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Early Postnatal Body Care

Looking after yourself in the first days and weeks

After birth, your body has done something extraordinary, and it now needs time and care to recover. The first six weeks are particularly important. This page covers the practical basics: pain and bleeding, how to care for stitches or a caesarean wound, sleep, and when to seek help.

Most women find the first two weeks the hardest. By six weeks, most feel substantially better, even if they’re not “back to normal” yet.

Recovery, by type of birth

After a vaginal birth

  • Bleeding (lochia): Heaviest in the first 3 to 5 days, like a heavy period, then gradually lightening. May continue, lighter, for up to 6 weeks.
  • Pain: Uterine cramping (especially during breastfeeding), perineal soreness, possibly stitch site discomfort. Usually settles within 1 to 2 weeks. Paracetamol and ibuprofen help.
  • Stitches: Dissolve over 2 to 6 weeks. Keep clean and dry. Pat dry after washing or weeing.
  • Activity: Walking from day one. Avoid heavy lifting and high-impact activity for 6 weeks. Start gentle pelvic floor exercises within a few days.

After a caesarean

  • Bleeding (lochia): Similar to vaginal birth, heaviest first few days, gradually lightening over 4 to 6 weeks.
  • Pain: Wound pain plus uterine cramping. More significant than vaginal birth in the first 1 to 2 weeks. Take pain relief regularly.
  • Wound care: Dressing usually removed by day 2. Keep wound clean and dry. Watch for redness, heat or discharge.
  • Activity: Walking gently from day one. Avoid lifting anything heavier than your baby for 6 weeks. No driving until you can perform an emergency stop without pain (typically 4 to 6 weeks; check with your insurer).

Wound care basics

Keep clean and dry

Wash daily in the shower or a shallow bath. Pat the area dry gently. Avoid scented products on the perineum or near the wound.

Change pads frequently

Use maternity pads, not tampons, while you are bleeding. Change pads at least every 4 hours and after each visit to the toilet, to reduce infection risk.

Watch for warning signs

Red, hot, swollen, painful, or smelly wounds, or pads soaked more often than expected, can signal infection or heavy bleeding. Don’t wait. Contact us.

Tiredness and emotions

The first weeks are physically and emotionally intense. Most women experience:

  • Profound tiredness. Broken sleep, hormonal shifts, and the physical effort of recovery. Rest whenever you can; “sleep when the baby sleeps” is a cliché, but in the first month, it is the best advice.
  • The “baby blues.” Around days 3 to 10, many women feel tearful, low, and a bit overwhelmed. This is normal and usually passes in a few days.
  • Mood changes that are more than the baby blues. If you feel sustained low mood, anxiety, hopelessness, or unsettling thoughts beyond two weeks, please tell your midwife, public health nurse, or GP. Postnatal depression and anxiety are common, treatable, and you are not alone.
  • Practical needs. Accept all offers of help. Make a list of things people can do (meals, laundry, dog walks, older children). Anything that isn’t feeding the baby can be done by someone else.

Frequently asked questions

When can I have a bath?

A shower is generally fine straight away. A shallow bath is fine when bleeding is lighter, usually after a few days, if you have no significant wound. Avoid bubble bath or strongly scented products.

After a vaginal birth, when you feel comfortable and can do an emergency stop, typically 1 to 2 weeks. After a caesarean, generally 4 to 6 weeks, when you can stop without pain. Check your insurer’s specific advice.

Walking from day one. Pelvic floor exercises within a few days. More structured exercise after your 6-week postnatal check, and ideally after a physio review if you’ve had a tear, caesarean, or particular concerns.

When you feel ready, physically and emotionally, and when bleeding has stopped. There is no fixed time, though most women wait at least until after their 6-week check. Use contraception, as you can become pregnant before your periods return.

Hormonal shifts cause many women to sweat heavily at night for the first few weeks. Normal, and self-limiting.

Postnatal hair loss starts around 3 to 4 months and usually settles by 6 to 12 months. Hormones again.

If you are not breastfeeding, around 6 to 12 weeks. If you are exclusively breastfeeding, often later (sometimes much later). Either way, contraception is needed before your periods return, as ovulation can occur first.