Going to the toilet after birth: The thought of passing urine can be a bit frightening at first if you are sore or cannot feel what you are doing. Drinking lots of water dilutes your urine, but if it is difficult to pass urine, tell your midwife.
You probably will not need to open your bowels for a few days after the birth, but it’s important not to let yourself become constipated. Eat fresh fruit, vegetables, salad and whole meal bread, and drink plenty of water. Whatever it may feel like, it’s very unlikely that you will break the stitches or open up the cut or tear again.
Bleeding and pain after birth
After the birth you will bleed from your vagina. This will be quite heavy at first, which is why you will need super-absorbent sanitary towels. Do not use tampons until after your postnatal check, as they can cause infections. While breastfeeding you may notice that the discharge is redder or heavier.
You may also feel cramps like period pain, known as ‘after pains’. These are both because feeding causes the uterus to contract.
Gradually, the discharge will become a brownish color and may continue for some weeks, getting less and less until it stops. If you find you are losing blood in large clots, you should save your sanitary towels to show the midwife as you may need some treatment.
Contraception after pregnancy
Soon after your baby is born, a midwife or doctor will talk to you about contraception. If this doesn’t happen, ask. You can become pregnant straight away, even if you are breastfeeding or have not had a period.
Make sure you are using a reliable form of contraception, unless you want to get pregnant. If you are breastfeeding, you may not have another period until you stop feeding, or even for some weeks or months after that. If you are not breastfeeding, your first period might start as early as a month after the birth, or it might be much later.
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