Postpartum Timeline: How to Recover 7 days, 21 days, 42 days and 6 months
In the same way that every woman, child, pregnancy, and birth are all wonderfully unique, so are women’s postpartum experiences. While one mom might feel that she recovered quickly after pregnancy, another might feel like her recovery process took even much longer.
Despite the differences that we experience due to factors such as genetics, pre-pregnancy health, diet, exercise level, and lifestyle, there is a basic recovery timeline that syncs up with many women’s postpartum healing. And to help you heal and recover, look no further than our postpartum recovery kit. All our products are rooted in postpartum traditions from — Africa, Asia and the Caribbean.
Here’s a timeline of recovery after 7 days, 21 days, 42 days, and 6 months postpartum, and they are sorted into the following categories to help you understand what to expect.
Mental Health
C-Section Recovery
Vaginal Birth Recovery
7 DAYS POSTPARTUM
Mental Health
At 7 days postpartum your hormones are still out of balance. As a result, your mental health might not be where it usually is. In fact, it probably won’t be. This is completely normal, as it takes some time for your bodies to return to its normal state - and mental health is no different.
In addition to hormones being out of balance, this is a time where you likely to be getting very much sleep. It’s common for moms to go right into motherhood surviving on limited sleep and naps. Adrenaline often helps us get through the first few days after birth, but when you’re getting to the 7-day mark, exhaustion sinks in.
It’s normal for you at the 7-day postpartum mark to experience:
Fatigue
Overwhelm
Exhaustion
Sleepless nights (and days)
Feeling helpless
Having support is key in making those first 7 days postpartum as “easy” as possible. Though it’s not always possible for some, try to let others help in any way you can. Let your partner, friends, or family members watch and hold the baby while you get a nap in. It will be so worth it and give you the much-needed strength to continue your postpartum journey. Create shifts so that you can get in more deeper sleep especially as night.
C-Section Physical Recovery
At 7 days postpartum, your c-section wound is still very fresh - and likely painful! Though it might feel like you want to just curl up and avoid feeling any pain, it’s recommended that you stay active and move around. Moving around helps with circulation, allowing your body to pump blood more and faster will speed up the healing process.
Bleeding is normal and expected. However, if you are concerned about the amount of blood, or start to feel dizzy, it’s important to contact your doctor.
The good news is, at 7 days postpartum from a c-section delivery, you’ll be feeling about 10-15 pounds lighter than usual!
Vaginal Delivery Physical Recovery
At 7 days postpartum after a vaginal delivery, you’re likely to be sore. Very sore. If your perineum had a tear or you had an episiotomy, the healing time will be even slower. Use our perineal balm to help soothe and speed up your healing. Don’t sit around and wait for the pain to pass. Our balm is made with peppermint which has menthol. Cooling speeding up wounds helping you to recover faster.
For a much needed ‘me-time’ our sitz baths are recommended to ease pain and encourage healing.
21 DAYS POSTPARTUM
Mental Health
At 21 days postpartum, you’re almost a month past birth. You’ve hopefully slept some since then, but definitely not as much as you used to. Mental health is still impacted at this time. You might be experiencing the “baby blues” or full-on postpartum depression - which impacts 80% of new moms. You’re definitely not alone in this journey.
Make sure you’re making time to go for walks and are eating healthy. A change of scenery is great for new moms who might feel like they’ve been stuck in the house or on the couch with the new baby. Get out and get yourself some space whenever you can!
C-Section Physical Recovery
At 21 days postpartum, your C-Section scar will still be sore. However, it will be much easier to move around and continue with daily activities - like caring for your little one!
Your scar might be itchy and start bothering you even more. But don’t worry - this is a good sign. An itchy C-section scar means that your skin is tightening and healing just like it should.
Continue to walk around and move as much as possible in order to heal properly. You’re doing great, mama!
Vaginal Delivery Physical Recovery
At 21 days postpartum after a vaginal delivery, you’re feeling much better than you did at 7 days. You should be back to normal as far as your bathroom/wiping routine, though you might be a tad more gentle than you used to be. Part of that has just become a habit at this point!
Bleeding will have tapered off or stopped completely for many moms. However, it’s completely normal to still have some bleeding up to 6 weeks after delivery.
You should have a follow-up appointment with your OB to confirm everything is healing correctly.
42 DAYS POSTPARTUM
Mental Health
At 42 days postpartum, you should “check in” with yourself mentally. You’re past the baby blues stage, so if you’re struggling to get out of bed - it may be a sign of something more severe like postpartum depression. Don’t keep these feelings to yourself, talk to someone. Tell a trusted friend or reach out to your health provider. Postpartum depression is a serious mental illness and nothing to be ashamed of. It is, however, important to name it, realize it, and make efforts to get help.
If your depression or anxiety has worsened, it might be time to consider seeing a therapist if you haven’t already. Birth itself can be traumatic for many women, and this can make postpartum depression or anxiety even harder to handle.
C-Section Physical Recovery
At 42 days postpartum after a C-section, life is getting back to normal. You might have even been cleared for sex and exercise by now!
You’re moving around freely and you’ve gotten most, if not all, of your mobility back. However, not everything about a C-section is physical. You might find that you’re extra defensive of your midsection. You might not, for example, play with your kids the same way, or let them sit or crawl in your lap. Having an injury in your midsection became a habit for so long, and the mental impacts will last for awhile. This is totally normal and not permanent.
Vaginal Delivery Physical Recovery
Guess what? At 42 weeks postpartum, your uterus is back to its pre-pregnancy size. But that doesn’t mean that you are. In fact, it rarely does! It’s likely that you still look pregnant. Loose skin, swelling, and stretch marks are all things to be expected. You’re beautiful and strong!
Any bleeding should have stopped by now. If you continue to bleed, contact your doctor. Unless you had stitches or tears, your perineum should no longer be sore.
6 MONTHS POSTPARTUM
Mental Health
At 6 months postpartum, your baby *should* be sleeping more. And that means you should be, too! Yay! It’s amazing how big the connection is between sleep and our mental health. Continue to give yourself time to feel “normal” again, however, as many moms don’t feel completely themselves from 18 months up to 2 years postpartum. Every journey is different!
C-Section Physical Recovery
At 6 months postpartum, your C-section scar should not be bothering you anymore. If you feel any residual pain or discomfort, make sure to contact a pelvic floor therapist. As this point your doctors job is done, you can definitely check in for a referral. But don’t be surprised if your health provider is clueless about this stage. Remember your doctors job is to delver your baby, physical therapy is not his or her expertise.
Vaginal Delivery Physical Recovery
At 6 months postpartum after a vaginal delivery, you should be feeling back to normal. You should no longer feel sore in your vaginal area.
If you had tearing or an episiotomy, it’s not uncommon to have scar tissue that might cause painful sex even 6 months to a year postpartum. This is something that can be addressed by your OB, but will self-regulate over time.
Any postpartum hair loss should have dissipated by now. IF you have bladder or pelvic floor issues reach out to a pelvic floor therapist. Some of us new therapy to feel whole again.
CONCLUSION
It takes about 6 months for all mamas to start feeling normal-ish again. Whether you’re a mama who birthed vaginally or had a c-section, the road to recovery feels long and hard. And it is! You’ve gone through one of the hardest things a human can experience, and you came out on the other side.
You’re strong, you’re powerful, you’re brave. And you have a new little human who can vouch for your strength. You’ve also got scars, whether they’re visible or not. Birth and pregnancy takes a toll on your body and your mind. So often, long after the physical pains and discomforts of your postpartum body have healed, you will be feeling the effects of this birth.
You’ve changed, mama. Every birth changes us from the inside out, in more ways than one. If you are struggling with postpartum depression or anxiety, no matter what your birth experience was like, please reach out to a loved one for support, a medical provider for a referral, and a therapist for tools to help work through your struggles.
As mothers, we do so much. We experience pregnancy and all of the aches and pains that come with it. We bear the responsibility of birth. We feed our babies and stay awake for our babies. Sometimes, we need a little TLC, too. Always ask for help when you need it.