With the arrival of a baby in the family, the life of young parents is filled with new concerns. In most families, it is the new mother who has to deal with a lot of everyday issues and do a million things – feeding, bathing, walking. Not surprisingly, all the new worries exhaust the young mother, take away a lot of strength and time, and affect her emotional and physical state. While it is in the first year after the birth of a child, a woman is especially in need of comfort, comfort, moral support, and help with the routine.
A happy, radiant, balanced mother is necessary for the baby’s good psycho-emotional development. Everyone knows the basic things, for happy motherhood – breastfeeding, shared sleep, carrying in her arms, taking care of the mother herself. And all family members should try to provide that.
A young mother should know the rules of hygiene in the postpartum period
Following the rules of personal hygiene should protect the expectant mother and her newborn baby from infection. Every day you should take a shower, change your underwear, and keep the external genitalia clean. During this period, lochia – postpartum discharge from the uterus associated with the recovery of the mucosa – appears. The discharge after childbirth goes away within 4-6 weeks, which is how long it takes for the uterus to reverse development (involution) after pregnancy and childbirth. Their amount decreases over time, indicating that the wound surface is healing. Lochia not only contaminates the external genitalia but also causes maceration (damage) to the skin, which contributes to the upward entry of infection. To prevent infection it is recommended to take a shower at least twice a day, wash the external genitalia with soap and water, dry the genitals after washing with a clean individual towel, to change the pads in time (at least 3-4 times a day). The use of tampons is not recommended.
Care for a healthy newborn is carried out by modern perinatal technologies. They are based on the joint presence of the mother and her newborn, which ensures exclusive breastfeeding in the absence of contraindications. The expectant mother should wash her hands thoroughly before each feeding and cut her nails short. Breast care, in addition to hygiene, includes wearing a bra that supports well and does not squeeze the mammary glands.
Diet of a woman in labor after discharge from the maternity hospital
After giving birth a healthy woman in labor can return to her usual diet, but before the recovery of normal bowel function (usually the first 2-3 days) recommend including in your diet more foods rich in fiber. It is very important to have lactic acid products containing live bifido and Lacto cultures on the daily menu. Breastfeeding women can be recommended to include in their diet special dry diet mixes used as a milk drink.
However, lactation and breastfeeding dictate certain dietary restrictions. It should be remembered that the composition of breast milk deteriorates if the nursing mother overloads her food with carbohydrates, eating a lot of sugar, confectionery, and cereals. This reduces the amount of protein in the milk. It is necessary to limit the consumption of allergens: chocolate, coffee, cocoa, nuts, honey, mushrooms, citrus fruits, strawberries, and some seafood, as they can cause unwanted reactions in the baby. You should also avoid canned foods, and spicy and strong-smelling products (peppers, onions, garlic), which may give the milk a specific flavor.
The intake of alcohol and tobacco is categorically forbidden. Alcohol and nicotine easily pass into breast milk, which can cause serious damage to the child’s central nervous system, up to mental retardation.
What to do when breastfeeding is not available?
Everyone knows that breast milk is the best food for babies, but there are cases where breastfeeding is not possible. Then baby formula comes to the rescue. Of course, you need to be careful in its choice, to study the composition of the product and the quality of ingredients. Your pediatrician can give good advice. By assessing the health of the baby, he will recommend a particular formula, because all children are different and not everyone needs the same food.
When choosing a milk formula for your baby, you should pay attention to the presence of probiotics and prebiotics, as they have a positive effect on the intestinal microflora. Omega-3 and Omega-6 help the baby’s body to develop normally.
By the way, the advantage of artificial feeding is the ability to feed the baby to other members of the family. Which makes it possible to relieve the new mom, so she had time for her whims. This is very important for a woman in the postpartum period.
Asking for help is OK
Of course, the mom needs to be 24/7, but today’s woman needs to get out of the role of an anxious housewife and have time for herself beloved. So you need to understand that asking for help is the norm, not something unrealistic.
Life with a newborn baby is first constant sleeplessness and cradle duty. For example, grandmothers can spend time so that the young parents can get some sleep and take time for each other. After that, it is much easier to return to their parenting duties in good spirits and with a positive attitude.
Friends can help the young family with shopping, cleaning the yard of the house, cooking, and other chores.
An important role in helping a young mommy, of course, is played by daddy. In addition to becoming the financial support of the family, and it is not always easy, a great option for both parents would be to shift certain responsibilities on the shoulders of the father. But it all depends on the man’s character, upbringing, his position in life. In addition to physical assistance, a man can give a very important at that moment – moral support. This inspires the young mother and gives her a new charge of strength to overcome further difficulties. This is how happy families are formed.