Pregnancy and birth completely transform you and can cause some changes to your body postpartum. Sometimes in very weird and not-so-wonderful ways. When pregnant and the growth of your belly seems almost exponential, there’s a tonne of information available to you. It doesn’t always feel like that after birth. Often you’re baptized in the fires of giving birth. And then only think about postpartum bodily changes when your midwives give you a rundown of what to expect. 

So the health of your mind and body postpartum can feel overlooked. Which feels overwhelming at a time where you’re running on little sleep and changing nappies on autopilot. There’s obviously lots you need to learn about pregnancy and taking care of your bundle of joy when it arrives. But you should do some homework about caring for yourself postpartum, so you don’t feel underprepared. 

No matter whether you’re about to pop, in the early stages of pregnancy, or you’re hoping to conceive soon. This info is for all of you. And it’s not a completely exhaustive list of everything that happens. (Because there are a lot of changes and everyone can experience them slightly differently). So if you’ve got a nugget of wisdom, go ahead and add it in the comments. 

Your Brain And Hormones

Your hormones will change drastically after giving birth, at least for a little while. They go from being the highest they will ever be before delivery to the lowest after delivery. Just after giving birth, your progesterone and estrogen levels will drop dramatically. This contributes to the baby blues, characterized by mood swings, anxiety, and sadness which usually resolve a week or so after birth. Postpartum depression can also happen because of this dramatic drop. This is where you’ll experience similar symptoms to the baby blues, but the feelings are much more intense and last longer.

Oxytocin, the bonding hormone, will go into overdrive though as it turns on mothering behaviour. And you’ll probably feel stressed and overwhelmed as you try to navigate the huge changes in mood while caring for a new life. 

What Can You Do About Stress?

• Talk openly to your partner about your feelings. And let them take care of the baby for a while.
• Ask friends and family for help.
• Join a support group for new mums. 
• Eat healthily and take care of yourself. 

What Can You Do About The Baby Blues?

• Get as much sleep as possible.
• Take time out for yourself.
• Seek support from your partner. 
• If you’re feeling down for longer than two weeks, then approach a trusted healthcare provider. 

What Can You Do About Postpartum Depression?

• Knowledge is power so learn about the signs and symptoms of PPD. 
• If you think you might have PPD, then approach your GP or another healthcare provider.
• Get treatment from your chosen healthcare professional.

Your Breasts Postpartum

Along with the decrease in estrogen and progesterone in your body postpartum, your breastmilk making hormone lactin will kick in. This means that your breasts will get bigger as they swell with milk. It’s called engorgement and can make your breasts pretty sore until you start breastfeeding. If you’re not breastfeeding, then the engorgement can last until your body stops producing milk. If your breastfeeding, then you might experience nipple pain. Especially if they crack.

What Can You Do To Help Breast Engorgement?

• Breastfeeding your baby or expressing the milk will help the most. 
• Expressing some milk before feeding will help the flow of milk. 
• Warm showers will help with the pain, but if your breasts stay swollen and painful, seek medical advice.
• If you’re not breastfeeding, wear a snug sports bra, take ibuprofen, and utilise ice packs until the pain resolves.

What Can You Do To Help Nipple Pain?

• Check that your baby is latching on properly with your doctor.
• Ask about creams to apply.
• Massage breast milk into your nipples after feeding.

Your Uterus, Vagina, And Vulva

This part of your body has likely seen a lot of action during delivery. And while C-section deliveries are a slightly different kettle of fish, they do have some similarities. You’ll have afterpains that feel a lot like menstrual cramps for a few days afterward. This is your uterus starting to shrink to pre-baby size. By about six weeks post-birth, your uterus will be pretty much its original size.

You’ll also experience something called lochia for about six weeks after delivery. This is bloody discharge as your body expels whatever’s left in your womb from growing a person. After a vaginal delivery, you’ll likely be pretty bruised and sore down there. And if you’ve had to have a stitched perineum, it’ll be quite sore while it heals. A C-section delivery will leave you with a sensitive and puffy belly with a painful incision. But what will help?

What Can You Do?

• For painful stitched areas, painkillers and rest are your new best friends. 
• Cold packs or a frozen sanitary pad tucked into your pants will help relieve pain. 
• Get a doughnut-shaped cushion. Trust me. 
• After a cesarean, don’t lift anything heavier than your baby, get lots of sleep, and use pillows to support you. 
• Do kegel exercises.
• If there are any changes like increasing pain, head straight to the doctor. 

Your Belly, Bladder, And Bowels

Ging to the bathroom will be a little different for a while after birth. Because of all the swelling, going for a wee can cause some pain. Not to mention a stinging sensation if your perineum has been stitched. And it can feel difficult to do it with all the pressure from labour. But it might go the other way, and you could be peeing like Seabiscuit in the week after delivery because of all the changes in hormones you’ll be experiencing. You might find that you pee a little when you laugh or sneeze, too, so your pelvic floor muscles might need a little attention. 

Constipation is pretty common the week after too. Whether it’s from medication you’re on, dehydration, having a C-section, or just fear of doing yourself damage. And unfortunately, you might have haemorrhoids to contend with. 

Your core muscles will be a lot weaker too, and lifting even the simplest of things can feel like a trial. It’s down to the fact that most pregnant women will have a certain degree of diastasis recti. Which is where you have a gap between the left and right abdominal muscles caused by those lovely pregnancy hormones thinning out the tissue. It might close on its own; it might not. If it doesn’t, you’ll want to contact your doc about speaking to a physio. 

What Can You Do?

• When you’re peeing, spray your perineum with warm water. It really helps. 
• And drink lots of water to dilute your wee. 
• The same goes for constipation. Drink lots of water and get high fibre foods in your diet. 
• Ask a pharmacist about over the counter medicine to help.
• Get a cream for your hemorrhoids and make the most of warm baths. 

Your Skin, Body, And Hair in Postpartum

Pregnancy means you will gain some weight. And that weight gain can lead to stretch marks and varicose veins. Stretch marks can get irritating when they itch, so you’ll want to find a cream that’s great at treating itchy stretch marks. While all these things will reduce over time, likely, they won’t go away completely.

The skin on your face might change too. The tumultuous transitions of your hormone levels can lead to acne, dry patches or pigmentation. And you’ll likely lose up to a third of your hair. Thanks again to the drop in the hormones that made your hair luscious during pregnancy. 

What Can You Do?

• Get creams targeted to your problems. Check with your healthcare provider that they’re safe to use while you breastfeed. 
• Eat lots of fruit and veg.
• When it comes to hair loss, don’t put your hair under any unneeded stress. Avoid tight bobbles and use the cool setting on your hairdryer. 

A hell of a lot happens to your body postpartum. It can feel like an overwhelming time, so make sure you speak up to family, friends, and your partner about your changing needs. Plus, sharing the hard parts will make the load a lot lighter for you.

It can feel like an eternity as you wait for your body to return to normal. That normal will feel different than before, but you will get there. Things like your period will take a little while too. About 6/8 weeks if you’re not breastfeeding, and it might not be for months if you are breastfeeding. But just because you don’t have your period doesn’t mean you won’t be fertile until they start. You can conceive again without one. But most professionals say to steer clear of sex until at least 4 weeks after birth. But go at your own pace. 

And remember, if something doesn’t feel right, or if you’re just unsure about anything, make an appointment with your doctor. It’s most likely nothing to worry about, but seeing a professional will get it sorted quickly if there is. And it’ll make you feel better. 

When you learn how to better manage stress in your life and you’ll be happier and healthier. Let’s face it, stress infiltrates our lives daily. Every where we turn, it creeps into our activities, threatening our health and happiness. Even though stress is everywhere, it doesn’t have to take over your life in a negative manner. There are ways we can cut down on stress and ways we can add to it. Unfortunately, some of the things we attempt to help us lower stress, actually makes it worse. Let’s explore the common ways in which we tend to do the wrong thing and see if we can turn that around.

Tip #1 To Manage Stress – Timing of Workout

Working out is a great way to relieve some stress and feel good about yourself. Exercising will improve how you look and thus how other people might see you. However, working out at the right time is a real thing. Some of us find it difficult to work 8 hours and then go to the gym. If you’re like me, I need to cook dinner and that takes time. I then need to eat it early enough so I do’t go to bed on a full stomach. I also need to unwind. I like to use this time to read, do crafts, and meditate. So working out at night is not going to. happen. This is why experts say a morning workout is the best. It’s off your plate and you don’t have to consider it all day long, leaving less of a chance you’ll skip it.

Tip #2 To Manage Stress – Water

It’s common to reach for an alcoholic drink if you feel stressed. Drinking a glass of wine after work is quite a common thing for most people. However, it’s when you start to increase this amount, it becomes a problem. Alcohol is there to be enjoyed, with friends, family and at barbecues or restaurant meals. Too much is going to do more harm than good. Many people find that they feel better about their way out if this becomes an issue, when they contact an alcohol rehab center. Rehab centers like this one can help people get over withdrawal symptoms and then help to control craving symptoms too. 

Tip # 3 To Manage Stress – Food

It’s quite common for us to seek refuge with food. To some degree, it’s not a bad issue. If you eat something that is unhealthy but tastes superb, as long as you don’t overdo it, it’s not a big problem. However, if you are frequently indulging in unhealthy foods to make yourself feel good instead of feeling full, then this can cascade into an addiction. Pretty soon you’ll find that you’re overweight and you don’t like the way you look or feel. 

Managing stress is a skill that we learn over time. Do your own research on how to cope with stress from work, family life and the general anxiety-leading concerns such as how you look. 

When considering how to best style a funeral to represent your loved one, it may be helpful to consider their personality and desires. Some people like to plan their own funerals, which is why you may be reading this post. Or, you may have sadly lost a loved one and be in charge of arranging their funeral. No matter what applies, consider the following.

Type of Funeral

Do you want the funeral to be smart, formal, or informal and spontaneous? We tend to assume that funerals are formal, but not everyone wants it to be this way. Some people don’t want others to wear black, for example, and would rather they wear their favorite color. You also need to consider whether the person is a traditionalist, a modernist, someone who likes tradition with a contemporary twist, a mold-breaker, or an innovator. This will point you in the direction of how best to style a funeral that will best represent your loved one. 

You also need to consider whether to go for something ceremonial or not – this may include an elaborate ritual, a military salute, a procession, a horse-drawn horse, or something across those lines. 

Mood of Funeral to Best Style a Funeral

You also need to think about how you expect the mood to be. Will it be one of sombre? This is often the case, but sometimes it is acceptance if someone has been unwell for a while. Or, it could be a cheerful celebration of the person’s life, or the overall feeling may be one that is shocked if the events were unaccepted. If the death has been the consequence of a mistake with a lasting impact, like medical negligence or a car crash, the mood will typically be one of sheer devastation. It is important to consider this when planning the funeral. Aside from this, funeral services may be plain or poetic, and you need to consider the structure of the ceremony as well. Is there room for spontaneity? 

An Introduction To Funeral Notices

Funeral notices tend to be offered to clients by funeral directors. A funeral notice ensures that friends and family are aware of everything that is happening in regards to the individual’s funeral. This can be a difficult task to take on when someone you love has passed away, which is why you may want the funeral director’s assistance. 

There are two different ways you can about writing the funeral notice. There is no right or wrong way, however; it all depends on what feels right for you and the person that passed away. It is important to remember that a lot of newspapers will only accept funeral notices that have come from a funeral director, which is why professional funeral services are a must. 

So, what are the two approaches? The first is to simply keep to the necessary facts. This means you will deal with the ‘who, what, when, and where.’ The second approach is to supply a historical statement; something that a lot of people will cut from the newspaper and keep. Not only will you deal with the facts in this type of notice, but you will include some more information, for example, names of any immediate family members, date of birth, date of death. You may also want to include some words that reflect the essence of the relationship that the person in question had with those mentioned, for example, ‘loving wife to’ or ‘loving husband to’. 

You might feel alone if you’re suffering from chronic pain. It’s fair to say that this can have an impact on various aspects of your life. It can affect your physical health as well as your mental health. The good news is that you don’t have to let an issue like this dictate your life. You can take charge and improve your well-being at the same time. Here are some of the key steps that you should consider. 

Speak To Your Doctor 

A crucial mistake that you can make if you have chronic pain is to suffer in silence. You should never do this because there’s always an answer out there for you that is going to be worth exploring. A doctor can recommend a wide range of treatment options that could benefit you a great deal. They might start with traditional forms of pain relief before recommending more choices. 

Alternate Medicines

You might also want to explore alternative medicines. A big benefit of alternative medicines is that there’s a lot of research investigating how they can be used to help people. One of the options that you can explore would-be cannabis. In the past cannabis was classed as an illegal drug. But things have changed and times have moved on. Indeed, there are movements like the Last Prisoner Project based on getting everyone out of jail that has been incarcerated with crimes related to cannabis. The reason for this is that a lot of experts now see the benefits of cannabis. As well as being useful for helping people to relax, it can also provide pain relief to those who have been suffering from chronic pain for an extended period. 

Physical Therapy

You could also think about exploring physical therapy. There are countless research studies that highlight the benefits of physical therapy for chronic pain. For instance, you might want to consider exploring something like aqua therapy. A key benefit of aqua therapy is that it helps the muscles and the joints relax and research even shows that it can benefit your mental health too. 

Cognitive Therapy 

Finally, you might want to consider the option of cognitive therapy. The benefit of cognitive therapy is that it can be used to retrain your brain. This is ultimately going to mean that you won’t have to worry about the pain being a constant focus. It’s kind of like the ticking of a clock. A clock ticking is always loud enough to be heard if you’re in a quiet room. But the brain doesn’t notice it because it recognizes that the sound isn’t important. With training, your brain can be taught to view your pain in the same way. 

We hope this helps you understand everything that you need to think about if you feel like chronic pain is ruling your life. If you take the right steps here, then you will be able to make sure that you are pushing back against your condition and fighting to reclaim the quality of life that you deserve. 

According to the Global Organization for Stress, 75% of Americans experienced moderate to high stress levels in the past month alone. While many different factors contribute to stress – such as workplace tension or poor communication – we must find a way to effectively minimize stress in our daily lives. This is due to the simple fact that prolonged stress can negatively affect your health, leading to poor sleep, migraines, and even high blood pressure, among other conditions. 

Sometimes, the advice we are given in relation to stress-busting just doesn’t cut it. For example, we’re often told to spend more time outdoors. While this can help your body release endorphins and reduce tension, it doesn’t always help the stress go away.

With that in mind, here are some unusual stress-busting techniques that could help you banish stress TODAY! 

Consider acupuncture 

While acupuncture is often used to treat a wide range of health ailments and support you when recovering from an injury, studies also suggest that it is a great way to reduce stress. This is because it stimulates the production and release of certain hormones (such as oxytocin), promoting relaxation and relieving tension.

Hop into a sensory deprivation tank

There are many benefits of using a sensory deprivation tank, and they are often linked with the reduction of both stress and anxiety. This is due to the fact that your body can be truly relaxed during this time – and you can just close your eyes and let your troubles float away. 

Scream and shout

We’re often taught that the easiest (and most productive) way to deal with stress is to decompartmentalize it and keep our cool. However, there are many benefits to letting out your frustration. While this doesn’t mean you should start screaming in the middle of the office, try to find a way to vent this frustration when you get home. Alternatively, you could try to vent your frustrations by writing them down on a piece of paper and then tearing it into pieces. 

Challenge your perspective

Learning how to change your perspective when things get tough is an essential skill that can be used to effectively banish feelings of stress and anxiety. This is because it allows you to assess your feelings and emotions and figure out whether or not they are misplaced. For example, it encourages you to ‘not sweat the small stuff.’ One way in which you can do this is by figuring out if the problem that is causing you stress will impact you in any kind of long-term way. If not, then it’s probably not worth worrying about. 

Surround yourself with plants

There are many studies that suggest that indoor plants can help relieve stress. This is due to the fact that they can improve air quality, promote relaxation and lift your mood. Therefore, you can help reduce your stress levels by surrounding yourself with a variety of different plants. Even better, they make your home or office look and smell great too!