How did you guys take care of yourselves after labor?

Question

I just had a baby 10 days ago and alot of people tell me that I have to really take care of myself. I know there are some things that I can't do, but I want to know how some of you took care of yourselves. For example they tell me not to go out in th cold, or be without socks or lift anything heavy or drive. How were your first six weeks after having a baby?

Answer 1

Hmmm  I found that everyone is different and depending on how your birth went and how your body and emotions are I think that you know what your own limits are. If you think that your shouldnt be doing it then dont! I found that with my first son I proberly looked after myself better then with my second. I had two very easy births and found that with my second son I had more to do I had a 2yr old that still need my care an attention, you learn to cope and deal with being tired but you have to remember that is it only for a short time of your life and before you know it they will be doing things for themselves and you may wish that you had done more with your baby.  good luck.

Answer 2

Rest as much as possible!!

Don't be afraid to solicit help from others. People will usually jump at the chance to be around a newborn. Let someone come over and clean for you, cook meals, watch the baby while you lie down and rest.

You shouldn't vacuum or lift anything heavier than your baby for the first week at least (6 weeks if you had a c-section). As long as you feel up to it, I see no problem with getting behind the wheel (again, if you had a section, I'm sure it's a different story).

You have just done something akin to running a marathon. Take it easy on yourself! Enjoy your little miracle while he/she is tiny. It goes so fast!

Answer 3

Being forced to wear socks sounds a little extreme :)  You should take it easy, but mostly so your body can heal, you can bond with your new baby, and establish breastfeeding (if you've chosen to do so).  I wouldn't try to do housework, like vacuuming or anything like that.  I was out driving with my daughter after the first few days, but brought someone along to lift the car seat.  

If your bleeding increases, it's a good sign that you're doing too much.

Also, if you delivered by c-section - lay down, lady!

Answer 4

i wish i could say that i took good care of myself after having my daughter but i can't. i was back to my usual routine three days after having her. i didn't lift heavy stuff if i could help it, i cleaned 'down there' as directed after discharged from the hospital, they didn't say anything bout being w/o socks though...weird...

Answer 5

I agree with just about everything everyone else is saying.  Just rest and nap when the baby is.  A messy house is NOT the end of the world. I have 2 babies that are only 15 months apart...when my son was born I hated leaving the dishes in the sink for more than a few hours but I was just TOO exhausted to do them.  It will get easier to take care of the housework and your baby later on after you recover fully, but right now #1 is to take care of your baby and yourself.  Take the time to relax and just enjoy them cause they grow fast and before you know it they will be running around tearing the house down and rest will be hard to come by.  

My biggest problem was with lifting things after my 2nd was born, at the time my daughter was only 15 months old, she had been walking for months but it was still so hard not to pick her up and every time I did I would start bleeding heavier.  I had to force myself to take it easy.  

Try not to lie down for too many hours in a row.  LIke every hour or two get up and walk to the other room or something for a few minutes cause I had quite a scare after my son was born.  I stopped bleeding like a week after he was born and then all of the sudden a week later I started gushing blood and it scared the daylights out of me.  But my doctor said it was cause I laid down for long periods of time and didnt get up to walk around which caused blood clots to form in my uterus and restrict the blood from flowing out.  Then when the clots worked out I bled HEAVY (soaking pads in 15 minutes) for like 2 days.  It was terrible.

As for the socks....I was never told this by a doctor but I have heard people talk about it.  I guess it has something to do with the slow blood circulation due to the amount of blood your losing...which in turn makes your feet feel cold and sometimes makes them numb and tingly.

Just take it easy and enjoy that new bundle of joy you have.  They are only that little for a SHORT period of time.

Answer 6

What things can't you do? You can do anything you feel up to doing. Why couldn't you lift something heavy? Did you have a c-section? If so, take care of your incision. If not, don't worry about it. Sleep as much as you can.

Answer 7

I drove myself to and from the hospital most times, and when not driving to the store or my husband to work or something, or going to school and walking a lot when I didn't have a car, I was busy, except in the days right after having my third child, for medical reasons, I was limited in movement for about two weeks. You do what you've got to do. Stay hydrated (some people forget to, but it's important) and eat right so your body will heal in a timely fashion.

Answer 8

well i really just tried not to do any of that like lift heavy things and get some rest while your baby is sleeping just take a nap too .It will make you feel alot better in the long run.

Answer 9

Your hospital discharge instructions should have let you know about any physical restrictions and for how long you should follow them.  There are often limits on when you can start driving and when you can start lifting things heavier than your baby.

While it's nice to stay warm and be taken care of, there is no medical reason that you can't be in cold weather or be without socks!  You can do whatever you feel up to doing.

Answer 10

nap

nap

nap

nap

nap

Seriously, every time baby is sleeping, you should be too. Cleaning the kitchen or doing laundry or whatever can wait. The world will not end if your house is a mess. You just went through LABOR (i.e., hard work) and you need to rest and recover so you are physically and emotionally able to care for this wonderful new little person. If you don't get lots of rest you will have a hard time dealing with this - your hormones are all screwed up as your body gets used to not being pregnant again and breastfeeding so you will be emotional and sleep deprivation makes it worse. Oh, and drink a LOT of water, especially if you are breastfeeding.