73 recovery guides
Postpartum recovery
What healing after birth actually looks like — bleeding, stitches, mood, hair loss and the six-week check, sourced to NHS, RCOG and ACOG.
Recovery2 Weeks PostpartumDay 14 after birth: what should be happening by now, what is still normal, and the symptoms at two…Recovery3 Months PostpartumThree months after birth and still exhausted, aching and shedding hair. What is expected at this…Recovery6 Months PostpartumHalf a year after giving birth: what should have resolved by now, what legitimately has not, and…RecoveryAfterpains and Postpartum CrampingAfterpains are your womb contracting back to size, and they get worse with each baby. Why feeding…RecoveryAnaemia After BirthDizzy, breathless and grey with exhaustion weeks after birth? Anaemia is checked at every postnatal…RecoveryAntidepressants and BreastfeedingCan you take antidepressants while breastfeeding? What NICE and the Breastfeeding Network say,…RecoveryBaths and Swimming After BirthWhen you can have a bath, use a hot tub or go swimming after giving birth, what the guidance…RecoveryBirth Debrief and Birth ReflectionsA birth debrief goes through your notes so you understand what happened. What NICE says services…RecoveryBirth Trauma and PTSD After BirthFlashbacks, nightmares and dread after a frightening birth can be PTSD. NICE recommends…RecoveryBreathlessness After BirthBreathlessness after giving birth can be anaemia, a clot on the lung or a heart problem. The NHS…RecoveryC-Section Recovery Week by WeekA week-by-week caesarean recovery timeline from NHS, NICE, RCOG, HSE and ACOG guidance, including…RecoveryC-Section Scar Care and HealingHow to care for a caesarean wound day by day, what NICE recommends, how to spot infection early,…RecoveryC-Section Recovery: What You Can and Cannot DoWhat you can do straight after a caesarean, what to hold off on, and the NICE recommendation that…RecoveryCan't Pee After Giving BirthNot being able to pee after birth is a recognised complication, not shyness. Why midwives measure…RecoveryContraception After BirthYou can get pregnant three weeks after birth. Which methods start immediately, which wait, and the…RecoveryDiastasis Recti After PregnancySeparated stomach muscles are normal in pregnancy and usually narrow by eight weeks. How to check…RecoveryDriving After a C-SectionThere is no six-week driving law after a caesarean. What NICE, the DVLA and the RCOG say, why…RecoveryDrying Up Your Milk If You Are Not BreastfeedingWhat happens to your milk if you are not breastfeeding, how long engorgement lasts, what helps, and…RecoveryEmergency vs Planned C-SectionHow an emergency caesarean differs from a planned one afterwards: anaesthetic, pain relief, the…RecoveryFever and Chills After BirthA temperature over 38C, shivering or feeling wrong after giving birth can be sepsis. The NHS and…RecoveryYour First Period After BirthWhen your first postpartum period arrives, why breastfeeding delays it, what it will be like, and…RecoveryFlying After Giving BirthHow soon you can fly after having a baby. Why clot risk matters more than any date, what airlines…RecoveryGoing Out With a NewbornThere is no minimum age before a newborn can go outside. What actually matters for early outings,…RecoveryHow Long Does Postpartum Last?Postpartum has three answers: six to eight weeks clinically, around a year for most physical…RecoveryHow Long You Stay in Hospital After BirthHow long you stay in hospital after giving birth, what has to happen before you are allowed home,…RecoveryIntrusive Thoughts After Having a BabyFrightening thoughts of harm coming to your baby are extremely common and are not a sign you are…RecoveryItching and Rashes After BirthItchy skin, hives or a rash after giving birth. The common causes, why itching that started in…RecoveryJoint Pain After BirthKnees, hips, fingers and ankles aching months after giving birth. The likely causes, what the NHS…RecoveryLeg Pain and Blood Clots After BirthYour risk of a blood clot is highest just after birth. The NHS symptoms of DVT, the RCOG numbers,…RecoveryLosing Weight After BirthWhat actually comes off and when, why breastfeeding is not a weight loss plan, and how to lose…RecoveryMidwife and Health Visitor Visits After BirthWho visits you after you give birth and when. The NICE timings for midwife and health visitor…RecoveryNot Feeling Bonded With Your BabyFeeling nothing for your newborn is more common than anyone admits and it is not a verdict on you.…RecoveryPelvic Girdle Pain After BirthPubic bone, groin or buttock pain that did not stop when the baby arrived. What POGP and the NHS…RecoveryPerineal Tears and StitchesHow first, second, third and fourth-degree tears heal, how to care for stitches, why opening your…RecoveryPostnatal Depression and Baby BluesBaby blues fade within two weeks and need no treatment. Postnatal depression does not. How to tell…RecoveryPostnatal Exercise: When and How to StartWhen you can start exercising after birth, how the answer changes after forceps or a caesarean, and…RecoveryPostnatal Nutrition: What You Actually NeedThere is no special postnatal diet. What the NHS recommends after birth, the one supplement singled…RecoveryPostpartum AcneSkin that cleared in pregnancy and then erupted after birth. Why postpartum acne happens, what the…RecoveryPostpartum AnxietyAnxiety after birth is under-recognised, treatable and not the same as ordinary worry. The…RecoveryBack and Neck Pain After BirthWhy your back and neck hurt after having a baby, how feeding posture and a weak core drive it, what…RecoveryPostpartum Bleeding (Lochia)Lochia is the bleeding after birth. How heavy is normal, how long it should last, the colour…RecoveryYour Postnatal Check: What to Ask ForOne short appointment, a lot of ground to cover. What to raise at your postnatal check, how to…RecoveryPostpartum Constipation and the First PooNo bowel movement for a few days after birth is normal, and your stitches will not burst. The…RecoveryPostpartum HaemorrhageHeavy bleeding after birth can happen up to twelve weeks later, not just in the delivery room. The…RecoveryPiles (Haemorrhoids) After BirthHaemorrhoids after giving birth are extremely common. Why pushing and pregnancy cause them, what…RecoveryPostpartum Hair LossPostpartum shedding is delayed hair loss caused by falling oestrogen, not true hair loss. When it…RecoveryHand and Wrist Pain After BirthWrist pain at the base of the thumb and numb fingers at night are common after birth. What causes…RecoveryHeadaches After BirthMost headaches after birth are tension, dehydration or lack of sleep. Some are not. How to tell an…RecoveryPostpartum Incontinence and the Pelvic FloorLeaking urine, wind or stool after birth is common and treatable. The risk factors, how to do…RecoveryPostpartum InsomniaExhausted but unable to sleep when the baby finally does? Postpartum insomnia is a real problem,…RecoveryPostpartum Night SweatsNight sweats after birth are caused by a sudden oestrogen drop and shedding pregnancy fluid. What…RecoveryPostpartum Pre-eclampsiaPre-eclampsia can start days or weeks after birth, including in women whose blood pressure was…RecoveryPostpartum PsychosisPostpartum psychosis usually starts within two weeks of birth and needs an urgent same-day…RecoveryPostpartum RageSudden, disproportionate anger after having a baby is common and rarely talked about. Why it…RecoverySwelling and Fluid Retention After BirthSwollen feet, ankles and hands after birth are normal and often peak days later. What causes it,…RecoveryPostpartum ThyroiditisPostpartum thyroiditis affects up to 1 in 10 pregnancies and mimics anxiety and depression. The two…RecoveryProlapse After BirthA bulge, heaviness or dragging feeling in your vagina after birth can be prolapse. What the NHS and…RecoveryRecovering From a Forceps or Ventouse BirthWhat differs after forceps or ventouse: tear rates, continence, perineal pain, marks on your baby,…RecoveryRecovering While Your Baby Is in Neonatal CareLooking after your own recovery while your baby is on the neonatal unit. Your postnatal care still…RecoveryReturning to Running After BirthRunning is high impact on a recovering pelvic floor. When it is reasonable to start, what to build…RecoveryGoing back to work after a babyThe physical side of going back to work: the recovery checks worth doing first, breastfeeding or…RecoverySex After BirthThere is no rule about when to have sex after birth. What the NHS and HSE actually say, why dryness…RecoveryThe Six-Week Postnatal CheckWhat the six to eight week postnatal check actually covers, what is not on the list, what to raise…RecoverySleep Deprivation in the Fourth TrimesterCoping with newborn sleep deprivation: what the NHS says helps, the symptom separating exhaustion…RecoverySmear Test After Having a BabyHow long to wait for a smear test after giving birth. The NHS says screening deferred during…RecoverySmelly Discharge After BirthDischarge that smells bad or unusual after giving birth can mean a womb infection or retained…RecoveryStinging When You Pee After BirthWeeing after birth stings over grazes and stitches. What helps, how to tell it apart from a urine…RecoveryTailbone Pain After BirthTailbone pain after giving birth can last months and makes sitting agony. Why it happens, what…RecoveryTrapped Wind After BirthTrapped wind after birth, especially after a caesarean, can hurt more than the wound. Why it…RecoveryVaccinations After Giving BirthWhich vaccinations and injections you may be offered after birth, including anti-D and MMR, why…RecoveryVBAC: Vaginal Birth After CaesareanVBAC success rates, uterine rupture risk, who it suits and who it does not, and how UK, Irish and…RecoveryWhen to See a Doctor in the Weeks After BirthThe postnatal red flags named by NICE, the NHS, the HSE and ACOG, which ones are emergency calls,…RecoveryYour Body After Birth: What Changes and What SettlesWhat changes after birth and roughly when each thing settles, from lochia and afterpains to joints,…