How Much to take it easy post birth - NO steps? - Page 2

[kitkat5505]

I've never been told that with any of mine. I would feel very restricted if I couldn't go up or down stairs because the bedrooms are upstairs and the kitchen and family room are down (with a small staircase between) so I'd either be stuck in my room or in the family room all day every day, which would get old really quick. Plus after DH goes back to work I have kids to take care of and that involves going up at least the small flight to the kitchen multiple times a day.

[SilverFish]

man, with number two, i don't plan on getting out of bed for a week and nothing in the world could induce me to take any stairs. with number one, i was discharged from the hospital but they kept her in the NICU for 2 weeks. multiple trips up and down our 3 story apartment stairs and 20min car rides and then sitting in a hard, uncomfortable chair by her isolette were truly horrible on my poor body. i fully plan on getting my proper babymoon next time around.

all i'm saying is, if you weren't allowed to have that full time of quiet rest and relaxation at home, you can't fully appreciate how wonderful a proper "confinement" really is :)

[Magali]

I think you just have to listen to your body.  You might not feel that you have overdone it until the next day, but it wouldn't be the end of the world.  After both of my births I have been up and about and walking up/down flights of stairs no problem.  The most traumatic bit I felt was having to go back to the hospital 2x in the days after giving birth for stupid and unecessary weight checks.  Stairs were nothing compared to getting a newborn and a 3 year old ready for a 40 min drive to the hospital, and having had zero sleep.

[Sudonk]

Wow, I guess I shouldn't have been cleaning the kitchen and making cupcakes for my older son's birthday within hours of having my youngest. 

My midwife told me to take it easier than normal, but she didn't give specific restrictions.  I did take it easy, rest often and enjoy my babymoon.  But I was also taking strolls within a day or two of giving birth, walking the mall at a week PP with #1 and generally enjoying all the things that felt better without someone living on my bladder and punching my interal organs. 

[Smokering]

I like the "a week in the bed, a week on the bed, a week around the bed" advice.

Sudonk: Yikes! You were OK - no excessive bleeding or faintness or anything? Maybe you're just a super-healer, but I suspect most midwives would say "no cleaning the kitchen the day you give birth". :p Things like gentle walking seem to vary hugely from person to person - some people find it invigorating, while it knocks other people out for the rest of the day (me, me!). Of course in retrospect, if it didn't do you any harm, it was fine... but there's a lot of historical precedent for taking it super-easy after birth, and I think it's a good idea if you can swing it.

[soso-lynn]

I think that it is important to get enough napping time in the first weeks but beyond that, I do whatever I feel comfortable doing. With my first, I took her out to the fruit market down the street 12 hours after birth (I had a massive peach craving) and was back to my daily walks after a few days. With my second, she was born on a Thursday night and I was driving my older one to school the next Monday and back to my normal routine. I did, however, stay in bed from about 8pm til the morning everyday for about 2 weeks.

[weliveintheforest]

I wouldn't be going up and down all the time, but once a day should be fine.  Maybe come down for the day, if you can set up a nursing/resting area in the living room or something, and then go back up at night if you want.  Or, just stay downstairs.

[~Amy~]

I wasn't told any restrictions at all after I had DS.  I just did what felt comfortable.  I had a c-section, though, so maybe that makes a difference since I didn't have any pelvic organ trauma of any kind.

[Peony]

I've had 3 MW's with my different births, lived in 3 different spilt level houses during each of those births and never been told that. I think I'd laugh someone out of my house if they suggested it to me. Severe tearing, trauma, etc... I understand, but for a regular birth, umm no. I'm not talking about doing step aerobics the next day, but daily life. I've gone up multiple times a day after birth, I've taken walks the next day, I also do what someone else mentioned and spent about 10-12 hours in bed at night, I'll retire at 7pm ish and not come out until 7 the next day. During the day though, life has to continue, especially with moms with other children. I just listen to my body and slow down when I get tired. 

I always wonder if providers who dispense this advice actually have followed it. There is one here who makes surprise visits for the first week or so and expects the mom to be in bed when she comes over. Yeah, like that is going to happen when hubby goes back to work quickly and someone has to child wrangle. 

[Banana731]

Originally Posted by Peony 

I've had 3 MW's with my different births, lived in 3 different spilt level houses during each of those births and never been told that. I think I'd laugh someone out of my house if they suggested it to me. Severe tearing, trauma, etc... I understand, but for a regular birth, umm no. I'm not talking about doing step aerobics the next day, but daily life. I've gone up multiple times a day after birth, I've taken walks the next day, I also do what someone else mentioned and spent about 10-12 hours in bed at night, I'll retire at 7pm ish and not come out until 7 the next day. During the day though, life has to continue, especially with moms with other children. I just listen to my body and slow down when I get tired. 

I always wonder if providers who dispense this advice actually have followed it. There is one here who makes surprise visits for the first week or so and expects the mom to be in bed when she comes over. Yeah, like that is going to happen when hubby goes back to work quickly and someone has to child wrangle. 

Well, it's advice I follow, and others here too. So I think it's conceivable that a CP who tells you this has done it herself.

[Sudonk]

Originally Posted by Smokering 

Sudonk: Yikes! You were OK - no excessive bleeding or faintness or anything? Maybe you're just a super-healer, but I suspect most midwives would say "no cleaning the kitchen the day you give birth". :p

No, I had some heavy bleeding immediately after the pitocin shot I was given during my first (and only hospital) birth, but that let up once it was out of my system.  But my bleeding was pretty light with the others.  I never experienced any faintness or weakness after my births.  I felt ready to run a marathon.  I remember a nurse coming in to "help me to the toilet" an hour or two after my first was born, and she was shocked to realize I had not only made it to the bathroom just fine on my own, I had already taken a shower while DH napped with the baby.  I never felt like I was healing from anything, I just felt lighter and no longer pregnant.  There is absolutely no way I could have stayed in bed for a week when I was feeling better than I had in nearly a year. 

I did make changes, don't get me wrong.  I avoided heavy lifting and I did nap lots and spend tons of time snuggled up with my baby.   And of course I let up on my exercise routine for the first couple weeks.  I cut out the kick-boxing and such and took up walking and light yoga for the first month or two PP. 

[Twinklefae]

I can't imagine how depressed I'd be if I followed that advice.  I totally appreciate that it's important to take it easy in the pp period, but I would lose my mind if I had to stay in bed.  I hate being in bed.  I have to be talked into going to bed when I'm so sick I can hardly stand.  I'd much rather rest on the couch!

Like I said - it's important to take it easy.  We lived up 6 flights of stairs when I had DS and I had to walk them at 8 hours pp when we were released from the hospital.  And we stayed home for about a week after that.  But I walked around the house, lounged on the couch and in my chair, cooked, etc.

A about a week I went for a little walk, and then stayed home for a little while longer.  We had lots of visitors though.  And we moved at 3 weeks pp, so I was packing and watching my step-mother pack during a lot of that time.

[scotia]

I was told by my (very conservative) doctor to go up/down the stairs no more than twice a day for the first week.  He did say that I was allowed to go for walks, but not by myself, in case there were any problems, and that I shouldn't drive for two weeks.  I followed his advice as best I could, but the first week we were back was more hectic than I had anticipated - we had multiple unplanned doctor visits, each of which involved driving more than an hour each way (for insurance reasons, we've since switched to more local drs!).  I had also been unexpectedly staying at my parents' house for two weeks before the birth, as they were closer to the hospital.  As a result though, I hadn't had a chance to really be home and set anything up, so there was a lot of feeling like I had to be up and doing things all the time, rather than resting. 

I have no idea if any of that is to blame, but I did end up having a pretty rough recovery.  Next time I definitely would like to be able to take it easier! 

[finnegansmom]

I've never heard of the stair thing before.  I have given birth with an OB (where I had about 4000000 stitches) and a MW where I was home a few hours later.

I kind of did what I did before hand?  I mean, I wasn't moving the lawn and didn't vaccum the same day but I'm sure I was up and about cleaning, etc the next day?

I'm not really one to "take it easy" but if I felt like crapola or was weak, bleeding I wouldn't be stubborn enough to NOT go to bed.  KWIM?

Also, this thread reminds me of my grandmother, who was french canadian and lived on a farm, and had 12 kids at home.

She always used to say "I would be working in the field and come into the house and have a baby, and get dressed and go right back out to the fields..."

and my grandfather would always laugh and say "Oh no no no dear, I always let you have the afternoon off..."

LOL...

[womenswisdom]

The mw I work with recommends that mamas with tears not do stairs for several days after the birth.  If you think about how the perineum moves when walking up and down stairs, you can imagine how it might impact the healing of a tear, especially one that is not sutured.  She also recommends no tailor-sitting (cross-legged) and keeping mom's knees together as much as possible to help with healing.  Anyway, that's why I've heard it recommended.

[tireesix]

I've got flu so probably won't make much sense.

Ok, so, after I had baby, had 2nd degree tear and a prolapse BUT with DH not exactly being healthy, 2 older children and the toilet being upstairs there was just no way  I was going to be able to avoid using the stairs, especially as my bladder is crap. Also, there was no chance in hell of me just getting a couple of weeks to chill in the bedroom, family live far away, the few friends I have are disabled, if I had the money I probably should have got a PP doula.

What I did do though was to just try and take it easy which really wasn't that easy as baby had to go into hospital aged 8 days old due to a UTI (suspected meningitis at first, it was horrible).

I just think as long as you are good to yourself and take care of yourself and listen to your body then all should be a ok.

[greenmulberry]

He he, am I the only one looking forward to as much time as possible in bed with the baby following the birth? We even went and bought an internet ready TV so I will have Netflix instant download at my fingertips in bed.

I plan to lay in bed, where I will nurse, nap, read, eat food DH brings me, and watch movies and TV shows, only getting up to toddle to the bathroom. I have never had a baby before so perhaps this is just my fantasy and it won't play out like that. Housecleaning is mostly DH's job, and we have no other kids, so I am not anticipating much getting in the way of my post birth mega relaxation marathon.

[Storm Bride]

Originally Posted by Smokering 

I like the "a week in the bed, a week on the bed, a week around the bed" advice.

I've come across this before. I think it's really meant to give the new mom a babymoon, honour her hard work, and ensure that she gets enough rest post-partum. I think it can be very beneficial, and I think it's an excellent recommendation for some people and in some situations (eg. if a woman has a partner who assumes that she's back to normal in two days, I'm sure a formal recommendation for bed rest will ease some of the pressure). However, I also think the physical advantages of getting more rest can be badly offset if it's a psychologically difficult situation. I would go out of my flipping mind if I followed the above advice. It boils down to not leaving my room for three weeks, except to use the bathroom. I can't wrap my brain around anybody being able to cope with that!! I can't stand staying in bed for more than an hour, at the absolute max, unless I'm sleeping, reading before falling asleep or having sex (which I've never done in the first few weeks post-partum). Even lying in bed reading after I wake up loses its appeal in well under an hour.

So, yeah - I think this is a good recommendation, and it definitely plays a role in not making women feel guilty if they aren't doing all "their" work...but I don't think there's any benefit in following it if it's not working for you.

[Storm Bride]

Originally Posted by greenmulberry 

He he, am I the only one looking forward to as much time as possible in bed with the baby following the birth? We even went and bought an internet ready TV so I will have Netflix instant download at my fingertips in bed.

I plan to lay in bed, where I will nurse, nap, read, eat food DH brings me, and watch movies and TV shows, only getting up to toddle to the bathroom. I have never had a baby before so perhaps this is just my fantasy and it won't play out like that. Housecleaning is mostly DH's job, and we have no other kids, so I am not anticipating much getting in the way of my post birth mega relaxation marathon.

I can't see any real reason why you shouldn't be able to do that with the baby. I personally think it sounds awful, but if it sounds relaxing to you, go for it!