• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Before Header

The Pregnancy Nurse

All your best pregnant info from the curly nurse

  • The Online Prenatal Class for Couples
  • The Pregnancy Nurse Podcast
  • About
    • Contact
  • The Online Prenatal Class for Couples
  • Free Prenatal Class
  • About the Pregnancy Nurse
    • Contact
  • The Pregnancy Nurse Podcast
  • Pulling Curls™ Pregnancy Posts
  • Information on Labor
    • Induction
    • Pain Management
  • Cesarean Sections
  • Postpartum
  • Healthy Pregnancy
  • Glossary
  • FREE Prenatal Class
  • Pulling Curls™ Pregnancy
  • Labor
    • Inductions
    • Labor Pain Mangement
  • Cesarean Sections
  • Postpartum
  • Healthy Pregnancy
  • Glossary
You are here: Home / Postpartum / Taking Care of Your Bottom & Perineum After Delivery
woman in front of the toilet with toilet paper

Taking Care of Your Bottom & Perineum After Delivery

March 18, 2021 //  by Hilary Erickson, BSN RN//  Leave a Comment

Pin
Share
Tweet

This post may contain affiliate links where I earn a small commission your purchase at no cost to you. Feel free to check my disclosure and terms for more info!

Please note the advice on this site is general advice and you should consult a provider before making choices for yourself.

looking for a birth class
How will you take care of your bottom and perineum (the area between your urethra and your rectum)? After you have a baby you're going to take care of this area in a whole new way. I can show you what to expect so it's not as foreign after the baby is born.

How will you take care of your bottom and perineum (the area between your urethra and your rectum)? After you have a baby you’re going to take care of this area in a whole new way. I can show you what to expect so it’s not as foreign after the baby is born.

Hi, I’m Hilary — The Pregnancy Nurse 👩‍⚕️. I have been a nurse since 1997 and I have 20 years of OB nursing experience, I am also the curly head behind Pulling Curls and The Online Prenatal Class for Couples. 🩺​

As someone who’s followed thousands of moms into the bathroom after they’ve had their baby — I want to share with you what to expect.

If you’re just wondering what ELSE there is to expect at the hospital, be sure to check out my Online Prenatal Class for Couples. I go into details like this from your third trimester, until well after the baby is born. Be sure to check it out:

What Happens to Your Pernieum at Delivery

When the baby comes out your birth canal — the tissues both in your vagina and perineum with swell and stretch. After delivery you will get up to restroom and learn how to take care of those tissues in a new way.

As a note: Sometimes your doctor will cut you (that’s called an episiotomy) for a variety of reasons. Or, sometimes your perineum will tear as the baby comes out. Both are recoverable, but can sound pretty scary. My sister site Pulling Curls has a whole post on tearing at delivery.

The trauma to those tissues certainly varies, but most women need these products after delivery as they heal (and healing time will depend on the tissues trauma).

How to Take Care of Your Bottom after Baby

I have a whole video on how you take care of your bottom after baby — we’ll talk about those components after the video as well:

Supplies to Take Care of Your Bottom After Baby:

  • Mesh Underwear — That way you won’t have to wash your own underwear, also these keep the pads on and easy to change.
  • Tucks Pads — These help with swelling in the area
  • Dermoplast — This helps with pain and also itching once you start to heal.
  • Large Pads (also, you can combine the undies and the pads with a depends-type product) — to take care of your bleeding that can take up to 6 weeks.
  • Perineal Spray Bottle — to help clean yourself off on the toilet

Extra Tips for Perineal Care After Baby

Here are some pro tips on how to take care of your bottom after baby:

Cold

Using an ice pack, or cold pack or even just keeping tucks in your fridge can feel great. Nurses will likely recommend you keep an ice pack on for the first 24 hours. I recommend you ask to change it every 2-3 hours — it can help a lot!

Bleeding

You might be thinking you’ll bleed just like a normal period, but the bleeding is a LOT initially.

It is also not unusual to not be able to hold your urine as well the first couple of days (because that area is so stretched-out). So, a LARGE pad can help with that as well.

Make sure you change your pad every time you use the restroom, which will likely be fairly frequently.

Post-Baby Hygiene Routine

  1. Remove the old pad and change underwear if necessary
  2. Do your business (pee or #2)
  3. Spray off with the peri wash bottle
  4. Use a washcloth or toilet paper to blot dry (don’t wipe)
  5. Put new pad in your panties
  6. Line that pad with tucks
  7. Spray painful area with dermoplast or other first aid spray

Optional Step: Apply an ice pack.

Your nurse will likely show you how to do all these things and accompany you into the bathroom the first couple of times.

Note: Your nurse is VERY used to bringing you into the bathroom and being there while you pee. We do it with most every patient. So, don’t feel bad that they have to stay by you. We definitely want to be sure that you’re steady and feeling alright during that first time up.

SO, don’t feel like you have to memorize this. I just wanted to share it so that you weren’t caught surprised after you have your baby.

If you liked this post, I think you NEED to jump into the Online Prenatal Class for Couples. If you’re looking to get prepared for all the facets of before and after birth, you’ll love it.

I’d also love it if you’d let me email about where you’re at in your pregnancy. This newsletter can be tailored to just what you need.

  • About the Author
  • Latest Posts
Hilary Erickson, BSN RN

A nurse since 1997, she has worked in various fields including pediatrics, geriatrics & hospice.

She has  20 years of labor and delivery experience in the San Jose, CA and Phoenix, AZ areas.

She is also the curly head behind the website Pulling Curls and is the creator of The Online Prenatal Class for Couples — the #1 hospital-based prenatal class on the internet.

  • How Many Weeks is Halfway Through Pregnancy
  • What to Do When Your Epidural Doesn't Work
  • How to Prepare for Childbirth

Related

Category: Postpartum

Previous Post: «women at a birthing class When to Take Childbirth Class?
Next Post: Can Pregnancy Cause Headaches? »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Hilary Erickson has been a nurse since 1997

Recent Posts

  • How Many Weeks is Halfway Through Pregnancy
  • What to Do When Your Epidural Doesn’t Work
  • How to Prepare for Childbirth
  • Can Jumping Jacks Induce Labor?
  • Can Pregnant Women Eat Salami?: Your guide to pregnancy deli meats.
glossary

Site Footer

The Online Prenatal Class for Couples
TikTok Facebook Instagram Pinterest YouTube

Reminder: Please don’t take the advice on this website over the advice of your physician or a professional.

❤️ Found this website helpful? Help support it! ❤️

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Disclosure & Privacy Policy | Terms | Accessibility Statement

Copyright © 2022 · Mai Lifestyle Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in