55 Things New Moms Should Know
Bonding, post-baby body sweat, black poop—here's what a registered midwife says her patients are the most surprised by.
You just gave birth to an adorable newborn—welcome to the fourth trimester! In the next few weeks, your body and your baby will go through some crazy postpartum changes together. Here, Ruth Comfort, a registered midwife in Vancouver, shares four things she wishes all new moms knew to expect:
01Expect the Unexpected
The postnatal period can be an unpredictable time, and Comfort advises letting go of any preconceived notions about what this period will be like and expecting the unexpected. This includes physical changes in the body, such as increased sweating and urination, which are part of the postnatal period's physiological adjustments.
"During the first week after giving birth, you may pee and sweat a lot, and your sweat can have a different, stronger smell," Ruth tells Today's Parent. "Your body is getting rid of all the extra fluid it accumulated during pregnancy. Most women also have a bit of an emotional crash on the third or fourth day after the baby is born, related to shifting hormones. Rest assured, it’s normal and generally passes in about 24 hours."
However, not all bodily transformations happen suddenly after birth— Comfort suggests preparing for the fact that it may take several weeks to return to your pre-baby weight.
"Don’t bring your skinny jeans to wear home from the hospital," explains Comfort. "The uterus typically returns to its non-pregnant size by two or three weeks postpartum, but you may have extra abdominal skin, fat and stretched muscles. Some women are also surprised that they miss the physical sensation of being pregnant, even though having the baby in their arms is also nice."
New mothers also may encounter unexpected challenges when caring for a newborn, such as experiencing delays in bonding and noticing black stool. But don't worry, these are very common experiences and typically resolve on their own with time.
"Parents, especially mothers, may feel surprised, ashamed, or worried if an immediate bond with their baby isn't felt post-birth," Comfort explains. "This delay in bonding is normal and can take days, weeks, or even months to develop. Bonding occurs naturally at its own pace. Additionally, newborns pass meconium, a black, tarry stool. To ease cleanup, consider using diaper cream or a thin layer of olive or coconut oil on your baby's bottom. As the stool transitions, it typically becomes watery, bright yellow, frequent, and explosive."
The diapers
The average newborn will go through 310 diapers in the first month alone. (Yep, expect to use between 8 and 12 diapers a day.)
