5 Ways to Help Speed up Recovery After Giving Birth

Giving birth is beautiful, but it's also quite taxing on the body. This is something you have to recognize as an expecting parent and something you can prepare for by knowing what to do to speed up recovery.

1. Address Your Perineum

It's important to work on healing your perineum. The skin is torn, and you need to make sure you are careful with this area. For example, you want to ice this area every couple of hours for at least 24 hours after giving birth. This is something your doctor or nurse is going to tell you.

Ask questions about it, and find out how to ice the area properly. You want to spray or pour a little warm water on the area before and after you urinate. This is something you want to do to keep urine from irritating the skin unnecessarily. Try your best to sleep on your side, and don't stand or sit for too long.

2. Deal With Diastasis Recti

Diastasis recti is the official name for this, but most people know this as a mommy tummy or the postpartum belly. The reason this happens to some women is that the muscles in the abdomen have stretched too much. The connective tissues are damaged, which creates a tummy that seems nearly impossible to get rid of.

The good thing is you can reverse the damage by engaging in core exercises. These exercises should be geared towards this specific issue if you want to see positive results. You do have to be patient; taking care of this issue is going to take some time, but your body should recover given enough time. Remember that this issue is more than just cosmetic. It can cause back pain and urinary inconsistency.

3. Caring for the C-Section

Some mothers have to have a C-section, and if that's you, then you need to make sure you take care of that scar. First of all, you're doing this to ensure it doesn't get infected, causing even more issues. You want to gently clean the wound using mild soap and water.

You should do this every day. Be sure to pat dry the area before you apply the cream your doctor prescribes. That cream or ointment is antibiotic and is helping you stay healthy. Do not carry anything as you let this wound heal. Yes, you can carry your baby, but do your best to keep this at a minimum. Don't exercise vigorously while your wound heals.

4. Don't Strain

Staying regular is going to be challenging for you after giving birth, especially the first time you have to go. Take a phone with you or read a book. Do anything you can to ignore how long it's going to take. Let it come naturally and do not strain. Straining yourself to go could end up causing more problems for you.

Both types of wounds, the perineal tears or the C-section, can get worse when you strain. Be sure to communicate this to your partner because you don't want to rush in any way. Be sure to eat fiber-rich foods as much as possible. Some mommies take stool softeners to make things easier on them. You can go for walks, which usually help release bowel movements.

5. Be Sweet to Your Breasts

Your breasts are going to need a lot of care after giving birth. You can use hot/cold packs to help you deal with any discomfort you are feeling in this area. Whenever possible, try to give yourself a gentle massage. You can have your partner help you if you want; just make sure the massage is gentle.

Wear only a comfortable bra to reduce the chances of feeling any additional discomfort. Allow your breasts to be free and air out if you're going to be breastfeeding. Every time you feed your baby, let your breasts out for a while. Another important thing to keep in mind if you're going to be breastfeeding is cracked nipples. This can be painful but can be prevented with lanolin ointment.

These are some steps you can take to heal faster after your bundle of joy is born. Be sure to eat as healthy as possible to help your body heal. Focus on eating collagen-rich foods that help rebuild tissue.