A lot goes on during pregnancy and childbirth. It’s only natural that your body needs time to heal afterward.
Fatigue is a normal postpartum symptom. Get plenty of rest and eat healthy meals to help restore and maintain your energy levels over time.
Hemorrhoids in the anal area can be painful, itchy and may bleed. Try applying a local hemorrhoid treatment such as Theresienol to reduce symptoms.
1. Get Plenty of Rest
A C-section may take six weeks to heal, and it’s important that you don’t lift anything heavy until then. Your doctor will check your incision during two-week and six-week postpartum visits to make sure the healing process is on track. If you’re experiencing pain or discomfort, over-the-counter ibuprofen or acetaminophen can help reduce it. You can also expect a period of heavy bleeding (lochia) that may last up to six weeks. Typically, it will start out heavier than a regular period, then gradually decrease. If you pass large clots or are bleeding through more than one pad per hour, call your doctor right away to avoid complications.
It’s normal to feel tired and exhausted during this time. Fatigue is especially common if you’re breastfeeding because your baby wakes every two to three hours for feedings. Getting plenty of rest by sleeping when your baby sleeps can help ease fatigue. You can also ask friends and family to help out by running errands, cooking meals or watching your other children so you can get some extra rest.
Bladder leakage is a normal symptom during this week, and it should improve slowly over the course of six weeks as your muscles and nerves recover. You can reduce leaks by icing your perineum every couple of hours, and you should sit on a pillow instead of a hard surface while you’re sitting or standing for long periods. You can also try a warm sitz bath, which is when you soak in a tub of water with no salt or soaps added, to soothe irritation and promote perineal healing.
2. Seek Help
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the responsibility of caring for your new baby, don’t hesitate to seek help. Your friends and family can help out with meals, errands and household chores. They can also take care of your older children so that you have time to rest and recover.
It’s normal to experience mood changes after giving birth. These feelings may be due to hormonal changes, exhaustion and adapting to a new lifestyle. Mild symptoms that improve over time are okay, but don’t ignore any severe feelings of depression or thoughts of harming yourself or your baby. Talk to your health care provider right away.
Postpartum bleeding (lochia) is similar to a heavy period and may last up to six weeks. Be sure to use pads instead of tampons and change them frequently to avoid staining. It’s also not uncommon for your perineum to stretch and tear during labor, so you might need stitches to close any lacerations. These stitches will eventually dissolve on their own, but you should call your doctor if they get red or weep fluid. It’s also important to keep up with your regular postpartum checkups to ensure that you’re healing properly and that any concerns are addressed immediately. Your health care provider will screen you for postpartum depression during these visits and will offer you resources if needed.
3. Eat Healthy Meals
While a new baby demands much of a mom’s attention, it is still important to nourish your body with a variety of whole foods. Nursing moms may need up to 500 extra calories a day, along with calcium, protein and lots of fluids to help support milk production.
For non-breastfeeding women, consuming a well-balanced diet is also vital for postpartum recovery. Aim for a mix of protein, carbohydrates and fats at each meal to stabilize blood sugar and provide lasting energy.
Eating a variety of healthy foods will also help you to get enough nutrients to promote healing and support your immune system, which is particularly important if you had a C-section, as it can increase your risk for infection. Look for lean meats and fish, low-fat dairy products, fruits and vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds, as well as whole grains like brown rice and quinoa.
Try to eat a protein-rich food at each meal, such as chicken, tofu or beans, as protein is an essential building block for the body. Broccoli is a good source of vitamin C, which can help prevent constipation — a common problem for new moms — and pumpkin seeds are a great source of magnesium, which reduces stress levels and muscle pain, as well as omega-3 fatty acids, which can help with breastmilk supply.
4. Exercise
It takes a long time to recover from 9 months of hormonal and physical changes, no matter how you gave birth. However, it is important to get back to a healthy level of exercise as soon as possible, in small doses, and only when your body feels ready.
Avoid high-impact exercise or any exercises that put a lot of strain on your muscles and joints. This includes things like jumping, running and high-intensity workouts, which are too intense for a new postpartum body. You should also avoid squats and overhead weight lifting, which can place too much pressure on your pelvic muscles. This is especially true if you had a cesarean delivery, because it can cause recurrent urinary tract infections and slow recovery of your pelvic floor muscles.
Whether you had a vaginal or C-section, it’s important to help your perineum heal by icing it a few times a day and using a warm sitz bath to ease pain and itching after peeing. Having regular Kegel routines can also help strengthen your pelvic floor muscles and prevent urinary incontinence.
It’s also a good idea to take it easy on abdominal exercises like crunches and other core work, as it’s very common to develop a separation of the rectus abdominis muscle (the six-pack) during pregnancy. This is called diastasis recti, and a women’s health physiotherapist can help you draw these muscles back together. 产后 修复