Congratulations! You had your baby! Lots of wonderful and exciting times mixed in with feelings of being overwhelmed and sleep-deprived. Maybe you felt you had lots of support during pregnancy, but now that you are postpartum, the support seems to have disappeared. Your doctor says everything is good and you can get back to your normal activity but you are left wondering if that’s really true, because your body feels different. Hopefully you can benefit from the information in this article and take advantage of the resources that will be included.
Firstly, know you are not alone in your feelings! Many new moms find the transition to caring for a newborn very challenging. Don’t believe those Instagram or TikTok posts that show new mothers bouncing back easily or who seem to have no trouble with their new schedule of caring for a baby. Those posts are not a true reflection of what life is really like for many new moms. In fact, have you heard of baby blues? Do you know what it is? “Baby blues are feelings of sadness that you may have in the first few days after having a baby. Up to 4 in 5 new parents have the baby blues. It can effect new parents of any race, age, income, culture or education level.” (Taken from marchofdimes.org website). And you shouldn’t blame yourself if you feel this way. Baby blues can last up to 2 weeks and it usually goes away on its own. However, if these feelings continue for more than two weeks, you should talk with your health care provider. Postpartum depression can happen anytime during the first year and sometimes it can show up in the second or third year after birth. Also, if your symptoms make it hard for you to take care of your baby, make it hard to do everyday chores, get worse or include thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, please see your doctor or call Health Link at 811 or the Mental Health Helpline at 1-877-303-2642.
Here are some tips from the calgaryschild.com website:
1) Take time for yourself. Even a short break can help you feel refreshed.
2) Rest. Take a nap when your baby naps.
(Don’t worry about getting chores done when the baby is asleep. You need your rest too!!)
3) When you need to, talk to someone.
4) Stay connected with family and friends. Make friends with other new parents.
(Maybe you could join a support group, online or in-person)
5) Try to eat well, get plenty of fluids, and be active. (This may seem challenging but even a short 5 minute walk outside can do wonders for mental health)
And what about physical health? Many moms notice changes in their abs, pelvic floor, breathing, rib cage, etc. And if you have been discharged by your doctor after 6 weeks, that doesn’t necessarily mean you can get back to high impact sports like running. Every person is different with their healing journey and what is good for one person, may not be the best for another. We are big fans of pelvic floor physiotherapists and we know many in Calgary that we can refer you to. They are on our resource page on our website, maternitymassage.org.
Here is a quick checklist for movement post-delivery from lakeviewphysio.ca :
1) You should never feel pain or pressure especially in your pelvis, pelvic floor, vagina, or rectum.
2) Movement should not cause urinary or bowel leaking or urgency.
3) There should be no back, hip or pelvic pain during or after movement.
It’s always best to go slow and build up instead of pushing too hard and injuring yourself. And if in doubt, book in for a pelvic floor physio appointment so you can get an assessment and get a program that is designed for your specific needs.
A special note on caesarean births. While there are some things you can do right away, direct scar massage should not be started until about 6 weeks postpartum and the scar should look like it has healed well and there are no signs of infection. Check out Janette Yee’s IG account for ideas like this and once you can start direct massage, here are a couple videos. Janette Scar Massage
We hope this information has proven valuable for you and we are always here to help! Feel free to email us at admin@maternitymassage.org if you have any questions or would like to book in for a postpartum massage treatment.