(Contains amazon associates links)
Hey guys Jess here and today I'm going to share with you a brief put together of some of the things that have helped me post birth, this is not an exhaustive list of what works, but things that you might want to try and see if they help you.
First lets share a little of my journey, induced, mass blood loss, 6 days in hospital, feeding issues, jaundice baby, 2nd degree tear, low blood haemoglobin levels, stitches, haemorrhoids, constipation, several different pain meds, other meds and blood thinners. For the full birth story you can head here: https://livelifeonthewildside.blogspot.com/2024/04/the-birth-experience.html
Yes I know this is going on the internet for all to see but 1. These are all parts of being human and pushing a child out of you, if your lucky you won't get these but there is always a possibility 2. once you have had several midwives, doctors, etc looking at various different body parts and constantly talked to them about your pee, bowl movements, blood flow and everything in between, you just stop caring so much about what people think.
So that's my story, here are some things that have helped.
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2. Have lots of clean dry flannels to hand- these are great for patting the area dry after the rinsing, its much better than trying to pat yourself dry with paper or tissues, then you pop them in the wash, dry them and reuse them!
3. Have plenty of maternity pads- like lots, get what you think you need then double it, and you will probably still want more, its best to change them every 1-2 hours, especially with stitches, not just because of these bleed but also because its going to get warm and sweaty, freshening up and changing the pads frequently helps.
(Ideally you might want these items in your hospital bag, if you don't make sure someone grabs them for you and brings enough if you are in for a few days- I have a basket in my bathroom with all these items in so they are together and easy to grab. )
4. Following the birth have a shower as soon as you can! Whether this is at home, or at the hospital get yourself in the shower, avoid soaps on your lower regions, but have a really good rinse with the shower, this was the best thing I did with myself, it made me feel a little more human.
5. If you are on medication check the timings between them, whilst i was in hospital I didn't have someone who was in charge of the timings of medication, there was someone who would come round occasionally and check if i needed any pain relief but it wasn't specific to the times i needed, once i figured that out, I tracked what i needed when to space it out and keep the pain at bay then i would just press the buzzer and ask for my next lot.
6. Drink and eat plenty! My first few days i didn't really eat or drink much, i was two busy focusing on little one, however this wasn't helping either of us, once i got home hubby was in charge of making sure i was fed and watered, i was in charge of taking my pain meds and feeding little man, this was a massive boost to my recovery.
7. As soon as you are ready get up and walk, you might not want to but you are going to have to eventually for changing your pads, the sooner you do it the better- the first few times i asked for support whilst i was in hospital just because i still felt a little wobbly, but getting up and moving helped me recover quicker.
8. Ask lots of questions and don't be afraid to revisit asking the same question if you're still not sure, there is no such thing as a daft question.
9. Grab yourself a post birth cold pad, this can be put in the freezer for about 4 hours then you put it in with your pad, the cooling sensation helps with healing and pain relief! This was a life saver once i was home.
10. You can start your pelvic floor exercises pretty much straight away post birth! it might seem daunting but give it a go, i promise it doesn't hurt as much as you think it will, i find myself doing them ever time i feed or express, both things happen so often it serves as a good reminder and the more you do it the more blood flow it brings to the area and the quicker you can heal.
11.That first post birth bowel movement should really be classes as the 3rd birth- you birth the baby, then your birth the placenta then you birth your first bowel movement- do this sooner rather than later, if you need them use laxatives, it is going to seem scary but the sooner you do it the better! for clean up a damp cold flannel works better than tissue and if you lucky enough to not have stitches and are able to soak in the bath this can also help!
12. And finally- that list of things you brought pre birth? isn't complete- as you navigate settling you and your family back into life you will find things you have that don't use, things you need that you don't have and everything in between, amazon will be your best friend and don't be afraid to ask people to grab you stuff as well! A side note to this, those lists you see online for 'newborn essentials' they are all different, and not one of them is perfect, so make a plan get what you think you might need and be prepared to emergency shop after.
I'm going to leave it there but i would love to get some of your advice following birth, what did you find helpful to you? drop it in a comment!
Thanks for reading
Scribble back
Jessie
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