Post-Natal Care Part 1: TLC For Your Down Under

Although this really only applies to moms who had a natural birth, moms who had a c-section can enjoy a bit of schadenfreude by reading this post.

Nowadays, when I tell people I had a natural birth for my firstborn and am hoping to be able to do the same for my second-born, I am applauded and given some sort of verbal medal for being “brave.” I think people begin to forget that… for as long as we have existed, even as apes…this was the norm. There is nothing more natural than pushing a human out of your hoo-hoo (except for maybe peeing in the sea) and yes, a baby is a small human.

My daughter Scarlet, just a few seconds old.

My mom didn’t believe in telling the western tale of storks delivering babies, so she was very explicit in telling me that I tore my way out of her. In my health class in school, our teacher forgot to fast-forward the part where the baby comes out in famous health video The Miracle Of Life, and for the first time in my life, I understood and appreciated my mom. For those of you who remember that scene, you are welcome to shudder. Sometimes, even grown men faint at the sight of this beautiful nightmare.

Here’s a movie they should play during detention in school.

During my first pregnancy, as I got closer to my due date, I started to learn things that even The Miracle Of Life or my mom didn’t tell me. First of all, there was this little bit of new information called episiotomy- that is when the doctor makes several small incision on your perineum to make room for the baby’s head and shoulders when it enters this world. This doesn’t happen all the time, as sometimes moms will tear naturally on their own. Either way would results in stitches- but don’t worry, when you are carrying your bundle of joy for the first time, you will barely notice the doctor or midwife sewing you up.

When the adrenaline from giving birth and welcoming a new living being wears off, you will experience a pain that is not tremendous…but it is there, and you can feel the stitches throb along with the beat of your heart. (Cue: play the drum beat song from Pocahontas.) You will find yourself resisting to push when you pee or poo, for fear that your stitches will come undone. Sometimes even the thought of having stitches on your hoo-hoo can send shivers through your spine. In all honesty, I didn’t even dare use the token Indonesian bum-gun to clean myself after I was done in the toilet. I was afraid it was going to be like a scene out of The Shining.

However, the best part about having a natural birth is how fast you actually heal, compared to recovery period after a c-section. In less than a month, I was able to move freely, and the pain was completely gone along with the kind of stitches that I got that just dissolves with time. There were measures I took to ensure the healing process was as pain-free as possible, and as fast as possible. My mom, having had three children herself, shared with me these hacks that I further refined to suit moms of today, with products available today.

What to prepare:

Tucks with witch hazel or any witch hazel products: Witch hazel is used to relieve swelling, bleeding, and itching, so it is perfect to help cool down your throbbing stitches, or if you have haemorrhoids (which does happen to most women post-childbirth!) I would strategically place these witch-hazel-soaked pads on my sanitary pad to help calm down my hoo-hoo for a few days. If you can’t find these, you can make your own pads by soaking cotton sheets in witch hazel.

Soak some cotton pads in this!

A selection of post-natal pads: you never know how much you bleed until you actually do. For the first week, my crimson river current was as intense as Justin Timberlake’s Cry Me A River, and I had only bought those sweet flimsy pads from Mothercare. I ended up using heavy duty ones that I bought at the hospital. The second to the third week it had calmed down a bit and I was able to wear a regular heavy flow pads. Every women have different bodily functions and preferences, so my suggestion is to have one or two packets of several different kinds of pads so you have an option to choose. It’s better to be prepared, because sending your hubs over to the store to buy pads for you can be really frustrating (I know this because my husband ended up getting frustrated and bought adult diapers instead…which I obviously did not use.)

Epsom Salt: Also known as magnesium sulfate, is used for many ailments. It is not the same as table salt- so please do not use table salt- your hoo-hoo is not a piece of meat! Many claim the magnesium in Epsom salt helps to reduce pain and swelling. I bought a pack and ended up only using half of it last time, but don’t worry- these also work as bath salts for a nice relaxing soak after your stitches have healed! I don’t like anything perfumed, so I would prefer to get one with no scent, or a fresh lemony scent. (Pictured is a vanilla scented one I use for my daughter’s baths because I had already packed my plain one in my hospital bag by now and I couldn’t be bothered to take it out to take a photo) Mix a couple tablespoons of Epsom Salt with hot water in the squirt bottle to use on your hoo-hoo after you’ve had a pee, or even poo, pat dry before pulling up your thick-ass padded panties.

Squirty Bottle from MUJI, or anything similar: I found the squirt bottle in the gardening section at MUJI, but anything similar should work. It squirts a gentle stream of water to disinfect your hoo-hoo and helps sooth and dry the stitches faster.

Don’t forgot to mind: How you sit is very important, try not to sit cross-legged as this puts pressure on your bottom. Sit upright or lie down to relieve pressure, and get your husband or partner to do the fetching of things for you. Walk lightly, the first few days will be so tender!

Epsom Salt, MUJI squirt bottle, and Tucks.

I had these items packed in my hospital bag ready to go, not knowing whether I would use them at all or not, or whether the hospital had their own procedure to care for my hoo-hoo. I was lucky to have packed them, as my midwives themselves were amazed by the items and have since adapted to using them or recommending them to other moms. These items were a real life-saver for me the first time round, and I will definitely use it for my next post-natal care. Good luck mamas and wishing your hoo-hoo’s a speedy recovery!

UPDATE*

I have given birth to my second child since writing this blog and saving it in drafts, but I have used the same exact items and hacks and everything worked as it did before, if not even more swiftly! I am currently 6 days postpartum, and my stitches have healed completely and I can go about my potty business as usual.