No matter how prepared you are, giving birth will take a lot out of you. Even after giving birth a couple of times, nothing will prepare you for the moments you get home with your little one and the emotions that follow.
You’ll feel drained and tired, but also want to spend as much time with your baby as you can. That said, remember it’s ok to rest. You do need to look after yourself and help with your recovery. Below are four things to think about after birthing your beautiful baby.
What to do After Giving Birth
Make Time to Rest
Giving birth is extremely exciting, and you’ll want to spend as much time as you can with your newborn. After all, you have been carrying them for nine-months! But it is also important that you rest and give yourself some you time to recover.
Giving birth is a big deal and takes so much energy. You will feel tired after giving birth and in the days after, so make sure you are resting so you don’t make yourself sick.
Do Your Exercises
After giving birth, you will be advised to do some Kegel exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. It is important you do these because after birth the muscle is weaker and needs to strengthen up again. You can download a pelvic floor app that will take you through multiple exercises that you can do at home.
Make Sure You Eat Enough
Skipping meals isn’t recommended after giving birth. After giving birth, you will feel drained and tired, meaning you may be tempted not to eat much in the coming days.
It is important you eat, however, to help with your recovery and provide adequate nutrition and energy to get you through the days and nights that follow. Keep in mind, you will already be lacking energy with a baby waking you up at night, so getting energy from food is essential.
Ask For Help
Don’t do it all on your own. It is so important to ask for help. It’s normal not to be ok after giving birth. Remember that it takes a lot out of your body and can make you feel weak until you are rested up.
Make sure you lean on your partner, friends, or family to help. They can all help with preparing dinner or picking your other children up from school. I bet they love being around and seeing the newborn, as well, and won’t mind giving you some much-needed rest.
These are only four of the things you should do after giving birth, but there are many other recommendations out there. Although you may feel stressed, it’s good to remember that this is an exciting time. Take care of yourself so that you can be at your best for your baby.
Are you due to give birth for the first time? How are you feeling about your pregnancy? Let me know in the comments, I would love to hear from you!
For those who have already given birth, what are some tips you would give new moms? Leave a comment and let me know! 🙂
Great tips! I’d throw in a visit to a therapist on a regular basis to discuss your emotions as you go through the first 6 months of your baby’s life