10 Tips To Speed Up The Healing Process After Vaginal Birth

If there's one thing I wish folks would have been more REAL about when I was pregnant, it would have to be the healing process after birth.

I mean of course you got the "oh it will take 6 weeks to get back to normal". Heads up, that's a lie...for most women it takes way longer than 6 weeks to get back to normal and THATS NORMAL. I'll also be the first to tell you it takes even longer than that to feel like yourself. Im currently 9 months postpartum and Im just starting to feel like "me" again.

But what I'm really talking about is how to actually heal in those first few weeks after birth, what products you really need and how to make the healing process go as smooth and as quickly as possible.

Cuz nobody wants to be out here wasting their time or money on crapy products that do nothing for us and don't help us heal...

So let's get down to biz and heal that cooch the right way girl!

Disclosure- These tips are for women who had a "routinely normal" vaginal birth. If you experienced any extreme tearing or had a C-section please consult with your doctor for best practices.

10 Must Follow Tips For Mamas After Vaginal Birth

1) Breathable underwear + pads/postpartuum underwear

Girl...listen to me. 

This is no time to try and be sexy (cute is possible though) get you some breathable comfortable panties that you don't care about too much...anything but that netted mess the hospital gives you and some great postpartum pads like the ones from Honey Pot. Which are infused with herbs to help you heal and regain PH balance. Cuz again those hospital pads aint it girl.

Or grab full on "postpartum" underwear, my favorite was Always Discreet underwear. While they were not exactly postpartum underwear, they did the job and BOOM BABY they were cute lol. I didn't feel like I was walking around in diapers. 

2) Take The Damn Stool Softeners

I actually factually played myself with this shit (literally) LMAO. Fun fact and TMI in the same breath, I have like a pooping phobia I hate for people to know im pooping, I hate public restrooms ALLAHDAT!

So taking stool softeners was not one of the things I wanted to do and I didn't.

Long story shot...that was a bad idea, after having a baby even regular poops feel like the most difficult poop of life because everything down there is swollen, sensitive and in pain.

You want to make anything dealing with your lower half as smooth as possible...literally. 

TAKE THE DAMN STOOL SOFTENERS SIS.

3) Keep Your Hands Off

Don't touch it, don't let ya man touch it, don't let a rough washcloth touch it.

NOTHING 

Seriously no masturbating, no sex, no rough rubbing or scrubbing, it will save you from crying rivers of tears and help you avoid getting any infections. Think about it this way, your body is still flushing out all the left over baby things and everything is super open in and down there, especially if you had any tearing.

So keeping any type of foreign substances or dirt etc out of there is the best.

4) Make a Few Padcicles

Lol this sounds super silly but girl these things are life. 

Basic instructions

If you are using a standard overnight pad, saturate it with witch hazel and add some aloe vera gel (please make sure it does not contain alcohol), smooth things along the pad if there are any lumps and bumps then pop that thing in a zip lock bag and toss it in the freezer.

When you need to feel some relief grab one out of the freezer, let it thaw a bit (you don't want frost bite), pop it on your cooch and relax (remember this will melt so have a towel handy)

If you don't want to go the DIY route, Frida baby came out with some instant ice maxi pads you can find here.

5) Use Compression Stockings

Contrary to popular belief you do not go into the hospital, have the baby and have your stomach, face, feet and ankles deflated and come out poppin like its hot girl summer.

So once you leave the hospital, if you didn't have them previously grab you some compression stockings. Bonus points if you can get your doctor to prescribe you medical grade ones, they work 10 times better than store brand. 

Having the compression stockings will help you move all the fluid that has pooled in your legs and feet. This will also help you avoid getting any blood clots if you are not doing a lot of moving around or happen to be on bed rest.

6) Exercise Those Muscles

Its time to flex...those cooch muscles that is LOL

We have all (or at least I think we all have) heard of Kegel exercises. It's when you tighten and relax the muscles of your vagina. These things are super important, not just because you want to get your thang tight and right. But also because they help the overall health of your cooch.

Some women do these with yoni eggs as well but please again avoid putting anything up your cooch until after you are cleared by your doctor.

7) Try Pooping The Right Way

Have you ever heard of a squatty potty?

If you haven't GOOGLE IT!

It's basically a little stand that helps put your body in the right position to poop. Have you ever noticed the way dogs poop? That squat position, its actually the ideal position to make pooping easier. 

Now im not saying that you need to go out and buy a squatty potty...cuz you don't. You can use your trash can, a baby step stool anything really that puts your knees closer to your chest while you poop. 

Trust me this and the stool softeners work wonders.

8) Grab The Frida Mom Washer

I swear by it, Cardi B swears by it and probably any other mother who has tried that SHIT ASS WASHER (lol) that the hospital gives you only to realize it barely works at all.

It doesn't shoot at the right angle, it doesn't give you the right flow of water, its damn near useless. 

However the Frida mom washer is the exact opposite of all that, it's angled neck not only makes sure you get to all the right places it makes your job trying to squirt water down there easier. No need to be a contortionist or anything lol.

Also the area where the water comes out allows it to be a pleasant stream and not some mad harsh or useless flow of water. 

THANK GOD. GRAB YOU ONE.

9) Wrap It Up

No not ya man smh...didnt I tell you we are not putting anything up there for at least 6 weeks?!

What im talking about is your tummy. The tummy support bands are your best friend after the baby, no only do they hold everything in and help your tummy go back to its "normal size".

They also really do help support the ab muscles you lost during pregnancy. I'll never forget around week 3-4 after being out of the hospital I bent over and tried to pick up savannah in her car seat and thought my whole body was going to fall apart.

I had NO core muscles and I was not wearing my little belly band so all the weight that would normally be absorbed as I tightened my ab muscles went to the pool of jello that used to be my abs and I almost fell over. 

Had I had on my support band that would not have happened.

10) Tucks Pads Are Your Friends

Last but not least, the thing that no one ever wants to talk about during or after pregnancy.

Hemorrhoids. 

Sis, you essentially just pushed a bowling ball out your cooch, thats a lot of pressure. You are going to have hemorrhoids. Just order you some Tucks pads off amazon and use those things as much as you need until they slowly start to fade away.

However if they get worse, unbearably painful or don't go away consult your doctor as you may nee to get them remove.

AND THATS IT YALL 

My top 10 tips for healing after a baby, my honest to god real talk advice and must have products. Of course never forget about the standard things like pain killers, sitz baths and keeping your doctor updated with any concerning changes. 

If you keep all this in mind, take it easy and follow your doctors instructions you should be well on your way to a speedy (but realistic) recovery.

Until Next Time,

XO Deanna