All right, you’ve had your baby, whether at home or away from home, and you’re excited to be at home with your little one. But how do you take care of yourself? Honestly, postpartum home care is one of the most difficult things to remember once you’re home and on your own. I’ll cover a little bit of my own story, some key things to remember, and some supplies you’ll need.
You may be so focused on keeping your baby happy and healthy that you forget yourself. It’s easy to do, but remember: you need to heal, too.
Okay, so for background, I remember when I had my baby and had just come home from the birth center. (You can read my birth story here.) We was able to come home about 6 hours after birth. This was wonderful; I was so happy to be home. I had been awake for about 28 hours at that point, and I was exhausted from labor and birth. My adrenaline was so high, though, that I couldn’t sleep right away. Besides that, I was trying to figure out breastfeeding every 2 hours. And of course, I wanted to soak in all the newborn snuggles with the little person I barely knew.
So here’s what ended up happening: I didn’t really nap during the day, and I didn’t sleep well at night. Mealtimes didn’t happen, and I wasn’t feeding myself nutritious foods or snacks. I stressed over my baby’s weight gain (and loss). My hormones were crazy. I ended up nonstop crying on the second day after birth. I was determined that I would be “strong.” In my mind, that meant being awake and present for my husband and baby. In reality, it significantly slowed my recovery.
So don’t be like me. 🙂
Things to Consider
You’ll never get those snuggles back. So take time to enjoy them. Relax in bed with your baby, and let someone else worry about the housework, the meals, and even answering the phone. You don’t have to respond to texts if you don’t want to. If you don’t want to send baby pictures to friends, don’t. If you don’t want to have guests, don’t. Especially if this is your first baby, you’ll never have this uninterrupted time with your baby again. So enjoy it.
The Rule of 5’s. Some people suggest that you spend the first five days in bed, the second five days on the bed, and the third five days near the bed. This means that for two weeks, you’re taking it easy. Your body truly does need time to recover, especially after a first-time labor and birth.
Be realistic about body expectations. You will probably still have a belly that looks pregnant for several weeks after birth. Your uterus will shrink back to the size it was before, but it takes weeks and sometimes months. And that’s okay and normal.
Be aware that you may be more sore than you expect. You have just undergone a physical feat that is the equivalent of running a marathon. Don’t be surprised if you have sore muscles – well, everywhere. Especially if this is your first vaginal birth, you may be sore in your cheeks, neck, forehead, abdomen, arms, and legs. Again, make sure you’re resting and hydrating. Hot baths can help with the soreness.
Make sure you’re eating well. Buy high-protein snacks ahead of time and make sure you’re eating a snack every couple of hours. This will help to boost milk production if you’re breastfeeding, as well as speed healing.
Don’t worry too much about that first poop. While the thought of pooping can be terrifying, if you’re drinking water and eating fiber, it’s not as bad as many women expect. Make sure that you can relax on the toilet (this is hard to do if your newborn is screaming), and take your time.
Do lots of skin-to-skin. This is good for your hormones and for baby’s overall wellbeing. There are so many benefits to cuddling with baby and doing skin-to-skin. You can read more about them here.
Use comfort measures for vaginal pain. If you had any kind of vaginal tearing, there are things you can do to help with the pain! Ice packs, Dermoplast, and sitz baths can provide a lot of relief. Ultimately, healing is going to take time, but the pain will subside significantly after the first week.
Get outside. Maybe not during the first couple of days, but sometime within the first week, if you can, try to get some sunshine. This might mean laying down outside on a blanket, or even going for a car ride with the windows down.
Have friends who check in on you. Postpartum can be hard. Ask close friends to text you or call you after birth to make sure you’re doing okay. Community is important, and you may feel especially alone right after birth.
Monitor your bleeding. Vaginal bleeding is normal during postpartum, since your uterus is shedding everything it’s accumulated during pregnancy to keep your baby safe and cozy. But the bleeding should never be excessively heavy. You shouldn’t see large clots, either. If you notice an uptick in your bleeding, it’s probably your body telling you to slow down.
Things to buy for postpartum
I’m a minimalist, so I didn’t want to buy a lot of things I didn’t need. Here’s what I would absolutely recommend. You could get everything for under $100. You can also put these on your registry if you’d like; people often appreciate being able to buy something for mom as well as for baby.
Vaginal Ice Pads: you can make your own with this recipe, or buy them. You can buy Frida Mom’s on Amazon or at Target. They are 100% worth the investment after a vaginal delivery. Make yourself a little pad sandwich right after birth. This really, really helps! Layer a cold icepack, Tucks pads, and witch hazel foam and it’s instant relief.
Menstrual Pads and Pantiliners: Whatever pads you normally use are fine. If you use tampons normally, you don’t want to do that after birth, so stock up on pads. I think these pads are the best. It’s pretty normal to have period-level bleeding for about 10 days after birth, then have light bleeding for another 7-10 days. After that, you may have clear or pink discharge, but I found that wearing a pantiliner was sufficient.
Disposable Underwear. The last thing you want to do when you’re freshly postpartum is to be constantly changing your sheets because you bled through your underwear. Again, Frida Mom makes some, but you can totally use any brand. I used these and they were helpful. And, I found that I didn’t have to use menstrual pads when I was using this underwear.
Witch hazel. This is a natural astringent that really helps with rectal discomfort after birth. You can either buy Tucks pads (which are soaked with witch hazel) or buy a little spray bottle and fill it with witch hazel. Frida Mom also makes a witch hazel foam that is super helpful. Alternatively, Earth Mama makes a spray that’s great for on-the-go. I’ve tried all of these and found that the Frida Mom foam was my favorite. As long you as you have some kind of witch hazel on hand, it will be really helpful.
A perineal cleansing bottle. You will often bring a cheap one home from the hospital or wherever you give birth. That works fine. If you want to invest in a more expensive one, you have lots of options. 🙂 This is just so that you can spray yourself clean instead of wiping after you go to the bathroom. If you have a gentle spray bidet at home, that works just fine as well.
Dermoplast. Super cheap, but this is a numbing spray that can help give fast relief if you have had vaginal tearing. Amazon sells it here.
Bath salts or epsom salts. You can buy a sitz bath, or often you will come home from the hospital with one. If you don’t have the space to store a sitz bath, you can take frequent soaks in the tub. Epsom salts will help with sore muscles, as well as with vaginal healing. I love these bath salts.
Nursing pads. Some women find that their supply regulates after the first month or so, while other women find that they prefer to wear nursing pads until they wean their child. You can get disposable nursing pads or washable, reusable ones.
Nipple cream. Avoid lanolin nipple creams! They can sometimes lead to yeast infections. This nipple butter is great. You could probably even skip buying nipple cream and go straight to pumping spray if you plan to use a breast pump a lot. This pumping spray is really good, too.
Snacks. High protein snacks will help your body heal and help with milk production for baby. Cheesesticks, granola bars, protein shakes, smoothies, and fresh fruit are all good, easy snack options. Don’t forget to eat balanced meals, too, even if you’re not hungry. You may not be hungry the first couple of days because of hormones, stress, and adrenaline, but you need to eat so that you can heal.
Mental Preparation for Postpartum
For me, this time was more difficult than I had anticipated. I felt starkly alone. Even though my husband was very supportive, I was the one who was feeding the baby around the clock. I was the one loosing sleep. I was the one responsible for the baby’s weight gain and health. Going through this time gave me a new appreciation for other new moms. However, I think I bonded most with my son because of all the late night-feedings and all the time I was investing into him.
Don’t hesitate to ask for help. Ask your husband, your family, or close friends. And ask God for wisdom and patience as you go through each late night feeding. And remember that this time will not last forever. It seems like it will, but it will be gone before you know it.
Practically, take time to take a shower and brush your teeth relatively early in the day. Ask someone to watch your baby, or bring your baby into the bathroom while you shower. The white noise from the shower will often help the baby to fall asleep. Taking care of your basic needs will help you to feel better, too.
Also, remember that difficulty is not a bad thing. And often God uses difficult experiences to bring us closer to Him. He uses pain to make us more like who He created us to be.
The postpartum period is difficult. It’s a lot of work, and a lot of sacrifice, and sometimes a lot of loneliness. But lean into Jesus and acknowledge your need of Him. He is faithful. And because of Him, you have a relationship with a God Who not only created you, but cared enough to seek you out. That God will not abandon you during this time.
Until next time,
Lynette