Want to know what things you shouldn’t do after giving birth. These postpartum tips will help you heal and recover quickly after giving birth. Oh childbirth, how special, stressing, scary and rewarding you are. It’s honestly the best thing that can happen to you, staring at your newborn baby right after giving birth, it’s so amazing! You sort of forget everything that you and your body just went through either from having a vaginal birth or a C-section.
Even though you are physically drained, you should always be aware of what not to do after giving birth. These postpartum recovery tips will help you have a more easy and comfortable postpartum healing.
There are important things that you should avoid after giving birth. You can also call it the postpartum don’ts 🙂 It is crucial to care for yourself, specially the first few weeks after giving birth. This is to ensure that you are healing properly and you are giving yourself time. If you want a quick and easy childbirth recovery, you really shouldn’t do these things after having a baby.
What should I avoid after giving birth:
- Do not drink alcohol
- Lift heavy objects
- Avoid stairs for a while
- Exercising until doctor gives you the ok to do so
How long should you rest after giving birth:
You should be resting for the first 6 to 8 weeks after giving birth to your baby. then slowly and gradually start taking up a few tasks like you would normally do. “By the six-week mark, your vagina, perineum or C-section incision should be healed, and your uterus should be back to its normal size. ” (source)
Read the list and find out these postpartum tips and what are some of the things you shouldn’t do after giving birth!
11 important Postpartum tips and things you really shouldn’t do after giving birth
1.Skip meals
Many women actually “forget” to eat because they are so busy taking care of their newborn baby. I was actually guilty of this, the time would literally pass me by and I would sometimes forget to eat. It does happen, but it’s not good! You need to nourish your body, it’s so important to give your body the energy, nutrients and vitamins it needs. Specially the first few weeks after having a baby.
Quick tip:
Having Freezer meals ready will save you sanity, stress and it will make it easier for you to actually eat! It’s super convenient the first few weeks after bringing baby home from the hospital 🙂
2. Not sleep
Another big mistake that many new moms sometimes make is not sleep or take naps. I know that this may seem something that it’s impossible for you to do, but trust me, you actually need to rest. You don’t have to do it every single time or day, but you should rest once in a while. Specially if your baby is napping, why not take advantage of that time and relax too. You can’t live off of exhaustion, and trust me, you will be exhausted, tired and an emotional wreck the first few weeks after having a baby.
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3. Intense Exercises
You just gave birth and your body is trying to recuperate. The last thing it needs is to do heavy and intense exercises. It is not recommend for you to exercise the first few weeks after giving birth. I mean, you’re bleeding heavily, you probably just went through a vaginal tear, or have to heal from your C-section. It is tough I tell ya, doing intense exercises at this point in time will only make your healing that much harder!
4. Give up on breastfeeding
I unfortunately did not breastfeed all three of my kids. Well with my first born, I did but not that long because I developed an infection and with my twins I was extremely sick (in the ICU) and my breast milk just dried up! But I was excited to breastfeed! Even though you may want to give up on breastfeeding because it’s either hard, your baby is not latching on or it is painful to you. Just give it a few more chances.
Quick tip:
If you’re planning on breastfeeding and want to have an easy and enjoyable experience, you should consider checking out Milkology! It’s an online breastfeeding class. Rock at breastfeeding today!
5. Wear tight clothes
Oh boy! Just say goodbye to those nice tight fitted jeans you love so much. Well at least for a couple of weeks. You want to wear comfortable clothes that are light weight, breathable and loose! Like for example, maxi dresses, leggings, sweat pants. If you just had a C-section, wearing tight clothes can put pressure on your incision which can cause you unneeded pain. Also, if you had a vaginal tear or episiotomy you also have stitches to take care of and wearing tight clothes will not speed up your healing.
6. Forget about your vagina
A big thing you shouldn’t forget after giving birth is the big elephant in the room, your lady parts!! Take care of it now mama, make sure you have a Sitz bath ready for you to relax in. It is going to help you heal faster. You can also use cooling pads with witch hazel to help reduce the swelling down there and it also helps to fight off bacteria. Which is great!
7. Lift heavy objects
Please try to avoid lifting heavy things or bending down because it can put pressure on either your vaginal tear or your C-section incision. If you put too much pressure you can increase the risk of heavy bleeding and even you’re stitches can come off. I have heard that if some of your stitches come off, you have to get new ones and I bet it’s painful. So, let’s try to avoid this by simply asking for help if you need anything 🙂
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8. Hesitate to call your doctor
Do not feel embarrassed or what not if you want to call your doctor because you have a concern. That’s why they are there for, to hep you! Do not hesitate if you’re worried about the bleeding, if you have unusual pain in your incision area (C-section) or vagina or if you have any type of swelling. It’s better to call and know that everything is okay, rather than not call and later finding out that you have an infection or anything of that nature.
It’s better to be safe than sorry 🙂
9. Have sex
You are really recommend to wait at least 6 weeks after giving birth to have sex or when your doctor gives you the okay to do so. Listen to your doctor, if you have sex prior to this, you are risking yourself to getting an infection because your lady parts are not completely healed. Having sex before the 6 week period (or more) and you’re healing from a C-section, can put strain on your incision and therefor making it harder to recover quickly.
10. Not ask for help
A big problem many women face is that they do not want to ask for help. I totally get it, you just gave birth, you want to get back into the hang of things and you might even feel like you do not need help. Wrong! Let others help you, it will take a load off of your shoulders. After all you are recovering from giving birth and so you still sort of can’t do everything. Let your family and friends help by cleaning your house, cooking and bottle feeding your baby. It’s okay to let them help you because they genuinely do want to help 🙂
Books you’ll love to read:
11. Not savor these precious moments
Last but not least, do not forget to savor these precious newborn moments. I know right now life seems a bit crazy and overwhelming. You’re trying to get into the groove of things and manage newborn life. You’re recovering from child born and dealing with heavy bleeding, pain, stitches and incisions that make life a lot more uncomfortable. But mama, let’s just savor these moments. Savor this new and blessed life you’re in, your baby, your family and everything that you have. Live the moment right now. It sounds cliche, but it really passes by so quickly. Just one blink and your baby is 6 months old!
Knowing these postpartum tips and the things that you shouldn’t do after giving birth will help you recover from childbirth quicker and pain free! I hope you enjoy your new mama role and I also hope you found these tips of postpartum don’ts super helpful!
