Keeping you and your baby healthy

It's important to look after yourself as well as your new baby and don't be afraid to ask for help if you feel overwhelmed. Being a new parent can be daunting, its normal to feel a mix of emotions. Giving birth also affects your physical health and recovery will take time. In this section you can find more information on keeping you and your baby healthy during the first year.

Recovering from birth

Visit Bump, Birth and Beyond to find out more about the first weeks with your new baby and care you will receive from the midwifery services. Recovery after birth will take time depending on the type of birth you had, even with a straight forward vaginal birth you will need time heal. It's important to let your body recover.

Vaginal birth

Recovering from a vaginal birth is very individual. If you had stitches, tears or an episiotomy cut, it will take longer to heal. Regular baths or showers with plain warm water will keep the area clean. Changing your maternity pad regularly and washing your hands before and after going to the toilet will all help prevent an infection.

Your post-birth bleeding (lochia) will usually continue for about six weeks after birth. If your stitches are sore or uncomfortable, or you start to feel unwell tell your midwife, health visitor or GP.

Caesarean birth

A caesarean is a major operation and your recovery will usually take longer than a vaginal birth. You'll need to stay in hospital for at least one night to make sure all is well before returning home. Your midwife will give you advice on wound management and how to manage your pain levels. You will most likely be in some pain and discomfort - taking painkillers will help you physically and also make it easier for you to enjoy your new baby. Some gentle activities, such as going for a short walk, will help you recover and help reduce the risk of blood clots but be careful not to overdo it.

Breastfeeding after a caesarean is possible. You may have to try different positions to feed and care for your baby, lying down on your side or 'laid back' or sat up and well supported by pillows are all good options to try. Speak to your midwife or health visitor for more support.

You should be able to hold and carry your baby once you get home. For other activities including driving, exercising, having sex or carrying anything heavier than your baby, you'll need to wait until you feel comfortable, possibly six weeks or more.

Ask your midwife or health visitor for advice if you're unsure when it's safe to start returning to your normal activities.

Your emotional wellbeing after birth

Keeping fit and well

Your emotional wellbeing after birth

Emotional wellbeing Even if your birth was uncomplicated, you may be finding adjusting to becoming a parent to your newborn a struggle at times. If things were difficult in labour and you or your baby needed emergency assistance or you are feeling traumatised by your birth experience, you may need extra support to cope with what has happened.

About 30,000 people have a traumatic birth in the UK each year. Instead of their pregnancy and birth being joyful and a happy event, their experience of giving birth was difficult and left them feeling vulnerable and distressed. A traumatic birth can result if things happen that you weren't prepared for, feeling out of control, or if you and or your baby's health was impacted or threatened. Partners and birth partners can also experience birth trauma. Recovery from birth trauma is an ongoing process and takes time. The important thing is to be able to talk to those around you about how you are feeling. If your mood is low and does not seem to be improving a couple of weeks after the birth, or if you are struggling with your thoughts and feelings, reach out for support. Your hospital can give you the opportunity to debrief your birth, helping you to make sense of the birth and the medical interventions that took place, with an independent midwife who wasn't involved with your care. If any aspect of your reproductive journey, birth or feeding your child feels or felt traumatic to you, speak to your health visitor or GP.

Health visitors ask every parent about their mental health and wellbeing, how they are feeling and coping with their new baby at every visit, and a longer discussion takes place at your six to eight-week visit but you can reach out at any time if you're struggling. Your health visitor can listen to you and either talk things through and offer you support themselves and/or signpost you to other support including talking therapies. NHS talking or psychological therapies, are effective and confidential treatments delivered by fully trained and accredited NHS practitioners. They can help with common mental health problems like stress, anxiety and depression.

You can find more support in our emotional and mental wellbeing section including a recording of local mothers talking about their experiences with mental health issues. Hearing from real women and men who have had mental wellbeing difficulties around the time of pregnancy, childbirth and beyond can be very helpful.

You can also talk to a trained and caring team 24/7 via the Release the Pressure service. Text the word 'Kent' to 85258 or call freephone 0800 107 0160. Find more information at www.releasethepressure.uk or in an emergency call 999.

Keeping fit and well

Keeping fit and well Getting through those early weeks and months can be tough with a new baby. Even as your child gets older you'll probably find you have less time to prioritise your own needs - a healthy diet, exercise and sleep can all get disrupted. If you can, talk to your partner about ways you can both have some time and space as well as enjoy quality time together. Keeping yourself fit and well is important for your family - you can't pour from an empty cup.

Take your baby out for a walk or head to the park, you'll both enjoy it. Catch up on sleep when you can. Accept help from your family and friends - taking a break occasionally or getting support with chores will give you more time and energy to dedicate to bonding with your baby. Having a baby means facing new challenges and you might feel like you could be doing a better job. Be kind to yourself - you'll get more confident each day. Keep talking to your partner and share that emotional load - you're both adjusting to being parents and supporting each other through that will help your relationship flex and stay strong.

Your pelvic floor muscles work hard during pregnancy and come under a lot of strain during childbirth. You can strengthen these muscles by doing pelvic floor exercises to reduce or avoid stress incontinence after pregnancy.

Healthy lifestyle

Eating well is one of the best ways to reach a healthy weight and feel better about life. Check out One You Kent's exclusive 'Food Smart' film series for some great healthy eating ideas, top tips and advice on food labelling, cooking on a budget, snacking well and watching your sugar intake. We recommend all women who are breastfeeding take a vitamin D supplement to stay healthy as well. You can get vitamin D drops from your local pharmacy.

Small changes can make a big difference and One You Kent advisors can support you to make the changes that will work for you. So whether you want to quit smoking, lose weight or just generally feel better about life, One You Kent lifestyle advisers can help. This is a free service from the NHS offered over six sessions. You and your partner can both be referred for support but will be seen separately. Please call 0300 123 1220 or email oneyou.kent@nhs.net for more information.

Keeping active

Being active is good for your mind and body. Every minute of activity counts and the more you do, the more you'll benefit, physically and mentally. Try to build activity into your daily life. Start gently and build up gradually with smaller goals to keep you motivated. Try a walk - it will boost your energy, lift your mood and make everyday activities easier. Get a friend to join you and you will improve your emotional wellbeing at the same time. Once you start achieving things you will want to do more. Reward yourself for reaching your goal. Think of exercise as time to focus on you and the chance to try something new. Change 4 Life also has lots of advice, recipes and tips to eat well, move more and live longer, including games, information and ideas to be a healthier family.

Smoking

If you smoke, now is a great time to try to quit. Smoke irritates your child’s airways and may cause breathing problems as well as chest and ear infections. Sadly it also increases the risk of sudden infant death (SIDs).

Quitting will also save you money and help you feel healthier and reduce stress levels. For free stop smoking support, including nicotine replacement treatment and weekly sessions where you can talk about your quit journey with someone who can help you get through any tough times contact One You Kent.

Their friendly and professional team offers support to parents with a baby under 12-weeks-old.

Support from a specialist adviser during home visits
Access to prescription products to help you quit including a free e-cigarette starter kit (subject to availability and age restrictions apply).

If your baby is older than 12 weeks, you can access free support from our community smokefree service in a way that suits you, either by telephone, video call, face-to-face or at a participating GP or pharmacy.

If you would like some support to quit smoking please talk to your midwife or health visitor or phone 0300 123 1220 or email kentchft.smokefreepregnancyhomevisits@nhs.net.

Alcohol

Sexual health

Keeping your baby healthy

Keeping baby healthy Keeping your baby healthy is one of your top priorities as a parent. You can find some top tips below, but check out our feeding and caring for your baby sections for more information.

Supplements

We recommend that babies have a daily supplement containing 8.5 to 10 micrograms of vitamin D throughout the year if they are either breastfed or formula-fed and are having less than 500ml (about a pint) of infant formula a day; infant formula is already fortified with vitamin D.

Children aged six months to five years should be given vitamin supplements containing vitamins A, C and D every day.

Healthy Start

Dental health

Most babies start teething around six months. The NHS provides tips for helping your teething baby and looking after your baby's teeth. Your child is entitled to free dental NHS treatment up to the age of 19 and babies should be taken to the dentist before their first birthday. Ring 0300 123 4412 to find your nearest NHS dentist.

Regular tooth brushing is an important habit to continue - tooth decay is one of the biggest causes of hospital admission in the under-fives. Continue helping your child to brush their teeth until you are sure they can do it well enough themselves. They need to brush their teeth twice a day including once before bed and one other time in the day using a small amount of fluoride toothpaste.

Immunisations

One of the best ways to protect your baby against diseases like measles, rubella, tetanus and meningitis is through immunisation. The routine vaccinations at two, four, six, 12 and 13 months of age protect your child against serious diseases that can cause them harm. Start4Life has a full list of the all the vaccinations you baby is entitled to and the diseases they will be protected against.

Children have their first MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) immunisation at age one. The MMR vaccine is a safe and effective combined vaccine that protects against three serious illnesses: measles, mumps and rubella (German measles) Getting vaccinated is important, as these conditions can lead to serious problems including meningitis, hearing loss and problems during pregnancy.

Premature babies are immunised at the same times as babies born at term and not at their corrected age. First immunisations are offered in the Neonatal unit if a baby is there at eight weeks.

The BCG vaccine is recommended for those babies and children at an increased risk of coming into contact with Tuberculosis (TB). It is only given once in a lifetime and rarely given to adults. Talk to your health visitor of GP for more information.