Birth can be a beautiful but vulnerable experience. Your body takes over, and there is very little you can do besides listen to it. Even an uncomplicated birth will leave you in need of physical and emotional support. Throughout your labor, delivery, and post birth hospital stay, your nurses and nurse technicians are there to help you every step of the way.

If you need someone who knows what they are doing to hold your hand for a moment during the labor pain, just ask your nurse. They will also be there the first time you get up and use the bathroom. They will even help you put your pad on and get up from the restroom if you are shaky or hurting.

If you are planning on breastfeeding your baby, the lactation team will also help you figure out how to get the baby to latch effectively. This may involve some boob squeezing on their part. Do yourself a favor and don’t let any sense of embarrassment or self-consciousness stop you from asking for help with anything from the get go. By the time you leave the hospital, your care team will have seen it all anyway.

Immediately after delivering your baby, it is common to feel chills. Your body can go into a little shock as it catches up to all that happened. Let your care team know if you are having chills, as they will monitor you for a fever. If it isn’t offered, ask for a warm blanket. The maternity ward will have a blanket warmer stocked with warmed blankets that feel like clothes fresh out of the dryer. You can ask for more any time during your hospital stay.

The thought of food might be farthest from your mind before, during, and immediately after labor. However, when the post birth haze begins to lift and your team is preparing you to move from labor and delivery to your room in the maternity ward, the hunger will hit you. You will understand why the nurses urged you to order from the hospital kitchen when you could barely lift your arm.

You will be ravenous and any food will taste like the best meal you’ve ever had. Don’t be conservative with your order. You will be allowed as many dishes, sides, and desserts as you want and you can always save a treat for later. If you deliver late at night, your team will be just as disappointed as you that the kitchen is not open because they know how hungry you are.

It is often possible to get through a vaginal birth without any pain medications. Your hormones, adrenaline, and anticipation of your baby’s arrival might carry you through the pain if you stay centered and calm. You may also feel a post-birth high, but it will soon wear off as your body starts to realize everything it went through to bring a baby into the world. If you feel pain coming on, don’t hesitate to ask for some pain medication. Don’t let the pain become intense enough to make you desperate for relief. It can take time for the medicine to get to you from the dispensary and take effect once it is in your body.

If you had pain medication or an epidural during labor and delivery, you will most likely be offered something before those wear out. You should probably take it to avoid getting hit by the pain you weren’t feeling because of the epidural. If you are experiencing pain, stay on top of your prescribed pain medication schedule to avoid more discomfort than necessary.

You will also be prescribed a stool softener. More often than not, you will appreciate it. Yes, you might think that if you just pushed a baby out, how hard can some stool be? However, having to push even a little while you are sore after birth can have you withholding to avoid the pain. The stool softener will help you avoid more strain and pain.

When you are first handed the infamous mesh postpartum underwear as you head to the restroom for the first time post birth, you might be horrified. This monstrosity, though, will be soft and giving so the waistband doesn’t dig into your tender, loose belly. It will be supportive and spacious enough to accommodate the mega pads that go with it and the special postpartum ice packs (more on these later).

Layer in some witch hazel pads and you will have a soothing set up for your tender bits. Try to grab a few extras of everything to take home and use the first few days. You will need more self care supplies once you are home. Check out what to have on hand at home and how to set up these care stations to make your fourth trimester easier.

Using the restroom post birth can be scary, especially if you had any tearing or end up constipated. Your most handy tool when using the restroom will be the peri bottle. Ask for 2-3 peri bottles and arm yourself with some nice warm water before you get down to business. If you have stitches or if peeing burns, squirt some warm water as you urinate. Same goes for passing stool. Use the warm water to help soothe any pain or irritation. You will also use the peri bottles to clean yourself as wiping is a big no after a vaginal birth. Squirt yourself till you are clean, then pat gently dry.

Whether you have a vaginal birth or C-section, your nurses will offer you ice packs. Take them. With a C-section, an icepack can help sooth pain and irritation at the incision sight. If you have a vaginal birth, it may sound gross to put a plasticky ice pack in your underwear with all the postpartum bleeding.

Don’t worry, the ice pack given to you will be absorptive and completely unlike the ones that come in first aid kits. At many hospitals, the nurses make them out of diapers stuffed with ice. This prevents the ice from adding moisture to the area and also helps absorb your bleeding.

Any bleeding fallout will be caught by your pad. You may also find it useful to ice your tailbone if it is bruised during labor or starts to hurt from staying in a hospital bed. You can ring your maternity ward nurses as many times as you need to for a fresh ice pack.

Don’t turn down help and items offered by your postpartum nurses without fully understanding what they are. A good rule of thumb is to try it, and if you don’t like it, say so. Majority of what will be offered for your care will be well thought out to cater to the needs of a postpartum woman. Some things may sound strange. Remember that your entire hospital stay is new territory, especially if you are experiencing birth for the first time. Allow yourself to be taken care of and ask for help if something doesn’t make sense to you.

For more recommendations on helpful items for moms and newborns, especially if you are breastfeeding, check out this post on Products Every Mom Needs.

How was your post birth stay at the hospital? What did the maternity ward
provide for you postpartum? Do you have any tips for first time moms? Comment below!