Care after a normal vaginal birth: during the first 48 hours, try to rest as much as you can, and follow these points during the first few days:
- Do not lift very heavy objects.
- Avoid a lot of activity and tiring activities.
- Do not force yourself to spend a long time cooking.
- Look after your other children with the help of your husband or someone else.
- From the first day, it is recommended that you care for the baby, preferably with your husband's help or, if he is not available, with the help of other family members.
Hygiene is very important after childbirth, so pay attention to your personal hygiene.
How to care for your stitches
- Bathing is not forbidden on the first day after the birth.
- As far as possible, do not sit on your stitches; until the wound heals, it is better to sit on a medical ring cushion.
- After using the toilet, wash the wound with lukewarm water and then dry it with a hairdryer.
If you do not want to use a hairdryer, use a clean, soft towel each time. 4. Several times a day, wash the stitch area with saline solution, and after 10 minutes rinse it with warm water; dry the stitch area completely and place a desk lamp or hairdryer 20 centimetres from the wound for 15 minutes, until you feel warmth on your skin.
- Do not stand on your feet too much in the first days.
- Do not touch or handle the wounds, and do not put any ointment, cream or lotion on them without your doctor's permission.
- Never use tampons. Use simple, large sanitary pads without absorbent powder (gel) or a mesh top layer, and change them every 2 to 4 hours.
- For the first two days you will feel cramping pains in your pelvis, especially while breastfeeding your baby, which are caused by the womb contracting. To reduce these cramping pains and the pain around the stitches, you can use codeine-containing painkillers such as acetaminophen-codeine (paracetamol with codeine), after consulting your doctor.
- Avoid sexual intercourse for 6 weeks after the birth or until the perineal stitches have fully healed.
Nutrition tips: in the first days after a normal birth, indigestion and constipation are possible because you are less active, and if you become constipated the stitches may also be damaged. So try to get the necessary and healthy foods during the day.
- Eat high-fibre foods such as brown rice, wholemeal (bran) bread and vegetables.
- Eat dried figs and dried apricots or peaches.
- Have low-fat dairy products, and instead add olive oil to your food and salads.
- Drink plenty of fluids and home-made fruit juice. You should see a doctor in the following cases:
- Fever above 38°C or chills
- Vaginal bleeding that has not decreased one week after the birth
- Severe or increasing pain in the vaginal area
- Pain or burning when passing urine
- Foul-smelling vaginal discharge, passing foul-smelling blood clots, or passing large blood clots from the vagina
- Severe pain, swelling and redness of the breasts with fever (milk fever – which appears in the first 3–5 days after the birth with enlarged, painful breasts and milk coming from the breasts – is common after childbirth and improves simply by expressing milk and taking simple painkillers for 12–24 hours. Regular suckling at the breast by the baby is the best way to prevent it).
- If you have any concerns about yourself or your baby, see a doctor.
8. See your doctor 4 to 6 weeks after the birth for a health check and to choose a suitable method of contraception.
Note: when you walk for the first time after surgery, there is a risk of falling. To prevent this, have sweet drinks; first sit in place for a few minutes, then let your legs hang down from the bed for 20 minutes, and then stand for a few minutes. If you feel dizzy or your vision goes dark, do not walk; repeat the first steps again a few minutes later, and walk with the help of your companion. You can sit down on a chair several times along the way.
Prepared and compiled by: Homa Yektapour – Education Unit
Source: Williams Obstetrics
Document code: NO-BR-19