What to expect after vaginal delivery?
In the excitement of planning everything for the baby starting from deciding their names, decorating the nursery, stocking essentials…. we tend to forget about ourselves. Yes, it is true, there are endless little things we end up getting to make that transition easier with the newborn however, we as mothers often forget about ourselves in the whole process. Let’s focus on exactly what to expect after a vaginal delivery / normal delivery.
A normal vaginal delivery could be extremely exhausting and involves a lot of physical effort. Therefore, it is quite important to take extra care of yourself.
After the vaginal birth, you can expect to have postpartum bleeding, pain down there, sore nipples, sleep deprivation, etc. All these come as a part and parcel of childbirth. But it is also a fact that normal delivery has a faster recovery time with no major risk of major surgeries.
When you are in your postpartum phase, it could be so sore down there that for the first few days you won’t be able to properly walk or use the toilet without pain. Especially when you have stitches down there it is more painful and there is a feeling of constant discomfort. Am sure you might have thought several times about what is the postpartum recovery timeline?
Usually, the postpartum pain lingers for several weeks and generally, it takes around 6–8 weeks to recover from that pain.
Without a further ado
Here are some of the things which you can expect after vaginal delivery/ vaginal birth/normal delivery in the postpartum phase with few tips :
1. Sore down there:
In the course of virginal birth, the area (perineum) between the vaginal and rectum may stretch and tear. The doctors usually make a cut in that area to widen the vagina which helps the baby come out easily. These stitches may take around 6 weeks to heal. They are dissolvable stitches. Basically, after vaginal delivery, whether you have had a tear/cut or not it is going to be sore for the first few weeks.
2. Vaginal discharge:
Yes, the vaginal bleeds for few days or maybe weeks after childbirth but we mums are used to it. Not a big deal isn’t it. This is a body’s way to flush out the extra blood or tissues. This discharge is usually quite heavy for the first few days. This postpartum vaginal bleeding is termed as lochia which is similar to menstrual periods and it lasts for around 4 to 6 weeks.
3. Trouble passing urine or bowel:
Now, this is the toughest part. Passing urine and bowel could seem to be next to impossible. If you had episiotomy or stitches in the perineum area you will be quite scared that you don’t damage your stitches while peeing or pooping. It sounds a bit funny but it’s true. Moreover, constipation is a kind of common you can say after childbirth.
4. No bladder Control:
Here and there you can expect some leaks down there while coughing or laughing. That is because the muscles down there also need to recover. It is a common problem that we get to experience and can be quite embarrassing too. And it will get better with time and fasten the recovery you can do some pelvic floor exercise.
5. Breast soreness:
If you are breastfeeding, you might have cracked or sore nipples. The happens because the baby is not well positioned and not properly latching on the breast. In the initial few days, the breast could feel a bit sore. The baby is learning to latch the correct way to draw milk out and you are also at the same time learning how to nurse.
6. Water retention:
Postpartum swelling or postpartum edema is caused by an excess amount of fluid remaining in the tissues of our body after delivery or childbirth. Most of us experience swollen hands, feet, arms, face, and ankles. You won’t feel the same way as you were before pregnancy.
Till then …
(Enjoy your” the puff mama look” for the time being as it is absolutely normal and common after delivery or childbirth and is temporary)
7. Baby blues:
Having a baby is full of excitement but it could be tiring and stressful too. Most of the mums feel overwhelmed in the postpartum period and can face baby blues. The majority of women experience at least some symptoms of the baby blues immediately after childbirth. This could be because of feeling sleep-deprived, exhausted, a roller coaster of hormones, Physical changes, adjusting to your new life, etc.
8. Contraction or abdominal pain:
When the uterus shrinks back to the normal size as it was before pregnancy, most of the women feel a bit of pain in the abdominal area. Breastfeeding helps in the contraction of the uterus and gives back its original shape and size. Basically, when you breastfeed it kind of stimulates chemical oxytocin in the body that causes the uterus to tighten. This pain could be dull or sometimes feel sharp.
To read the full article please click the link below:
What to expect after vaginal delivery?
Originally published at https://www.themumandmunchkin.com/
