When your due date arrives, you might think that there will be a lot of hustle and bustle in the delivery room and during the days after delivery. While there will be a few people in the delivery room with you, such as the doctor, nurses and your support system, the time after delivery isn’t all that bad. There are a few things that you can expect, especially in the first 24 hours after delivery, but once you make it through, you can enjoy time with your new bundle of joy.
Visitors
Unless you tell friends and family to stay away from the hospital after you give birth, you should expect plenty of visits from those who want to see the baby. They also want to see how you are doing after delivering the baby. Some might bring gifts while others will likely stay for a short time in order to get a glimpse of the new baby and offer their well wishes. If there are certain people you don’t want in the room, you can alert the front desk with a list of names. It is important, both for your own health and the health of your newborn, to make sure everyone present can be trusted. A specialist from CPR Law says birth injuries affect between six and eight of every thousand babies born in the United States. For this reason, you’ll want to be sure you know and trust all of the medical professionals assisting in delivery.
The Baby Belly
Unless you didn’t gain a lot of weight while pregnant or had mostly fluids and the weight of the baby, your belly area might not look the same as it did before you got pregnant. Once you begin exercising or decreasing the amount of food that you eat, you can begin to get the belly back that you had before pregnancy. A C-section can cause some weakness with the stomach muscles as there is an incision made in the abdomen.
Bleeding
Regardless of whether you had a vaginal birth or a C-section, you can expect some bleeding after delivery. The blood that is expelled is called lochia. This is the lining of the uterus that developed during the pregnancy. For some women, the bleeding might be heavy, but it will usually subside within a week of delivery. Clots are normal. If you experience continued heavy bleeding after several days, the doctor might need to check you to determine if there are any tears from delivery.
Pain
While you won’t experience the pain that you felt during labor and delivery, you can expect some pain and soreness from cramps as the uterus begins to contract back to its normal size before pregnancy. Muscles have been stretched, and there could be tearing if you deliver vaginally. The doctor can give you pain medication to help relieve the pain felt after delivery and during the first days you are at home.
Delivering a baby is work. If you have a C-section, there will be an incision made. A vaginal birth can be painful, if you don’t have the medications you desire. However, the reward for delivery is priceless. There are some common things to expect, such as bleeding and a few people who want to enter the room after the baby is born, but once you get through the first 24 hours, you can begin being a mommy to your new addition.