Gentle care after birth: tips for wound healing and intimate hygiene

Caring for birth injuries means above all: don't force anything. Your body has just accomplished something huge, and now it needs rest, water, and as little friction as possible. Here's what that looks like in practice during the postpartum period.

Why Recovery After Birth Is So Important

A calm, undisturbed early postpartum period matters so much because, alongside settling in as a family, it serves wound healing and recovery. Every birth leaves traces in and on a woman's body, to varying degrees. Some are visible, others only noticeable. And yet all of them need time to heal.

Physical Changes After Different Types of Birth

After a Vaginal Birth

A vaginal birth overstretches and heavily strains the pelvic floor muscles, which afterwards need maximum relief and rest. In the first few days, lots of lying down feels good – short walks and getting up are still part of it, just as your midwife advises.

The following complaints are common:

• Abrasions and swelling in the intimate area
• A slight feeling of soreness
• Burning when urinating
• Uncomfortable stretching of the tailbone
• Perineal injuries of varying severity
• Possible hemorrhoids from the strong pressure of pushing

After a Cesarean Section

After an abdominal birth, the healing period is somewhat longer. Here, too, the main issues are:

• Swelling and bruising around the skin suture
• A feeling of tightness and pain in the wound area
• Limited mobility

Your midwife will support you with wound healing, give you valuable treatment tips, and monitor how the healing is progressing.

As a general rule: the more severe the birth injury, the longer it needs to heal.

Intimate Care After Birth: Midwife Tips for the Postpartum Period

Butt Shower After Birth

Postpartum bleeding can be gently rinsed away with clear, lukewarm water from the butt shower. Externally only, gentle stream, no rubbing with paper.

How to use it: Many midwives recommend rinsing with lukewarm water after using the toilet during the postpartum period. Additives only after checking with your midwife.

Wound Dressings for Larger Injuries

If your birth injury is larger, there are various ways to care for it. Whether and how wound dressings make sense is for your midwife to decide – she'll also show you what to watch out for.

Sitz Bath After Birth: Yes, but How?

If it feels good to you, you can take a full sitz bath from the second or third day onwards. For this you need a larger vessel or a bowl you can sit in. Some women find a sitz bath with additives soothing – what's right for your injury is something to discuss with your midwife. Decide for yourself what feels best right now.

Special Care After a Cesarean Section

• Scar treatment: Your midwife or the clinic will talk you through how to care for the cesarean suture and what to clean it with.
• Suture care: As a rule, the suture material dissolves on its own or is removed by your midwife. Some clinics staple the suture. Staples or stitches are removed before or after discharge, depending on the clinic.

Additional Healing Aids

1. Cooling for swelling: Especially in the early days, cooling pads or cool packs can feel very pleasant and reduce swelling.
2. Bruising: With hematomas, cooling can feel good. Ointments or compresses only after checking with your midwife or pharmacy – and not on open wounds.
3. Hemorrhoids: After birth, many women find cooling pleasant. Which ointment is suitable is something to clarify with your midwife or doctor.
4. Sitz baths: After a few days, a sitz bath may do you good. Your midwife will tell you which additives are an option.
5. Other remedies: Your midwife or doctor will discuss with you which treatments, sprays, or solutions are right for your injury.

It can also be infinitely relieving to look at your vulva area or your wounds yourself after birth using a mirror – together with your midwife, if you like. Often the sensations and the mental image of what's injured are much bigger than the reality. That can take the fear away.

Toilet Stool: Gentle Support for Wound Healing After Birth

A toilet stool can make quite a few things easier in the time after birth. Since the pelvic floor is heavily strained after delivery, unnecessary pressure while using the toilet should be avoided.

Benefits of a toilet stool:

• Better posture: The raised squatting position with a toilet stool improves bowel emptying by optimizing the natural angle of the rectum.
• Less pushing needed: This reduces the need to push, which is especially important to avoid putting extra strain on perineal injuries, hemorrhoids, or cesarean scars.
• Less fear of pain: Many women suffer from constipation after birth or feel anxious about their first bowel movement because they're worried about pain or pressure on their birth injuries.
• More relaxed emptying: A toilet stool can offer gentle relief here, as it allows a more relaxed posture and makes bowel movements easier.

Pelvic floor: The squatting position can reduce pushing – and with it the pressure on the suture and pelvic floor.