Your postpartum body and mind – What to expect after delivery

Now that you’ve given birth to your miracle baby it’s time to consider your own care in the first few days after delivery.  

Whether you have had a vaginal birth, an emergency or scheduled C-Section, you will need to get plenty of rest, fluids and take it easy for a few weeks. It takes quite a bit of time for a woman to recover from birth and get back to her original state both physically, mentally and emotionally.

Staying in hospital after the birth

In many areas, the law dictates that you have to stay in the hospital a minimum of twelve to twenty-four hours after giving birth. This is typically to make sure that all is well with you, that your body is healing and that all is well with your baby.  This can be a challenging time as you try to adjust to a new bundle of joy being present in your life and the changes in schedule that comes with that. 

Emotions after the birth

Many new mothers experience a time in which they find themselves very emotional after birth and in some cases more so than when they were pregnant. Most of this is due to hormones fluctuating and is perfectly natural. Some mothers even experience depression also known as the baby blues. It’s important that if you find yourself starting to be void of the energy or desires to take care of you and baby, or have thoughts of harming yourself or your child you discuss them immediately with your care provider. While they can be extremely scary, postpartum depression is extremely normal and can be treated with proper medication and support.

Pain and discomfort after the birth

You may experience some pains in your stomach that are due to the contraction of your uterus attempting to go back to normal.  Mothers who have had a C-Section may also have pain in the site of the incision. It typically takes longer for mothers of C-Sections to recover than those of vaginal birth. While some women may tear or require stitches from vaginal births, in either case you want to be sure to keep the stitches cleaned and properly maintained via doctor’s instructions to avoid infection.

Care after hospital postpartum

Within a week or so of your return home your doctor will schedule a check-up for both you and your baby. The doctor will check blood sugar levels, check for healing and no sign of infection if you have had stitches, test for postpartum depression and general wellbeing to make sure healing and getting back to normal. If you have any questions about proper care of your post-natal body it’s important you call your doctor and let them help you with anything you may be unsure of.