I’ve finally come out of the fourth trimester this round and I am thankful to have had a much easier recovery this time compared to my first birth. Perhaps it is the combination of it being my second birth and having more support around me this time. But there are also a couple of things I found to be helpful in speeding up my recovery this time round. Here they are:
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Preparing my body physically for birth and postpartum during my pregnancy
During this pregnancy, I kept up with my workouts and training at BFT classes, modifying as needed to accommodate my growing baby bump. Compared to my first pregnancy where I did the typical prenatal yoga and walking a ton, I was definitely a lot more active this time round and strengthening my body to carry the baby in utero as well as after she was born. Recovery was also easier as I suffer less backaches and less wrist problems too.
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Post-natal Massage + Belly Binding
I had booked 7 post-natal massage sessions this time round. These sessions really helped my body relax and with shrinking of my uterus. In a way, I was also "forced" to spend that hour properly resting and not be distracted with doing something instead. The massause also helped bind my belly professionally to support the restoration of the uterus and pelvis. While I have my own, theirs seem way more professional and given the complexity of how it was tied up, it sure ensured I wear it for longer hours before I remove it.
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Nourishing meals
As a Singaporean Chinese, I believe in the traditional confinement meals and understand its importance of restoring my body through diet, as well as its benefits for lactation support. Although 28 days of that day in and day out could get pretty repetitive and boring, eating healthy and nourishing meals (with some cheat meals in between) did serve me pretty well and supported my milk supply greatly. -
Fourth Wellness RESTORE Kit (Vaginal Delivery)
Not to forget, this time round I was also armed with my very own curated items from the RESTORE Kit - herbal infused postpartum pads and the perineal spray were especially helpful to heal my perineum from the tears I suffered too. They were so fuss-free; I did not have to prepare much like DIY my own spray or pads beforehand to enjoy similar benefits!
If you've learned something from this post, share it with other moms out there! If you're a mom reading this, what are some things that helped you in your recovery?