Your Body After Delivery

Be sure to see your healthcare provider after you deliver for follow-up and ongoing care. These visits are called postpartum visits. They are important for making sure your body is healing after delivery. Birthing parents are at risk of serious and sometimes life-threatening health complications in the days, weeks and months after giving birth. Talk to your provider about the best schedule for your needs.



Check With Your Healthcare Provider

  • Find out when you can resume having sex and doing other normal activities.
  • If you had diabetes in pregnancy, talk to your healthcare provider about testing for diabetes after pregnancy at your 6 week or comprehensive visit.
  • If you had high blood pressure, check blood pressure at home and follow up with your provider. Your provider may recommend an earlier follow-up visit.
  • Your provider will screen for depression and anxiety during your postpartum visit.

Healing From a C-Section

You may have soreness, numbness or itching around your incision if you had a C-section. This is normal and should improve over time. Use pain relievers prescribed by your healthcare provider. Your provider may have you come in after delivery to check your incision. Remember to hold your belly when you sneeze or cough and use pillows for extra support while feeding your baby.

There may be an infection if your incision looks very red, is draining, is getting more painful or is starting to open. Call your healthcare provider.

Discomfort From Not Breastfeeding

Your breasts may be sore and swollen until the milk stops coming in if you’re not breastfeeding. This can take about a week or so. To ease some discomfort, wear a firm supportive bra and use cold packs until your milk stops. Warm water can stimulate milk supply so avoid warm water during a shower or bath.



Symptoms

Your appointments after delivery are important to your recovery. You should see your provider within 3 weeks after leaving the hospital and again before reaching 12 weeks postpartum. 

Here are some common symptoms you may experience as you recover from delivery and tips on how to manage them.

Know the Warning Signs

Most people recover from giving birth without experiencing serious problems, but anyone can have complications after delivery. Knowing the warning signs and what to do could help save your life.

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Call 911 immediately if you are experiencing:

  • Pain in your chest.
  • Trouble breathing or shortness of breath.
  • Seizures.
  • Thoughts of hurting yourself or someone else.


Feeling Tired

What to expect and what you can do

  • Ask family and friends for help.
  • Try to nap, eat and shower when your baby is napping.
  • Eat a healthy diet and drink plenty of fluids.
  • Keep taking your prenatal vitamins.

When to call your healthcare provider

  • You are so tired that you can’t take care of yourself or your baby.
  • You have a temperature higher than 100.4 degrees.
  • Have chest pain or shortness of breath.
  • Feel like you may pass out.

Cramps

What to expect and what you can do

  • This is expected for seven days or longer. It may get more intense while nursing.
  • You can take a mild pain reliever like ibuprofen or naproxen.

When to call your healthcare provider

  • You have severe cramping or constant pain that is not relieved with pain medication.

Sore bottom or painful piles (hemorrhoids)

What to expect and what you can do

  • Use a cold pack for the first 48 hours.
  • Take a sitz bath (soaking your bottom in a small plastic tub with warm water).
  • Use cotton balls or pads soaked in witch hazel.
  • Use a spray bottle after using the restroom.
  • Use over-the-counter ointments and creams like hydrocortisone.

When to call your healthcare provider

  • You have severe pain or are having a lot of trouble with urination or bowel movements.

Bleeding and discharge from your vagina

What to expect and what you can do

  • This is normal for the first few weeks after delivery.

When to call your healthcare provider

  • You have heavy bleeding or large blood clots that are soaking a pad or more an hour for two or more hours straight. You feel lightheaded, dizzy, or short of breath.

Swelling, pain and/or redness in your legs or calves

What to expect and what you can do

  • It is normal to have some swelling.
  • Put your feet up.
  • Try to stay cool and wear loose clothes.

When to call your healthcare provider

  • You have more swelling in one leg than the other. Redness and pain in only one part of your leg.

Headache

What to expect and what you can do

  • It is important to check your blood pressure in the first week after delivery.
  • Drink plenty of water.
  • Try to rest when baby rests.
  • You can take a mild pain reliever like ibuprofen or naproxen.

When to call your healthcare provider

  • Your headache does not get better after taking medication.
  • You have vision changes, chest pain, shortness of breath or pain in the upper right side of your abdomen.
  • Your blood pressure is higher than 140/90.
  • You have severe nausea and vomiting.
  • Your headache is worse when you sit up and gets better when you lay down.



Take Care of Yourself

You just had your baby. Your body has been through a lot. Be sure to take care of yourself. This helps you recover and be the best you can be for your baby.

  • Ask for help. Ask family and friends for help with housework, heavy lifting and running errands.
  • Take time to relax. It is important that you rest so your body can heal. Try to rest when baby does. Make sure you follow any restrictions your provider has given to you.
  • While you need to rest, your body also needs some activity to keep from getting stiff. Frequent walking in or out of the house is a low impact way to get exercise while you heal.
  • Healthy foods and regular meals help keep your energy up. Contact your care manager if you need help getting healthy foods.
  • Having a new baby can be overwhelming. Share your feelings and let your partner and support system help you. If you have feelings of sadness that won’t go away or if your feelings make it hard to care for yourself or your baby, it’s time to ask for help. Contact your provider or care manager.
  • Go to your postpartum checkup. It is important you see your healthcare provider 3 to 6 weeks after delivery to make sure you are healing. Your provider will check your physical and emotional health during this appointment. You can ask questions about your concerns and discuss next steps in your recovery.