Things to NOT Do After You Have Your Baby

There’s a lot of “dont’s” while you’re pregnant but there are some serious ones to not do AFTER baby is born too. Today I’m going to share things you should NOT do after you have a baby.

Pro Tip: Ignoring what life will be like after baby is here is one of the BIGGEST mistakes I see people make during pregnancy. It’s why I put two FULL chapter full of very realistic life after baby is born to help you prepare in The Online Prenatal Class for Couples. This article has a few tips, but that class has helped thousands, and the postpartum section is one of the favorites per my reviews. The class is entirely on demand and SO easy — you’ll be prepared for ALL of it before you know it!

Ok, let’s get started in what NOT to do after you have a baby:

{This does vary a bit between cesarean vs vaginal delivery moms, but some work for both}

Ignore Your Bottom

This one is mostly for my vaginal delivery moms, although if you pushed prior to your c-section your bottom AND your incision may be very tender.

I would get so flustered that I just didn’t spend the time needed on my bottom because baby was crying. Let me just tell you to take a deep breath, and take care of that bottom to help it heal. Baby will be there in the 3 minutes it takes you.

I have a whole video on how to take care of your bottom after you have your baby:

It’s a bit complicated, so that video is going to give you an idea of what to expect!

Fun Fact: Both vaginal deliveries AND cesareans will still bleed after delivery. It’s coming from your placental scab. SO, make sure you have the pads you’ll need either way — grab my postpartum checklist here:

Stay in Bed

This is mostly for my C-section mamas, but honestly it’s for all of us. It can be really tempting to just stay in bed. Getting up can feel miserable (this is true for ladies with a big tear as well). You just want to stay in bed. But still get up. Walk around, get that blood flowing — it really will help.

Staying in bed can make you heal slower, so make sure you’re getting up and getting that blood flowing. The good news is that you’ll need to pee quite a lot in those early days, so take a few steps around your room beyond just using the bathroom.

A lot of people use the 5-5-5 method, meaning:

• 5 days in bed
• 5 days AROUND the bed
• 5 days NEAR the bed

And honestly, I’m a fan of that — except you still need to get up those first five days.

It can be really tempting for c-section moms to just stay in bed, but I can promise you that you’ll feel better getting up and walking. It just helps your body, even if it hurts initially!

Interested in more tips in staying comfortable postpartum check theses out:

• Breastfeeding Not Working: Transition from breastmilk to formula?
• Postpartum Recovery: How does the placenta scab heal?
• The Best Postpartum Pajamas
• Taking Care Of Your Bottom & Perineal Care After Delivery
• 5 Ways To Prevent Postpartum Hemorrhage

Have a Bath

Heads up! 👀 There may be affiliate links in here to make it easier to tell you what I’m talking about – I might earn a smidge with your click. No cost to you, just good vibes! Check my boring stuff for deets.

You shouldn’t have your incision or healing areas in “standing water” — that means a bath, pool, etc.

The germs from your body and the tub will just be hanging out with you in the tub — so a shower is a better choice as the water is constantly recirculated.

You can also use something called a sitz bath, or I prefer a bidet.

And yes, I give handy tips like that all over the place in here. There really is no one out there looking for you to be safer & happier after you have your baby!

Put Things In Your Vagina

I mean, when I put it this way, it sounds sort of obvious. And yes, this is for both C-section and vaginal deliveries. You don’t want to put anything in your vagina — and yes, that includes:

• Vibrators
• Penises
• Tampons

Sometimes providers may put fingers in there to check on healing/clots at the hospital — and that’s OK as it’s in and out (and likely done with a sterile glove). But, anything else — keep it out!

Remember, your uterus has a giant scab that’s healing from where the placenta peeled off. If you have bad bacteria/germs thriving in your vagina it can get into your uterus and cause an infection.

Your body is naturally washing that out through bleeding and discharge from your uterus/vagina but when you put stuff in there it can be a big issue.

Also, if you had a tear in your vagina you don’t want to stretch that or cause any issues with that.

If you’re still pregnant, here are a few later pregnancy tips:

• Can You Push Yourself Into Labor?
• Can Curb Walking Induce Labor?
• Top Tips for Your Plus-Size Pregnancy
• 5 Ways to Get Organized In your Second Trimester
• 5 Important & Easy Things to Do Before Birth

Lift Heavy Things

This catches people off guard. Certainly you had some “light duty” towards the end of pregnancy, but after baby is born you really shouldn’t be lifting anything heavier than the baby.

And yes, that does mean:

• The carseat
• Other kids
• Heavy things at home

When you do, your uterus gets angry and can stop healing as well. Most often this is shown by increased bleeding.

Luckily, mother nature gave us a way to watch all of it — so when your bleeding increases from the last day that’s a sign that you need to do less.

I often have friends calling saying that their bleeding increased from out of nowhere and then I ask what they were doing, and they say “I just went to Costco” and I’m like — that is WAY too much walking and lifting, take it easy! When bleeding increases it’s a time to put those feet up and rest more.

Bleeding is just one of the signs that it’s important to watch for after baby. I made a class called Postpartum Care Made Easy that goes over the problem signs. I recommend everyone around a postpartum mom take it so we can all watch out for their safety after baby is born. It’s included in here, or you can grab it here as well (the presentation itself is free, because I really am working to improve postpartum support after baby is born).

Ignore Yourself

This is one we OFTEN get caught-up in.

We focus SO much on that baby, and trying to breastfeed, and we ignore ourselves.

That can be not taking care of our bottom like we should (as I talked about above), or not getting the sleep, rest or even FOOD that we need.

So, don’t just drop everything and just do baby. Honestly, that doesn’t do anyone any favors. Let your partner do a lot with baby and remember that you matter just as much as the baby does.

That’s part of what I love about Postpartum Care Made Easy, I hope it reminds people to pay attention to THEMSELVES too, and not just the baby. So often I’d hear moms just ignoring the problem signs to watch for in themselves, and just paying attention to issues for the baby. BOTH matter, YOU matter. I’m so glad you’re here.

And NOW is your chance to get ready for life after baby with The Online Prenatal Class for Couples. It truly does prepare you from bump to bassinet (and beyond). When you’re ready come join me in there! If you’re past 20 weeks, I think now is a great time to get started!

Want to do a vibe check before diving into the whole thing with me? — check out my free labor pro tips. It’s your first step toward getting in the driver’s seat of your birth.