Postnatal Care
Postnatal Healing Nutrition
Nutrition is a key part of postnatal recovery and is often overlooked. What we eat plays an important role in both physical healing and your postnatal mental health, but it’s one of the quickest things to go to the wayside when a new baby comes into the picture. It's a good idea to start preparing some meals you can pop in the freezer before the baby is born and make sure the cupboards & fridge are packed with healthy foods & snacks.
Caesarean Section Recovery
In the first week after your caesarean it is quite normal for your scar to be puffy and slightly raised, you can also expect some numbness and soreness. Your midwife will advise you how to look after your wound at home, advising you on how to gently clean and dry the area, and how to look for signs of infection. She should also advise you on what pain relief is best for you. Controlling your pain after surgery will make it easier for you to take care of yourself and your baby. For most women, it's better to take paracetamol or ibuprofen. If you are breast feeding its you want to avoid aspirin.
postnatal body Changes
Your body will go through many changes through pregnancy and will look and feel very different after birth. Initially you will still have a semi-pregnant body shape, as well as swollen milk boobs, changes to the size and colour of your nipples, weak pelvic floor muscles and maybe stretch marks, to name a few possible changes. We don't talk enough about the body after birth and how difficult these changes can be. While some areas of the body will return to their pre-baby shape, others may not.
Abdominal separation
What is Diastasis?
Diastasis Rectus Abdominis (also known as mummy tummy) is basically a gap between your right and left abdominal wall muscles and a weakening of the connective tissue holding them together.
Although Diastasis is most common in women following pregnancy, it can also occur in women who have not even had children as well. It is quite normal towards the end of pregnancy to have a slight separation to allow for your growing baby, and in most postnatal women this will naturally 'resolve' in the weeks after childbirth. There are still many women however who's gap doesn't heal naturally and this requires specialist rehabilitation.
Postnatal Exercise
When can you start exercising after birth?
You should wait until at least your six week postnatal check before starting exercise.It is advisable not to start high impact exercise until 6 weeks after a natural birth or from ten weeks after a cesarean section. You can do gentle stretches, walking and pelvic floor exercises as soon as you feel up to it.
Pelvic Floor Exercises
You can start doing gentle pelvic floor exercise within a couple of days after birth, as long as it feels comfortable too.
Postnatal Back, Hip and Pelvic Pain
After birth, you may feel pain in your muscles, joints, ligaments, tendons and even your bones. Common complaints are sore shoulders caused by feeding and holding your baby, but also lower back, hip and pelvis pain.
Back and hip pain in 'some' cases restrict mobility and may even become almost unbearable if not treated. So what causes back, hip and pelvic pain postnatally?
PPG (postpartum pelvic girdle) pain and hip pain are among the most common symptoms for women during pregnancy and it can also linger for months after having your baby. It is mainly caused by the hormonal changes that make the ligaments in the pelvic girdle more elastic.