Congratulations On Your Baby!
Baby is finally here and you are soaking up all the sweet cuddles! But what can you expect from your body the first week after birth? Like when you are first pregnant and throughout pregnancy your body changes at a rapid pace. The same is true for after birth.
Regardless if you have a vaginal birth or a c-section, you will bleed for about 4-6 weeks. This is normal; however, if you start passing clots larger than a 50-cent piece, contact your doctor right away. You could also experience cramps as your uterus is shrinking back to pre-pregnancy size. This is more expected from moms who are on their second or third baby rather than first-time moms; however, you can notice pains in your abdomen when breastfeeding as this produces hormones to shrink your uterus too. Using a heating pad can help soothe these pains.
Postpartum Self Care
Make sure to drink plenty of fluids and eat fiber to help your bowels get back to normal processing. Limiting both of these can lead to a lot of pain when going to the bathroom. Take care when getting up and moving around as your body has just been through a lot and sharp, quick movements could lead to injury.
Most of all, sleep when the baby sleeps this first week especially. Baby will likely be wanting to feed about every 3-4 hours and there is no use in trying to do cleaning or laundry when baby is sleeping as you will make yourself more exhausted. Make sure to lean on family and friends for normal household tasks this first week so you can give your body time to recover.
Remember your body has just been through a traumatic event and you and your baby are still getting to know one another. Give yourself grace and trust your gut with how you are feeling. Don’t hesitate to reach out to your doctor if you are feeling off. This is the time for self-care as your baby is relying on you to get used to the outside world.
