Why Are My Lady Parts So Swollen?
Postpartum. New baby.
If you had a vaginal birth, you might have stitches. If you had a cesarean birth, you also have an incision to deal with. Either way, you’ll encounter a fun phenomenon down where the sun doesn’t shine.
Postpartum swelling.
You might not want to look down there.
Between your perineal tissue, lochia (postpartum shedding of the uterine lining) and labial tissues, your body had to expand and contract to allow a baby through, or to accommodate that growing baby for 40 + weeks. The strain on those tissues and the changes in blood and fluid flow results in some super impressive swelling.
This swelling is NORMAL. It’s common to be super tender and sore as you’re healing.
What will absolutely make this better for the first 24-36 hours is ice!
Think of your lady parts as a pitcher who just had a terrific six innings of pure power. All that throwing requires some muscles to relax and rest. What do pitchers do? They wrap their shoulders in ice to allow the tissue to heal and relax.
Your postpartum baby pitcher needs all the help it can get!
Ice packs are included in your postpartum care bag in the hospital. Most birth centers in Maryland will offer a kit you can purchase ahead of time to bring with you in your labor bag. Whatever your delivery method, make sure you’ve got those crackable ice packs in there. You’re definitely going to want them.
How long can you expect to be walking around with a circus balloon hat between your legs?
Most swelling lasts for about 48 hours. Sometimes it persists, especially if you’re putting too much pressure on the region and need to let it rest.
Before you know it, your beautiful butterfly will be back to itself in no time. Plan on giving it the rest that it needs to be fabulous.
And seriously, expect the swelling.
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