Adapting to everyday life after giving birth is a challenge for a mother, especially if it is your first time having children. Although caring for a baby is an important task, doing body care for yourself after giving birth is no less important.
During the postpartum recovery process, various problems can arise, such as vaginal pain or problems in the urinary tract. Good postpartum body care can help minimize pain and discomfort, and speed up the recovery process of the mother.
The puerperium or postpartum period lasts after giving birth for up to six weeks thereafter. In this phase, the mother experiences many changes, both on the psychological and physical aspects. In addition to feeling happy because of the birth of Little, psychological changes that may occur can include changes in mood, easy emotions, feeling anxious or afraid, to sad or called baby blues.
On the side of physical changes, visible from the discharge of blood from the vagina, such as menstruation or just patches of blood. This blood can come and go for six weeks. You can also experience swelling in the legs and feet, constipation, and cramps. Breasts can feel full, painful, and uncomfortable.
Consider what changes occur. If complications or infection occur, consult your doctor immediately. Mothers who have just given birth also need to do a postpartum examination 6-8 weeks after delivery.
Even if the condition is sad or sick, health care and body care should not be neglected. This treatment aims to prevent themselves from disease attacks and prevent the worsening of the condition being suffered in the post-partum period.
Making a bowel movement
Hemorrhoid or hemorrhoids are often a scourge for mothers who have just given birth. Well, important body care you do to prevent it is to launch a bowel movement. Pain during bowel movements and swelling near the anus are signs of hemorrhoids.
Hemorrhoids are stretches and swollen veins in the anus or lower rectum. Body care steps that can be taken to launch bowel movements, namely:
- Soak in warm water.
- Eat fiber-rich foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
- Inadequate need for drinking water.
- Do not hold or delay bowel movements.
- Strive to regularly do Kegel exercises.
If you have difficulty controlling bowel movements, consult your doctor to get proper treatment.
Helps Urinary Problems
Pregnancy and childbirth can stretch the tissues and muscles at the base of the pelvis. This condition risks causing damage to the nerves and muscles of the bladder or urinary tract. As a result, you have difficulty controlling urine discharge. When coughing, laughing, or tense, urine can come out accidentally.
In addition, swelling or bruising in the tissues around the bladder and urinary tract can trigger difficulty urinating. Over time, this condition can recover. What needs to be done as a proper body care step is to use pads and do Kegel exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles.
Relieve Pain in the Vagina
Sores on vaginal tears after giving birth can cause pain for several weeks. To support the recovery process, the following body care tips can be done.
- Compress the wound with a bag of ice for 10-20 minutes. Use a clean cloth between ice and skin.
- After urinating, pour warm water slowly on the vulva or the outside of the vagina.
- When defecating, gently press the wound using a clean cloth.
- Use a soft donut pillow when it feels uncomfortable when sitting.
- Take pain medications or laxatives recommended by your doctor.
By doing body treatments above, the pain and discomfort that is felt can gradually decrease. However, if you still feel pain that actually strengthens, the wound feels hot, swollen, sore, or pus comes out, check with your doctor.
Relieve Pain in Breasts
It's normal for breasts to feel tight, swollen, or painful for several days after giving birth. To relieve this discomfort, you can take the following steps for body care:
- Compress the breast or take a shower using warm water.
- Use a breast pump.
- Use special bra pads to absorb leaky milk.
- If not breastfeeding, use a sports bra to help stop milk production, and don't pump breasts.
If the breastfeeding process is painful, consult a doctor.
Lighten Baby Blues
Don't let feelings of sadness, anger, anxiety become prolonged and make you forget to take care of the body. It is feared that the psychological and emotional changes that you experience will disrupt the physical health of the mother and baby. Try to think positive. Share with your partner, about how you feel and think. Generally baby blues disappear within a span of 2 weeks. However, if baby blues occur on an ongoing basis, do not hesitate to consult a psychiatrist or psychologist so that they can be treated.
In addition to the above postpartum body care steps, you are also advised to avoid having sex for 4-6 weeks after giving birth. In addition, don't forget to do a postpartum examination. After six weeks postpartum, your body needs to be checked whether the recovery process of the vagina, cervix or cervix, and uterus is going well. Postpartum examination also includes physical and psychological examinations in general. During the examination, you can also consult with your doctor about complaints that you might experience.
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