What follows are instructions for my clients after a home or birth center birth. Always check with your provider to make sure instructions are compatible with you and your baby’s needs.
General Instructions
Rest. Hydrate. Keep baby skin to skin with a blanket over you. Nurse every 2-3 hours, waking baby if necessary. Use the bathroom every two hours. For the first three days, do nothing but rest, eat, nurse your baby, use the restroom and shower. In the following days, slowly resume normal duties, but no housework or lifting more than 10 lbs for 2 weeks or standing for long periods. If you feel tired or if your bleeding resumes bright red after tapering off, you are over exerting yourself. Drink lots of clear fluids, eat normally, and continue taking prenatal vitamins and blood builder.
Bleeding
The first 24 hours after birth tends to be the heaviest bleeding. Normal
bleeding will soak a pad in an hour or two. If you are soaking a pad in less than one hour, please call. It is also normal to pass clots. If you are passing clots larger than plums please call. It is normal to bleed a little more and feel small gushes as you breastfeed. Bleeding may last up to 6 weeks.
Perineum
An ice pack, frozen maxi pad, or applying witch hazel astringent will help
with swelling and soreness in the first 24-48 hours. Use your peri bottle filled with warm water or postpartum herbal tea (you can also add sea salt, lavender oil, calendula) every time you use the bathroom. Gently pat dry with tissue paper.
Uterus
Your uterus should feel firm and about the size of a grapefruit. If it feels soft,
massage uterus and urinate. It is safe to take 800 mg Ibuprofen every 8 hours for cramping.
Reasons to Call
