Recovery after vaginal birth

[Queenofhearts3]

I am due next week and hoping to have a vaginal birth. I was just wondering if there’s anything I can do/use afterwards to make recovery quicker/less painful? Thinking more that if I need stitches etc. I’d read about using witch hazel diluted in a bath? Has anyone done that and found it helpful? I’ve seen the sprit for bitz stuff that’s out there but it’s so expensive!! Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks

I had stitches from my episiotomy and the witch hazel was great. Midwife gave me a sample bottle at the hospital with some sterile dressing squares (you can buy packets on Amazon or local chemist). I just put the witch hazel directly on one of the squares and put it directly on my stitches. Nice cooling effect. At the beginning you can change this 3 or 4 times a day. You will obviously have a maternity pad on - first week I wore two at a time!! One right up the front of the pants and one going right up the back and never had any leakage. They provide a nice bit of cushioning. Normal sanitary towels nipped at my stitches 😣 Some people recommend witch hazel put on your pad then freeze the pad. Not sure how effective this is!

Do not over do it being constant on your feet take breaks to sit or lie down even if you're just on your feet in the house as your perenium will throb like crazy!

I'm in the exact same position as @Queenofhearts3 and that advice is TOP NOTCH @Angelmiracle 😊

Thank you xx

I had a daily regime of tea tree and lavender oil baths and giving the area a good clean a few times a day. It meant I didn’t get and infection like I did the first time around. Double pads is a good tip as is a whitch hazel soaked pad.

Another great tip is a squirty bottle of water (just a sports type lid) kept next to the toilet to squirt as you pee. It helps to dilute your urine and it stings less. Similarly drink lots of water to do the same.

Finally take it easy, you can’t see the wound inside from the placenta detaching, but it’s big and if you do too much it bleeds more. Give yourself time to heal and if the bleeding gets worse you are doing too much so rest.

Thanks angel & doublechocolate that’s great advice. I think I’ll bob out today and pick up some witch hazel and some gauzes, will grab some tea tree & lavender oil too!

I second lavender baths. I had two tiny travel bottles from boots that I filled with warm water to pour over each time I went to the toilet. One went down the front, one over the back. Dab with loo roll, don't rub. No infections and healed quickly so I'd do it again.

My advice (bearing in mind that I am not medically trained): Try not to push if you can't feel a contraction- that's what tore me. Transition can be incredibly painful, it only lasts a few minutes and is when you first feel the urge to push. At this point you may beg for pain relief. Train your partner to coach you that you don't need it (mine was useless even after telling him this and I ended up with some morphine thingy which just meant I couldn't feel contractions properly and dulled all the emotions. Ruined my birth experience and I really regret having it. Made very little difference to the pain, just put me a bit out of it and stopped me remembering my first moments with DD properly). Do try to stay calm. You can do this!

Obviously, if having an epidural disregard all the above. 🙂

Good luck x

Tea Tree in bath is a must. Even now, the smell of tea tree takes me right back to those early post birth days.

Layer up the pads for protection and extra padding. Soft cushions for seats like dining chairs. You’ll need all this a short time.

After my first delivery, the next day Ifelt like if been in a car cash - every part of me ached! Even my arms from where I’d been holding onto the bed so tight during pushing! Back to back paracetamol helps.

Oh and don’t underestimate how many pads you need - I had a few packets ready and had to send DH out the first day home
for more! Those little scented bags to put them in also a good idea.

You're welcome ladies. I will add tea tree and lavender oil to my list for this time too!

Oh and also for risk of haemorrhoids I found a tube of Preparation H great and Preparation H wipes which both contain witch hazel!

Witch hazel and aloe Vera on a pad and put in fridge to cool felt bloody amazing! Don't be surprised if you feel like you've been hit by a bus - I had random bruising all over me from trying to find good pushing positions! Arnica pills helped with healing and reducing swelling.

Use the hair dryer down there (cool setting) after a shower. Helps the area dry and heal.

When you wee for the first few times, either do it in the bath, shower or pour water on yourself as you go...
I promise you will thank me ask anyone who didn't...

One tip which was so valuable was to sit on two rolled up towels (one under each bum cheek) if you have to have an episiotomy as it takes the pressure off your stitches when sitting down. That was agony until I tried that method. They do have valley cushions in hospital which are basically the same thing but I couldn't take one of those with me when I left

I had no tearing/stictches after my vaginal birth, I did perineal massage with almond oil for a few weeks before labour, may be worth a try.

Not very environmentally friendly (so don't flush) but the wet tissues / toddler training tissues helped a lot for wiping in the first two weeks.

Lavender baths were really good and the squirt bottle was a life saver!

I tore forward so the only useful things for me were:

1. toddler wipes,
2. a donut to sit on - it was in a washable cover and borrowed from someone else,
3. laxatives to ensure I didn't strain,
4. loads of maternity pads.
5. incontinence bed pads

Witchazel onto a pad and then freeze it. Ice pack for your vagina. Magical.

The donut pillow or a large bath towel rolled into a 'U' shape helps with episiotomy stitch healing. My midwife gave me two or three different types of oil to put on my pads - ask if they do this in your area.

The most important thing in labour is not to get stressed and listen to your body - don't get me wrong, I swore at everyone in the delivery unit - but if you need to sit down , sit down. If you need to do the downward dog, do the downward dog. If you just want to lie there with your eyes clothes, do that! As PP said, when the time comes to push, you'll know. Don't overthink it.

Eyes closed*

After a shower, I used to lay on the bed and let my bits air dry. This next tip didn’t aid healing, but, for the first few poos, I was advised to hold a pad against my perineum to support it. Definitely made it feel less like my insides were going to fall out. I had a second degree tear that healed quickly and with no infection.

Thanks so much for all these tips! I’m all stocked up ready to go! Due date tomorrow!!!

Put witch hazel on pads and put in the fridge to help stitches. Tea tree oil in bath. Pour water when weeing. Arnica tablets to help aid healing. I also borrowed a ring cushion from a friend to sit on to help ease the pressure. Good luck !

Condom filled with water then put in the freezer. Then inserted into pants like a panty liner. Perfect shape

rubber ring for sitting on for the first few days

and yes to the PP suggesting weeing in the shower or pouring a jug of warm water over yourself on the loo

Ive not even had my baby yet @clarabellski and I'm considering using your advice with the condom! That sounds lush! Haha!

When you sit on the toilet to wee, bend down and put your hands on the floor and then wee. It makes the wee run in the opposite direction away from the cuts / stitches. No need to sit in the bath to wee or dilute with water. This really works. I can't believe I didn't find this out until several weeks after my second baby was born. It would have saved so much trauma if I had known the first time. Take this gift of knowledge and pass it on ;-)

Wear 2 pairs of knickers! One as normal with one (or two) maternity pads, then another pair on top to keep it feeling secure. I used short style pants over the top and it honestly makes such a difference.

Good luck :)

I took arnica for the last couple of weeks, don’t know if it was that but I didn’t tear and bleeding was minimal for about 5 days x