The Little Secrets Of Postpartum

Giving birth is the most awaited moment during pregnancy – a t last we have our baby in our arms! Yet nobody tells the new mother that it’s also the beginning of a tough stage of life: the postpartum period.

In addition to adapting to her newborn, the mother goes through her own transition, both physically and emotionally.

In this article, we’ll share a few postpartum secrets that can be useful to help new mothers get on the road to recovery.

During pregnancy…

Research in the fields of neurology and bioscience have shown that pregnancy modifies the mother’s brain. It transforms bit by bit for the arrival of the new being.

Here’s the good news: pregnancy also makes us smarter, enhances our senses, improves our emotional intelligence and allows us to multitask more efficiently!

Even so, the emotional well-being of a future mother is on a constant tightrope. All of her hormones have to return to their normal state; this implies crying and laughing at the same time, having contradictory feelings and, in short, adapting to a new life.

How does postpartum affect women?

Around 75% of women suffer from “postpartum depression.” It is a slight depression that has its peak on the fourth or fifth day after giving birth.

It usually coincides with coming back home after being in the hospital, where the mother received care day and night. Now she is the one who has to take care of all the new and unknown tasks.

Fortunately, this state usually disappears on its own within a few days after everything normalizes and new routines are created.

A woman’s body suffers a lot throughout pregnancy because, after all, she housed a small being inside her, and her internal organs were displaced in order to make space for the new creature.

Therefore, after giving birth, all of the displaced organs need to move back to their original position. The mother might also have some scars that will take time to heal.

The secrets of postpartum

Sleep is key to recovery

After all the effort that was exerted during the process of childbirth, the best thing for good recovery is a lot of sleep. Sleep is essential for the body to recover.

Frozen vegetables

Frozen peas will help us during recovery. They are the ideal vegetable to put in a plastic bag to help alleviate the inflammation after an episiotomy.

Hair dryer

Each and every time we need to use the bathroom, we should use a container of warm water in order to simply pour over our stiches. This area must be kept clean and dry.

After applying the water you can use a hair dryer. Humidity is the enemy.

Physical rest

We are not superheroes, although you might want to quickly get back into your normal routine. You should not make brisk movements or carry any weights during the first few days.

Just a little bit of misplaced force can cause your stiches to rip, making recovery longer.

Feeding

Feeding is very important because during the birth process a lot of blood is lost.

Postpartum is an ideal time to return to those soups that our grandmothers used to make in order to help you recover your energy.

A healthy and balanced diet is the basis for returning to your previous figure.

Delegate tasks

When we arrive back home with our newborn, there is no lack of people who want to cuddle and pamper the baby.

Who washes the dishes? Who puts the clothes in the washing machine? What about ironing and cleaning?

That is were we cannot lack any volunteers. As a new mother you have to allow others to help you. Accept the fact that your house might not be as clean as it was before. The most important thing is the baby.

Your top priority should be you and your baby

No visits

Visits? No thanks. It is normal for all of your friends and acquaintances to want to meet the new child.

However, this is not the best time. During the first week, the new mother should be allowed time to recover and the newborn also has to adapt to new routines such as sleeping, bathing and feeding.

Our last piece of advice, although it sounds a bit strange, is to enjoy this stage to the fullest, because times goes by very quickly. The state of exhaustion that you are in will get better in a matter of time.

However, the moments you spend with your newborn baby in your arms are memories you’ll never forget.