Gentle Beginnings

Week 1 postpartum: the heaviest week, and the one to sleep through

General guidance, not medical advice. Follow your own provider’s clearance. Read our Medical Disclaimer and Editorial Policy.

Bleeding is at its heaviest and usually bright red. Cramping that comes on while feeding — afterpains — is the uterus contracting back down, and it is often stronger after a second or third baby than a first. Night sweats are common as the extra fluid of pregnancy leaves.

Milk typically comes in somewhere around day two to five, which can bring a couple of days of fullness and tenderness. Almost everything about this week is more intense than people expect, and almost none of it means something has gone wrong.

What is most worth attending to

Rest that is actually horizontal. Time off your feet does more for bleeding and swelling this week than anything else you could choose to do.

Movement that is generally appropriate at week 1

This is what MatraBloom would draw on to build a session at this point in recovery. It differs by birth type because a caesarean is abdominal surgery, so anything loading the abdominal wall is held back longer.

After a vaginal birth

  • Breathing — Diaphragmatic Breathing, Cool-Down Breathing, Restorative Breathing
  • Gentle mobility — Neck & Shoulder Rolls, Ankle Circles

After a caesarean

  • Breathing — Diaphragmatic Breathing, Cool-Down Breathing, Restorative Breathing
  • Gentle mobility — Neck & Shoulder Rolls, Ankle Circles, Heel Slides, Seated Spinal Twist, Standing Calf + Hamstring Stretch

If you had a caesarean

You are recovering from abdominal surgery as well as from birth. Short, frequent walks are encouraged to help circulation, but lifting anything heavier than your baby is not — and that guidance usually stands for about six weeks.

What becomes available next

Pelvic floor generally comes in at week 2 after a vaginal birth, and week 4 after a caesarean.

Worth a call this week

Soaking a maternity pad in under an hour, passing clots larger than a golf ball, a fever, or calf pain and breathlessness. These are same-day calls.

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