Self-care
To relieve pain or discomfort:
Ask your nurse to apply ice packs right after the birth. Using ice packs in the first 24 hours after birth decreases the swelling and helps with pain. Take warm baths but wait until 24 hours after you have given birth. Make sure that the bathtub is cleaned with a disinfectant before every bath. Take medicine like acetaminophen or ibuprofen to relieve pain.
You can do many other things to help speed up the healing process, such as: Use sitz baths (sit in water that covers your vulvar area) a few times a day. Wait until 24 hours after you have given birth to take a sitz bath as well. You can buy tubs in any drug store that will fit on the rim of the toilet. If you prefer, you can sit in this kind of tub instead of climbing into the bathtub. Change your pads every 2 to 4 hours. Keep the area around the stitches clean and dry. Pat the area dry with a clean towel after you bathe. After you urinate or have a bowel movement, spray warm water over the area and pat dry with a clean towel or baby wipe. Do not use toilet paper.
Drink lots of water. This will prevent constipation. Eating lots of fiber will also help. Your health care provider can suggest foods with plenty of fiber.
Do Kegel exercises. Squeeze the muscles that you use to hold in urine for 5 minutes. Do this 10 times a day throughout the day.
When to Call the Doctor
Contact your provider if: Your pain gets worse. You go for 4 or more days without a bowel movement. You pass a blood clot larger than a walnut. You have a discharge with a bad odor. The wound seems to break open.