Part 2 of our series is all about BIRTH/Immediate Postpartum!
You may have seen our recent blog about “What they DON’T tell you: Pregnancy”; we’re here today to discuss the next big step: the BIRTH of your baby! Below you will find some of the most common things you may NOT be told by friends/family/providers, but that we like to ensure our birth clients and community are aware of!
The Bleeding
Bleeding doesn’t just stop at the birth itself, but extends for up to 6 weeks postpartum. Be aware of this and monitor what is gaged as “normal” by your provider. Always feel comfortable contacting your care team with any concerns or questions! If you notice that your bleeding increases, that may be your body telling you that you are doing too much, too soon!
C-Sections and Gas Pains...
There are a couple of reasons why you might be gassy after birth, especially after a surgical birth. Abdominal surgery causes your bowels to shut down temporarily. Often times, patients describe this pain as sharp and deep, and often in the shoulder region. Again when your bowels become sluggish after surgery, gas can press on the diaphragm, trigger a nerve and extend the pain to the shoulders. Once your bowels are moving normally again, this side effect should pass as your body heals.
You may need a catheter
Depending on the type of pain relief method you choose or end up needing in a STAT situation, you may have a catheter placed. Not all moms consider this when they are thinking about pain relief options. This has risks/benefits as does everything else around interventions so be sure to discuss these considerations with your care team. Please note that it may be difficult for you to urinate for a couple of days after the catheter is removed. Your bladder and urethra will be weak, so be patient and please don’t push or strain. Speaking of straining….
Your first Poop can be intimidating!
Whoever thought pooping could be scary??….any woman who has given birth will tell you, it can be daunting! Whether you have had a vaginal or surgical delivery, or whether or not you have torn or had an episiotomy; straining or exerting pressure to your anus and vagina can be uncomfortable! Have stool softeners ready, hydrate, and eat a balanced diet. Getting constipated while healing can only add to other issues (as previously mentioned in our Pregnancy blog….those pesky hemorrhoids!). Check out these items that our How 2 Mom Team has found helpful with bowel comfort!
Tearing comes in all shapes/sizes
As we have mentioned, tearing can happen. There is not always a rhyme or reason as to why, how severity, or the location. Be prepared to give yourself grace as you let your body heal! Tearing can be quite uncomfortable, but if you do your best to prevent constipation and use medicated healing pads as referenced above, this will greatly ease your recovery process!
C-section incisions vary
Depending on your babies position and the type of cesarean you undergo (scheduled elective, STAT emergent, ect.), your incision shape and size may vary.
DID YOU KNOW…that Pelvic Floor Physical Therapists can help with healing from all different degrees of tears and incisions? Seeking this specialized care and support can not only help decrease your healing time but also any long-term effects these situations can cause.
Check out our exclusive Resource Directory to see who we recommend in this field!
Fundal Massages...are not like the spa
All we can say is…ouch. This procedure is fairly standard postpartum and helps aid in your uterus returning to it’s original size/position after birth. It also can help the medical staff measure your bleeding. Though it is called a massage, it’s more like a very aggressive tummy rub with pressure. The good news is after the first couple of hours, this procedure happens less and less often and the “massage” itself lasts just a few seconds! If you just grew and birthed a human, you’ve got this in the bag. Just remember the staff should also seek consent, to keep focused on your breath and support your baby before and during.
Days you stay at the hospital may vary!
Depending on how your delivery went and how you and baby are doing, your stay could be anywhere from 24-72 hours (hospital), same day (some birth centers), or you may have an extended stay (if baby is in need of special care like the NICU). On average most first time moms are offered 2 nights in a hospital facility. Pack enough to keep yourself comfortable during this time and maybe a little extra just in case 🙂
Check out our previous blog to help with your packing list!
You will still have that baby bump
Your belly will decrease significantly in size over the first week postpartum…it’s quite odd! But, you will still have the appearance of being about 5 months pregnant for some time. THIS is normal! Your focus should be on healing vs the “get your body back” mentality our society has pressured us with.
The "shakes" are normal
This can be due to a variety of things including adrenaline, exhaustion, the stage of labor you are in, side effects from medications, etc. Just know that if your teeth start to chatter or you get some involuntary shaking of your body…that is COMMON and will pass! The more we try to stop shaking, the worse it usually gets. Try your best to breath, relax your body, and ask for a warm blanket!
Fluids can lead to swelling
Hello tree trunk legs! Having fluids run through your system for various reasons can leave your body quite swollen. This is nothing to be too concerned about as the swelling will go down in time. Elevating your legs and resting will help the process.
Getting an Epidural may take some time...
Many birth facilities have an idea in your chart on if you are wanting an Epidural for pain relief or not, but what you may not know is that it is not an instant thing. Once you decide to proceed with an epidural, you will first need to have an entire bag of fluids run through your system. This takes around 45mins to 1 hour. Then, the anesthesiologist will come to your room, explain the procedure, prep you, and perform the placement of the epidural line. This portion of the process can take anywhere from 10-20 minutes. Following this, a person is often given a “bolus” or “bump” to start off the meds and see if their body is tolerating the drugs well enough to let the bag begin to run. This is known within about another 15-20 minutes. After that if all is kosher, you can expect some relief to begin. All in all, we like to inform our birth clients that if you are strongly considering and epidural for pain relief, you ask for the fluid bag to be run right away 🙂 That way when it comes time that you feel you need the epidural, you don’t have the 45+ minute wait before placement can begin.
Having your cervix checked/water ruptured...these are CHOICES!
We will say it again…these are CHOICES! If you have no interest in cervical checks, you can always say NO! If you want more time to labor before a subsequent cervical check, say so! If you do or do not have a preference about artificial rupture of your membranes, say so! Your body is your body and your birth team should and needs to respect that. Be sure to ask about risks/benefits/alternatives of any procedures being presented to you so that you and your partner can make an educated decision on what feels best for you! We often refer our clients to the BRAIN acronym to help advocate and come up with questions to help them make decisions.
B-What are the Benefits?
R-What are the Risks?
A-What are the Alternatives?
I-What does my Intuition say?
N-What is Next? Do Nothing!
Stay Tuned!
Now that we have chatted all about pregnancy and birth, keep your eyes peeled for our upcoming feature: What they DON’T tell you: Postpartum! We hope that you have found this blog informative and wish you a happy and healthy labor & delivery!
Love,
Pin the Blog!
