10 Postpartum Recovery Tips
Congratulations, Mama, you have joined the best club out there!!
I am so excited that you are about to embark on a new journey with your soon-to-be-born baby!
Now, with such a journey so far, with your bundle of joy baking in the oven, you will have a special day when the baby is ready to come out and join your world. In the process of becoming a mother, there is a process that is so natural that mothers tend to forget to acknowledge, which is the recovery stage before giving birth. Yes, I believe you found the cutest coming home outfit and packed all the bags, but let’s take a moment to consider ‘you’ in the process after your baby is here. As they say, “When the baby is here, it is no longer about you.” Let’s try to eliminate that phrase and take care of Mama, too. I have listed ten postpartum recovery tips that I found helpful through my three back-to-back babies experience, and I hope this serves you well.
1. Lactational coach
If you are a nursing mama, I advise you not to leave the hospital until you have received lactational coaching from the coaches provided at the hospital, free of cost. After receiving your bill, you might realize with the price that the coaches may not be accessible. But allow these coaches to assist you with any questions and concerns. Please do not hesitate to ask any questions because having a perfect latch and nursing session is the most essential process in the beginning stage of motherhood. Your nursing sessions can affect your day due to your baby’s satisfaction.
When nursing, pump as much as possible to increase your precious golden milk. Be sure to eat healthy and plenty and stay hydrated. Eating throughout your day and staying hydrated with your prenatal vitamins will restore your nutrients, supply energy and satisfaction, prevent hunger pains for you and your baby, and keep the milk flowing!
Vaginal Care
2. Peri Bottle
A peri bottle is a bottle that is used to help you urinate after delivering your baby.
First, you will fill up the bottle with warm water, and while you begin to pee, you will squeeze the bottle around the vaginal area so that the warm water can dilute and ease the sting effects that urine can cause after birth. The peri bottle also helps you feel clean as you are consecutively bleeding. If you have stitches, this is one of your best friends in the restroom, but do not pressure spray directly in your sensitive area.
3. Adult diapers
I know the thought of you wearing an adult diaper is not pleasing, but the adult diaper is convenient for you. It allows you to feel secure knowing that you will not bleed out of your pads and on your clothes, as I mentioned before, will happen consecutively. I suggest that if you wear diapers, be mindful of the dresses and skirts you wear during your outings because the outline and frumpiness of the diaper are noticeable.
4. Witch hazel & Aloe vera gel
When you combine the Witch Hazel gel with the Aloe vera gel, the healing properties provide antioxidants that can reduce inflammation and reduce dryness, and itching as your vaginal area is healing.
You should apply these two gels on some pads and store them in the freezer. When you are ready to put a pad on, the gels will do their part in helping your vagina heal, and the cold pad will relieve the soreness that you may feel during recovery.
5. Colace
Colace is a stool softener that the nurses will supply during your stay at the hospital. After such a push during labor, the doctors will require you not to push any poop out of your body for weeks, especially with stitches. Colace will soften your poop and allow it to come out of your bottom smoothly without effort and pain. If your doctor does not prescribe any Colace with your other medications that they send a prescription for, then do not worry. Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, Target, and more stores with pharmacies have over-the-counter Colace that you can buy at a fair price. You can get a bottle for about $8.00 at your local store.
6. Sleep when the baby sleeps.
You need rest! If anyone tells you otherwise, you can use this time to think about yourself and rest as needed. Sleep is not just relaxing to get rid of tiredness; it allows your body to be still in relaxation mode so that you can properly heal.
If you are like me and must manage life with house chores and cooking, then pick and choose your nap times when you can. Please do not miss your naps because sleep regression for babies and night feedings can be unpredictable. When you are not prepared with rest from your day, you can feel sleep-deprived to the point that it affects your physical and mental health.
Make your schedule and do what feels comfortable to you.
7. Light Exercises
Exercise is good for your body if you can manage it properly during your healing journey. Talk to your doctor and ask for tips regarding what is best for your body during recovery.
I have learned through postpartum physical therapy that walking around your house during the first month can be considered a light exercise beneficial in the early stages of recovery. After your first month, you can walk outside to your mailbox and back. If you feel like you can do more, try walking to the end of your street and back. I know that your body may not feel like your own body, and it can be challenging to accept the postpartum belly that makes you still look pregnant. Still, the last thing you want to do is over-exert your body and create physical injuries, trying to get back to your pre-pregnancy body. Physical therapists advise women to give their bodies six months to heal before doing intense workouts.
Another workout to consider is Kegel’s. You can do this workout without anyone knowing or getting out of bed. Whatever you choose regarding exercises, listen to your body, go easy, and stay hydrated.
8. Stay hydrated
Drinking water is not only required but necessary. Water helps support your kidneys, blood circulation, and digestive system. After childbirth, water can help you physically recover, increase nursing milk, and regulate your energy and mood levels. If water is difficult for you to drink enough of, try to eat fruits and vegetables that contain a lot of water. Melons, cucumbers, strawberries, and iceberg lettuce are good water sources.
Signs that you need more water:
- Dark urine
- Sluggish feeling
- Overheating
- Headaches
If you do decide to work out and burn an excessive amount of sweat, be sure to drink plenty of water to restore what was burned and maintain your electrolyte levels.
9. Mental health
If you have never experienced staying home before for six weeks or more, depending on whether you choose to be a stay-at-home mother or eventually go back to work, I would like to give you some early advice on what that may look like.
I am pretty sure you have experienced the 2020 Pandemic, where everyone was on lockdown and forced to stay inside their homes; the early stages of Postpartum may look like that, but just a little better. Finding yourself in a house and being limited in doing things because your body needs recovery or your new baby is not being exposed to a certain degree can take a toll on this new change in your life. Try not to see it as a negative change, but be ahead of the game and acknowledge the season you are in with gratitude. This time is not forever, and it is temporary. With the change in your lifestyle for those early weeks, find this time to do a lot of self-care. Manage to catch up on books that you have been wanting to read or alone time with God that you could not maintain in your busy days before having a baby. Reach out to friends and family that you have not talked to in a while.
Please do not make your time in your home a time where you are all in your head and alone because the added hormones that are not yet stabilized can be detrimental to your mental health. Take care of yourself and talk to someone when and if you need to. Do not hesitate to inform your spouse of where you stand and how your day was. He is there to support you and ensure you, with the Word of truth, that you are amazing and selfless and do such an honorable and noble act for your family.
Click here below for my article regarding Mental Health Tips.
14 Tips to Great Mental Health
10. Ask for help
During your postpartum recovery, your family might be there to support you in the beginning or maybe throughout the first few months of recovery. However, if you are blessed to know such people to be around you and offer help during this time, do not hesitate to ask for help. Sometimes pride, or your desire to establish your way of life for your child, can prevent us from receiving the help we need. I know you have already established rules and are strict about exposure to your new bundle of joy, but help can come in all forms. Find areas you are comfortable with when receiving help, like ordering groceries online and having someone pick them up or even deliver them from the store. Allowing friends and family to run simple errands, helping with chores, or even if it’s just having company as you are home alone with your baby. Asking for help will allow others to grow and show an act of love and will help you relax and not feel overwhelmed as you ease into your new world.
Stock up on hospital supplies.
I know, Mama, that the beautiful child you brought into this world has needs, but remember that you have needs, too, which is to recover. This temporary season of recovery will pass, but during this time, as your body is healing, be kind to yourself with the changes that have occurred. Once you take care of yourself, you will better serve your child’s needs in the process. I hope these recovery tips help you as much as they have helped me.
God bless.
