I'm a slow healer (have been with all of my births.) I'll be 3 weeks PP this Sunday, and I'm just getting back to normal as far as swelling goes. Most of these things were already discussed in the thread, but here's my list of things I did to help:
1) Peri bottle cleanse after every trip to the bathroom. Filled half with brewed sitz bath herbs, half with warm water.
2) Herbal sitz bath in very warm tub at least once every day for at least 20 minutes.
3) Ice packs the whole first week. I like the chemical break-and-shake kind because they aren't as shockingly cold as homemade ones when they first come out of the freezer, and they hold their cold much longer. However, homemade ones are fine, too. I got mine on
Overstock
I gave those a squirt of sitz bath herbs before putting them on, too.
4) Rest, rest, rest. This is perhaps the hardest because you want to be up and doing things, but you MUST give yourself time to heal.
5) Kegels. My MW has me doing them every time I nurse, and before bed, she wants me doing them upside-down. I lay with my chest on the bed, bottom in the air, and do a good slow 30 or so each night.
6) Good nutrition. Avoid sugar and processed foods. These undermine the body's ability to heal.
Congratulations to all you mamas!
