Take the time to recover from the birth of your baby. Your body – and your baby – with benefit.
Birth takes a physical toll on your body. These three simple steps will help your body to heal.
- Rest. After a vaginal birth, lie flat for 30 minutes twice a day. This will help to minimise discomfort around your vagina, reduce swelling and take extra weight off your pelvic floor and lower abdominal muscles.
- Ice. After vaginal birth or an attempted vaginal birth, ice helps to reduce pain and swelling around the perineum. Ice should be placed inside your pad for 20 minutes every 2-3 hours and can be continued until pain and swelling go away.
- Compression. Firm supportive underwear will help support your perineum and lower abdominal muscles and reduce any pain and discomfort. It will also help to start the healing process. Control briefs can be purchased from department stores and need to be worn for the first six weeks. As a guide, garments should be two sizes bigger than your pre-pregnancy size. So if you were a size 10 before you were pregnant, purchase size 14 garments.
Related information
- Maternal and Child Health Line - Tel: 13 22 29 A confidential, 24-hour help line for information and advice about the care and health of your child.
- Provide feedback about the information on this page
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Disclaimer
The Women’s does not accept any liability to any person for the information or advice (or use of such information or advice) which is provided on the Website or incorporated into it by reference. The Women’s provide this information on the understanding that all persons accessing it take responsibility for assessing its relevance and accuracy. Women are encouraged to discuss their health needs with a health practitioner. If you have concerns about your health, you should seek advice from your health care provider or if you require urgent care you should go to the nearest Emergency Dept.