Tearing, Hemmies, and Swelling OH MY!

 
I know it’s on your mind.  

What exactly will happen to my under carriage once I do all this “bringing my baby into the world” business? 

Well, I hate to be the bearer of everything horrifying but, it ain’t the prettiest.  Directly after birthing a baby and placenta vaginally, your provider gets to work on fixing things down there.  - But, Cat, I did my kegels and squats daily!  There won’t be one thing to fix. - Eh, well, er… I commend you for preparing your pelvic floor for the work it just did but, tearing happens to even the most toned perineum.  And, guess what?  ITS OKAY.  That’s what stitches are for!  If you have a cheeky partner like mine he has been rehearsing the “Add one more stitch for me,” joke for a while now and is dyyyying to use it.  Harty Har Har, Paul.  Let’s be real.  NO one likes to think about tearing but tearing during delivery is your body’s natural way of stretching to get your baby's head our and body birthed.  Listen to your provider during pushing to minimize the strain.  After all, they have the upfront and personal ticket to the show.   

Hemorrhoids.  Owwww.  Even the word is ugly.  Another one of those lovely after delivery leftovers for many women looking at their new bundle of joy.  You may have even been on of those in the lucky bunch who got them in later pregnancy.  Well, now what?  A favorite go to for a great friend of mine was frozen pads soaked in witch hazel.  You can gently massage those (hopefully tiny) suckers with a warm shower head, sitz baths, and use cooling sprays if you don’t want to go the medical Prep H route.  They should go away within a few months and be a thing of the past.  Any questions and/or concerns should always be discussed with your provider. 

Swelling.  Well, yeah!  You just pushed a whole human being out of your body!  Use those ice packs like a champ, especially within the first 24 hours after delivery and R-E-S-T.  I always advise my clients to take it as easy as possible in the first couple weeks following delivery.  If you overdo it, you can add weeks to months onto your recovery time.  Ain’t no one got time for months of walking slower than molasses.  

Take care of yourselves, mamas!


Some products** I used personally, post delivery that made me bottom happy - 

http://earthmamaangelbaby.com/products/new-mama-bottom-spray

http://www.tucksbrand.com/medicated-pads

http://www.amazon.com/Medline-Perineal-Cold-Packs/dp/B00OWGTSPG




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