How to Recover Fast After Childbirth
Childbirth can be an amazing experience, but it can also be traumatic, painful and exhausting. To get motherhood off to the best possible start, take good care of yourself during the days and weeks following childbirth. Concentrate on the basics during your recovery time: eating, sleeping and bonding with your newborn. Everything else can wait.
Instructions
Eat and drink well after childbirth. Your diet should provide all the nutrients you need to help you recover quickly. For example, aim for seven servings of protein-rich foods every day -- such as fish, eggs, beef and seafood -- if you're breastfeeding or five servings per day if you're bottle feeding. Include three servings of calcium-rich milk products in your daily diet, like milk, cheese and frozen yogurt. Other vital nutrients are vitamin A and vitamin C. If you experienced significant blood loss after childbirth, you may have depleted your stores of iron. Iron-rich foods include meat, poultry, fish, potatoes and spinach. Drink plenty of water and urinate frequently to help prevent urinary tract infections, suggests MayoClinic.com. Forget about losing your pregnancy weight right away. If you eat healthy and do moderate exercise when you feel ready (and your doctor approves), most of your pregnancy should weight drop off during the first year postpartum. Aim to lose no more than 5 pounds per month, advises Sutter Health California Pacific Medical Center. Get plenty of rest to help your body recover from the exertions of childbirth. Put tasks like cleaning your house, doing laundry and preparing meals on the back burner for the first few days or weeks after you bring your new arrival home. Keep visitors to a minimum during this time, no matter how much you want to show off your baby. A constant stream of guests may unintentionally create stress. Listen to your body after childbirth. When your milk comes in, your breasts may be swollen and sore. If you are breastfeeding, expect some level of pain and discomfort until you get the hang of it. Constipation is common immediately after childbirth. If you gave birth by Cesarean section, your wound area may be painful for a short time, and it may be uncomfortable to walk for extended periods of time. Let yourself recover at a gradual pace. If you try to push yourself too quickly, you may find that you suffer physical or emotional setbacks. Pay close attention to your emotional health. If you are feeling weepy, anxious and overwhelmed in the days following childbirth, you may be experiencing the "baby blues." This is very common, says the Vanderbilt Center for Women's Health, and symptoms normally subside within the first week. Be patient with yourself; remember, you have just been through a life-changing, exhausting, highly emotional experience. If you still feel sad, tearful or unable to cope after two weeks, speak to your doctor. You may be suffering from postpartum depression, which can occur at any time in the 12 months following childbirth and can be treated with medication and/or therapy.
