Wellbeing

The fourth trimester: healing after birth

5 min read · MyBloomingBelly editorial

Whatever your birth looked like, your body has done something enormous. Bleeding (lochia) lasts 4–6 weeks. Cramping as the uterus shrinks, night sweats, and soreness are all part of normal healing.

The old wisdom holds: for the first weeks your only jobs are feeding the baby, feeding yourself, and resting. Everything else can be done by someone else.