Early days and what to expect

If you feel pressure to get back to normal, ignore it. No one should expect you to go to the supermarket or drive anywhere- other people can do these jobs for you.

If you have visitors, make it clear you don't expect to entertain them. If they want tea or coffee, they can make it themselves. And if you get offers of help, accept them. You're bound to need a hand with the washing, cooking, shopping or cleaning.

Changes in you

In the first week you may notice the following:

• Your tummy looks and feels soft and round - you won't look pregnant, but your body won't 'spring' back to how it was, either.
• You feel some labour-like pains in your uterus - breastfeeding, in particular, can stimulate 'afterpains' as your uterus contracts.
• Your breasts increase in size - they'll get bigger from day two or three as your milk 'comes in'. They may feel a bit uncomfortable, but this should be pass. Ask the midwife for simple tips to make you feel more comfortable.
• A lot of vaginal discharge - for a few weeks, the uterus sheds the rest of its lining. At first this discharge, or lochia, is red. It then changes to a pinkish brown, then cream. Use sanitary towels to protect your clothes (not tampons, as there's a risk of infection).
• You feel weepy - this is normal and isn't postnatal depression. It should last no more than a few days.

Your new baby

All babies are unique, but in the first few days you can expect the following:

• After the first hours, your baby's skin will seem smoother. The vernix will also disappear. Any bruising or slight misshapenness will lessen.
• Some babies seem to sleep a lot in the first days, then perk up and are hungry and wakeful, while others are alert and feed well from the beginning. Keep your baby skin to skin, so you can respond to even small feeding cues – sometimes, sleepy babies sleep too long and need some encouragement to feed.
• Your baby will have routine checks to ensure she's healthy. A doctor or midwife will listen to her heart and test some of her reflexes. Her hip joints will be checked to make sure they work as they should do.
• At some point in the first week, your baby will be screened for a rare condition called PKU (phenylketonuria) and other rare conditions. Several drops of blood from the heel are collected. This is sometimes known as the Guthrie test.
• Your baby may be given vitamin K shortly after the birth, either orally or by injection. This is to prevent a rare condition called Vitamin K deficiency, which means the blood fails to clot, which risks haemorrhage. The oral form needs to be given more than once make sure the dose is complete.
• Many babies have mild jaundice in the first week or so, caused by a substance called bilirubin still present in the blood. If there seems to be a problem, your baby will have a blood test to see how high the level really is. Jaundice can make some babies a little sleepy.

Almost as soon as your baby is born, she'll be given an Apgar test. This scores breathing, colour, muscle tone, reflexes and heart rate. Commonly, it's carried out at between one and five minutes after the birth, and sometimes twice.

Your care after the birth

A midwife will visit you in the hospital and once you're home to:

• Feel if your uterus is getting back to its pre-pregnancy size
• Check any stitches
• Take your blood pressure
• Ask about how you're feeling
• Give advice on minor problems, such as constipation
• Help establish feeding

Don't forget:

• Your pelvic floor exercises - you can start these as soon as you like, even the day after the birth
• To register your baby's birth

The midwife can extend your care for as long as he or she thinks it's necessary. In practice, a community midwife often signs over your care to a health visitor about ten days after the birth, if all's well. You'll be visited at home in these first ten days, but not necessarily every day. You should be given a midwife's contact details in case you need help outside normal working hours.