Sacred Whisper Toronto

 

After the Baby is Born: being at home with your newborn

Rest, love, hydrate, nourish

 

The days and weeks after your baby is born can be a mix of many emotions and physical changes.  It is important to allow yourself time to be with your newborn and to ask, and receive the care that both need and deserve.  Here are some guidelines and helpful hints. 

It is helpful to read this before labour, have your partner/support read it, and have it close by after the baby is born.

The first 24 hrs:

·         You should have someone with you for the first 24hrs.

·         Wake your partner to accompany you during trips to the bathroom.

·         If you shower - not too hot, not too long, and have someone either in the bathroom or in       close ear-shot.  It is easy to get dizzy in the shower. If you do get dizzy, sit down and tell someone.

·         Drink lots of water!   Always have a full glass of water beside you.

·         Eat well and often.

In terms of bleeding, you will bleed as if you have your period (or slightly more) in the first few days.    The blood will be heavy and red.  You may also pass clots as big as an egg when you stand up and after lying down for awhile – this is normal.

If you are soaking a pad an hour or less, call care provider immediately.   In order to slow down the bleeding, empty your bladder, nurse the baby, and massage your uterus until firm.

If you have tears or stitches:

·         Swelling is normal and fine in the first day.

·         Take warm sitz baths with healing herbs, or just salt water.

·         Ice packs.

·         Take homeopathic Arnica every few hours.

·         Keep the area dry.   When bleeding slows, try going bottomless – lying on a bottle or chux pad.  Sunlight, even through a window is a great healer.  Also, heat from a lamp can aid healing and feel good.

Breastfeeding:

·         The baby will need to nurse every 1 – 3 hours.  If the baby sleeps longer than 5 hours, wake him/her up to feed.

·         Nurse the baby on demand – this helps to establish good milk supply, flushes the baby’s system of meconium, and helps to relieve engorgement.

·         Assuring a good latch is the best way to ease pain and soreness.  Use your finger to break suction, and start over if the baby is not on correctly.

In order to prevent or reduce nipple soreness, make sure the baby is tummy to tummy with you while you are nursing, has his/her mouth wide open when latching on, and has most of your areola in his/her mouth.  Try different nursing positions to reduce pressure on any one area.  Expose your nipples to air after nursing until dry, and apply olive oil, sweet almond oil, or comfrey root ointment to your nipples.  Sore nipples usually improve over the first week or two postpartum.

 

 

Baby Care:

·         Take the baby’s temperature once every day for the first 3 days after birth.  The normal temperature in a baby’s armpit is 97.6 plus or minus a degree.  If the temp is too warm or too cool, bundle the baby up or remove some clothing accordingly and re-check the temperature.

·         The baby should urinate as least once in the first 24 hrs.  After the milk comes in the number of wet diapers will increase to a minimum of 6-8 wet diapers in a 24 hour period.

·         The baby will pass meconium for the first several days after birth.  This dark and tarry stool can be more easily wiped off if you put olive oil on the baby’s bottom at each diaper change.  As your mild comes in the color and consistency will change to a yellow, less-sticky stool. Olive oil is great, put it all over babies bottom - the meconium will not stick to babies skin.

·         If you choose to treat your baby’s cord stump, the cord will dry, turn brown, and fall off in about a week or so.  Keep it dry, clean and uncovered if possible.

·         The baby should sleep of his or her back or side with a rolled blanket for support.

Call a care provider if:

BABY

·         Temperature is outside the normal range after rechecking it.

·         Does not urinate in the first 24 hours.

·         Does not pass meconium.

·         Skin turns yellow in the first 24 hours.

·         The umbilical cord area becomes red, swollen or has a foul odour.

·         The baby has difficulty breathing or is breathing faster than 60 times per minute.

·         Anything seems troubling or unusual.

 

MOTHER                                    

·         Fever higher than 100.4 degrees F, six hours apart.

·         Flu symptoms present – fever/chills.

·         Persistent headache – not ameliorated by hydration

·         Breast problems – red, painful lumps, red streaks, pain in breast while nursing.

·         Uterine pain – pain in the uterus unrelated to after pains, feeling bruised.  After pains usually occur only in the first 3 days postpartum and increase with nursing, pumping or a full bladder.

·         Perineal problems – worsening or extreme pain, pus, increased swelling, redness or inflammation.

·         Bleeding – saturating one pad in an hour or less.

·         Foul-smelling discharge – pus or discharge that smells infected (it is normal to have lochia that smells stronger than menstrual blood)

·         Depression – severe depression that affects daily functioning and/or leads to obsessive thoughts about harming the baby or yourself.

The days after birth are significant for the mother and child, as they adjust their subtle, emotional and physical energies.  Numerous family-oriented cultures around the globe honour and nurture them both during the first six weeks.  These sacred days set the tone for a comforting and caring relationship among the child and the family, and rejuvenate the mother for breast-feeding, and child care.

 

 

HELPFUL HEALERS:

Compresses can stimulated the flow of milk, preventing it from backing up and becoming infected.   Warm water may be used, but steamed fresh Cabbage leaves or strong Comfrey tea compresses may be helpful.  Keep compresses on for 20 minutes.

Simple teas or infusions of nourishing herbs such as Comfrey, Raspberry leaf, Nettles, Alfalfa or Red Clover encourage a plentiful supply of breast milk and relaxed healthy mother.  The mineral rich nourishing herbs also protect you from mineral loss during the stress of nursing and infant care. 

Comfrey leaf.  Drink in it and sit in it, especially if you have had a perineal tear.   Drinking a cup a day of its infusion builds new cells rapidly and helps alleviate pain.  A sitz bath soothes and heals, keeps the tissues flexible, and holds itching to a minimum.  Other herbs for sitz baths include Yarrow and Witch Hazel.

Breastfeeding is probably the best cure for postpartum depression.  The process helps moderate hormonal swings, increases the endorphin level and allows your body to regain normal hormonal balance slowly and evenly.

Clear-minded, non-drowsy relief from the tension and confusion of overwhelming emotion is the promise of the Motherwort tincture.  Use 5 drops in a glass of water, repeated as needed.   More than 4 doses a day for several weeks may cause you to be dependent on it.

Hops is an excellent herb for increasing and enriching breast milk.  It is also helpful in relieving after-pains.

Air and sunlight are potent healers and perfect infection preventers.  If weather prohibits outdoor sunning, lay your infant in a sunny window.   Call it a sunbath ... closed window sun moments are also effective if the weather is cold.  5-10 min periods!!  Babies skin is sensitive and only needs small amounts of time in direct sun.

Remember to drink lots of water, eat frequently, rest, communicate your needs, and enjoy these precious couple of weeks.