Pain after Birth
There is no doubt that after your baby is born, you’re going to be sore. Depending on your own experience and your pain threshold, It could be minor pain or it could be intense pain; either way you’re going to be sore. So what should you expect?
You may find that you’re sore in places you never thought possible. Your shoulders, arms, stomach muscles, back, buttocks and legs will probably be sore from bearing down and pushing. It’s nothing that a good massage won’t fix. Also, a nice warm bath with a good book will do wonders (once baby’s fast asleep of course.)
Episiotomy and tears
Ouch! Your doctor or midwife was forced to make a cut from the opening of your vagina, to just past your rectum, to prevent an ugly tear as your baby was being born. No doubt it’s very sore and you’ll find it difficult to sit down or walk without wincing.
Hold some ice on the area, to help reduce swelling and provide some relief from the pain or sit on a rubber ring. After a day, you can also climb into a salt bath. The salt won’t sting your wound but will instead clean the area and help prevent infection. You should also douche with salt water after every visit to the loo.
When drying the area, pat dry or use a hairdryer.
If the pain is intense, ask your doctor to prescribe a pain killer.
Because the wound is raw and swollen, many new moms avoid going to the toilet, fearing they’ll rip the stitches out. Don’t worry about that; it’s highly unlikely you’ll open your wound and anyway, the more you avoid going to the loo, the more constipated you’ll become. Ask your doctor for a stool softner, for the first few days after baby has been born.
If going to the loo is painful, consider sitting in a warm bath and passing your stool in the water. It sounds disgusting, but it will help ease the pain. Afterwards, run another bath, add salt and soak for a while.
The stitches used in an episiotomy will usually dissolve, so you won’t have to worry about having the stitches removed at a later stage.
