Pregnancy A to Z - Postpartum Symptoms

In the event that you have a C-section, your recovery from delivery will be somewhat different from someone who gives birth vaginally. You’ll need extra rest for a longer period of time since you’ve just undergone major surgery. You'll also need to keep your incision clean and dry, and be sure to avoid lifting or stretching for at least a week. If your stitches aren't the kind that dissolve, they’ll be removed about a week after your surgery. You’ll also need to avoid any heavy lifting for at least one month.

You may notice that you'll have to use the bathroom more often than usual. This is normal because your body is getting rid of the extra fluid from your pregnancy. You will lose up to 2 liters or more of fluid the first week after delivery. You may also notice that you have less control of your bladder. This is due to the stretching of nerves in that area during delivery.

After delivery, many women have cramps, especially if this is not your first baby. These cramps, which are sometimes called "after pains", are quite common during breastfeeding. Although they can be pretty uncomfortable, “after pains” are your body's way of exercising your uterus back into shape. “After pains” usually go away within a week to ten days after your baby is born.

About 2 - 3 days after you delivery your baby, your milk comes in. This causes something called "engorgement", which will make your breasts sore, tender, swollen and hard. Fortunately, this feeling goes away in a day or two, as you begin to breast feed your baby regularly.

Establishing a regular feeding schedule every 2-3 hours should help relieve discomfort from the engorged tissues. In the meantime, putting ice packs on your breasts several times a day, after feeding or pumping, will also help ease the discomfort.

You'll need a great deal of rest for the first few weeks after your baby is born. The delivery, taking care of your baby, and the interruption in your sleep will make you tired. Although it takes discipline, you should definitely rest whenever your baby sleeps. Exercise will actually help decrease fatigue, but be sure to get permission from your provider before you start an exercise program.

If you have hemorrhoids, they may be swollen and inflamed after pushing during delivery. There are several suggestions that may help. Use witch hazel to cleanse the area with after each bowel movement. Eat a high fiber diet, drink plenty of fluids, and if your stool is still too hard, ask your provider to prescribe a stool softener.

The bleeding and discharge you have after delivery is called lochia. Your lochia will be red for several days, then change to a brown color. This will eventually change to yellow or clear and decrease in amount. This discharge will usually stop after a couple of weeks, but may last for up to 6 weeks after you have your baby.

If you give birth to your baby vaginally, your provider or nurse will give you instructions on how to take care of your perineum, which is the area between your rectum and vagina. Most hospitals will give you a "peri bottle", which is a squirt bottle that you'll fill with warm water. After going to the bathroom, you'll squirt a stream of water at your perineum to clean the area and help it heal. You'll then blot the area dry, rather than wipe. If you have an episiotomy, you'll care for it the same way.