Caring for your postpartum crotch
& other tips for keeping it comfortable after vaginal birth!
Oh, the postpartum waddle. There’s no getting around a sore crotch after a vaginal birth… but there is a lot you can do to stay comfortable and promote healing!
If you want, visit this post for more info on your pelvic floor and core in the early postpartum days.
Rest, rest, and more rest.
The days and weeks after giving birth are some of the most important when it comes to setting yourself up for a smooth recovery. Why? Your body is in full recovery mode. When you are resting in bed or on the couch, you are giving your body the vital pause it needs to start tissue recovery. If you are on your feet all day in the first couple weeks, you are adding unnecessary stress to your body, which might cause more soreness, symptoms, and impede tissue recovery. Check out this postpartum recovery method, called the “5, 5, 5 Rule.”
Use ice for only the first 5-7 days.
The purpose of ice packs/padsicles is to decrease swelling/relieve pain in the first week after birth. However, if you continue to use ice on your perineum after 7 days, it might actually impede tissue healing. Why? Because ice constricts blood vessels and blood flow. After your initial swelling is down, we want your blood flow to be increased to the area so that your body can continue the healing process!
Use warmth after the first week.
Because of the previous tip, you can use warm water or warm baths to improve perineal soreness. Why? Because warm water can help loosen tissue that is becoming a bit more tight… especially if you have stitches. As the tissue around your stitches heals, it can pull and tug which can be very uncomfortable.
Here are some options: fill a peri-bottle with warm water and spray while you sit on the toilet, use a gentle shower head setting to spray the area for a minute or two while you’re in the shower, fill a bath tub 4-5 inches deep with warm water (add postpartum bath herbs or salts for extra love) and sit for 10-15 minutes. You can do all of these techniques multiple times a day as long as they are comfortable.
A quick note: Be sure to start with warm water instead of hot water… hot water might hurt. Also, stick to using water… don’t sit on a heat pad, they tend to get very hot.
Be aware of toilet time.
Don’t sit on the toilet for long periods of time; this can create too much pressure on your perineum which can be uncomfortable and impede healing. Keep up with stool softening agents, which ever type you choose (magnesium, miralax, prunes, colase) and try your best not to strain while pooping. Straining can also create too much pressure. Use a squatty potty when going to the bathroom and use a peribottle to clean up after.
Use medicated sprays/foams/products as long as you need!
There are lots of products on the market that can help ease some of the soreness after birth. Keep using them as long as you feel they are beneficial. Here are some ingredients to look for when looking into products: lidocaine, benzocaine, witch hazel, aloe, and calendula.
Just a note: if your vaginal/perineal pain is lasting longer than 6 weeks and/or seems to be getting worse… that’s a sign you might need checked out by your doctor or a pelvic PT.
Try some breathing, pelvic floor activations, and gentle stretching.
As your vaginal and perineal tissue heals, it’s helpful to use gentle techniques to move it, activate it, and stretch it. This helps it stay mobile and also can bring blood flow to the area (blood flow is good for healing tissues!).
You can start gentle breathing techniques in the first few days after birth. After the first week, you might add some light pelvic floor activations. After the second week, you might add some nice mobility exercises (like gentle cat/cow, spinal rotations, modified child’s pose). Only perform these if it feels good… do not continue if it causes pain.
Even if your provider “clears” at your 6-week visit… you are not done healing.
Just because your vaginal tissue has healed from birth, and your doctor or midwife says it looks great, doesn’t mean the tissue is functional and happy. Scar tissue can be immobile, tight, and involve muscle dysfunction, which can cause pain with sitting, pooping, intercourse, exercise, and really… any activity. So just because your doctor has “cleared you” at your postpartum visit, doesn’t mean you can’t or won’t continue to heal. Pelvic PT is a wonderful next step… we help assess your scar/vaginal tissue and pelvic floor and get it working seamlessly again so you can return to activities you love! Here’s our booking link if you are local to SLC.
Cheers, to the incredible stretchiness of vaginas and gently caring for them after childbirth.
Sam