The first weeks after a baby arrives are tender for the mother. Indian families have many loving traditions at this time, such as rest, massage, special foods and help from the household. Many of these are good. A few, though, can slow healing or hide a problem. Here is what to keep, and what to question.
Traditions worth keeping
- Rest and help. Letting the mother rest while others cook, clean and mind the baby is genuinely good for recovery.
- Warm, home-cooked food and plenty of fluids.
- Gentle oil massage if she finds it soothing, and her doctor agrees.
- Support from older women who have been through it.
Practices that can be harmful
"No bath for 30 to 40 days."
Staying unwashed increases the risk of infection, particularly in a stitched wound or a C-section scar. A warm shower or bath is safe for most mothers. Keep a stitch wound clean and dry as your doctor advises.
"Do not drink much water, or eat dal, vegetables or fruit."
The body needs fluids, protein, fibre and vitamins, especially when breastfeeding. Restricting them can cause constipation, tiredness, weakness and low milk. Eat regular meals with dal, vegetables, fruit, milk or curd and a variety of foods. Ghee, dry fruit laddoos and gond ladoo in moderate amounts are fine as part of a balanced diet. Ask your doctor if you have diabetes or high blood pressure.
Binding the belly very tightly
A soft binder after a C-section, if your surgeon advises it, can be comforting. Tight, long-term binding, especially without advice, can make breathing, bleeding and the pelvic floor worse. Use only what your doctor recommended.
Hot fomentation on the stitches, or heating the body with coal or a closed, hot room
Do not apply heat or pressure to a stitched area or a C-section scar unless your doctor advises it. Closed rooms with a burning stove or coal can also cause breathing problems and carbon monoxide poisoning for both mother and baby. Keep the room warm and ventilated.
"Do not leave the room, or see sunlight, for 40 days."
A confinement is not harmful if it only means rest. But staying inside without any sun, air or gentle movement can lower mood and vitamin D, and delays follow-up visits. You can step out for check-ups, short walks and light movement as your doctor allows, and keep the baby's vaccine dates.
"No cold things, or the milk will dry up."
Milk supply depends on how often the baby feeds and how well the baby latches, and not on how cold your food or drink is. Your doctor or lactation counsellor can help with a supply or latch problem.
Lying flat the whole day, or never walking
Getting up and walking gently soon after birth lowers the risk of blood clots and helps recovery, as your doctor advises. Do not strain, or lift heavy things. Rest when you can.
Feeling low is not weakness or the evil eye
Many mothers feel tearful, anxious or overwhelmed in the first 2 weeks. This is common, and it is often called the baby blues. If low mood, anxiety, panic, trouble bonding, or thoughts of harming yourself or your baby last more than 2 weeks, or are getting worse, it may be postpartum depression, and it is a medical condition that can be treated. It is not caused by a nazar, a ghost or a lack of love, and it is not something to hide or "get over".
- Our postpartum self-check article explains the signs and the Edinburgh scale. There is also a 2-minute self-check on the home page.
- Free helplines in India: Tele-MANAS 14416 and KIRAN 1800-599-0019. In an emergency call 112.
When to call your doctor straight away
- Heavy bleeding that soaks a pad in an hour, or large clots
- Fever, or foul-smelling discharge
- A red, hot, painful or leaking stitch or scar
- A swollen, painful or hot calf
- A red, hard, painful area on the breast with fever
- Severe headache, chest pain, trouble breathing or fits
Previous: newborn care myths. Also read how to talk to elders about these things.