Postpartum Recovery

Today, we are joined by Dr. Dacarla Albright, an Ob/Gyn, who talks to us about recovery postpartum. 

We answer the following questions: 

1. I’ve had my baby… now what?

   • What I will tell our patients is that the postpartum period lasts for six weeks. So basically, that means that it takes your body six weeks to go back to working like it did before pregnancy. And there are some things that may change forever.

   • They should rest and recover from their delivery. And while that is easy to say, it is hard to do with a newborn. Most people will start to feel like they are back to normal usually a couple of weeks after they deliver, and this can vary depending on if you have a vaginal or cesarean delivery. But your life is changed forever, and people are especially vulnerable during this time. You likely will not get as much sleep as you did before. You probably will have many more responsibilities because of your new baby. You’re going to be tired. That is why it is very important for new parents to pay attention to their mood.

     Especially people who have a history of anxiety, depression, or other mental illness, are at higher risk for postpartum depression. But postpartum blues or depression can happen to anyone. If you do feel like you are becoming irritable, you are feeling down, you’re crying all the time, or thinking about hurting yourself, hurting your baby, or other people, please reach out and call your provider’s office. We have resources to help you. We know that postpartum depression is very common.

2. What is it like to recover from a vaginal delivery?

   • Let’s first talk about immediately what happens when the baby and the afterbirth comes out. One of the things that we want to prevent is heavy bleeding, which can put a person’s life in danger. So, we usually will give a medicine through the IV, called Pitocin. If you don’t have an IV, we can give the same medication through a shot that goes in your leg.

     Your provider will also check to make sure that your uterus is contracting down. They need to do that every fifteen minutes for the first hour after you give birth, and will continue to need to check at different times while you’re in the hospital. I know that it is not very comfortable, but please understand that it is very important to make sure that you aren’t bleeding too heavily.

     Now, of course it is normal to bleed after birth. The bleeding after giving birth is called “lochia,” and may be bright red, dark red, and later on, will become brown. For most people it can start like a heavy period, but it should start to get lighter every day. It is normal to have some clots, especially after you have been sitting or laying down for a while.

     However, if you are bleeding more than two pads an hour for more than two hours, that would be a reason to alert your nurse. Or, if you are at home, to call your provider’s office or come into the emergency room.

   • It is very common for people to have some tearing of the skin or muscle around the vagina. The area between the vagina and the anus is called “the perineum,” and this is the most common place to have tearing when the baby’s head comes out. Depending on how much you tear after delivery, that could determine how sore you are. Your doctor or midwife will repair these tears with stitches that dissolve on their own after a few weeks. Most people do well with just Tylenol and Ibuprofen.

     Your nurse will usually give you ice to put on your bottom to help with the discomfort. You will also be given some numbing spray or pads and a spray bottle that you can fill with water to help clean down below, because it might be too uncomfortable to use toilet paper.  It is also common to have burning with peeing. Usually, the first or second day after delivery is when you will be the most uncomfortable because that is when swelling occurs and also when you start mov