The process of recovery can take anywhere from a few days to months after the birth of your baby. It is good to be prepared as much as possible. One thing that you can not always anticipate is the emotions that will inevitably rise and fall with the hormone changes in your body. Also, the dads experience a wide range of emotions too. If the mom is well taken care of, the emotions are easier to sort through.

Physically, there are a lot different things going on in a woman’s body after the birth of her baby. She will want to cleanse vaginally using warm water, rather than toilet paper. Sitz baths are wonderful for the perineal tissues and for loosening tight stitches a bit. Ice packs on the perineum help to bring down swelling as well as green cabbage leaf compresses. Also, if you’re experiencing breast swelling and painful nipples, you can use warm washcloths or black tea bags on the nipples. Drink lots of water and have water bottles near all the places you will be nursing your baby.

I don’t remember anyone ever warning me that my bottom was going to be very sore after birth and I should not attempt sitting on hard wood chairs without a cushion in place…so I learned the hard way. I ended up carrying a blanket from room to room for extra cushioning. Also, I had a third degree tear with my first child that had been stitched up, and therefore I didn’t want to move my legs too far apart because I could feel the stitches pulling. Ouch! So, I learned to walk backwards when I had to go up staircases (this really helped), and to stepping onto a crate before climbing into a car, bed, or the bathtub. Yes, I learned a lot of things the hard way during that time period, as I’m sure many of you have as well. Now, I try to talk about postpartum as much as possible because I wish someone had told me these things.

Some other things that are helpful for postpartum:

Vitamin D- Especially in Alaska, we don’t get enough D vitamins. It will help with feeling overwhelmed or moody. Your body will feel better on it.

Glycerin Suppositories- When your body has a baby, it shuts down other systems for a while. It may also take a while for them to restart. If you are having constipation and your care-giver approves it, a glycerin suppository is very gentle on your body.

Breast Pads- Nursing Pads come in all fashions. Disposable or cotton washables are just some of them. But you will want to have them on hand if you are nursing a baby.

Lanolin- is very helpful for dry and cracking nipples. If you don’t have any, just dab a bit of breast milk onto the nipple after nursing and let it dry. It has healing properties.

Mega Pads- It is not safe to use tampons immediately following the birth, so instead you will want to buy large sanitary pads until the bleeding slows down.

Most importantly, don’t do too much. Your body will ache all over and bleed more and heavier if you are over-doing it. Take time out for you to relax. Talk on the phone or in person with a good friend or journal. Don’t sweat the small stuff like house clean up. Ask others how they handled recovery, and don’t be hard on yourself.

How was your recovery? Do you have tips for other child-bearing women?