Postpartum during the summer

Managing heat during postnatal period in summer

The comfortless of heat makes things more difficult and, if it is not managed properly, it can worsen your mood. Your hormonal changes, flushes, tiredness, anemia, dehydration and sweatiness don’t help to deal with the extreme heat.

That’s why you need to take it seriously and maintain a fresh and comfortable environment at home and always wear comfy and fresh clothes.

Ideally, you should take this into account while planning your holidays. The north of Spain is wonderful for vacations during the postpartum period, you can generally be at the beach without feeling the need of getting into the water as the temperature is not as high as in south Spain.

It is also important to keep well hydrated, especially if you are breastfeeding your baby. In this case we recommend you to drink an average of 2.5L per day.

 

How should my hygiene be during the summer during the postnatal period?

Because the sweatiness increases, is important to keep a strict hygiene in order to avoid an infection. You should change your maternity pad more often, cleaning your perineal area pouring some water almost after every void and drying the area well. It is also recommended to clean your wound with a specific antiseptic twice a day.

A poor hygiene could lead to an infection in the area of the stiches and, believe me, it’s not the time to deal with a perineal infection while you are focused on the cares of your newborn baby and your body is still trying to recover. Make sure you keep the area as clean and dry as you can and you will avoid this infection.

 

Can I go to the pool or beach during the postpartum period?

In case you have needed stitches, you should always wait at least 6 weeks after birth of your baby and once ready we reccomend you to avoid long baths.

If you don’t have stitches, you should wait at list 4 weeks. One week should pass since your bleeding stopped to be able to bath safely in the sea or in the pool.

This means that if you only bleed for 2 weeks you should not bath on the 3rd week but wait till the 4th week as that is the minimum time for bathing after having had a baby. But for example if you bleed for 5 weeks you will need to wait for a week (week 6) to bath.

This is because the neck of the womb, although is usually completely closed after 2 weeks from birth, sometimes it can take longer and we could get an infection if the water gets into the uterus. The same happens with home baths, as relaxing as they are, we should wait a bit.

 

Can I use tampons or menstrual caps during the summer after birth?

Tampons and menstrual cups should not be used during the postpartum, even women that don’t have stitches.

They can block the drainage of the loquia and lead to a uterine infection that could put on serious risk your health.

Therefore, unfortunately you will need to be patience with the uncomfortable maternity pads for some weeks.

 

Sun protection during the postpartum period

Remember that you are still a cocktail of hormones during this period, so it is important to keep the level of sun protection that pregnancy requires. We recommend you to protect specially you face, to avoid hormonal melasma. Beach umbrella and hat if possible and total screen protection in the beach and renew it often.

 

Resting during the postpartum on summer

Summer days are longer and you are more likely to have time to do an activity with your baby but, as nights are shorter, you tend to rest less hours reaching the maximum tiredness sooner than expected.

Therefore, if your postpartum is during the summer, you must remember that for you there is no night and day in regards to resting. You must rest also during the day, preferably while your baby sleeps.

 

 

Do you have any question?

Contact me through the contact form or through [email protected] and I will be happy to help you!

You can find more information about my services and classes related to postpartum.

Happy postpartum!