result, after birth “the muscles usually tighten up in response,” Mortifoglio says.
Your vagina may be looser after giving birth.
The muscles may improve over time, but often do not. Kegel exercises and pelvic floor therapy can help strengthen these muscles. If it continues to be a problem, Vaginoplasty can dramatically improve a loose vagina. See if Vaginoplasty is right for you.