The 9 months of wait and nagging anxiety are finally over, and you now have a new, beautiful little one by your side.
Congratulations, mama!
But now that the pregnancy journey has successfully ended, ensure that as you focus on the newborn, you don’t neglect the essence of paying just as close attention to yourself.
The pregnancy period is a time when your body undergoes a lot of emotional and physical stress, so being kind to it in the postpartum period is vital.
But how do you show some TLC to your body during this period? We’ve curated some postpartum self-care tips that can help your body successfully heal, regain strength, and return to your old self.
What Is the Normal Duration of Postpartum?
The postpartum journey begins immediately after birth and lasts 4 to 6 weeks. The exact duration depends on factors such as the delivery method and the mother’s overall health status.
Usually, vaginal birth recovery takes less time and is less painful than recovering after a C-section.
But regardless of the delivery method used, postpartum period only comes to an end after the mother has successfully gotten back to their usual self again.
Postpartum Self-Care Tips
After giving birth, it’s easy for your focus to shift to taking care of the baby, but you also need to take good care of yourself.
Here are some tips to guide you:
Take Things Slow
After childbirth, you may find it tempting to rush into resuming your pre-pregnancy routine.
But here’s the thing: While that’s the ultimate goal of a postpartum self-care routine, you don’t want to hasten yourself back into it. Your body has gone through an emotionally and physically draining period, so it needs some time to recover.
You can incorporate soothing activities such as face yoga into your routine as a gentle way to ease back into self-care. Facial exercises help improve your appearance by toning and relaxing facial muscles. Plus, they’re known to reverse any aging signs that might have occurred during pregnancy.
The exercises are simple to perform and can effectively improve your appearance, especially if you’re working with a program tailored to accommodate your specific individual needs, like the one offered by FaceYoga.
Take Enough Rest
As a new mom, you will likely experience a significant reduction in sleep quality and quantity. But it’s important to ensure enough rest, even if it means asking for help from your partner, family, or friends.
Ensure to follow the 5-5-5 postpartum rule. According to this rule, you should spend the first five days after childbirth in bed, followed by five other days in bed, and then the final five days around the bed.
This rule ensures that you get enough time not just for rest but also to interact closely with your new baby. Sometimes, it might mean limiting visitors whenever possible, especially in the first 10 days, and only working with a loved one.
And remember, your best time to nap as a new mom is when your baby sleeps.
Keep Your Doctor’s Appointment
During postpartum, regular checkups remain a necessity. These examinations help provide information on your progress, as they allow the doctor or midwife to check on your overall health, mood, vaginal bleeding, and how breastfeeding is going.
Hence, ensure that you don’t skip an appointment with your GP or midwife. If you think the recovery process isn’t running as smoothly as it should, you may need to work with an ob-gyn. They’ll do more targeted tests to determine how you’re healing physically, mentally, and even emotionally.
Create Time For Shower
Hygiene is very important in soothing wounds and helping prevent infection. Hence, create time for showers, even if quick ones. It will help you recover faster, and you will always feel better after every bath.
Performing a regular Sitz bath is also a great way to help soothe your wound, tear, or even hemorrhoids. It involves keeping your perineal, genital, and anal area soaked in warm water for some time, usually about 10 minutes.
Eat A Healthy Diet
Another way to take care of yourself after giving birth is to eat healthy meals. When nursing, you need 500 extra calories in your daily intake, so a healthy and balanced diet ensures that you achieve this level of intake.
Feeding a healthy and balanced diet also accelerates healing, helping you get back to your usual self in less time.
Lean meats, high-fiber foods, low-fat dairy products, and fresh fruits and vegetables are excellent options for maintaining healthy nutrient intake.
Remain Hydrated
As a lactating mother, you must not forget to stay hydrated for you to produce enough milk for your newborn, prevent constipation, and promote digestion.
The rule of thumb is to target 12 glasses of fluids each day. If you can get all these in the form of plain water, that’s best.
But if you choose to become creative and flavor your drinks instead, avoid caffeinated beverages, alcohol, and drinks with high amounts of added sugar.
Also, still within the 12 glasses, it’s good to aim for at least 2 glasses of milk. The essence of doing this is that milk is a good source of vitamin D, calcium, and protein, all necessary for you and the baby.
Get Help When Necessary
Immediately after childbirth isn’t the best time to prove you’re a superwoman. You can’t be ready to handle laundry, mow the lawn, or shovel the driveway immediately after your baby’s delivery.
Accept help from a family member, a coworker friend, or a good neighbor. Most people are willing to donate time and resources to help you, so reach out to your friends when you need help. Let them help take care of your house chores and any other tasks. If necessary, hire temporary help.
Postnatal Workout Plan
Of course, exercise should also be part of your postpartum routine. A postnatal workout plan will help you tone your stomach muscles, improve cardiovascular fitness, promote weight loss, and boost your mood and energy levels.
But then, this isn’t one of the self-care measures you can jump into immediately after birth. You so much need that rest after delivery, so wait until your doctor or midwife gives you the go-ahead.
Once you’re ready, take things slowly. Don’t begin with strenuous physical activity. Instead, start with comfy casual sneakers for low-impact exercises at the initial stages.
Then, as your body grows stronger and heals, increase the workout intensity. And, of course, carefully listen to yourself all through. In case of any pain, stop immediately, and don’t hesitate to talk to your doctor or midwife.
Pursue A Hobby
Getting a newborn may put a lot on your hands, but it’s important to squeeze in things that bring you happiness and not feel guilty about it.
Pursuing a hobby will give you a great sense of fulfillment, improving your emotional and mental health.
Again, much like postnatal exercise, don’t carve out time for it immediately after you’ve delivered. Wait for the right time. Usually, the ideal time depends on the nature of the hobby.
If it’s reading a book, for instance, it can come as early as during the days you spend on bed.
But if it’s anything like swimming, biking, or anything else of comparable intensity, you should wait until your body has mustered enough strength and healing to support it.
Connect With Other New Moms
If you want your postpartum journey to be more successful, one of the surefire ways to approach it is to avoid sailing alone. Find other people with similar objectives and connect with them. This might mean joining a mom’s support group.
Walking together with other moms will help you feel motivated and help you better understand that what you’re experiencing is normal. You’ll even get helpful tips on how to navigate certain situations and minimize the chances of falling into postpartum depression.
Conclusion
As a new mother, the first few weeks following childbirth are crucial. Don’t downplay the essence of a postpartum self-care routine. It will help you recover physically, mentally, and even emotionally. Take care of yourself to better take care of the newborn.
Therefore, ensure that you pay attention to the tips in this post to create a self-care routine that will work for you. And, of course, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach: Carefully listen to your body and do what feels right for you.