Postpartum visits - Briar Hill Midwives, serving Calgary and surrounding areas.

ABOUT US GENERAL CONTACT REQUEST CARE

Postpartum Period

Suggestions from your Midwives

MOTHER

New mothers need LOTS of rest and TLC. Ideally the first week, her only responsibilities should be to sleep, feed the baby, and eat food that has been prepared for her. If family is around, give them a job to do – cook dinner, vacuum, take the toddler to the park, laundry – they will be thrilled to help.
Stay in bed for the first THREE days. Stairs should be done MAXIMUM once per day during this time. This is to allow the pelvic floor to heal, helping to prevent leaking urine and other problems in the future.
Eat well and drink plenty of fluid (a glass every 2 hours while awake) to assist your recovery and breast milk production.

Flow and Uterus

Expect your flow to be heavy for the first 24 hours. You may pass clots (sometimes as large as your fist). CALL YOUR MIDWIFE IF you are saturating a thick pad in 30 minutes or less, or if your bleeding increases after passing clots.
To help decrease bleeding:
1. Empty your bladder
2. Rub your uterus until it feels firm. It will feel similar to a grapefruit.
3. Feed your baby. This will release oxytocin to help your uterus contract.

Perineum and Pain

Use your spritz bottle each time during and after voiding. Place 1 or 2 droppers full of calendula into the bottle. This helps to make it less stingy while urinating. It also helps to keep the area clean and aid healing.
Use your prepared frozen calendula pads to reduce swelling and discomfort. (recipe on the herbal suggestion handout).
If required, take Tylenol (regular or extra strength) 2 tabs every 4-6 hours OR Ibuprofen 400mg every 4-6 hours for any after pains or discomfort. Follow directions for use on bottle and do not exceed the maximum dose for a 24 hour period.
If any tears or trauma occurred to your perineum, soak in a shallow bath a couple of times a day. You may add a small amount of lavender essential oil or Epsom salts to your bath to aid healing and ease discomfort.

BABY

Normal newborn temperature is 36.4-37.4 degrees Celsius. If your baby’s temperature is outside of this range, add or take away a layer of clothing or get skin to skin. Reassess baby’s temperature in 20-30min. If it is not trending in the right direction, call your midwife.
Babies normally breathe 40-60 times per minute. They also breathe very irregularly and can stop breathing for 10-15 seconds at a time. Call your midwife if your baby is continually breathing faster than 60 times per minute, appears to be struggling to breathe or is making a ‘grunting’ noise with each breath.
Your baby should be flexed (curled up) not floppy. Your baby should also be pink in the body, lips and mouth. It is normal in the first couple of days for your baby to have blue hands and feet.
Your baby’s minimum wet and dirty diapers should match the number of days old he/she is until around day 6. For example:
1. Day 1 – 1 pee and 1 poop
2. Day 2 – 2 pees and 2 poops
3. Day 3 – 3 pees and 3 poops

Breastfeeding

Baby may sleep for long periods between feedings (5 – 6 hours) during the first day. This is normal while he/she recovers from birth. After this time, you can try to gently wake baby by changing his/her diaper and then offer the breast. After the first 24 hours, baby’s nutritional needs will increase. Feed your baby on demand but you can expect your baby to feed 8-12 times a day. Use your feed chart to help you keep track of feeds.
Remember: Baby’s mouth should be wide open before bringing baby to the breast. Keep baby’s tummy touching your tummy. Align baby’s nose with your nipple. Bring baby’s chin deep into the breast for a proper latch..
After each feed, express a small amount of colostrum and rub around your nipple. Allow Nipples to air dry. A pure lanolin cream can be used after the colostrum if needed.
Expect that your nipples may be a little tender for the first few days during feedings. Mild discomfort can be normal while you and your baby are learning to breastfeed but it should not be painful.

Page your midwives if ANY questions or concerns arise with baby or birthing parent. If the problem cannot be resolved over the phone, your midwife will visit.

Postpartum Information

The long awaited event is here - your little bundle of joy has arrived.

New mothers have lots of questions so we have displayed the most common subjects for you:

When you've had a caesarean section

Taking care of your incision:

Keep the area clean and dry.
You may shower or bathe.
You do not need to keep the incision covered. Letting your wound get air circulation is good for healing. However, if your incision is draining or your clothes are rubbing, you may want to keep a gauze bandage on intermittently.
Minor drainage of clear yellow or red-yellow fluid from your incision site is normal. Thick yellow fluid or red skin around the area may mean you have an infection, call your midwife.
If surgical staples were placed, your midwife will remove them for you on day 4 or 5.
Itching can be normal and is often a sign of healing.
You will still have vaginal bleeding

Managing your pain:

Pain from the incision is normal. It will vary from day to day. The first couple of days it will hurt to move but will get better and the pain will decrease over time.
Crampy abdominal pain and bloating (gas) is common. This will also slowly improve. You may find eating several small meals rather than fewer large ones may help.
Severe abdominal pain that is not improving or if accompanied by vomiting is not normal. Call your midwife.
You may be given a prescription for pain medication when you leave the hospital. It may be a narcotic such as Percocet or Tylenol 3. It is good to try extra strength Tylenol or an NSAID (ibuprofen) for minor pain and use narcotics for major pain. Do not let pain get too bad – it is easier to keep under control than try to regain control of pain.
Homeopathic Arnica (in our birth bag or for sale separately) is useful in reducing inflammation and aiding healing. The recommended dose is 3 pellets 3 times a day. Arnica can be taken in addition to other pain medication and you cannot over-dose it.

Activity:

Rest will be very important in your healing, do not rush it.
Stand tall! Hunching over while standing and walking may help in the short-term but slow your recovery.
As we say with all our moms, stay mainly in your bed the first several days.
Wait 6 weeks before lifting anything heavier than your baby. You can lift baby in their car seat but best not to carry for long periods.
Avoid driving for at least 2 weeks.
It is normal to feel tired after major surgery, let alone being a new mom – you will likely need more sleep than usual.

Bowel Movements:

After surgery bowel movements may not be regular. You may Have loose/watery stools for several days or have none. Both are common.
Fibre bulking agents (Metamucil) may be helpful. These are not laxatives. They work by absorbing water into the stool.
Drink a minimum of 6-8 glasses of water/day

Urination:

A foley catheter was placed into your bladder when you had surgery. It is not unusual to have minor discomfort during urination for several days after the catheter has been removed.
Occasionally the bladder does not empty completely after surgery. This is usually temporary. If we have concerns you are not emptying your bladder fully, we may deem it necessary to place another catheter.

When you've had a caesarean section

Newborn Screening

Registration of Birth:

Newborn Feeding Chart

Breastfeeding (and common problems):

Cloth Diapering:

When you've had a caesarean section

After A Caesarean Section

Newborn Screening

Newborn Screening:

Registration of Birth:

Registration of Birth

Newborn Feeding Chart

Newbord Feeding chart:

Breastfeeding (and common problems):

Breastfeeding and Common Problems:

Cloth Diapering:

Cloth Diapering