Category: The first 6 weeks

Your Recovery After birth

Posted on by development

The first 6 weeks – Your Recovery

What to expect in the first weeks home after birth

***Key Points***

You go through many physical changes as your body heals following birth as well as emotional changes in the early weeks after having a baby.

The first 6 weeks after birth are called the postpartum period.

Please visit the emotional health component of the Talkingbirth App for a comprehensive guide to emotional changes after birth.

***Key Points***

***Vaginal Blood loss***

Blood loss after birth is called lochia.

For the first few days this will be bright red in colour and like a heavy period.

The amount of blood loss will reduce over the coming weeks although it is normal to bleed anything up to 6 weeks after birth.

The colour will change from bright red to reddish brown to pink and watery.

If you have a sudden large increase in blood loss or pass a clot bigger than a 50c piece let your Midwife, Doctor or MCHN know.

***Vaginal Blood loss***

***Bowels and bladder***

Bowels and bladder

You may be reluctant to use your bowels after having a baby. Drink plenty of water and eat fibre rich foods to avoid straining. Do not ignore the urge to open your bowels or pass urine and take your time, so you feel you have completely emptied your bladder or bowel.

Ensure you have cleaned the area well after opening your bowels especially if you have had any stitches after birth.

***Bowels and bladder***

***Your uterus***

This amazing organ housed your baby for many months. It was the size of a pear before you became pregnant and grew to accomodate your baby. It will return to its pre-pregnancy size over the next approximately 6 weeks.

Immediately after birth your uterus will be around your belly button. It will slowly return to being below your pelvic bone. You might experience mild to moderate tightening’s as this happens, sometimes referred to as ‘afterbirth pains’. These are often mild after your first baby but become stringer as you have more children.

***Your uterus***

***Your perineum***

Your perineum

You may have experienced a small graze, a tear or an episiotomy during birth and your Midwife or doctor will have add stitches to the area to allow the area to heal. The stiches are absorbable so they will disappear and do not need to be removed. Keep the area clean especially after passing urine or opening your bowels.

In the early days

Rest – lie flat for at least 30 minutes twice each day. This will reduce tenderness and reduce swelling  and reduce the weight carried by the pelvic floor muscles and lower abdominal muscles.

Ice – If you have had a vaginal birth or attempted vaginal birth ice applied to your perineum will help reduce the swelling. Place inside a pad for 20-30 minutes every 2-3 hours

Compression – Firm supporting underwear will help support the perineum and the lower abdominal muscles.

Exercise – pelvic floor muscles can be commenced when you feel ready, usually within 1-2 days after birth.

Your perineum will feel tender for days or weeks after birth. Apply ice and you can take over the counter medications for pain. Rest as much as you can.

Remember your pelvic floor muscles. It is important to start to retrain these muscles as soon as you feel comfortable after birth

***Your perineum***

***Recovery after a caesarean section***

Recovery after caesarean section

After a Caesarean section you will have  surgical wound in the lower part of you tummy. It is normal as with any major surgery to have pain around the wound site.

It can help to support your wound with pillows when you move or are getting in and out of bed. Your physiotherapist will show the easiest way to get in and out of bed to minimise discomfort. It can help to support your wound by lying with pillows under your knees.

To assist with healing avoid lifting anything heavier than your baby in the first 4-6 weeks. Limit vigorous exercise and increase gentle walking and exercise slowly, being mindful of how your body feels.

Wear loose fitting underwear with a high waist to avoid discomfort on the wound

Sleep, rest and accept the offers of help.

***Recovery after a caesarean section***

Resources

Sleep in the early weeks

Posted on by development

Sleep and settling in the first 6 weeks

Sleep and settling concerns are common issues affecting families. We recognising the importance of sleep for a child’s long-term development and for the health and wellbeing of families.

***Key Points***

You will find information to guide you but no single strategy but rather a number of safe evidence-informed options that allow you to adopt an approach that suits your individual values, preferences, beliefs and parenting style.

We cover only the first 6 weeks after birth here but further information in the resources below.

***Key Points***

***Our approach***

There is a large amount of unregulated advice, information and approaches that it can be difficult to navigate what information is reliable.

Attachment or bonding with your baby is key to your baby’s development and sense of security.

It allows you to understand your baby’s cues.

We support a family centered approach and base our information here on the guide developed by the Department of Health evidence- informed sleep and settling model of care.

***Our approach***

***Newborns and sleep***

  • Newborns do often not know the difference between day and night.
  • Newborns generally sleep 12 to 16 hours in a 24-hour period
  • Newborns need regular feeding to grow and develop  so they usually sleep in short periods.
  • This means they will wake frequently during the night to be fed or changed.

You can help your baby to learn to sleep more at night by exposing them to light, being outdorrs in the natural light during the day and providing more stimulation by playing with them during the daylight hours.

At night create a quiet, dimly lit environment to encourage your baby differentiate between day and night rhythms.

***Newborns and sleep***

***Sleep cycles***

Sleep cycles

  • They do not have established sleep-wake rhythms like we do.
  • Newborns sleep in short bursts, known as sleep cycles which are usually around 20 to 50 minutes long.
  • It is normal for your newborn baby to wake between sleep cycles. As they become older they will learn to settle themselves back to sleep

***Sleep cycles***

***Crying***

Crying

  • Crying is the way babies communicate with you
  • They may cry when they are hungry, need their nappy changed or are tired and need to settle to sleep.
  • The early days and months of becoming a parent are a time when you are getting to know and understand your baby.
  • The average newborn cries and fusses almost three hours a day until around 3 to 6 months of age.
  • From approximately two weeks to three to four months of age, newborns go through a stage of increased crying, which will be at its worst at 6 to 8 weeks of age.
  • They cry at times without a known reason, as  long as your baby is growing, gaining weight and at other times happy then it unlikely a concern.

However if you are concerned call the MCHN line or speak to your MCHN about this.

***Crying***

Settling your baby to sleep

***Your baby’s tired signs***

When your baby is tired, they show signs or cues that they are tired. If you learn to recognise these signs, you can encourage your baby to go to sleep at the right time.

Babies from 0 to 3 months might start showing tired signs after 30 minutes of being awake.

These will include:

  • jerky movement
  • frowning
  • clenching of fists
  • yawning
  • staring
  • poor eye contact
  • fluttering of eyelids
  • rubbing eyes
  • sucking on fingers
  • back arching, grizzling and crying, which are late signs

***Your baby’s tired signs***

***A consistent approach***

Put your baby in their safe sleep space, such as a cot or bassinet when they are tired but awake

Use a consistent each time you settle your baby. Use a gentle and positive approach.

As part of a consistent approach your baby will usually benefit from cue to tell them it’s time to go to sleep. This may be swaddling, wrapping, dimly lit room or bath or massage.

A predictable routine before bed and settling to sleep will be calming for your baby and help prevent ongoing sleep issues.

***A consistent approach***

***Your baby’s sleep environment***

Your baby’s sleep environment

  • reducing stimulation around your baby – for example, sit in a quiet room with dim lighting.
  • swaddling or wrapping your baby (if they cannot yet roll over).
  • giving your baby a bath in the evening in preparation for sleep
  • giving your baby a gentle massage.
  • creating a pre-sleeping routine, like singing lullabies, reading a book or repeating the same phrase, ‘it’s time to seleep’

Try to have regular bed times, nap times and wake times to help your baby develop a rhythm to their day and night.

***Your baby’s sleep environment***

***Safe Sleep***

To sleep your baby safely

  • sleep your baby on their back
  • keep their head and face uncovered
  • ensure baby’s environment is smoke free
  • have a safe sleep environment
  • sleep baby in a safe cot in your room
  • breastfeed your baby

***Safe Sleep***

Resources

 

 

 

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