Recovering from vaginal birth
The first six weeks after you give birth are usually the hardest, but depending on what happened during birth, the time it takes to feel normal again will differ.
What to expect
If you had an uncomplicated, unassisted birth, with no tears or grazes, you should start to feel less need for rest after around one to three weeks. It's very individual.
With any birth you need to be careful with hygiene, changing your maternity pad often and washing your hands before and after the toilet. Your post-birth bleeding (lochia) usually continues up until about six weeks after birth.
It's usual to feel a bit exhausted after you've given birth as your entire body has been through a very intense workout! Some women find that regular baths and showers help their muscles to loosen up. You will lose a lot of water from your body as your body gets used to no longer being pregnant. You may find that you have a slight swelling in your arms and legs, so drink plenty of water to help your body flush out all the fluid. Resting with your legs raised can help with swollen ankles.
Your pelvic floor
Pelvic floor muscles work hard during pregnancy, and need to flatten completely to allow a baby to be born vaginally. In addition, you may have had a cut or tear which affected these muscles. You are likely to need both time and regular pelvic floor exercise to bring strength back to this area. If you managed regular pelvic floor exercises during pregnancy, then these will be even more useful now. If not, now is the time to start!
Pelvic floor exercises are important to help the muscles around your vagina to stay strong and avoid any problems with leaking from your bladder or bowel.
Regularly exercising the pelvic floor muscles will help with healing. For more information on this, take a look at our pelvic health section.
Tears and stitches
Many vaginal births will involve some small tears or grazes to the labia or vagina. If tears are deep and affect the muscles in that area, then stitches are recommended. Labial tears are usually small, but may need stitches. If you have had an episiotomy, then stitches will be necessary. (Epiosiotomy is more common with assisted births, but may be recommended for some unassisted births).
If you had a tear, an episiotomy, stitches or a graze, it could take up to six weeks for you to start seeing an improvement in how this area feels. If pain starts to increase or you notice that you're feeling unwell, this could be a sign of infection, so contact your midwife, health visitor or GP.
It is quite common to have bruising to your perineum (the area between your vagina and rectum). This can make the area very tender and sore, particularly during the first four to five days after the birth. Paracetamol and ibuprofen can be helpful, along with warm baths. Cold packs can also be soothing. Ring cushions are not recommended as they can disrupt blood flow to the area - it is better to recline or lie on one side if sitting is uncomfortable.
As soon as you feel comfortable, you can start doing your pelvic floor exercise as this will help the muscles in your perineum to heal more quickly.
The stitches are dissolvable, and they will usually disappear in about six weeks. If you are unsure, or in a lot of discomfort, please ask your midwife to check the area.