Caring for you

Postnatal care

Bath area (BaNES)

If you have an uncomplicated birth, you can expect to go home in three to six hours. If you need to stay in hospital after you give birth, you will be:

Offered a bed on Mary ward if you gave birth at Bath Birthing Centre or one of the community birthing centres in Chippenham or Frome and require on going Postnatal observations.

If on-going feeding support is required we have a specialist infant feeding team available to facilitate an individualised care plan

Our Community Midwives also provide postnatal care in various settings for example in your own home, your local birthing centre or a Children's Centre in your community.

If your midwife or maternity care assistant comes to visit you at home please make sure you have your wifi code available as they will need this to complete your electronic records

Swindon area

If you have an uncomplicated birth you can expect to go home after around 6 hours. If you need to stay in hospital you will be offered a bed on Hazel Ward. After discharge you will receive on-going postnatal care from our community team. This may take place in a local community hub or at your home.

Maternity Services: Antenatal and postnatal inpatient care

(GHW)

Maternity Services: Antenatal and postnatal inpatient care

(GHW)

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Salisbury

Maternity Services: After Birth

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Emotional wellbeing: how will I feel?

It is normal to feel very tired and emotional in the first few weeks or months after having your baby as well as feeling overwhelmed. Try not to expect too much of yourself in the first few weeks and try to limit the number of visitors you have to allow you time to rest in the day, don’t be afraid to tell your midwife or health professional how you are really feeling. They will not judge you and are here to support you.

The wellbeing plan is a two-page plan, endorsed by NICE, that helps you start thinking about how you feel and what support you might need in your pregnancy and after the birth. It is your decision whether to share it with anyone else:

My pregnancy & post-birth wellbeing plan

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Help and Support at home

Tiredness

You are likely to feel very tired, emotionally and physically in the first few months, ensure that you have support around from a partner, family or friends. Try to rest when your baby is sleeping and don't put much pressure on yourself to keep the house clean and tidy or to go out. If you are worried that you are feeling overwhelmed or you are not able to 'switch off' when your baby is asleep speak to a Health Professional.

Understanding your birth

You may have some questions following the birth of your baby. Please feel free to ask the staff caring for you any questions that you may have. Our hospitals have a ”Birth reflections service, If your midwife or doctor are not able to answer your questions you may wish to access the 'Birth Reflections' service”. A birth reflections service is provided by midwives to support women or couples to explore their birth experience and provides an opportunity to discuss any queries or concerns. There is no time limit after birth that you can access this service.

"Baby Blues"

Postnatal Depression

Postnatal depression is depression that starts after the birth of your baby. Anyone can experience postnatal depression but you may be more likely to develop it if you have had depression before. Signs you have postnatal depression include feeling down, depressed and hopeless, having little or no appetite, not sleeping or sleeping too much and some women have distressing thoughts of wanting to harm themselves or end their own life. There is support available and you do not need to cope on your own.

It is important that you seek help straight away if you feel you might harm yourself by calling 999 or your local Intensive team.

Postnatal depression and perinatal mental health

Perinatal Positivity Video

Anxiety

Birth Trauma and PTSD

Some women may develop symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder if they feel that their birth was traumatic. Trauma is different for everyone. Signs you may have PTSD include:

Flashbacks or nightmares of the birth
Avoidance of talking about the birth or where you gave birth
Feeling hypervigilant or irritable
Negative thoughts
Relationship difficulties
Difficulty managing your emotions
Having negative thoughts about yourself such as feeling defeated, worthless or a like you have failed
Dissociating from the birth - not being able to remember parts of the birth or feeling you were elsewhere

Birth related PTSD can affect birth partners too. PTSD is a treatable condition and women often respond well to treatment which is accessed through your local Talking Therapies service.

The hospital where you birthed may have a 'Birth Reflections' service.

Ask your midwife for details

Postnatal Psychosis

Postnatal psychosis is a rare complication of pregnancy. It is more common if you or a close family member has experienced psychosis before or has bipolar disorder.

Signs include; a sudden change in your mental health, thoughts to harm yourself or someone else or feeling scared of your baby or like you don't want your baby with you.

You may also experience unusual symptoms such as seeing or hearing things that aren't there or having unusual thoughts called delusions.

It is really important that you seek help straight away if you have any of these symptoms by calling 999 or your local Intensive mental health team. Psychosis can be treated and you will recover.

🡭 Further information

Reducing the risk of a blood clot

A venous thrombosis embolism (VTE) refers to the formation of a clot within veins. This can occur anywhere in the venous system but mostly occur in the vessels of the leg (giving rise to deep vein thrombosis (DVT)) and in the lungs (resulting in a pulmonary embolism (PE).

Pregnancy increases your risk of a DVT, with the highest risk being just after you have had your baby. The risk of venous thrombosis in pregnancy or in the first six weeks after birth occurs in 1-2 in 1000 women.

Risk factors include:

previous VTE or thrombophilia (a tendency to form blood clots)
obesity
increased maternal age
immobility and long-distance travel: Air travel and pregnancy
admission to hospital during pregnancy
other existing health problems such as heart disease, inflammatory bowel disease and pre-eclampsia

Will I need anticoagulant injections after the birth of baby?

A risk assessment will be carried out after the birth of your baby. Even if you weren't having injections in pregnancy, you may need to start injections for the first time after birth.This will depend on what risk factors you have for a deep vein thrombosis (DVT). You may be advised to have injections for 10 days after birth or sometimes for 6 weeks after birth.

If you were taking warfarin before pregnancy and have changed to injections during pregnancy, you can change back to warfarin usually 3 days after birth.

What does anticoagulant treatment involve?

It is given as an injection under the skin (subcutaneous) at the same time every day (sometimes twice daily).

The dose is worked out for you depending on your risk factors and your weight in early pregnancy or before you became pregnant.

You may be on a low-dose or a high-dose regimen.

You (or a family member) will be shown how and where in your body to give the injections.

We will be provided with the needles and syringes (already made up) and will be given advice on how to store and dispose of these.

Reducing the risk of venous thrombosis in pregnancy and after birth

After your caesarean

After your caesarean birth your blood pressure, pulse and breathing rates will be monitored regularly. This is to check you are recovering from your anaesthetic and the birth.

Following the birth of your baby you will be monitored and will then return to the postnatal ward after a few hours.

If you are well and have no problems, you should be able to eat and drink. Have some snacks ready, to help keep your energy levels up, as you may arrive on the ward between meal rounds and need something to nibble on while you wait. Your midwife will advise you about when it is safe to do so.

You will have a tube in your bladder to keep it empty (catheter). This will be removed once you are walking.

You'll need to use maternity pads after your caesarean, because you will have some bleeding from your womb (lochia), just as you would after a vaginal birth, although the blood loss may be lighter.

Pain after caesarean

A caesarean is major abdominal surgery, and you will feel some pain for the first few days after a caesarean, and for some women the pain can last several weeks.

Just after surgery, you may find that you need help shifting up the bed or sitting up straight. It may hurt to cough or laugh, but supporting your wound with your hands, or holding a pillow over your tummy, will help.

While you are in hospital you will be offered regular pain relieving drugs by the midwives. It is advisable that if you are experiencing pain you take pain killers to take away the pain.

In preparation for going home we will provide you with a small supply of pain killers. You should take regular pain killers for as long as you need them.

When you're home, you should continue to take regular pain killers.

Will I have a wound drain?

What about my stitches?

You will have stitches in your wound, they will usually be dissolvable. Sometimes you will have the type of stitches that need to be removed. If they need to be removed your midwife will gently do this after about 5 days.

It is OK to have a bath or shower daily. There is no need to apply a dressing, unless the midwife advises you to - so please check.

Your midwife will advise you when your dressing is able to removed – this may be the 6–24 hours after your surgery. Try to keep the area as dry as possible, wear loose comfortable clothes and underwear and you can gently clean and dry the wound daily.

This is also a good opportunity to take a look at your wound in a mirror, as you need to be able to recognise changes as it heals. If you are concerned about your wound, don't hesitate to talk to your GP or midwife.

You won't need to put another dressing on it, unless your midwife or doctor asks you to.

Going home after a caesarean birth

The average length of stay is 2-3 days, but some women go home after one night in hospital.

When you go home, you should take regular pain killers for as long as you need them. When you go home, you should continue to take regular pain killers for as long as you need them. There are many things that you are advised not to do including:

Lifting anything heavier than your baby - Unfortunately, this includes your toddler, if you have one, so it's a good idea to encourage your toddler to get used to climbing onto your lap for cuddles while you're still pregnant.
Driving a car - You may not feel well enough to drive for up to six weeks after your caesarean. If you feel able to drive sooner, discuss it with your GP or consultant and contact your insurance company to ensure that your policy covers you in the event of an accident.

Sudden movements are likely to make the pain feel more acute so take your time. Movements that involve stretching upwards will be difficult for you for a while, and strenuous jobs around the house are off-limits. Ask people for help whenever you need it. 

If you feel unwell in the week or so after surgery, it may be a sign of infection. Although this sounds alarming, it is common, even though you will have had antibiotics during the operation. However, having an infection may mean you need to be readmitted to hospital.

We encourage you to start gentle postnatal exercises the day after your operation. This will help speed up your physical recovery. Please see the leaflet on the blue tab below.

Take it gently. Most women wait until their six-week check before starting any exercise that is more intense than going for a walk with your baby.

What will my scar look like?

The scar is likely to be along your bikini line and will look very red at first. But as the weeks and months go by it will gradually fade. While your scar heals it may become sensitive and itchy, particularly when your pubic hair re-grows.

Any numbness on or around your scar usually gets better a few months after the operation, though it can carry on for longer. If your scar becomes very sore, red or inflamed, you may have developed an infection. Tell your midwife or doctor if this happens.

You may have some puffiness around the scar, but this should clear over time. A couple of years after the operation the scar will probably have faded to a faint pale line. It will always be a slightly different colour from your normal skin tone, but may eventually be almost invisible.

If you are of African descent and keloid scarring runs in your family, your scar may be raised and hard to the touch, as scar tissue continues to grow during the healing process.

Separation of the Abdominal Muscles

During pregnancy your abdominal (tummy) muscles may have become separated in the middle. This is called diastasis recti, or divarication.

The amount of separation can vary and things will usually go back to normal by the time your baby is 8 weeks old.

If the gap is still obvious 8 weeks after the birth, contact the GP as you may be at risk of back pain /problems or poor posture. The GP can refer you to a physiotherapist, who can give you some specific exercises to do.

More information (NHS)

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Postnatal exercise

It might be the last thing on you mind but starting or re-starting exercise after the birth of your baby can help your body recover after giving birth, keep you fit and also help you to relax by giving you some time to yourself.

How long after giving birth can I start to exercise?

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Postnatal care

Bath area (BaNES)

Swindon area

Maternity Services: Antenatal and postnatal inpatient care

Maternity Services: Antenatal and postnatal inpatient care

Salisbury

Maternity Services: After Birth

Maternity Services: After Birth

Emotional wellbeing: how will I feel?

My pregnancy & post-birth wellbeing plan

My pregnancy & post-birth wellbeing plan

🡭 Further information

Reducing the risk of a blood clot

After your caesarean

Going home after a caesarean birth

Regaining your fitness after giving birth

Regaining your fitness after giving birth

Family Planning Association Resources

Family Planning Association Resources

Separation of the Abdominal Muscles

More information (NHS)

More information (NHS)

Postnatal exercise

Exercise guidance

Postnatal Exercises

Postnatal Exercises

Exercise Classes (Bath area)

Exercise Classes (Bath area)

Exercise Classes (Wilshire)

Exercise Classes (Wilshire)

Separation of the abdominal muscles

Separation of the abdominal muscles

Advice for Mother-to-be and new mothers

Advice for Mother-to-be and new mothers

Dads and Partners

Dads and Partners

🡭 Help and support at home

🡭 Tears/cuts during birth