The body undergoes a significant amount of change during pregnancy and childbirth. Our bodies and bellies are stretched to the max and then often put through either a major surgery or a physically exhausting labor to bring our beautiful babies into the world. It can take weeks to months to fully heal and every woman’s recovery is different. But do not fear, there are several things you can do to help your immediate postpartum recovery.
Without a doubt Baby #3 has been my best recovery. Between this being my third go around, plus my additional education on the postpartum body, I have discovered several things that have helped me feel better sooner. There are a number of things I have done differently but here are the five main things that have helped my body heal after baby.
1. Hydrate
Your body needs water! Depending on your specific labor and delivery experience your body likely lost some amount of blood and fluids. Water helps your body heal and function properly. It can aid in decreasing fatigue levels, improving muscle function, decreasing swelling, increasing milk production, and so much more. You should aim to have at least 64 oz of water a day. But an even better goal is to consume half your body weight in ounces of water daily. For example if you weigh 160lbs you should try to drink 80 oz of water a day.
After Baby #3 was born I couldn’t get enough water. I brought my favorite water bottle to the hospital and went through a 32oz water bottle every few hours. Drinking a lot of water definitely helped reduce my swelling and my body fatigue.
2. Eat Nutritious Foods
Fruit, vegetables, and other high fiber foods can help quiet a bit with postpartum recovery. Eating nutritious foods can help with bowel function and offer important vitamins and minerals to aid in our bodies recovery. High protein foods can also be extremely helpful in healing postpartum. Foods high in collagen such as bone broth, chicken, fish, egg whites, and citrus fruits helps promote healing of the connective tissue in your body. Additionally, eating a healthy diet also helps with milk production if you’re a nursing mother.
During my hospital stay and the next couple weeks to follow I made sure to eat a good amount of fruit, vegetables, and protein. I know it can be really difficult to eat a healthy meal with a newborn, especially if there are older kids on the scene. My trick was to make sure my fridge was stocked with my favorite fruit, easy to eat vegetables, hummus, yogurt, and other grab and go items. Additionally, I had meal prepped several crockpot meals that were high in protein and other nutrient dense foods. Stay tuned for my Baby Meal Prep blog post.
3. Breath Work
To start your postpartum recovery, proper breathing is essential in retraining the activation of your deep core (abdominal) muscles. Breathing properly is very important for proper function of your core muscles, bladder, rectum, and pelvic floor. You can start with a simple diaphragmatic breathing exercise explained below.
Diaphragmatic Breathing Exercise:
- Step 1: Lay on your back with knees flexed with one hand on your stomach, and one on your chest.
- Step 2: Take a deep breath in through your nose. Chest should minimally move while your belly and lower ribs should expand out into your hand.
- Step 3: Slowly let the breath out through pursed lips (like you are blowing out a candle). As you blow out, feel your deep abdominal muscles activate and your belly tighten.
Repeat for 5-10 breaths. Laying down is the best way to stay relaxed and tune into your breath and muscle activation. As you progress, perform this breathing exercise in sitting or standing
You also want to be sure to avoid the valsalva maneuver (or holding your breath) with bearing down or exerting yourself including bowel movements, sitting up, picking your baby up, or any other strenuous activities. This places excessive pressure on the pelvic floor and can cause hemorrhoids, prolapse, or other incontinence issues.
Check out my blog post Are You Breathing The Right Way to learn more about how breath impacts our body.
4. Tend To Your Pelvic Floor
After delivery, the tissues of your pelvic floor may be swollen and painful. Ice is your best friend! Place ice packs between your thighs as needed to help reduce pain and swelling. Twenty minute increments are recommended.
Strengthening: After delivery, it is recommended to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. This will help decrease incontinence (leakage of urine) and help return support to the organs that sit closest to your pelvic floor. Start pelvic floor contractions (Kegels) once pain and swelling have gone away. To do this, lay on your back, bend your hips and knees up with your feet supported and contract your pelvic floor by imagining bringing the tissues between your upper thighs up and in towards your abdomen. To feel the muscles activate, place a hand over your perineum and you should feel the tissues pull away from your hand. Do not hold your breath while performing these contractions.
I started doing kegels day three after delivery. I started with performing them in a seated position. Aim for 10 sec holds and doing a set of 10. I then moved on to performing them throughout the day in standing and during dynamic activity such as walking or squatting. Being able to contract and relax your pelvic floor muscles properly is imperative to your postpartum recovery. Check out more about the pelvic floor in “Is It Normal To Pee When You Sneeze?”.
5. Sleep & Rest
Did you know your body heals itself while you are sleeping? Our bodies need sleep to recover. I know in those first couple weeks postpartum sleep and rest can be very hard to come by. What I have learned is to accept help and prioritize sleep. Let your partner take care of the baby, say no to visitors so you can nap when the baby naps, and let that pile of laundry sit another day. Sleep and rest is so important to our physical and emotional health. Try to get as much sleep and rest as possible those first couple weeks to allow your body to recover.
Final Thoughts About Postpartum Recovery
This post is for informational purposes only. Talk to your doctor or medical professional if you have any questions about your postpartum recovery. I believe that all moms should have more education and help in their postpartum recovery. Please check out my post Bouncing Back After Baby (Why All Moms Should Have Physical Therapy After Pregnancy)
Your body went through many changes during pregnancy and delivery. Some of these changes may resolve on their own, but some may not. It is NOT normal to experience the following conditions after 6 weeks postpartum. Please let your doctor know at your follow up visit (or later) if you have:
- Back pain
- Pelvic pain
- Pain with sex
- Incontinence/ urinary leakage
- Abdominal separation
- Discomfort with C-section scar
- Questions about safe return to exercise
Pregnancy and childbirth is amazing but definitely hard on our bodies. The best thing you can do is be educated and proactive in your health, wellness, and recovery. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions about pregnancy or postpartum health and wellness. You got this mama!
–Monica
