Pregnant women think a lot about how the birth will take place: they carefully choose a maternity hospital, an obstetrician-gynecologist, and learn to breathe correctly. It seems to them that the main thing is to safely survive the birth of a child, and then everything will go like clockwork. I also thought at one time. And we, naive mothers, do not understand that childbirth is just a short transitional stage before the start of a new life full of unexpected difficulties and problems.
It makes no sense to describe all the “delights” of the postpartum period that I have encountered: tears, inability to walk and sit due to pain in the sutures, bleeding, constipation, chest pain and lactostases... I had to learn from my own experience that postpartum depression - this is by no means a myth, not a horror story for expectant mothers, but a very real threat to the psyche shaken under the influence of hormones. Not everyone faces such difficulties, and it is likely that they will bypass you. However, some useful tips are still better to keep in mind so as not to get confused in the first days after the birth of the baby.
Make food stocks before delivery
While you are on maternity leave, it's time to do some work. Cook dumplings, dumplings, pancakes, meatballs - all that can be frozen, and then get it at the right time and quickly cook. Believe me, the first weeks after the birth of a baby is not the best time for culinary exploits. And so always at hand will be a strategic food supply, which you can feed yourself, your husband and incoming guests. You can also use disposable dishes and forget about washing for a while.
Stock up on everything that can come in handy for you and the baby, in advance
Some superstitious mothers are afraid to buy cribs, strollers and even baby clothes before giving birth. It’s good if you have a wonderful husband whom you trust as yourself, and he will be able to quickly acquire and prepare for use all of these things immediately after a happy event. I was not so lucky, I would never have entrusted my husband with the choice of children's things, so I stocked everything in advance. Here are a few items to the list of items that will be useful to you with the baby from the first days of his birth:
- Nipple cream and breast pump: I don’t know of a single breastfeeding woman who would have avoided nipple cracks, chest pain amid a rush of milk and lactostasis. Breast pump It will help to avoid many unpleasant sensations and, if necessary, will make it possible to stockpile frozen breast milk.
- Gaskets.You can buy special pads for puerperas or conventional gynecological with high absorbency. It is important that gaskets are needed - you cannot use tampons after childbirth!
- Remedies for hemorrhoids and mild laxatives, not contraindicated for lactating women. Boiled beets can be used as a natural laxative - a good effect without harm to health.
- Dried chamomile and a string. Decoctions of these herbs just saved me during the healing of the sutures - they reduced inflammation and pain. You can use them as lotions or baths. And after the healing of the umbilical cord in the baby, you can add to water while swimming.
- Special bags for washing machines, in which it is very convenient to put tiny socks and mittens so as not to look for them all over the machine and shake the rest of the laundry.
Feel free to ask your loved ones for help.
When you are discharged from the hospital, you have to withstand the visits of friends and relatives. And not all of them understand that you feel bad, you don’t have the strength and time to clean and cook. Therefore, do not be afraid to seem unprincipled: directly say what you need help with. Guests can help with cooking, washing, cleaning. They can go to the store along the way and buy everything they need. By the way, this method will help weed out those who are not ready to take care, but simply decided to pay a “courtesy visit”.
Go to bed at your earliest convenience
With a newborn baby, you will have catastrophically little time to sleep. Therefore, teach yourself to fall asleep at a time when the baby is sleeping. This will help the body recover faster after childbirth and strengthen the shaken psyche. And washing and dirty floors may well wait.
Eat fully and drink plenty of fluids
When i studied nutritional advice for nursing mothers, my hair stood on end: I had little idea how I could eat one rabbit and buckwheat. Yes, and now I can’t understand how this is possible: the body needs to quickly restore strength, get additional substances to feed the baby as well - and then there are only porridges ... Therefore, after giving birth to a son, I allowed myself almost everything within reason. It is clear that you should not overeat oranges and chocolate, drink alcohol, but a varied and varied diet has not hurt anyone. Of course, if the child is allergic, then the diet will have to be reviewed, but this will become clear with time.
And one more thing: a nursing woman loses a lot of fluid with breast milk, so it is very important to make up for these losses so that milk is produced in sufficient quantities. By the way, our body is smarter than us: it signals what it lacks. During breastfeeding, I was thirsty all the time. I even placed small bottles of drinking water throughout the apartment - just in case.
Get ready for mood swings
Even the most cold-blooded and balanced women against the background of hormonal surges experience a feeling of depression, become nervous and touchy. To avoid postpartum depression, it’s important not to get hung up on trifles. You do not need to think about your appearance and figure, over time everything will return to normal, and artificially reproaching these processes is not worth it - you can only do harm to your health.
We also read: 10 tips on how to get rid of depression after childbirth: signs and causes of depression (a lot of real video)
Do not forget about the feelings of her husband
The birth of a child is the beginning of a new life not only for you, but also for your husband. He also experiences stress, trying to get used to a new role for himself. This is compounded by the lack of attention on your part: you are completely absorbed in the baby, and the spouse may feel loneliness and a feeling of jealousy. An important rule: do not remove it from caring for the newborn. Many mothers think that only they know exactly what the baby needs, how to bathe, swaddle, entertain him. This is partly true: the connection between the mother and the child is very deep, often the mother can even wake up at night 2 minutes before the baby asks for food. But this does not mean that the father is not able to help.You can well bathe the baby together, walk with him, do gymnastics ... It will be only a pleasure for a loving dad.
Learn to understand the cries of a newborn
In fact, this is not so simple. A child after birth is able to express all his emotions in only one way - by screaming. Over time, you will begin to distinguish when your baby is hungry, when his diaper is dirty or his stomach hurts. And sometimes he screams simply because he lacks Mom’s attention. The most important thing in this business is not to be nervous. Of course, it is difficult to maintain composure when a son or daughter screams for several hours in a row. At such moments, it is important not to break: go out, wash yourself with cold water, take a deep breath. It is pointless to frustrate your child with irritation: he still cannot always understand for himself what exactly is “wrong” for him - this is a matter of time.
We also read: How to understand the reasons for crying a newborn baby
Breast-feeding
If you plan to breast-feed, then it is better to learn about some of the intricacies in advance. Now you can find a lot of information on the Internet, talk with consultants on breastfeeding. In fact, there are no big difficulties. After all, breastfeeding is a physiological process prescribed by nature.
We also read: TOP 100 useful tips for nursing mother
Protect yourself with a diaper!
If you are lucky enough to become a boy’s mother, then the first rule when changing a diaper is to hold it in front of you like a shield. The range of an unexpected trickle is sometimes simply amazing. By the way, disposable waterproof diapers are one of the most useful inventions of our time. Carry a T-shirt in your diaper bag for emergency cases and for yourself!
We also read:
- How to establish life after the birth of a child? https://kid.htgetrid.com/en/eto-polezno-znat/kak-naladit-byit-posle-rozhdeniya-rebenka.html
- Bored sitting at home with a small child: what to do? — https://kid.htgetrid.com/en/posle-rodov-dlya-mamyi/skuchno-sidet-doma-s-malenkim-rebenkom-chto-delat-i-kak-raznoobrazit-byit.html
- Where mom can find time: 6 tips that work — https://kid.htgetrid.com/en/posle-rodov-dlya-mamyi/6-sovetov-dlya-mam-kotoryim-ne-hvataet-vremeni.html
I did not experience any craziness after childbirth. I wanted a child for a long time, since my school years I dreamed of becoming a mother. Therefore, when my son was born, I was glad and happy. I experienced only pleasure from my beloved man. Mom, of course, was my main assistant and adviser.
After giving birth, my husband supported me. He helped me in everything. I even stroked the diapers on both sides. I never kept silent about how I feel. But I, like many, had depression after childbirth.
I prepared thoroughly for the birth of my daughter, but long before the birth I tried to get up early in the morning so that the body would get used to the early rise and this did not cause me much stress after the birth. My husband is caring, and for the first six months he actively provided assistance in caring for the child.