Health & Fitness, Motherhood

Postpartum Necessities: Recovery Edition

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I heard it would take some time to recover. I mean, having a baby, no matter how the little bundle of joy enters the world, is a lot of work. It is absolutely worth it and amazing and such a miracle but it’s not easy.

Although I knew it would take a while to physically feel “myself“ again, I didn’t expect it to be as intense or take as long as it did for me. I had heard some general advice from others but there are still some things I wish I would have gathered for recovery and wish I would have known.

Please keep in mind I am not a medical professional nor am I an expert on postpartum or nursing. These are simply some things I want to remember & pass along to other new mamas.

What I wish I would have known about postpartum recovery

  • After a vaginal delivery, you probably won’t have the sensation that you have to go pee or when your bladder is full for several days or a week or so (pretty weird but true). As a general rule, whenever your baby is nursed/fed, you should use the bathroom afterwards to empty your bladder.
  • Since your abdominal muscles were so stretched out during pregnancy, it will be difficult to use those muscles for a while. It was a challenge to sit up in bed and I felt sore for a bit.
  • You might feel relatively fine, just sore, in the “down town” for a few days but it could get more intense around day 4,5, or 6 and may continue for a while.
  • Be prepared to not exercise for a while in the same way you might have been working out before pregnancy. As someone who honestly enjoys working out and who was active until the day I gave birth, rest and laying on the couch for weeks was not something I was necessarily looking forward to. My son is now 12 weeks old and my pelvic floor therapist still hasn’t cleared me for HIIT workouts or anything very intense because she wants to make sure my abdominal and pelvic floor muscles are ready for those type of exercises. She mentioned that if people begin this too early, you may inadvertently do damage from anything to perpetually tight muscles to even something like uterine prolapse. For at least a little while longer, I am sticking to exercises like restorative yoga & walking.

Other Thoughts & Tips

  • Create a little station for recovery, whether it is by the couch or your bed, with items like burp cloths, vitamins, protein packed snacks, water, cordless phone charger, and even clothes/blankets for baby because you might just not want to get up very much (and it won’t be out of laziness but out of the necessity to lay low and let your body recover).
  • Once you are feeling up to it (maybe around 8 weeks or so) GO SEE A PELVIC FLOOR THERAPIST. All my friends who have gone to a physical therapist who is trained in pelvic floor therapy say it helps immensely. Many women I have talked to feel like it should be mandatory for any postpartum mama, especially those who delivered vaginally, and I’d have to agree. They can help with diastase recti, recovering from tears, and simply restoring abdominal & pelvic muscle strength no matter what your circumstance is. I am several weeks in and think it is going to be imperative for a full recovery. (As an expat myself, I know that not everyone has access to this but maybe you could get creative with it. Although not ideal, maybe an online option or video appointment would be possible. I truly believe it is worth it for full recovery.)

Items I’m glad I had for Recovery

Top items

Items for sitz bath (any or all of the following)

Additional items that you might want (depending on your recovery)

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