Labor and Delivery: What to Expect

Learn how you can prepare for your labor and delivery and what to expect both at the hospital and once you are recovering at home.

Before You Give Birth
Use our helpful guide to prepare for your labor and delivery at a Sharp hospital. Learn what forms to bring with you, important information you need to know and view a list of pre-baby packing suggestions for the hospital.

Childbirth Recovery at Home After a Vaginal Birth
After giving birth, it is important to take care of yourself and your new baby.Once you are discharged from the hospital, you will be sent home with a personalized plan of care. Your postpartum plan of care will include, but is not limited to, the following:

  • Check with your doctor before soaking in the bathtub or hot tub
  • Do not use tampons or douche until approved by your physician
  • For hemorrhoids, use a sitz bath or sit in a tub with a few inches of warm water for 10 to 15 minutes
  • Get as much rest as possible by napping when your baby naps and accepting help with household chores from relatives and friends 
  • If you have stitches to repair an episiotomy (vaginal incision) or a tear, they will dissolve by themselves and do not need to be removed
  • Promote healing by keeping your bottom (perineum) clean with daily showers, medicated pads, sprays or sitz baths
  • Schedule a follow-up appointment with your doctor once you get home from the hospital, usually between one and six weeks after delivery
  • To help with bowel movements, drink plenty of fluids and eat fibrous foods, such as fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains and bran
  • To tighten your pelvic floor muscles, do Kegel exercises and pelvic tilts for five seconds at a time, four or five times in a row throughout the day
  • Try to walk often, but check with your doctor before you exercise, climb stairs, drive a car or perform other physical activities
  • Urinating and bowel movements may be difficult or uncomfortable the first few days after delivery; while on the toilet, you may wish to pour warm water over your bottom or urinate while taking a warm shower
  • We strongly encourage daily showering and careful cleansing of your bottom (perineum) with soap and water during your shower
  • Wipe from front to back after urination and bowel movements, then rinse using a squirt bottle filled with warm water and gently pat the area dry
  • You will have vaginal discharge (lochia) for up to six weeks after delivery; expect bright red, moderate to heavy blood flow for the first few days, with discharge gradually decreasing from pink or brown to yellow or white

When to Call Your Doctor
Contact your doctor if you experience any of the following:

  • A return to bright red or pinkish/brownish discharge after the first week
  • Cracked or bleeding nipples
  • Difficulty adjusting, including "baby blues," that lasts more than two weeks
  • Excessive crying, anxiety, sleeping and/or eating difficulties or scary thoughts
  • Foul-smelling discharge
  • Frequent urination, difficulty urinating or burning sensations
  • Heavy discharge that soaks more than one pad per hour or includes large clots or tissue
  • Nipple soreness that lasts more than the first minutes of feeding, or breast soreness for more than the first one to two weeks after birth
  • No discharge in the first two weeks
  • Severe diarrhea or lack of bowel movements for three consecutive days
  • Temperature over 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit
  • Tenderness, redness or hardened areas in your breasts other than during engorgement
  • Tenderness, redness, swelling, drainage or separation of episiotomy

Caregiving Tips
To learn caregiving tips for both mom and baby, read How to Care for a Baby After Childbirth.

Childbirth Locations
Sharp offers OBGYN, maternity and infant care services in San Diego at the following hospitals:

Find a San Diego OBGYN
To find a Sharp-affiliated doctor, search for a San Diego OBGYN or call 1-800-82-SHARP (1-800-827-4277), Monday through Friday, 8 am to 6 pm.

For More OBGYN, Pregnancy and Childbirth Information
To find general information about pregnancy and childbirth, visit Pregnancy and Childbirth in Adult Health or read the Pregnancy and Childbirth News archive.