Please share your advice for healing and recovering post birth

[CobOnTheCorn]

DS3 was born in the early hours of Thursday morning. Everything is fine, we're hhome and spend our days (and nights) feeding and sleeping.

DP is doing all the nappies, bringing me food and looking after our other DC.

So, all is good but I am feeling so sore that I want to know if there is anything else I can do to help myself feel better.

I'm having a warm, shallow bath with some lavender oil each evening and I'm not spending much time sitting (the rubber ring keeps giving up on me).

What else can I do to reduce the soreness, the swelling and the piles?

Thanks Natasha, I do have some Arnica tablets and keep forgetting to take them. I'll have a couple with my lunch.

Witch hazel on cold maternity pads! Put them in the freezer . Great for bruising and general swelling will also help keep you feeling refreshed down there.

Keep taking your iron tablets. I always find aches and pains are so much worse when I'm anaemic.

And witch hazel is amazing!

Thanks cupcake. I just sent DP out to buy some. Do I just put it on the pad neat?

Yes! Make sure he gets the liquid not the spot gel that is not a mistake you want to make! Pharmacy/chemists will sell it usually in brown bottles.

Put it on the pads, I used to just turn the bottle upside down on the pads and let it soak in abit. Leave some room for your own absorption so don't completely soak it. Do a few at a time, put them in a plastic bag and in the freezer or fridge if that's too cold. Just change them when you want. Stick with big maternity pads for now as well you'll be grateful for the added cushioning.

A cool shower on your bits can really help as well.

It will get better quite quickly once the first few days are over.

I must get some for me I keep forgetting.

Absolutely take the arnica! Also add in some nurofen or paracetamol if necessary. Lavender baths are also fantastic. Ditch the rubber ring though - this will potentially cause more swelling and pain to the affected area, they're really not recommended anymore.

I've always taken Floridix tablets as well as pregnacare post all of my births and think they really help. Plenty of vitamin c will also help with healing. Above all, rest, eat, drink and cuddle your baby. Congratulations!

PS try having 2 - 3 lavender baths a day. Make sure you dry your fanjo thoroughly though - this is what my midwife recommended she didn't use the word fanjo though

Right, swim ring is in the bin. Towel has witch hazel on it. Popped a couple of arnica tablets and ibuprofen. A bit of Sudacrem on my piles (they hurt so much). I've got a cup of tea and then I'll have a snooze.

Thanks everyone for being so helpful and so nice. DP just asked me to pass him a tissue

Piles are the devils work! I had them after all of mine. Sooooo painful. Anusol is good, sounds a bit unhygienic but works best if kept in the fridge (maybe in a sandwich bag?!)

Yes, I'm being punished for something!

Oh I forgot the other thing - sore nipples. I'm using Lansinoh but the latch is ouch. Am I doing it wrong?

Yes, this is my third child and no, I don't feel like I know what I'm doing at all.

Witch hazel = amazing!

Count to ten with each latch, if still sore take off (break latch with finger in side of baby's mouth) and start again. Toe-curling pain for few seconds at start of each feed for the first week or so can be normal.

My mantra with early days bfing was "big wide mouth". Baby needs a mouthful of breast and shouldn't be latched onto the nipple alone.

I remember being given a DVD from my midwives about breastfeeding, and the main message (like isthisagoodidea said) was big, open mouth. You basically need to get most of your boob in there. Baby's mouth shouldn't be latched onto the nipple, the nipple should be right inside their mouth, and their tongue pushes the areola, which in turn squeezes the milk out (this is probably very badly explained). If you try and hand express milk, you get nowhere squeezing your actual nipples, so if baby is latched on incorrectly, it does hurt, and is a very good sign that you need to correct. There should be loads of vids on youtube on how to do it. I remember my son having one feed where he latched badly, and that was the one and only time I got a sore nipple. Good luck! Sounds like you're doing a generally ace job. The piles will go, and vag will heal. I will be going through all of this again in a matter of days, with luck! X

cob my third is 5 months old. The other two are 3 and 6 so not exactly massive gaps. I think we are twins separated at birth as I too have forgotten everything!! . DS3 also had a shocking latch, he made my nipples bleed and he had a suck like a bloody Dyson. What's all that about? I'd fed the other two with no bother at all! . I used loads of lansinoh and that helped. It's not long before we'll be weaning him, haven't got a clue how to do that. Forgotten it all

I remember that DVD from ds2. I've got a pamphlet with some good pictures too so I totally understand your description. It's the practice I'm struggling with. Pain does go within 10 seconds of latching so hopefully I'm doing ok.

Lots of wees and poos (him not me) so I'll try to go with it for a few days. Perhaps my nipples need to toughen up like Marge Simpson's sewing finger!

Best of luck for your impending arrival Oda.

Xigris you must be doing brilliantly as you've managed to help me as we'll get through the first five months with dc3.

My other dc are 2 and four months and 5 and 11 months. Our whole family could be twins!

Nods at likeness to Dyson. This will be my last baby so I am actually trying to enjoying these precious few days in the midst of all this wtf?

Oh yes, I remember the first 10 seconds well. Toe-curling! Then suddenly fine.

Thank you xx

Ooh someone got deleted on my thread and I missed it.

Ooooo! I wonder why?

How you feeling today? Hope things are a bit more manageable!

I found having a lovely lavender bath helped soothe after I came home.
Accept as much help as you can!
I found that I couldn't life baby and a friend bought me a baby lifting blanket which was ace!