The best 5 things to have when you are postpartum.
Image by Iuliia Bondarenko from Pixabay
After you bring home your baby, you will be in the postpartum period. This is a joyous time, but it can also be an overwhelming time. You will want to make sure that you take time for yourself and time to enjoy your new baby. You will need the support of people, including your friends, family, and your doctors. This will help to ensure that you recover well. Below are some of the things you should have when you are postpartum.
Help from friends and family
Adjusting to life with a newborn can be difficult. If this is your first baby, you may feel overwhelmed with all there is to do. If you have multiple children, you may feel overwhelmed as well. It is important that during your postpartum period, that you ask and have help from friends and family. Never try to do everything alone. You are recovering from childbirth, and you need time to bond with your baby. Never be afraid to delegate things to your spouse, children, or other family and friends. It might help that before delivery, you create a list of daily chores that you will need help with. Delegating these chores will allow you to recover better and bond with your new child.
Lactation support
If you are new to nursing, you are going to want all the support that you can get. Some women make the mistake of thinking that breastfeeding will come naturally and all that you have to do is put the baby to your breast. However, most women struggle with breastfeeding, especially at first. It is a good idea to have a lactation support system that can help you with learning how to breastfeed. In addition to helping you learn how to breastfeed, they can also help you to learn how to use a breast pump. Breast pumping can help you to store milk for your baby. If you have nipple attachment issues, you can still pump your milk for the baby and just place it in a bottle. You may have heard that breast pumps are expensive, but most of the time, you can get your breast pump covered by your insurance. For example, Breast Pump coverage through TRICARE will cover the price of your breast pump.
Good food
During the postpartum period, your body is in recovery mode. You will need to make sure that you are eating nutritious food that will help your body in healing. If you are breastfeeding, you will want to make sure that you consume as many calories as possible. Breastfeeding will take a lot of nutrients out of your body and give them to the baby. You need to make sure that you are eating three meals a day and drinking plenty of fluids. During this postpartum period, you may not feel like cooking. You can employ the help of your friends and family during this time to make sure that you get the nutrition that you and your baby need.
Relaxation
The process of childbirth is painful, and the recovery is as well. When you get home from the hospital, the most important thing that you should do is relax. Relaxing will help your body to heal faster. Never get home straight from the hospital and start trying to do things. You can hurt yourself quickly. During your recovery period, you will want to take a lot of time to relax each day. Consider handing the baby off to your spouse or a family member while you take a bath or a nap. Another good idea is that every time the baby sleeps, you should take a nap as well.
Good doctors
The last best thing that you need for postpartum is to make sure that you are your baby both have excellent doctors. A doctor will be able to tell you how to care for your baby, care for yourself, and ensure that you both are very healthy. You should keep up with both your child’s doctor’s visits and your own.
The postpartum period can be a difficult time as far as recovery goes. Be sure to take your time with recovery. You are not going to bounce back to your normal self overnight. Delegate tasks, keep up with your doctor’s visits, eat right, and make sure that you have lactation support during this time.