Postpartum recovery checklist: the first six weeks

Everyone fusses over the baby — and rightly so — but you've just been through one of the biggest physical events a body can go through. The mother needs care too. Here's a gentle, practical checklist for the first six weeks: what's normal, what helps, and when to pick up the phone.

By the Oh My Baby team — parents who built a baby tracker for our own daughter · Updated 22 May 2026. This is not medical advice — for anything that worries you, contact your doctor or midwife.

Physical recovery: what's normal

The early weeks come with a long list of changes. Knowing what's expected makes it far easier to spot what isn't.

Bleeding (lochia)

Vaginal bleeding after birth — called lochia — is normal for both vaginal and caesarean births. It's usually heaviest and bright red in the first few days, then fades to pink-brown and finally a yellowish-white discharge over a few weeks. Use maternity pads, not tampons, while it lasts.

• Easing back too fast can increase the flow — if bleeding picks up after activity, take it as a sign to slow down.
• Call your doctor if you soak a pad in an hour, pass large clots, or the blood smells offensive — these can signal a problem.

Perineal or C-section wound care

If you had a tear or an episiotomy, the perineal area will be sore. Keep it clean and dry, use a squirt bottle of warm water while passing urine, and try a cool pack wrapped in cloth for the first day or two. Sitting on a soft cushion helps.

After a caesarean, your wound needs gentle care: keep it clean and dry, wear loose clothing, support your tummy with a pillow when you cough or laugh, and avoid heavy lifting (anything heavier than your baby) until your doctor says it's fine. Watch the scar for redness, swelling, heat, increasing pain, or any leaking — and report those.

Pelvic floor

Pregnancy and birth stretch the pelvic floor — the sling of muscles that supports your bladder and womb. Gentle pelvic floor (Kegel) exercises, once you feel ready, help with recovery and reduce leaking when you cough or laugh. If leaking, heaviness, or pain persists, ask about a referral to a women's-health physiotherapist; it's a treatable problem, not something to "just live with."

Emotional health: baby blues vs postpartum depression

Your hormones drop sharply after birth, and on top of exhaustion and a brand-new responsibility, big feelings are normal. The baby blues — tearfulness, mood swings, feeling overwhelmed — affect most new mothers, usually start a few days in, and tend to lift on their own within about two weeks.

Postpartum depression (PPD) is different: it's more intense and lasts longer. Signs can include persistent low mood, hopelessness, loss of interest in things you used to enjoy, trouble bonding with the baby, withdrawing from people, intense anxiety, or frightening thoughts. PPD is common and very treatable — and it is not your fault or a sign you're a bad parent.

The Oh My Baby Mom tab includes a one-tap daily mood check-in. If your mood trends low over several days, it gently nudges you to consider talking to a doctor. It's there to help you notice patterns and feel supported — it is not a diagnosis or a substitute for professional care.

Nutrition, hydration and iron

Recovery and milk-making both run on fuel. You don't need a special "postpartum diet," just regular, balanced meals you can actually eat one-handed.

• Protein and iron — especially if you lost blood at birth. Iron-rich foods (and any tablets your doctor prescribed) help rebuild stores and fight fatigue.
• Fibre and fluids — constipation is common after birth; whole grains, fruit, vegetables and water help, and ease pressure on a healing perineum.
• Hydration — keep water within reach, particularly while breastfeeding, when thirst hits hard.
• Keep easy snacks stocked — nuts, fruit, yoghurt, eggs — so you eat even on the chaotic days.

Sleep and rest

Newborn sleep is fragmented, so yours will be too. You can't "catch up" in one go, but you can protect pockets of rest: sleep when the baby sleeps where you can, share night duties with a partner, and let visitors hold the baby while you nap rather than entertaining them. Lowering the bar on housework for a few weeks is a legitimate recovery strategy, not laziness.

When to seek help

Don't wait for the six-week check if something feels wrong. Contact your doctor or midwife promptly for:

• Heavy bleeding (soaking a pad in an hour) or large clots.
• Fever, or a wound that's red, swollen, hot, or leaking.
• Severe headache, vision changes, or swelling in the face or hands.
• Calf pain or swelling, chest pain, or breathlessness.
• Pain when passing urine, or trouble controlling your bladder or bowels.
• Low mood that lasts beyond two weeks, intense anxiety, or any thoughts of harming yourself or your baby — seek help urgently.

Your postnatal check (often around six weeks) is the time to raise anything lingering — physical or emotional. Make a list beforehand so nothing gets forgotten in the appointment.

About the authors

Oh My Baby is built by two parents who created a free, private baby tracker after our own daughter's early weeks. We compile these guides from public health sources and our lived experience — and we always point you back to your doctor for medical decisions.

Related guides

• Surviving night feeds: a gentle survival guide — protecting your own sleep while the feeds are relentless.
• Cluster feeding: what it is and how to survive it
• Newborn feeding schedule by week

This is general information, not medical advice, and is not a diagnosis. Every recovery is different. For any concern about your physical or emotional health after birth — and especially for low mood that lingers or any thoughts of self-harm — please contact your doctor, midwife, or a mental-health helpline. You deserve care too.