Hello,

In my last entry I covered a typical C – Section and what you should expect. This time around I am going to cover how a typical recovery for a vaginal delivery goes. As always, if you have any questions, I will do my best to answer them and if you would like to add anything to it, feel free, as always, we all appreciate your input.

After the baby and placenta have been delivered and any repairs of episiotomy or lacerations have been completed by the doctor, then recovery starts. For the first hour or so your nurse will be checking your vital signs, your bleeding, your perineum and checking your uterus every 15 minutes. She does the uterine check by rubbing your lower abdomen to massage the uterus. This keeps your uterus contracted, which decreases your bleeding.

You’ll keep your IV until you get up to walk to the bathroom for the first time. If you had an epidural we have to wait for the numbness to wear off before walking. Also, the nurse will be sure you can urinate without a problem before removing your IV. Your nurse will also show you how to cleanse your perineum properly to avoid infection, and a topical spray Med is usually available for perineal discomfort.

You’ll be able to eat solid foods again after recovery, if no nausea. For the first day vaginal bleeding is usually a little heavy, but begins to decrease 8-12 hours after delivery.

We are experiencing some serious storms right now, so I’m going to close off this post and finish with recovery for a C – Section in just a bit. As always, I hope this helps.

God bless,

Meredith – RNC