"Take it easy after the baby is born," what
does that mean?
Even though giving birth is a normal thing for your body to
do, it is still very tiring. If you had your baby by cesarean
delivery, you have also been through major surgery. Taking it
easy is doing what you need to do to take care of you.
You cannot take care of a new baby if you have not taken care
of yourself. Only you know what your limit of activity is. A
good rule of thumb is to watch what happens to your vaginal discharge
in the days after you give birth. Normally your discharge goes
from a red to pinkish brown to white in the first weeks after
your baby is born. If you notice your discharge is increasing,
or going back to red, that may be a sign you are trying to do
too much. Put your feet up and rest a while. If you continue
to have bleeding, call your health care provider.
Here are simple dos and don'ts as far as activity
goes:
-
Do start back into your
regular activities slowly. If you have had a cesarean section
delivery, then your health care provider will help you decide
what you can do and when.
-
Don't do
any heavy lifting. Basically, don't lift anything heavier
than your baby. Have others carry laundry baskets and groceries
for you.
-
Do take it easy climbing
stairs. For the first week or so, try not to go up and down a
long staircase more than once or twice a day.
-
Do start taking short
walks, outside if the weather is nice. Use a baby carrier or
sling, especially in crowded places. Strangers will be less tempted
to touch your newborn.
-
Do keep
a bathrobe by the door. Put it on when you answer the door.
If people think
you are "still recovering," they will treat you better!
-
Don't start
driving until your health care provider gives the okay. Usually
2 weeks is
a good waiting period. Remember-your hormones are kind of crazy
and you are tired and easily distracted. You will be more likely
to have an accident during this time. If you do, some people
might blame you because you have just gotten home from the hospital
and "shouldn't be driving yet."
-
Don't put anything into
your vagina until your stitches have healed and your discharge
has stopped. This means no tampons, no douching, and no sex.
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What kind of exercises can I do after I'm home?
Many women are very anxious to get their bodies back in shape
after having a baby. But remember-it took 9 months to gain the
weight you now want to lose. Your belly has also stretched, and
your uterus has grown. These changes do not go away in just a
few weeks.
You can do some exercises that will help you get your muscles
back in shape. Simple tightening exercises can be started right
away. More strenuous exercises can be started a few weeks down
the road. Here are some tips for exercising:
-
Focus on getting
strength back to the muscles that have been stretched out during
your pregnancy
and labor. Three exercises to tighten your belly
include: 1.) Mini
sit-ups. Lie on your back, knees bent, and reach to touch
your knees. 2.) Buttocks lift. Lie on your back, knees
bent, and lift your bottom off the floor. 3.) Leg lifts. Lie
on your back, legs straight, and raise your feet off the floor
without bending your knees.
-
Your pelvic (area between your
hips) joints will still be "loose" for a while
after giving birth. The bones in your pelvis
spread apart a little to hold your growing
baby and to open up the birth canal. Be careful
not to stretch or jerk the muscles in this area.
You might feel a stabbing pain
as the round ligaments (the bands of tissue that
hold the uterus in place) complain! Usually the
pain is bad for just a second,
and then it goes away.
-
Start off slowly.
Do just a few exercises each day. Add a few more as you get
stronger. If
you get tired, or start hurting somewhere, stop.
-
You may do
kegel exercises each day (see kegel exercises link).
-
Check with
your health care provider if you want to participate in some
type of exercise
program at a fitness center, YMCA, or a
community college. If you have always been active, you will
want to stay active. If
you are not an exercising sort of person,
you may have trouble doing even simple exercises. Give yourself
time to begin healing.
What is most important is that you take
charge of your health. A good diet and
regular exercise will help you stay healthy.
You'll need that extra energy to take care
of your new little one!
-
Using aerobic
exercise, strength
training, and regular activity to aid
in weight management is effective in
that it can be used to burn more calories
than
are consumed. However, when you use
exercise only for the weight management
benefits, you miss out on the many
other feel-good benefits of exercise and
activity. The benefits of fitness include
feeling better and looking better.
Regular aerobic exercise burns fat
and helps
maintain muscle. It improves cardiovascular
endurance and may help to prevent heart
disease by increasing HDL-cholesterol
(the healthy cholesterol) and lowering
blood pressure. Above and beyond the fitness benefits of
aerobic exercise, it can decrease stress and anxiety, improve
sleep, self-esteem and body image and increase energy level.
-
Adding strength
training with weights to your workout helps to increase muscle
mass, boost
metabolism and improve definition, tone and flexibility.
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Asking for help
Many women feel they must do everything themselves. They can't
seem to ask for help. They try to do everything, and then they
become exhausted and can't do anything well. Don't fall into
that trap. Now is the time to learn how to ask for help. If you
have people who love you and are willing to help you, now is
the time to talk to them. Don't be afraid to ask for help. Most
women find that just getting their strength back and taking care
of the baby is enough work for the first week they are home.
So, ask the people who love you-perhaps it's your husband, your
partner, your mother, your sister, your mother-in-law, or your
good friend-to help with the rest of things that need to be done
in your life. Ask someone to watch your other children. Ask someone
to shop for groceries and do your laundry. Ask someone to keep
your kitchen clean or to take your other children to school or
to after-school activities. Your only job that first week is
then taking care of yourself and the new baby. Many women find
that if they can just concentrate on the new baby and themselves
for the first week, they recover from childbirth much quicker
and feel better sooner.
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Other things you can do
Your baby will probably be awake several times each night for
feeding and changing, so you'll need to cope with that. Try to
sleep while the baby is sleeping during the day. Turn the ringer
off on your phone so it won't disturb your sleep. Get an answering
machine to take messages so you can call people back when it
is convenient for you. Ask your friends not to just "drop in" to
see you, but to call first. Be sure to eat good nutritious food,
and drink lots of water. Don't get overtired. Don't start exercising
until your doctor, nurse, or midwife says it is okay. Your body
is healing. Be sure to call your provider if you have heavy bleeding
or severe pain anywhere or if you have a fever.
Soon you'll feel like yourself again. Enjoy quiet time with
your new baby!
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Information provided by UMHS perinatal education committee March,
2005
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