Rest, Heal, Bond: Our Best Advice for Immediate Postpartum Care and Recovery
The postpartum period is a time of immense change, both physically and emotionally. It’s a tender chapter that calls for patience, self-care, and an abundance of support.
At the heart of this transition is the need for rest, which provides an essential foundation for healing and forging a deep bond with your baby. Embracing rest as the center of your postpartum care allows you to recover fully and cherish those precious early moments.
The Importance of Rest in Postpartum Care
To reiterate, the most critical aspect of postpartum care is rest. And when I say rest, I mean real, horizontal rest that truly allows your body to heal. At Haven, we recommend you spend the first five to seven days after birth primarily in bed, with your only responsibilities being to feed yourself, hydrate, and care for your baby.
Why is this rest so vital? For starters, you’ve just put forth an immense physical effort. You’ve delivered a baby and have a dinner-plate sized wound in your uterus that needs healing. Even without tearing or hemorrhaging, your body needs time to recover.
Many mothers feel a honeymoon-esque rush of energy after birth thanks to a cocktail of fluctuating hormones. By day two, however, the hormones ebb and the reality of soreness and exhaustion can set in, signaling the need for recovery.
What to Expect After a Vaginal Delivery
The immediate postpartum period isn’t always the glamorous scenario we see portrayed on social media. It can be a beautiful time, but it’s also raw and real, so knowing what to expect can ease the transition:
Soreness: Whether it’s your bottom, breasts from latching, or muscles from labor, discomfort is common.
Bleeding: Vaginal bleeding and discharge are normal as your body heals and sheds what it no longer needs.
Exhaustion: Labor takes its toll, and caring for a newborn adds a new level of fatigue.
Sweating: Many women experience hot flashes and excessive sweating due to hormonal shifts, especially at night.
Incontinence: Moms may experience difficulty with holding their bladder immediately postpartum. If this doesn’t resolve within a week, speak with your care provider.
Hemorrhoids: Pressure from pregnancy and/or the work of labor and birth can lead to hemorrhoids for some women.
Contractions: Often triggered by nursing, contractions after birth are a normal part of healing and recovery. They’re most notable during the first two to three days, gradually tapering off as they help your uterus shrink back to its pre-pregnancy size.
Constipation: For some moms, normal hormonal changes can cause postpartum constipation. To combat it, drink plenty of water, eat fiber-rich foods and healthy fats, and consider taking a high-quality magnesium supplement.
Emotional Shifts: The postpartum drop in hormones significantly affects your emotions. For instance, progesterone and estrogen plummet to make way for the milk-promoting hormone prolactin. This rapid shift can elicit extreme mood shifts, and tears are common. Remember to give yourself the gift of patience and grace, as well as finding a safe space to share, process, and work through your tears.
Support Your Body: Postpartum Care for Physical Recovery
Your body will tell you if you’re overdoing it during this time of transition. Increased bleeding or pain, for example, are signs to slow down. Beyond that, I recommend a few strategic practices to promote optimal postpartum care:
Prioritize Rest
I always recommend that my clients aim to be “down” more than “up” during the first two weeks. You may have heard of the 5-5-5 rule for postpartum care, which recommends 5 days in bed, 5 days on the bed, and 5 days around the bed. I like this rule, though I prefer to extend it to 7-7-7.
Maximize Skin-to-Skin Contact
A powerful tool in postpartum care is skin-to-skin contact. Put on a robe, wrap yourself and your baby in a blanket, and snuggle them close. This does more than just feel good; it stimulates milk production and promotes bonding through oxytocin release. Plus, it reduces the likelihood of visitors asking to hold your baby in these intimate early days.
Latch and Nurse Frequently
The constant nearness of skin-to-skin contact gives you the opportunity to discover your newborn’s feeding cues, so you can learn to nurse before they reach the screaming stage. Close proximity also prompts your baby to show more interest in nursing and to nurse more often.
Haven midwives spend several hours with moms immediately after birth, and provide ongoing support for breastfeeding afterward. We visit the home again at 24–36 hours and 1–2 weeks, and we see moms in our office at six weeks postpartum. We can also connect moms with excellent lactation consultants for additional support.
Eat Healing Foods
For nutritional postpartum care, I suggest focusing on warm, healing, nourishing foods. Think easy-to-digest soups, stews, and plenty of fluids. Coconut water is excellent for electrolytes. Again, consider taking extra magnesium to help with any constipation, and prioritize fiber and hydration.
Maintain Pelvic Floor Rest
After labor and birth, your pelvic floor needs a period of passive rest to recover and heal. Standing and even sitting up straight puts pressure on your pelvic floor, which is why I recommend reclining for at least the first week.
Support Your Mind: Postpartum Care for Mental Health
Postpartum emotional changes are as significant as the physical ones. Between fluctuating hormones, exhaustion, and the normal anxieties of parenthood, mental health care is a necessary yet often-overlooked element of postpartum care.
You may have heard of the “baby blues,” a mildly depressed state many women experience in the first two weeks after birth, and which resolves on its own. It differs from postpartum depression (PPD) and postpartum anxiety (PPA), which are more serious conditions characterized by:
Onset at any time during the first postpartum year
Longer-lasting symptoms
More severe symptoms, such as dark or suicidal thoughts or thoughts of harming yourself, your baby, or others
If you have any concerns about PPD or PPA, don’t hesitate to reach out to your provider or a counselor (we love Ready Nest Counseling) to start a conversation. These conditions are common and nothing to be ashamed of. Several organizations have even established hotlines you can contact for support, such as the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline.
Two keys to postpartum mental health care are support and self-compassion. Don’t hold yourself to unreasonable standards. Talk to yourself with the same kindness and understanding you’d offer a close friend. Prioritizing sleep and nutrition can further support your mental health and potentially avoid the baby blues altogether. If you need someone to talk to, reach out to your midwife, physician, or a hotline for support.
Complementary supplements may help promote both mental and physical health during postpartum care. We love Milk Moon’s Postpartum Tonic and various tinctures, and motherwort, passion flower, and magnesium all provide benefits as well. Beginning roughly 24 hours after birth, you may also find Epsom salt baths soothing.
Practical Tips for Smoother Postpartum Care
Besides prioritizing rest with the 7-7-7 rule, I also recommend moms have support around the house for at least the first two weeks postpartum. If paternity leave isn’t an option for dad, then perhaps close friends or relatives you trust can help with household chores and make sure you have everything you need in those first crucial days.
We love several resources that offer additional guidance and inspiration for new moms:
A Final Word on Postpartum Care
Postpartum care is about holding the mother so she can hold the baby. In our fast-paced society, the importance of rest often goes overlooked, and new mothers may feel pressure to “bounce back” or put on a facade of normalcy far too soon.
But the postpartum period isn’t about checking off to-do lists or meeting unrealistic deadlines — it’s about healing and connection. Surround yourself with people who understand this and can provide the support you need.
Remember, too, to give yourself grace as you navigate this transition. Your only job is to heal, bond with your baby, and let others take care of everything else as you lay a foundation for thriving in this beautiful new chapter of life.
Lauren Drees, CNM, MSN
Lauren Drees is a Certified Nurse Midwife and the founder of Haven Birth and Wellness. With over a decade of experience and having attended more than 1,000 births, Lauren is dedicated to providing compassionate, personalized care to women throughout their pregnancy, birth, and beyond.
Disclaimer: The content on the Haven Birth and Wellness website is created and/or reviewed by qualified Certified Nurse Midwives and healthcare professionals. We strive to provide accurate and detailed information for our readers. However, this blog is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered a substitute for professional medical advice. Your own healthcare provider is best equipped to understand your unique situation and medical history. Always consult with your healthcare provider before making any decisions that may affect your health.