Contact your midwife if you have:Īfter birth, your uterus begins to undergo changes that will return it to its nonpregnant condition. When you sit down, try to have a glass of water or juice handy. It is also good practice to drink when your baby drinks. As a general rule, the area toward which the baby’s chin is pointing is the area which is being drained the most. Once breastfeeding is well established, it is good to vary the positions used for nursing as this encourages complete drainage of different areas of the breast. It is best to use green cabbage, since purple will stain your breasts and clothes! After feedings, use cold cloths or frozen cabbage leaves to minimize any pain.Before feedings, apply wet heat (shower, bath, wet face cloth) to your breasts, and then express some milk to soften the areola.If you become engorged, some strategies for dealing with it are: The best way to prevent this condition is to feed frequently and as long as possible from birth on, in order to drain the breasts. When the breast is engorged it may be difficult for the baby to latch on, leading to nipple damage. On the other hand, engorgement is excessive fullness which makes the breast completely hard and painful. It may last for up to 48 hours after the milk comes in. It is only mildly uncomfortable and the baby should be able get on the breast to nurse. Most women have a certain degree of fullness at this time which is just progressive filling of the breasts. Your milk will “come in” somewhere between 2 and 4 days after birth. Do NOT tolerate a bad latch, as this can cause damage in as little as five minutes, which then will take days to heal. If there is pain when the baby nurses, double check that the baby is latched on well. This should not last more than 5 or 6 sucks and should pass within a few days. Latchįor the first few days it is common to feel tenderness in the nipples when the baby begins to suck. Use lots of nipple cream to prevent or deal with nipple damage. Breasts and nipplesīreastfeeding is a learned skill for both mother and baby. It is nice when this sleep period happens at night, but no matter when it happens you should sleep too. Make sure you take advantage of this by sleeping yourselves.įeeding phase: After this first sleep, you should nurse the baby every 2-3 hours, with only one 4-hour sleep period every 24 hours until your baby is over its birthweight. It is not unusual for babies to have an extended sleep on the first day, anywhere from 2-12 hours. Sleep phase: After this initial alert period, baby will go to sleep. This includes coordinating her/his breathing, feeding once or twice and possibly passing meconium and/or urine. S/he will look around, respond to your voices and begin to adjust to “life on the outside”. Birthday!Īlert phase: After birth, the baby has a two or three hour alert phase. This pamphlet has been put together to help guide you through your first days and weeks postpartum. You may be feeling confident of your parenting abilities or you may be feeling unsure. Postpartum Panic Prevention New Mother CareĬongratulations!!! You finally had your baby! You may be feeling tired, sore and uncomfortable, or you may be feeling wonderful.