When preparing to have a baby, there is a lot of emphasis on the pregnancy and childbirth. All the classes and the books cover what to expect during the pregnancy and labour. There seems to be a little less information (or maybe it is overlooked sometimes) about what happens right after the baby is born. The first 6 weeks postpartum are quite difficult both mentally and physically. I felt a lot less prepared for the after math. Recovering from childbirth is a really tough job. Hopefully, knowing what to expect will make it a little easier to handle. Here are 10 things you may not know about recovering from childbirth, but should.
#1.There will be blood…. and lots of it
Bleeding and vaginal discharge discharge may last for 2 to 6 weeks and can come and go for up to 2 months afterwards. My midwives used to tell me to call if the blood clots were bigger than my fist… my FIST. That means anything smaller than a fist is normal. Needless to say, there is lots of blood. You will be wearing giant pads and granny panties for a while, so get used to it. Strange as it sounds, ‘depends’ can be your best friend postpartum. ‘Depends’ and rest. Moving around a lot can cause more bleeding.
