We get it, momma! We're here to help!
Here are some tips to speed up the recovery of your lady parts so you can get back to doing what you should be doing post-partum!
Spending time with your precious baby!
Ice will help reduce any vaginal swelling that you will be dealing with post-partum. It also doubles down as a temporary anesthetic, cooling and numbing the area and providing relief for a short while. Just make sure that no ice is directly touching your skin or you could cause some tissue damage, not pleasant!
What you could do is make an 'icepack sandwich'.
Ice packs are only effective 24-hour post-labor, so be mindful of this tip. Also, do not use an ice pack for longer than 20 minutes at one time as this can cause nerve damage, so take breaks!
All that pushing throughout your labor is going to have some serious implications on your bowel movements for the next couple of days. Add also the fact that your blood circulation has been diverted from your digestive system during labor and it's no wonder taking a number two is just as bad as a number one. The consequence of both is that bowel movements can become painful, difficult, and irregular.
In order to avoid the tension and discomfort, here is what you could do!
Both of these can help your bowel movements pass more easily and help get your digestive system back to normal more quickly. Don't be miserable!
No matter how dreadful it might feel to poo, you should never hold it back because this can cause constipation and make things a lot more difficult!
Next, it is that you avoid putting pressure onto your perineum. This will not only help speed up your overall recovery but it will have an enormous impact on your overall comfort post-partum.
As your body goes through healing, the best thing you could do to help is avoid irritating the area any further. That can be difficult to do post-partum especially considering the fact that you now also have a newborn baby to care for.
You can expect to be on your bottom for the bulk of your time in the first month as this is an essential part of your post-partum recovery (and it's not like you will have the energy or want to actually walk around). And if you’re planning on breastfeeding and/or pumping, you can expect to be sitting a lot more and far beyond just the first month. It doesn’t matter how comfortable your nursing chair might feel right now, it will feel a lot different after you deliver your baby!
There is only one solution to this problem!
Most first time moms don’t think about the importance of getting a support pillow because, well, they don’t know what to expect post-partum.
We can't stress the importance of making sure to use a post-partum pillow after delivery. It will really make a difference on your overall recovery.
A sitz bath is a fancy way of saying a tub slightly filled with lukewarm water. Soaking your perineum in lukewarm water helps cleanse and disinfect the area preventing infection, encourages blood thus promoting quicker recovery, and helps relieve itching and pain. Additionally, sitz baths are more effective at reducing vaginal swelling than ice packs, after the 24-hour mark.
When it comes to sitz baths you have a couple of options.
Once you have 'bathed' your perineum, gently pat the area dry with a clean cotton towel, making sure not to irritate the area.
Make sure to sanitate your bath between uses to prevent infection. Also, ask your doctor about using a sitz bath to see if they would also recommend adding antibacterial additives to your bath.
Padsicles are frozen sanitary pads usually covered in a mixture of herbs and/or aloe. They are more of a homeopathic version of post-partum care that has been passed down by midwives over the years, and for a good reason! This is the go-to post-partum treatment for many moms!
They are beneficial because they combine the ice pack and the pad eliminating the need for mesh underwear while providing added benefits.
There are many recipes for padsicles, however, the favorite tends to be the aloe and witch hazel padsicle.
To make them you will need:
Once you have your ingredients, you can make your padsicle(s).
You can stock up on your padsicles while you are pregnant so that they could be ready to go when you need them!
Since padsicles are frozen, it is still recommended that you use caution and make sure that the 'ice' is not directly touching your skin and that you don't use them for longer than 20 minutes at a time to avoid both tissue and nerve damage, respectively.
If you will be delivering at the hospital, this is the post-partum regime that you'll be introduced to instead. It offers the same type of benefits but, instead, it uses the manufactured forms of similar ingredients.
You shouldn't have to purchase these because they are usually given to mom at the hospital, however, just in case, you will need:
Make sure to have these nearby your toilet because this routine revolves around your bathroom breaks.
It's a process, but it will make your post-partum recovery so much easier and quicker!
Try to change out your pads/mesh underwear every hour or so in the first weeks and every 2-3 hours until your post-partum period stops, to promote healing and recovery and to avoid infection. You will also note that consistent rotation of cooling pads, and additional anesthetic spray, also helps with your overall comfort!
Pregnancy and labor can cause the muscles of your pelvic floor, your urethral and anal sphincters, to stretch and weaken. These muscles control the holding back and emptying of your solid and liquid waste. A weakened pelvic floor means that bowel movements can be more difficult and that you can experience urinary incontinence or a leaking bladder. In other words, you can find yourself peeing yourself when coughing or sneezing or when performing strenuous tasks like lifting or pulling.
This is where Kegels come in. Kegel exercises are extremely easy and very effective in re-strengthening your pelvic core muscles.
To do Kegels you must first isolate your pelvic floor muscles. You can do so by learning what they feel like.
Essentially, Kegel exercises are variations of this contraction.
After you have isolated your pelvic floor muscle, you can start strengthening them with Kegels. Here are some of those exercises.
You can, and should, always up your repetitions when you feel more comfortable with the exercise. If you still need help isolating your pelvic floor muscles, talk to your doctor.
There you have it! Prepare in advance and take the tips to heart and you’ll have the most pain-free and quick post-partum recovery that is possible so that you can focus the rest of your energy on your baby instead! Trust us, we have been there, we know!
We hope that we could be a part of your motherhood journey! Good luck momma!
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