We aren’t here to scare you about afterbirth, but to help you know what you can expect and to let you know you’re not the only one! I remember being shocked at how difficult it was for me to make it to the toilet the first couple of days after giving birth and how much I dreaded going to pee because it would sting so badly.
The placenta is an organ your body grows to nourish and protect your baby. When you give birth, the third stage of labor or the afterbirth is delivering the placenta. How do you deliver the placenta? Does it hurt? What do you do with the placenta after birth? Read on for all things placenta!
Having a baby changes many areas of your life- it changes your body, your mind, your energy, your relationships, your work, your identity. In the midst of these big transitions, many women benefit from having an outside perspective from a professional perinatal therapist. However, when you are knee-deep in new motherhood, it can be difficult to know where to turn.
Whether you had a vaginal birth or a c-section, you will experience bleeding after birth that should decrease and change color over time. This is a mix of blood and mucus and it starts after your delivery. When you were carrying your baby, the body requires extra blood and tissue. Now that you have delivered, the body gets rid of the extra. Your body is healing from where your placenta was attached and your uterus is shedding lining. You may also be recovering from a tear or episiotomy.
Postpartum bleeding is normal and most women experience vaginal pain after delivery. Think about it- you removed a human from your body- it’s going to take some time to let that heal! You may experience painful urination after delivery and general pain in that area. This is why padsicles can be such an important part of your postpartum recovery kit, and they are easy to DIY (and cheap!)
Hey momma, I know this isn’t what you had in mind. Chances are when you envisioned bringing a baby into the world, you didn’t envision this.
You did the work.
You took the classes.
You prepared the nursery. A
nd yet here you are in the middle of a worldwide pandemic during a season of your life that is supposed to be full of joy and community.
Joy and community are still here, it just might look a little different.
By around 4:30am I knew I was ready to get into the pool. My body was craving the relief of the warm water and a change up. I could tell at this point that each surge was getting us closer to holding our baby.
I remember waiting a few minutes to cut her cord and laying her on my chest expecting her to root and start breast-feeding. She didn’t. I remember thinking her energy seemed low although she had let out a good wailing cry at birth.
I found myself on a birthing ball with my head and hands buried into the bed. Contraction after contraction came and while they gained in intensity, I thought we were still pretty early.
