A woman who has had a woman who has vagina delivery needs to know how to care for the vagina after giving birth so that she can heal. If not, she risks infections and poor health.
Delivery after a vagina Birth may sometimes lead to tears at the perineum area. Even if you don’t have a tear, you might experience soreness, slight pain, and even itching. These symptoms, if not treated properly, can cause infections.
What Is Vaginal Delivery?
Vaginal delivery is also called natural birth. Here, the baby passes through the birth canal.
It is opposed to a C-section (caesarean section) delivery, where the baby doesn’t pass delivery through a birth canal, but rather, surgery is done to bring out the baby from the womb.
Sometimes in vagina delivery, the woman may have to be cut at the vagina to give more room for the baby to pass through the birth canal during birth.
Other times, even with a cut, the force of pushing can cause the perineum to tear. The tear may not be too large in some women, but other women may experience up to 3rd to 4th-degree tears.
This cut/tear will require the doctor to give stitches. And during recovery, you need to take proper care of your health, body, and vagina to recover your body after birth.
What To Expect After Vagina Delivery
These symptoms are common with vaginal childbirth:
1. Vaginal Soreness
In the area between your vagina and anus, you will experience vagina soreness and redness because of the pain stretching of the vagina muscles during labor.
For a woman who had an episiotomy (a small cut made to give room for the baby to pass through during delivery), the pain is more intense, and you will be stitched to close back the tear in the perineum area.
Your body will take some time to recover; that is why you should do all the necessary things to get back to yourself after birth.
2. Lochia
Another common sign of vaginal delivery is that you would experience lochia discharge for a few weeks after delivery.
Lochia is blood and remnants of the uterine tissues that nourished the baby during pregnancy, and as the uterus returns to its previous size, it shrinks and gets rid of these.
You should use soft cotton maxi pads for lochia and change the sanitary pad frequently to avoid irritation, itching, and discomfort. For soothing relief, you can add some drops of witch hazel to the sanitary pad.
3. Constipation
You may find it challenging to poop easily after delivery. It is pretty normal, so do not fuss about it too much to avoid putting pressure on your perineum; while forcing yourself to poop, you can take stool softeners recommended by your medic.
Take foods with lots of fluids like watermelon, waterleaf, etc. Drink lots of fluid too. It is also normal to experience some cramps and pans after birth. It is a sign that the uterus is shrinking back to its pre-baby state; with time, it will stop.
4. Diarrhea
Some women might not have incontinence but rather experience diarrhea afterbirth. This could be because the muscles in the rectum have stretched after childbirth, and it would take a while to return back to their normal size.
Check what you eat, take fluids, avoid sweets, and practice Kegel exercise regularly.
5. Discomfort When You Pee
You may notice that the vagina is quite sore, painful, and discomforting when you pee. This is because of the stretching of the bladder during delivery.
Sometimes women find it hard to hold their pee and leak before getting to the bathroom (bowel incontinence). How to care for the vagina after giving birth is to use a squirt bottle to rinse every time you wee; it would help reduce the stinging pain.
You can also do pelvic floor exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor. It would help avoid bowel incontinence.
6. Breast Soreness
You may experience heaviness and soreness in the boobs after birth and as you try to breastfeed your baby. The breast would start producing milk, making the breast swollen and sore if filled with milk.
Put your baby to the breast frequently to avoid this. Also, wear a firm but comfortable Bra.
7. Postpartum Hair Loss
Due to hormonal changes, women may experience postpartum hair loss. Some women also experience skin changes alongside this. To combat this, you should start eating meals with adequate diet. Taking prenatal vitamins and having a good hair care routine can help.
8. Postpartum Depression
Postpartum depression is also a sign you should not miss after delivery. The stress of handling a new responsibility and not fully recovering can cause this.
Try to rest when necessary; do not bug yourself with too many responsibilities and put the whole burden of child care on your head. Take things a step at a time and see your Doc when necessary.
9. Postpartum Infections
These are infections that develop after birth. Some places women experience vagina infections are the vagina, uterus, breast, etc.
After delivery, a woman’s immune system is weakened due to bacteria in the abdominal and uterine lining. The baby’s mouth may also cause infection for the mother. Below are some common types of postpartum infections.
- Endometriosis. Infections of the upper genital tract
- Puerperal mastitis: infection of the breast area. It could be from the mother’s skin or the baby’s mouth
- Urinary tract infection
- Wound infection (infection of the C-section site)
- intravenous injection
- Abdominal wound infection
- Soft tissue infection
When To Call Your Doctor For Post-Delivery Issues
Another way to take care of your vagina after birth is to alert the doctors if you notice any of these signs:
1. Heavy bleeding
2. The incision site isn’t healing after several weeks
3. A smelly odor
4. The episiotomy tear opens up
5. Feverish feeling
6. Difficulty in urination
How To Take Care Of Your Incision Site After Delivery
If you had a tear in your perineum or you were cut, you will most likely do an episiotomy to stitch on the torn area. To facilitate healing, you need proper care of the incision site. This is how to care for your vagina after birth.
In a few weeks, the stitches would heal, but they would need proper care. Here are some ways to take care of your vagina after birth:
1. Always wipe from front to back after using the toilet. It prevents infection from getting into the vagina.
2. Avoid touching the incision site.
3. Spray warm water using a spritz bottle to flush your vagina instead of using your hands to wash it.
4. Do not wash with soap or antiseptic. Only if directed by your physician.
5. Change your sanitary pad regularly
6. Eat healthy, wholesome meals
7. Fruits and vegetables should constitute a significant part of your diet.
8. Drink lots of fluids
9. Poop regularly
10. You can take stool softeners if prescribed by your doctor
11. Use a Sitz Bath to relieve pains
12. You can use an ice pack to ease discomfort
13. Sit on a firm surface
It should take six weeks to heal after birth, though this may differ for different women. Generally, women should resume most of their activities after then.
However, if a woman shows no improvement in health by six weeks, she may consult the doctor for check-ups.
How Long Should You Rest After Birth?
Make it a plan to rest at least three days to a week, complete rest without resuming any activity to ensure that you get fully recover.
Even after that, reduce too much activity like shopping, mopping, bending, scouring, etc. Then, take a month to get yourself fully back before resuming your household chores.
Things Not To Do After Birth
I know you will look forward to getting yourself back after delivery. Sleeping on your side, taking drinks, eating those foods you used to avoid, but until you fully recover your body back, there are some things you will avoid after birth.
1. Heavy lifting
2. Avoid the use of tampons
3. Do not hide your pains
4. Share your struggles
5. Do not overdo things
6. Extreme exercises
7. Dieting
8. Avoid swimming for now
9. Give yourself some time before getting intimate with your partner
10. Avoid too much step climbing
11. Do not skip prenatal vitamins
12. Do not skip the rest
13. Skip perfectionism
14. Avoid alcohol
10 Ways To Take Care Of Your Vagina After Birth
Let’s talk about ways to take care of your vagina after giving birth. These will help you heal properly down there.
1. Try Using A Sitz Bath
Sitz bath is highly recommended as a helpful tip on how to take care of your vagina after giving birth. It helped me a great deal when I was dealing with episiotomy pains.
With a Sitz Bath, you would get instant relief from the aches and soreness of the vagina, and it stimulates healing. There are portable sitz baths you can get for less than 10 dollars.
To use a sitz bath, all you need to do to fill it up with warm water, take the sitz bath to your toilet’s seat and put it on it. Sit down on the sitz bath for 10-15 minutes or until the water is no longer warm. You can do this three times a day for a week after delivery.
Sitz bath has been approved and is safe for those women finding how to take care of the vagina after birth. While using a sitz bath, avoid adding anything like salt or antiseptic to the warm water avoiding harsh treatment to the vaginal tissues.
Also, ensure that the area around the hips, vagina and buttocks is soaked inside the water, so you may have to fill it up to about 4 inches.
2. Use A Spray Bottle Instead Of Using Your Hand To Wash
How to take care of your vagina after giving birth is by rinsing with a spray bottle after peeing. You will get a spray bottle at the hospital, but you can buy the one you are more convenient.
There are spray bottles strictly suitable for this purpose. After washing with the spray bottle, you should pat dry with a clean towel, not tissue paper or the hand.
3. Do Not Insert Anything There For Now
The vaginal area will be a bit sore after the whole process of trying to push a newborn through the vagina. It would have some stretching and would feel a bit sore.
Some women even experience 2nd, 3rd, to fourth-degree tears while pushing the baby out, which can be painful. So, until you have completely healed down there, it is advisable not to insert anything down there for about eight weeks.
Do not use tampons, avoid penetration during lovemaking, and avoid washing with your fingers. These would only lead to irritation of the perineum, leading to further tearing and risk of infection, preventing the episiotomy site from healing.
Since women still experience lochia after birth, the best thing to use is soft cotton pads that would help absorb the lochia and keep you clean.
While using pads, do not wear tight pants to put much pressure down there. Also, ensure that you change your pads as often as possible. This is how to take care of your vagina after giving birth.
4. Use Ice Packs
Ice packs work a great deal to soothe the pain and reduce swelling in the vagina to heal down there after birth. Using an ice pack is super easy. Please place it in your perineum area and use your underwear to make it stay fit.
To prevent frostbite, you can put a small piece of cloth, like a washcloth, between the ice pack and your skin. It would be more comfortable this way after using an ice pack. You are sure to get instant relief from the pains and the swellings.
Instead of buying disposable ice packs, you can go for reusable ice packs to save some cash. Get them from medical stores or online.
If You do not have one at hand and you need to use it. Take a condom and fill it up with some water, then freeze it. This can serve as a substitute, or freeze a small bag of peas and use it to soothe the pain and swelling if you react to latex.
5. Use Witch Hazel Pads
The hazel pads help to reduce soreness, inflammation, and pain around the vagina after giving birth. It is a valuable tip to try if you are finding ways how to take care of the vagina after childbirth.
In, hazel is a chemical tannin that can help to reduce bleeding. So while wearing ice packs, you can wear them along with a witch hazel pad for maximum relief. Or if you can even decide to make your witch hazel pads.
Take some non-alcohol witch hazel, and sprinkle on your maxi pad. Simple, or you can take some witch hazel, sprinkle it on the pad and freeze. It works as a great combo for an ice pack and a witch hazel pad.
6. Dry It Up With Hairdryers
You know that touching the vagina area and rubbing towels down there can cause irritation and injury. So how, then, would you keep it dry down there? By using hair dryers to dry up after rinsing up with a spritz bottle or soaking up after a sitz bath.
While standing or sitting with the legs open, put ON your dryer (it should be in the lowest setting), and your dryer is a few inches away from your vagina).
Move up and down, left and right, around your vagina for a few minutes, and you are done. This can help a lot to ease pains, swellings, and infections.
7. Use The Pain Relieving Spray
It is a super helpful way how to take care of the vagina after giving birth without much fuss. The Dermoplast pain relieving spray is a pain reliever.
You can spray it on the perineum once you feel any aches or spray it whenever you use the bath and feel instant relief. It also helps with postpartum cramping.
8. Over-the-Counter Pain Relievers
OTC pain relievers are safe to use after birth to reduce pains and cramping, so you can also include them as a tip on how to take care of your vagina after giving birth.
To know how much to use, get a prescription from your doctor, so you can take it right and ensure you get the ones that are safe to use during breastfeeding.
9. Try Kegel Exercises
To tighten your vagina and pelvic floor muscles, you need Kegel exercises. Once the pains in the perineum have lessened and you have healed down there, you can start with a Kegel exercise plan (with the ok of your doctor).
Because of the added weight of the baby for months and even the strain and expansion of the muscles after childbirth, all these can put a lot of pressure on the pelvic floor.
This could lead to urinary incontinence that women experience after birth in some women. Pelvic floor exercises also tighten the vagina. To do Kegels, hold your wee for a few seconds. Continue doing it until you graduate a few minutes before weeing.
Doing this every time you wee helps. You can also do diaphragmatic breathing while doing by inhaling and exhaling. Once you exhale, tighten your stomach, lift your pelvic floor, and vice versa.
10. Avoid Wearing Anything Tight
Now, you need soft and comfortable undies. Prioritize them over the tight and sexy pants you used to wear. Because if the vagina area has not healed, wearing tight undies can bruise the place and cause irritation, pain, discomfort, etc.; wear soft, light, breathable fabrics to allow air in there.
The disposable mesh underwear given at the hospital is an excellent choice of underwear to use at this time. It is light, feels comfortable, and you don’t have to border about the mess, and you can dispose of it after using it. Avoid wearing tight trousers instead; wear gowns, loose pajamas, comfy tops, etc., that would make you as possible.
11. Eat Right
Your diet plays a vital role in how well your body will heal back after pregnancy; hence, it is an essential tip on how to take care of your vagina after giving birth that you should note.
A good diet provides you with the proper nutrients needed to replenish your body and cause healing. So, try as much to take a healthy balanced meal. It would help if you also had an adequate diet regularly to breastfeed your infant well.
Your appetite may not be as large as before when you were pregnant, but still, try out a variety of fruits, veggies, carbohydrates, and proteins. Dry lots of fluid and have proper rest.
12. Take Prenatal Vitamins
Prenatal vitamins will provide you with the essential vitamins and minerals that you might not get from your diet. Overall, it helps you build your body and heal back after delivery. It also provides you with the vital nutrients that would help you heal there, especially if you have had episiotomy stitches.
13. Seek Help When Necessary
If you still experience soreness in your vagina area or pains, and the wound doesn’t get dry, it is essential to seek help from your doctor to rule out anything wrong to heal properly down there.
Also, take note of foul odor, pains, difficulty in urination, etc. all these are signs that things are not going well, and you should take fast action by seeing the doctor.
This is a helpful tip on how to take care of your vagina after giving birth that you should not ignore. If you try any of these tips, you are sure to heal entirely after birth and regain back your pregnancy body.
Apart from Kegel exercises, do not also forget to exercise and tone up your muscles
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