Congrats. You made it. You gave birth to your baby.

Now that your baby is born, your body starts to recover from pregnancy and birth. What to expect now?

Your body undergoes a tremendous transformation in pregnancy to grow and nourish your baby and prepare for birth. The same is true for your postpartum. I talk to many new mums who are overwhelmed with the recovery and changes that the body undergoes after giving birth because they didn’t know what to expect. So here are a few things to know about physical changes in the first few weeks after giving birth.

Uterus and Afterpains

Your uterus grew over (~) nine months to host your baby, now it’s time to shrink back. It takes around 10 days for the uterus to be back to its pre-pregnancy size, which is pretty remarkable when you think that it took nine months to grow.

Some women will experience afterpains from the contractions of the uterus. This can be more intense whilst breastfeeding in the first few days. Mum’s who had their first birth usually don’t experience strong afterpains.

Vaginal Discharge

When the placenta is born, it leaves a wound in the uterus that will start to bleed. The bleeding is called Lochia and will be red and heavy for the first few days. The contractions of the uterus muscle are important to reduce the surface of the wound and thus reduce the bleeding.

Over the next days and weeks, your bleeding will slowly get less and change colour from red to pink to brown until it is a creamy discharge and will stop after four to six weeks. Some women may bleed for longer or shorter than this.

Make sure you get large maternity pads, disposable underwear and/or big, black and comfy underwear.

You can read more about bleeding after birth here.

Vaginal Pain

You may experience some vaginal pain after vaginal birth. Your perineum might be swollen, you may have had some tears or an episiotomy which can cause discomfort whilst sitting and walking. Depending on the size of the tears and scar, the discomfort can last for the first week or two.

You can use ice pads to relieve the swelling and pain and do sitz baths to promote the healing process.

Urinating can be painful in the beginning due to tears and scars. Use a bottle of lukewarm water to rinse whilst urinating.

Constipation & Hemorrhoids

Constipation is common after giving birth. There are different reasons for that.

Now that your baby is born and the uterus is shrinking back it takes your organs, like your intestines, some time to get back to their proper place.
Many women don’t drink a lot during labour and/or breastfeeding which causes a lack of water in the body.
Your eating and sleeping patterns change through birth and in your postpartum and affect your metabolism.
You rest more and don’t move around so much which slows down your digestive tract.
If you had a cesarean birth it takes your digestive system a few days to start working normally again following abdominal surgery.
If you had stitches you might be afraid of tearing them and avoid going to the toilet.
Supplements like iron can harden the stool.

Most postpartum constipation gets better on its own. You might be given some stool softener in the hospital but most of all try not to avoid the urge to go to the toilet, try to drink plenty of water and eat food that is easy to digest and high in fiber. You might also want to try belly massage or belly binding.

Hemorrhoids can be a side effect of constipation and are also common after a vaginal birth due to the pressure of pushing.

Weak Pelvic Floor & Incontinence

Your pelvic floor muscles help support your bladder control. Through pregnancy and birth, the muscles are weakened which can cause leaking of a bit of urine when you sneeze or cough.

It is important to start activating the pelvic floor muscles through a variety of supported abdomen and pelvic floor exercises as soon as you feel comfortable. After six weeks, check in with your doctor, and start a guided postnatal exercise program with a health or fitness professional.

Breast Engorgement

You will start producing milk either during your last weeks of pregnancy but definitely after giving birth. The first milk is called colostrum. After two to four days of giving birth, the milk starts to be produced in larger amounts and your breasts will be full and warm and might even feel hard and painful.

Breastfeed your baby regularly and get the help of a midwife, doula or lactation consultant.

Read more about engorgement on the Australian Breastfeeding Association website, here.

Sensitive Nipples

Your nipples might be sensitive after birth and when you first start breastfeeding because they are not used to it. With the correct attachment and positioning of your baby and a bit of practice, you shouldn’t have any further problems. Sensitive nipples are okay but they shouldn’t be painful. If you feel pain you should seek the help of a professional.

Read what the Australian Breastfeeding Association says about sore and cracked nipples here.

Fatigue & Tiredness

Physical and emotional exhaustion from birth, blood loss during birth, physical recovery from pregnancy and birth, breastfeeding, lack of sleep, caring for a newborn, maybe stress, lack of self-care and nutrition- put all of this together and fatigue and tiredness, as a result, is no surprise. The first weeks and maybe even months with a baby will be exhausting and you won’t be able to run at the pace that you used to. Accepting that is the first step. What else can you do about fatigue and tiredness?

Prioritise sleep. You’ve probably heard it: sleep when the baby sleeps.
Drink plenty of water, have healthy snacks and nourishing meals.
Take care of yourself. Don’t neglect your own needs. Create some “Oasis Moments”. 5 minutes (or even less and always more if possible) of intentional self-care a day.
Plan and build a support network for your postpartum so that you can rest, eat nourishing meals without worrying about cooking or cleaning. Read more about how you can build your support network here.

Night Sweats

The change of hormones after birth can cause night sweats. The decrease of two pregnancy hormones (estrogen and progesterone) can affect your body temperature at night and can make you sweat. Even though night sweats are common and most likely will go away on their own, they can still be uncomfortable and disturbing your sleep.

Wear light pajamas and use light sheets, change your pajamas in the night and drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration.

Hair Loss

Your pregnancy hormones prevent your normal daily hair loss and make your hair fuller. After your baby is born and your hormones change that extra hair falls out. It seems to be a lot because it happens all at once but don’t panic, you only use the hair you would have lost over the last nine months. It just goes back to normal and that can take up to a year after the birth of your baby.

All of those changes are normal and very common however if you experience them extensively or if you are unsure and concerned, always contact your health professional.

Do you have your maternity pads and underwear ready? Do you know what else you will need for yourself? Download your free checklist of NEW MUM ESSENTIALS now to enter your postpartum with everything you need.

What to expect after birth- physical changes