What I Wish I Knew Before Experiencing Postpartum
During pregnancy, most mommas are solely focused on making sure they have everything they need packed in the hospital bag, a car seat in the car & getting a healthy & happy baby out of their body. The last thing most of us are thinking about is postpartum care, or at least that is how it was for me. Who would have thought the ‘work’ was only just beginning for our bodies those first nine months and that there would still be weeks / months of our going through even more changes.
Here’s the real question though… Are you the ‘tell me all the things so I can be prepared’ type or the ‘let’s figure it out as we go’ type? I think depending on the situation we’re all a little bit of both but I was definitely more of a ‘I’ll figure it out as I go’ momma for my first pregnancy and there’s no better way to learn what you don’t know until you experience it. So I’m quickly sharing my top 5 tips for expecting mommas of “what I wish I knew before experiencing postpartum”.
Whatever way you deliver your baby it’s going to be magical but this first one is specifically for vaginal deliveries - if ice packs are offered after delivery don’t turn them down. I’ll give you one better… make your own padsiscles! You heard that correctly. And yes I’m laughing too. A little back story on this - after the birth of my first daughter who was born in Canada the nurse after me a frozen pad. Out of fear and just having no idea what she was referring to I turned it down. About a whole 5 minutes went by before I changed my mind & took her up on that offer. My poor swollen lady bits hurt so bad and were so swollen from pushing for two hours that I’m pretty sure they sang for joy when the nurse inserted that padsiscles into my post birth panties.
Padsiscle recipe:
Spritz pad down with alcohol-free witch hazel & aloe Vera gel. Leave the adhesive on the back of the pad on. Optional- add 5 drops (of each) of Lavender essential oil, Frankincense essential oil + Helichrysum essential oil to support the healing process. Store in large ziploc bag & keep pads separated by using wax paper or the original pad wrapper so they don’t stick to one another after frozen. Store in freezer. * I’d suggest making 7-12 padsiscles.
Speaking of panties and pads you’ll need these no matter how you deliver your baby. This is the time where it’s okay to go with comfy large & in charge panties that you are okay with parting with after postpartum care has come to an end. Hospitals usually provide you with pads but I always brought some of my own that were extra thick. And while I’ve had three pregnancies without the full blown postpartum diaper panties, I‘be heard amazing things about them so you could always give those a try if you’re normally a heavy bleeder.
We can’t discuss postpartum care without mentioning pain. Maybe I’m just a wimp but also every ounce of pain was more than worth it! Having those conversations with your doctor after birth are very important. I have always been one to avoid medicine, even Ibuprofen if I can, but remember your body just went through something amazing but hard so listen to it those first few hours and days after giving birth. And I don’t know what your insurance looks like but I totally brought my own bottle of Ibuprofen to the hospital because I had a friend tell me that they charge you for every little thing they give you in the hospital (this was a shocker for me having our first two daughters in Canada where it’s free - lol).
Okay so I was semi prepared for this next one thanks to two amazing sister in laws who gave me tips after having their own babies… and that’s to apply nipple cream before every feed if you are breastfeeding or pumping. This helped me so much and really relieved so much pain that could have been from their stories of cracked nipples. What I was not prepared for were the cramps that come along those first several feedings as your body signals for your uterus to shrink back in size. It’s a good sign but man it threw me for a surprise. Deep breaths are needed in those moments. Deep breaths and happy thought, which is easy when you have your sweet new baby in your arms to distract you. I was also not cautioned that the nipple cream can give that new nursing bra a grease stain so it’s not a bad idea to go ahead and have some boob pads on hand even though you may not feel like you’re leaking then.
And last but not least, but also most importantly- sleep. Sleep is crucial for your body to heal and just your state of mind when it comes to postpartum care. I don’t know where I heard it after having our first daughter but Inwas told “sleep when the baby sleeps”. I know many mommas who feel like there’s no way they could do this but that’s advice I took to heart and literally took that advice until she was two years old. If you’re just not someone who can nap then maybe just ensure you give yourself some rest time where you put your feet up at least 3xs a day. And hey momma, above all listen to your instincts. After all you are a mother now and we were all given those motherly instincts for a reason . You got this and I am rooting for you!