Postnatal recovery

32 guides · Postnatal recovery

Your body did something enormous, and healing takes time. These guides cover the physical recovery after birth, from bleeding and stitches to caesarean healing, your pelvic floor and easing back into movement, gently and at your own pace.

Guides in this section

• Afterpains: why uterine cramping gets worse with subsequent babies and breastfeeding. Afterpains are the contractions your uterus makes after birth to return to its pre-pregnancy size.
• C-section recovery: what to expect in the days, weeks and months after surgery. A clear guide to recovering from a caesarean section: wound care, lifting and driving restrictions, scar healing stages, and returning to exercise safely.
• C-section scar care: helping it heal and managing discomfort. How to care for your c-section scar, when and how to do scar massage, what to expect as it heals over 12 to 18 months, and how to manage numbness, itching, and emotional feelings about the scar.
• Caesarean section recovery: what to expect in the days and weeks after birth. A guide to physical recovery after a caesarean section, including wound care, pain management, and gradual return to activity.
• Confinement centres (yuezi zhongxin): what to expect. What professional postnatal confinement centres offer, what they cost, how to choose a good one, and what the evidence says abo...
• Diastasis recti recovery. Diastasis recti affects most women by late pregnancy.
• elective caesarean: what to expect from arrival to recovery. What happens during a planned caesarean section: the pre-op steps, what you feel during surgery, the recovery room, and going h...
• going home after birth: what to prepare and expect on discharge day. When you can go home after giving birth, what midwives check before discharge, and what to expect in the first day at home.
• La quarantina: the Italian postnatal rest tradition. What the Italian tradition of la quarantina is, how it is observed, and what evidence says about postnatal rest.
• Lochia: what postpartum bleeding is normal and when to call your midwife. Everything you need to know about lochia: the three stages of postpartum bleeding, what is normal, warning signs, and when to seek urgent help.
• Pelvic floor recovery after birth: exercises, timeline, and when to see a physio. How to do pelvic floor exercises after birth, when to start, what symptoms need a women's health physiotherapist, and realistic...
• Perineal massage for birth. Cochrane-backed guide to perineal massage: when to start, how to do it step by step, what oil to use, and what you can realisti...
• Perineal tears and episiotomy: recovery after birth. What the different degrees of perineal tear are, how recovery works, and what to expect with an episiotomy.
• Postpartum body changes: what is normal and what is not. A guide to the physical changes after birth that catch new mothers off guard, from hair loss and skin changes to abdominal chan...
• Postpartum hair loss: why it happens and what helps. Most new mothers lose noticeably more hair in the months after birth.
• Postpartum joint pain and aching: why your body hurts after having a baby. Joint pain after birth is common and has several causes including lingering relaxin hormone, wrist pain from feeding and carrying, pelvic girdle pain, and carpal tunnel.
• Postpartum night sweats: why they happen, how long they last and what helps. Postpartum night sweats are very common after birth.
• Postpartum nutrition: what your body needs to rebuild after birth. Your body has extraordinary nutritional needs after birth.
• Postpartum thyroiditis: the thyroid condition that affects around one in ten mothers. Postpartum thyroiditis is often mistaken for exhaustion or postnatal depression.
• Quarantina: the postnatal rest tradition. The 40-day postnatal rest tradition known as quarantina, who provides support, how it is observed today, and what the evidence...
• Restoring core strength after birth: a safe progression for the first months. How to safely restore core strength after birth: why sit-ups are not where to start, how to progress from breathing to activation, how to check for diastasis, and when to see a physio.
• Returning to exercise after birth. How to return to exercise safely after birth: pelvic floor first, why the 6-week clearance is outdated, and a week-by-week post...
• Sex after birth: when it is safe and how to manage common discomfort. When sex is safe after birth, why it often feels different, how to manage dryness and discomfort, and when to see a doctor.
• Skin-to-skin contact after birth: benefits and how it works. What skin-to-skin contact is, the evidence for its benefits, and how it works after both vaginal and caesarean birth.
• The fourth trimester: a realistic guide to what your body goes through after birth. The fourth trimester covers the first 12 weeks after birth.
• The fourth trimester: the first 12 weeks at home. The fourth trimester covers the first 12 weeks after birth, a period of huge adjustment for both baby and parents.
• the golden hour after birth: what happens immediately after your baby is born. What the golden hour after birth involves, why skin-to-skin contact matters, and what you can expect to happen in the first 60...
• Vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC): what the evidence says. Who is a candidate for VBAC, what the success rate and risks are, and how to discuss the decision with your team.
• weeks 6 to 12 postpartum: physical changes and when to seek help. What the body goes through in weeks 6 to 12 after birth: what has resolved, what is still changing, and what deserves medical a...
• your body after birth: what to expect in the first six weeks. What physically happens to a new mother's body in the six weeks after birth: bleeding, soreness, hormones, and what needs medic...
• Zuo yuezi diet: what to eat and avoid in the first month. A guide to zuo yuezi eating in the first month after birth: warming foods, foods traditionally avoided, hydration, and where tr...
• Zuo yuezi: the postnatal confinement tradition. What zuo yuezi (doing the month) involves, the traditional diet and practices, what modern evidence supports, and how diaspora...

Common questions

How long does bleeding after birth last?

Bleeding, called lochia, usually lasts two to six weeks and slowly changes from red to pink to brown. See your midwife or GP if you pass large clots, the bleeding suddenly gets heavier, or it smells unpleasant.

How long does a caesarean take to heal?

The wound usually feels much better within a few weeks, but full recovery takes around six weeks or more. Take it slowly, avoid heavy lifting, and get any redness, swelling or increasing pain checked.

When can I start exercising again?

Gentle walking and pelvic floor exercises can start early, but wait for your six-week check before higher-impact exercise, and longer after a caesarean. Build up slowly and stop if anything hurts.

What is the fourth trimester?

The fourth trimester is the first three months after birth, a time of huge change for you and your baby. Rest, support and low expectations are not indulgent, they are how you recover.