10 Ways To Look After Yourself After Birth
Congratulations on the birth of you baby! You’ve done it!
Whether it was a quick birth in the hospital car park, a planned caesarean section, a pool birth or a 3 day event with every pain relief known to man; your baby has finally arrived!
But in the aftermath whilst everyone’s attentions are on your gorgeous bundle of joy, the exertion of labour will leave you feeling exhausted.
The ex-midwives and owners of The Natural Birthing Company have lots of knowledge in this area and have used their experience in midwifery to create natural based products specifically safe for use in pregnancy and after birth!
We sat down with owner Jane, who explained her expert insights on ways you can look after yourself after the birth;
She says “Your body has been through the equivalent of running a marathon to give birth, and if you’ve had a caesarean section then you need to remember you’ve had major surgery. Either way you need time to get your energy back; it takes your body a year to fully recover from its pregnant state.”
1. Try to have proper meals where you can, a good healthy diet is needed for your body to recover and produce a good milk supply.
2. Drinking plenty of fluids is really important for your milk supply; every time your baby breastfeeds try to sit and have a drink yourself.
3. Babies love to be awake during the night! It’s their natural body clock so there is little point trying to fight it in the early days. So work around it by having rest where you can, daytime naps, going to bed early or having lie-ins.
4. When it comes to caring for your “lady-bits”, keep your perineum clean and dry, do not use any soaps/body wash in that area, change pads frequently and always wash your hands both before and after going to the toilet.
5. Do NOT sit on rubber/foam ring, this does more harm than good by allowing your perineum to sag in the middle of the ring! Research also shows that salt baths do not work either.
6. Start pelvic floor exercises as soon as possible as it helps the area to heal.
7. Use our Blissful Tincture soothing postnatal compress solution. Using natural ingredients Hypericum and Calendula this effectively works to soothe discomfort of your intimate area or caesarean section wound following birth and promotes healing.
8. Pace yourself and take things steady in the early days to reserve your energies; but don’t go to the other extreme and lie in bed all day long as this won’t do you any good either!
9. Don’t put off going for a number two; your stitches won’t burst open – hold a clean sanitary pad up against your vaginal area to support yourself whilst you strain. It will give you more confidence in being able to open your bowels.
10. Enjoy short walks with baby in the pram. It lifts your mood to be able to get out of the house and enjoy the fresh air.
Ex-midwives and owners of the Natural Birthing Company are delighted to be exhibiting at this year’s Baby & Toddler Show at EventCity in Manchester on the 11th to 13th March and Sandown Park on 15th to 17th April, to meet lots of beautiful parents to be!
Throughout the event, the Natural Birthing Company is offering everyone who comes to the stand a FREE copy of their e-book ‘Birthing Buddies’ – as well as the opportunity to purchase one of their newest products ‘Midwife in a Bag’ with a whopping 20% discount!
Visit them at stand D31!