What They Didn't Tell You After Having Your Baby!

Great! You've made it through labour and delivery. You have a brand new, warm, and squishy newborn baby but now what? No one told you there would be leaking... from almost every opening in your body! From bleeding to unpredictable tears to untimely milk seeping through your shirt. No one told you about the night sweats and afterbirth cramping. And for sure no one told you about the smell. Ugh. The smell.

Having a baby is just the tip of the iceberg. Your body has gone through a marathon of changes to get to this point and it will have to go through some more changes to return to "normal". Whether you are having your first baby or have birthed your last, these tips will help prepare you or at the very least give you a good laugh looking back.

Tip #1 - Take the Peri Bottle. Believe Me!

You'll be offered a plastic bottle at the hospital or from your midwife. It appears to resemble a sauce squirter from a restaraunt. Take it! This little diddy will save you from some of the smell that seems to invade your nether regions after birth and keep you feeling fresh. But in all seriousness, your perineum needs to be kept clean and as dry as it can be, and the peribottle helps to do just that, washing away any discharge or blood and giving you a good 'ol rinse. Especially helpful when you've got stitches too! Try putting some witchhazel or essential oils of lavender in with the water.

Tip #2 - Learn to Love Leaking.

Leaking blood, fluid, milk, and tears will be your M.O. for the next while. Yes, wearing diapers on your bottom and cute little mini diapers on your nipples. Vaginal discharge is normal after birth and can last in some women for up to 6 weeks. Mostly it is light and pink coloured, but trust this built in mechanism as your body will tell you when you've done too much and change to give you a heavier flow that gets more bloody. Take a seat and relax. Your body told you to.

Leaking milk is a great problem to have, some mother's pay big bucks in supplements for that inconvenience! There are strategies to save milk that you leak, but mostly it's important that you keep your nipples dry to mitigate any skin damage or microbial infection, so change those pads and let them breathe!

Leaking tears is also part of the after birth healing. Let them flow... they are helping your body and your heart. Hormones are surging and stabilizing, don't be afraid to ride the waves of emotion that come. Hopefully you have a partner who will give you the space to do that without getting freaked out. Surround yourself with your people who love you and know how to support you. Postpartum Depression is an understated and under-diagnosed condition that seriously affects mothers and their relationships, however it can be potentially counteracted by setting yourself up with support right from the beginning!

Postpartum is a quest back to yourself. Alone in your body again. You will never be the same, you are stronger than you were. ~Amethyst Joy

Tip #3 - Sweat it Out!

Some mothers experience the joys of sleep sweats as they recover. This is temporary and is a normal part of your body adjusting its hormones and getting rid of excess fluid from pregnancy. Sleeping on a towel so you can strip a layer through the night can be helpful. If you find this persists longer that a couple of weeks, mention it to your healthcare provider.

Tip #4 - Cramping = Healing

There are all kinds of magic that happen when your baby is breastfeeding: oxytocin surges, milk ducts opening, bonding, and immunity building. So why does it hurt and cramp so much when you're feeding your baby? Especially your 2nd, 3rd, 4th baby? Oxytocin is a potent little hormone, and it does more than bring you and baby together. This substance actually helps to restore your uterus to a healthy and normal state. When you've experienced afterbirth cramping, you need to remember one thing... BREATHE. Your uterus is clamping down and working to get smaller. Breathe through the contractions just like you did, or tried to during labour. It typically only happens during the early days of breastfeeding and should subside.

Isn't the female body amazing? It goes through all the changes of pregnancy and doesn't stop there! Changing back and becoming something stronger than before, it is wild, and like most things in life it can't just be talked about to understand, it must be experienced.