Postpartum Recovery Tips

With all of the excitement that comes with adding a new member to your family, it’s easy to overlook postpartum care and recovery. To make sure that you recover completely after birth, you need to spend around six weeks focusing on your mental and physical self-care. After all, you just went through a life changing experience, not to mention the nine months preceding the actual birth.

Our Postpartum Recovery Tips For a Quick, Safe, and Comfortable Recovery:

1. Don’t Be Afraid to Communicate Honestly

It’s no secret that giving birth is a strenuous activity that takes its toll on your physical and mental wellbeing. During this vulnerable time in your life, only you know what’s best for you at any given moment. Maybe you just want to be alone. Or, maybe you need help with something. Part of postpartum recovery is focusing on yourself, so go ahead and take the time you need to rest.

2. Find Time to Rest

This is, of course, an exciting time in your life. With your new bundle of joy now in the world, it can be easy to forget about the little things like sleep, food, and water. While new parents rarely get a leisurely night’s rest, it’s essential that you find time to get some sleep in whenever possible. Sleeping when the baby sleeps is a big one. You may also want to ask a partner, loved one, or professional to watch your child when you need sleep or time to yourself.

3. Make a Recovery Kit

If you’re spending your postpartum recovery at a dedicated recovery retreat, all of your immediate needs will be taken care of for you. Even so, you might have some specific products you prefer to have on hand. If you’re recovering at home, it’s always a good idea to stock up on essentials so you never have to worry about going to the store in the midst of recovery. Some items you may want to have on hand include:

• Acetaminophen/ibuprofen
• Vaginal numbing spray
• Ice packs
• Heating pads
• Maxi pads
• Cotton undergarments/nursing bras
• Stool softener
• Witch hazel
• Spray bottle of water (for rinsing before and after urination)
• Lanolin cream (for cracked nipples)
• Lidocaine spray (for hemorrhoids)

4. Stock Up Before Baby Arrives

During postpartum recovery, it can be hard to find time to shop for essentials like diapers. Some hospitals are happy to give new mothers a care package that may include things like diapers, mesh underwear, blankets, and other helpful items, but there’s no guarantee that they’ll have extras available.

To avoid the stress of needing to re-stock in the week after giving birth, take the time to purchase as many essentials as you can before you go into labor. Having a surplus of diapers, bottles and bottle accessories, newborn onesies, swaddling blankets, and even a breast pump, can dramatically reduce your stress during your postpartum recovery. Remember, newborns can go through 15 diapers a day — you can never have too many on hand!

5. Talk to Friends and Family

While you can find plenty of valuable tips online, often the best postpartum recovery tips come from women you know who have given birth before. Female family members and friends can provide more nuanced guidance based on your personality, preferences, and other unique traits. You can also feel confident taking advice from someone you trust.

6. Accept Help

During postpartum recovery, you’re going to have a lot on your plate. If someone offers to cook you a meal, say yes! Just because you’re a supermom doesn’t mean you need to spread yourself thin. Your time is valuable right now. Focus on what’s important: caring for yourself, your new child, and spending this precious time bonding with your baby. Let others handle the smaller tasks of daily life. You may even consider a private duty nurse to come help when you need an additional break or extra care.

7. Care for Your Perineum

While vaginal care is important after birth, for the first 24 hours after giving birth, you should ice your perineum every few hours to reduce soreness and swelling. Before and after urinating, spray yourself with warm water to prevent urine from causing further irritation. During postpartum recovery, you may even choose to soak in an Epsom salt bath a few times each day to further reduce swelling.

8. Go to Your Appointments

During this busy and exciting time, it’s all too easy to overlook or ignore follow-up appointments. Visiting your OB/GYN is important as they can make sure that you’re healing properly. They can also answer any questions you may have and provide ongoing guidance relevant to your unique needs at the time. Not sure you’ll have time to make it back and forth between appointments? Consider resting at a recovery retreat where you can have a dedicated team of nurses at your side to answer any questions you may have.

9. Sit on a Donut Pillow

A donut pillow is just what it sounds like — a pillow shaped like a donut. It’s the perfect solution when you want to sit down without causing any unnecessary discomfort. During postpartum recovery, your comfort is a high priority, not just for your sanity but also to prevent irritation.

10. Treat Yourself

One of the most important postpartum recovery tips that often goes overlooked is that you don’t have to be miserable! There are going to be difficult moments, but that doesn’t mean you are alone or need to “suffer through.” Yes, you’re going to be exhausted, and it’s going to be hard to find time to even shower, but a successful postpartum recovery requires taking time for your health and needs.

That’s why so many new mothers choose to spend their recovery period at a dedicated recovery center. While recovery isn’t a typical vacation, staying at a luxury postoperative care retreat will help you recover in complete serenity. Waking up in a tranquil environment surrounded by beauty, as well as qualified healthcare professionals, can make the recovery process infinitely easier.

Plan Your Recovery Now

Put your mind and body at ease in the days following giving birth: start planning your postpartum recovery today. At Pearl Recovery, we’re here to provide a relaxing, nurturing experience that helps you recover from birth quickly and safely. These postpartum recovery tips will help, but there’s no substitute for a tranquil environment and a qualified team of compassionate caretakers. Contact us now to reserve your room or suite, and we’ll make sure that your postpartum recovery is a blissful experience.