Taking Care of Your Bottom with Ashley Pipp from Project Mama Bear — Episode 185

What are the best ways to take care of your bottom after you have a baby? This episode includes the best tips from labor nurses and moms who can help you understand what your new bathroom routine will look like.

Todays guest is Ashley Pipp. Ashley is a mama, traveling labor nurse and birth consultant who is passionate about helping other mamas have a positive and empowered hospital birth.

Website- https://www.projectmamabear.com

Tiktok- https://www.tiktok.com/@projectmamabear

This episode was inspired by my post on postpartum comforts.

Big thanks to our sponsor The Online Prenatal Class for Couples — if you’re looking to get prepared for your upcoming delivery it’s the course for you!

In this episode

How you can prepare your perineum for your delivery

What you’ll do to take care of your bottom after baby

Products you might want for your bottom after baby

Other things that might interest you

My other postpartum posts: https://www.pullingcurls.com/category/pregnancy/postpartum-care/

The Pregnancy Nurse’s postpartum posts: https://pregnurse.com/category/postpartum/

My video on taking care of your bottom: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm0s0NLQzH0&t=3s

Producer: Drew Erickson

Check out my other pregnancy podcasts:

Transcript

[00:00:00.240] – Hilary Erickson

Hey, guys. Welcome back to the Pulling Curls Podcast. Today on Episode 185, we’re talking about taking care of your bottom after you have a baby. Let’s untangle it.

[00:00:19.750] – Hilary Erickson

Hi, I’m Hilary Erickson, the curly head behind the Pulling Curls Podcast: pregnancy and parenting untangled. There’s no right answer for every family, but on this show, we hope to give you some ideas to make life simpler at your house. Life’s tangled, just like my hair.

[00:00:36.510] – Hilary Erickson

All right, I’m super excited for today’s guest, which I met on the Tik tok. She is the Mama behind Project Mama Bear, and she is a birth consultant. I want to introduce today’s guest, Ashley Pipp.

[00:00:55.540] – Hilary Erickson

Do you feel prepared for your delivery? In just three short hours, you can be prepared for the confident, collaborative delivery you want. You’ll know what to expect and how to talk with your health care team. And there are no boring lessons in this class. I’ll use humor, stories from my 20 years in the delivery room to engage both of you. I love how Alyssa told me that she found herself laughing at things that used to sound scary. Most of all, you guys are going to be on the same page from bump to bassinet. Join the online prenatal class for couples today. You can save 15 % with coupon code UNTANGLED. You can find the link in the show notes.

[00:01:30.920] – Hilary Erickson

Hey, Ashley, welcome to the Pulling Curls Podcast.

[00:01:33.480] – Ashley Pipp

Hi, Hilary.

[00:01:33.920] – Hilary Erickson

We are talking about all bathroom talk today on this podcast. You guys are so lucky.

[00:01:40.860] – Ashley Pipp

Something we all have in common, right? Everybody’s got to go.

[00:01:43.790] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah. I have to say So after I had my first baby, I had done it in nursing school. I knew that you lined up the text and then blah, blah, blah. But when I went into pee for the first time, I don’t know if this is like you, Ashley, I was like, Oh, my gosh, this is a lot of work. Every time I go to the restroom.

[00:02:00.280] – Ashley Pipp

Especially when you go home and you’re, like sleep deprived.

[00:02:03.780] – Ashley Pipp

I think I ended up giving up on the warm water because I didn’t have the time to wait for it to warm up.

[00:02:13.320] – Ashley Pipp

Yeah. So I suffered with cold water at times.

[00:02:15.580] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah. So today we’re talking about how you take care of your bottom after you have a baby because it is a whole routine and it can last a few days or a few weeks, depending on how much you tear or how you’re healing and all those things. But Ashley had some interesting things to add about before you go to the hospital, how to try and keep your downtown a little bit safer. So take it away, Ashley.

[00:02:37.780] – Ashley Pipp

Absolutely. Yeah. So I only have one kid, right? And even being a labor and delivery nurse, you have experience. I’m used to get your moms up to go to the bathroom that first time. But I want to know, too, because I was about to go through that. And what I learned is that I wanted to prepare my body before. So I made sure that I why up my protein for my diet and my pregnancy. I stayed hydrated. I personally did stay active, like lots of walking and prenatal yoga, which I thought was helpful. One thing I did that can be recommended but is a little awkward sometimes for Mamas is something called perineal massage. And we like would light candles. My husband was my helper.

[00:03:25.860] – Hilary Erickson

Oh, you weren’t just like giving it a little rub. You were going the whole nine yards.

[00:03:29.340] – Ashley Pipp

Oh, we did the whole thing with some oil. I mean, you could use olive oil.

[00:03:33.820] – Hilary Erickson

Mineral oil. Do not use essential oils. No teatree down there.

[00:03:39.130] – Ashley Pipp

No, please. And we had essential oils in the room. But it’s in no way romantic.

[00:03:49.060] – Hilary Erickson

Much of most of pregnancy.

[00:03:51.360] – Ashley Pipp

No. But I did feel that it prepared my body for that sensation. I felt that sensation and it gave me some expectation of what that I’m eventually going to feel. I honestly think that it helped me not tear as much, which is I don’t know about every mama, but that was my biggest fear, the tear. I had a nine pounder baby, my first baby. She was nine pounds, two and a half ounces, and I had a skid mark in the tiny first degree, and I swear it helped. Yeah.

[00:04:23.860] – Hilary Erickson

I mean, I had forceps in a fourth degree.

[00:04:27.370] – Ashley Pipp

Oh, no.

[00:04:28.220] – Hilary Erickson

We are coming from different angles in the restroom area. On my first, I didn’t.

[00:04:32.240] – Ashley Pipp

Hear that much on my second. I can’t wait to hear what you have to say then.

[00:04:36.560] – Hilary Erickson

So the studies show the perineal massage is like a quid pro. Some show that it’s helpful, some show that it doesn’t. But the thing is you don’t know what people are doing. I don’t think in the studies they go to Joan, the Nurse Practitioner, who does your perineal massage for you. You know what I’m saying? It’s somebody people would do privately in their home.

[00:04:56.860] – Ashley Pipp

Honestly, I think the biggest thing for me was the sensation because the unknown is what causes the fear. I feel like feeling what that sensation was, like mentally and physically prepared me of what to expect for birth. And then also warm compresses when pushing for right, when crowning.

[00:05:17.420] – Hilary Erickson

And honestly, that’s just something I would tell your nurse about, because sometimes I feel like a cold compress, just depending on how the tissue feel. Sometimes I’ll put ice down there while they’re… And sometimes I’ll put a warm compress, but tell… That might be something to put on your birth plan, just saying you’re open to it and maybe asking her about while you’re pushing. Because sometimes nurses are so caught up in like, when do I call the doctor? My patient’s in the other room.

[00:05:45.240] – Ashley Pipp

Yeah, charting every 15 minutes.

[00:05:47.420] – Hilary Erickson

Sometimes you just have to mention, hey, do you think a compress would help? How’s my downtown looking?

[00:05:52.400] – Ashley Pipp

Yeah.

[00:05:53.460] – Hilary Erickson

Just reminds them.

[00:05:54.880] – Ashley Pipp

And one more thing that I feel like really helped me was like pelvic floor exercises. Like doing kegels, learning to relax, to tighten and relax those muscles just to know what’s going on down there.

[00:06:08.820] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah. I think most of us are pretty disconnected from what’s down there, especially before we have a baby because we’re just like, it works. I don’t wet my pants. I don’t have any issues. Sex is great, stuff like that. And then after you have a baby, you’re like, well, that’s different.

[00:06:25.680] – Ashley Pipp

I know. So a lot of times you hear about doing kegels after, right? Like to help after. But I feel like doing it a little bit before, too, is helpful because then you get familiar with those muscles down there that you’re going to have to use to push your baby out. Yeah.

[00:06:41.270] – Hilary Erickson

And a lot of Lamass classes, and including my prenatal class, we talk about relaxing downtown because a lot of times, especially because the blankets are all off, you’re just exposed. A lot of times I’ll see moms doing kegels while they’re pushing. And I’m like, oh, no, we’re not doing… We are relaxed as Jellow down here.

[00:06:59.660] – Ashley Pipp

Yes, opposite. Yeah.

[00:07:01.270] – Hilary Erickson

So after you go to the restroom… And a lot of people, I think, think it’s only going to be a big deal if they tear, a full blown tear. But I will say that I had a skin mark on one of these kids I had, and that’s a stinger right on its own. Oh, yeah.

[00:07:17.480] – Ashley Pipp

I don’t think it matters. Even if you didn’t have a tear, a baby just came out of your vagina. It’s going to be sensitive.

[00:07:25.710] – Hilary Erickson

So that first get up to the restroom, it really depends on what hospital you’re at and their routines and policies. My first hospital, we got people up at an hour, which is insane. I don’t know. What do you do? What have you seen?

[00:07:37.240] – Ashley Pipp

I’ve experienced different things where they want you to go very quickly like that. And then I’ve been where it’s been a little bit closer to that two hour mark.

[00:07:47.210] – Hilary Erickson

But.

[00:07:48.300] – Ashley Pipp

Sometimes you don’t have a choice. If they have an epidural and it’s super heavy and they can’t get up, then you either have to wait a little bit longer.

[00:07:58.280] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah. We had a device called the Sarah Steaddy. Have you ever worked with that? Where we just would haul them to the restroom. It’s basically like a wheelchair for the toilet.

[00:08:06.450] – Ashley Pipp

I make every mama waive like a princess.

[00:08:08.980] – Hilary Erickson

Sometimes we can’t find a wheelchair and we have to use that to take them to the most part of them.

[00:08:14.570] – Ashley Pipp

It’s a good feeling. Oh, yeah, I’ve seen that too.

[00:08:18.020] – Hilary Erickson

So the reason we have this device, because a lot of you are like, why on Earth can I not walk to the restroom? Is because if you had an epidural, it may still be working on your legs. But also if you just had a baby, sometimes those legs are just unsteady, right? And I cannot emphasize to my listeners how much paperwork is involved if you fall.

[00:08:40.180] – Ashley Pipp

Oh, yeah. Too much.

[00:08:42.460] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah. Not that we want you to fall or we have any concerns about because I think a lot of my patients are like, whoops. I’m like, oh, my gosh, there’s so much work to do now.

[00:08:52.200] – Ashley Pipp

I think even with mamas who don’t have an epidural, I tend to like to move slow anyway. Your legs might feel wobbly but also you lost volume. And a lot of Mamas want to get up and they’re ready to take off running. And I’m like, Whoa, hold on.

[00:09:07.920] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah. I’ve had some get up right away and shower. And I’m like, oh, yeah. Okay, I’m not you.

[00:09:15.220] – Ashley Pipp

I’m like, we got to move slow because we can’t have you fainting on us.

[00:09:18.720] – Hilary Erickson

So a lot of times I’ll talk a Chuck’s, which is like a puppy pad in between your legs because it is not unusual for that first time. By the way, this is not a super kid friendly episode in case your kids are listening or kids that understand. But it can be a big gush that first time you get up because it’s been pooling, right?

[00:09:37.290] – Ashley Pipp

Oh, yeah. My favorite thing, like my common practice that I do now every single time, I use that puppy pad too, but I just put the mesh undies on before. So that way both my hands can be with the patient and nobody has to worry about that pad coming down because if it falls, Whoa. Housekeeping! Yeah, it’s going to make a mess. And honestly, if mama, if you make a mess, don’t feel sorry, don’t feel bad, you literally can’t help it.

[00:10:06.100] – Hilary Erickson

No. And the hospital is, I mean, we do it. We have those floors because they take blood. That is why the floors are there. Whatever flooring we picked. So true. So you get up to the restroom and you are super dirty. Just plan on not feeling so fresh down there. So we give you a little sprayer. It’s called a Perineel wash bottle. There’s other companies that sell those, but the hospital, it just looks like a fancy bottle of water, basically, that you can fill up.

[00:10:35.940] – Ashley Pipp

Yeah. I’ve heard of moms buying those. I mean, you can buy it if you want, but the ones in the hospitals work just great, right?

[00:10:43.360] – Hilary Erickson

I know a lot of people love the freedom mom, but I don’t know how much better it could be than my… Unless it was a bidet.

[00:10:49.710] – Ashley Pipp

If I’m going to spend money on something, it’s going to be on those sexy depends. The ones that look like a lace.

[00:10:59.620] – Hilary Erickson

So classy. Yes. So we’re going to get you up. And I don’t know, tell me how it felt because you had a skid mark so that can burn. And a lot of times you’re afraid of it burning when you pee and so you resist peeing and your labor nurse does not want you to do that, right?

[00:11:15.780] – Ashley Pipp

Yeah. So after I always give my mom’s homework, like, as soon as the baby is born, like, hey, if you can chug some water because we will be getting you up. And then when we do get up, when we get to the toilet, we will have you sit down. And if you’re afraid, which is something that I did just to personally help myself because I was a little bit worried too, is that I sprayed something called Dermoplast first before going, even if it like mentally prepares you to go, I felt like it helped.

[00:11:45.460] – Ashley Pipp

And honestly, you just got to get into your mind of I just pushed a baby out. I’m fricking bad. You know what I mean? I don’t know if I can say that. But you just push a baby out like peeing. You got to really just take take a deep breath and overcome that fear. And remember the most incredible thing that you just did, right? You just birthed the whole baby.

[00:12:06.760] – Hilary Erickson

You can.

[00:12:07.220] – Ashley Pipp

Do.

[00:12:08.120] – Hilary Erickson

Anything. You can pee.

[00:12:10.270] – Ashley Pipp

Yes. Well, the.

[00:12:11.020] – Hilary Erickson

Thing that we don’t want… Or maybe you can’t. Yeah, it’s true. The thing that we don’t want is for you to resist peeing because if your bladder fills up, it gets in the way of the uterus clamping down and then you bleed, which is what we.

[00:12:23.040] – Ashley Pipp

Don’t want. We do not want no hemorrhaging, please.

[00:12:26.920] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah. But like she was saying, sometimes it’s hard to pee. I’ve actually noticed it a lot in moms who get lidocaine at delivery because I think it numbs their pee hole.

[00:12:34.920] – Ashley Pipp

Oh, you know what? That’s very interesting that you say that. I don’t think I’ve ever put two and two together with that. But yeah, I have noticed that too.

[00:12:42.160] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah, because one day I was like, why the heck can she not pee? My manager was like, Well, did she get lidocaine? I was like, Yeah, of course. And she’s like, Well, it numbs everything. And I was.

[00:12:52.940] – Ashley Pipp

Like, Sorry, you learn something new.

[00:12:54.240] – Hilary Erickson

Every day. How did I not think about that? The first 15 years I did this. Anyway, so it can happen to anybody natural because it stretches out those tissues and your urethra is like, no, we’re done. We’re just taking… We’re on holiday down here. The shop’s closed. And so there are some tricks that your labor nurse might try to get you to pee. We’ll turn on the water, we’ll talk about waterfalls.

[00:13:17.620] – Ashley Pipp

I’ll bring the water to the bathroom for you to sip. I’ve also used… Have you ever used peppermint oil?

[00:13:23.400] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah, we started using that and I had no idea.

[00:13:26.070] – Ashley Pipp

I had to look it up. I was like… A lot of the things I learn are from just different nurses or postpartum nurses. And someone mentioned peppermint oil, and I was like, oh, okay. Honestly, I have a fanny pack. I carry that in my fanny pack for labor, but now I use it to go pee. Postpartum as well.

[00:13:45.820] – Hilary Erickson

No idea why it works.

[00:13:47.030] – Ashley Pipp

I looked it up. It just does.

[00:13:50.960] – Hilary Erickson

Well, I’m guessing it relax. So to be very clear, we are not putting that on your pee hole. We just drop a little bit in the toilet. I’ve heard some people have them sniff it. No, it does not go by your pee hole. That does not need to be menti fresh.

[00:14:06.320] – Ashley Pipp

That will most likely make you burn.

[00:14:09.980] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah. Oh, ow. I’ve had patients blow bubbles with a straw. Have you ever.

[00:14:15.160] – Ashley Pipp

Tried that? That’s a good one. So someone else taught me this, too. I don’t know the mechanism of how it works, but maybe it’s similar. Sometimes I’ll have my moms put their thumb at the roof of their mouth and then blow air out. But close your mouth, but don’t let the air come out. So you’re like…

[00:14:31.000] – Hilary Erickson

Oh, right. You’re just blowing. You’re sucking your thumb, but you’re blowing on it.

[00:14:34.140] – Ashley Pipp

Yeah. And that’s worked. But those are the blowing bubbles in a cup. Okay, I will add to my list. Whenever a.

[00:14:43.790] – Hilary Erickson

New nurse comes that has like, we’re like, that’s fascinating. I’m 100 % trying this. This is things labor nurses obsess over because if you don’t pee and you’re bleeding and whatever your hospital policy is, we may have to put a catheter in. And as bad as peeing sounds, nobody thinks the catheter sounds very fun.

[00:15:00.620] – Ashley Pipp

Especially after having a baby. And if you had an epidural, if the epidural wore out, you’re definitely going to feel it going in, which is very uncomfortable.

[00:15:09.620] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah. The good news is I don’t know if there’s anybody in the hospital better putting catheters in than the OBGYN floor where you’re rockstar catheter placers.

[00:15:17.730] – Ashley Pipp

Yes, right? Yes. Fully princess.

[00:15:21.300] – Hilary Erickson

And at that point, it would just go in, drain it out like a hose, and then it comes right back out. It’s not going to stay in like when you had your epidural. But if you’re bleeding a lot, we obviously want to keep all the blood that we can inside your body. So a catheter would be an option at that point.

[00:15:35.690] – Ashley Pipp

Right. Or if your bladder is like fool, it will make your uterus shift over to the left or right, which is no bueno. That’s not good. No. So sometimes Mamas need that extra help.

[00:15:48.640] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah. And the weird thing about going to the bathroom is your nurse is going to hang out there with you, which for most people before they’ve had a baby have never had a nurse hang out in the bathroom with them, although it is common in the hospital for nurses to come to the bathroom with patients. So it can be awkward. So usually if we can’t pee, I’m trying all the things, obviously, but I’ll step outside. I’m right outside the door, but sometimes people need some privacy. Now, if it’s your second baby, you realize that you don’t need any privacy to use the restroom. Yeah.

[00:16:17.220] – Ashley Pipp

There’s always this.

[00:16:19.880] – Ashley Pipp

I always just say don’t wipe or get up without me. And now I would shut the door too just to get… Because I couldn’t pee with somebody staring at me.

[00:16:29.830] – Hilary Erickson

I 100 % could pee at any point in time with someone staring at me.

[00:16:33.250] – Ashley Pipp

You could? Well, now.

[00:16:34.840] – Hilary Erickson

Now.

[00:16:35.080] – Ashley Pipp

I mean.

[00:16:36.020] – Hilary Erickson

Kids are always like… Even I have a 10 year old that’s just like, Hey, mom, opens the door and I’m like, We’re 10. Yeah. When is this going to end? Yeah. Okay, so after you pee, it may burn a little bit when you pee. Some patients say it feels good. I mean, a lot of times there’s a relief because your bladder might be full.

[00:16:56.200] – Ashley Pipp

Who knows? Right. And I think getting over the initial, you did it, then it’s not so scary anymore.

[00:17:02.410] – Hilary Erickson

Nobody gets up the second time and is afraid to pee. So maybe that makes other people feel better.

[00:17:08.120] – Ashley Pipp

Yeah. And we really hook you up for downstairs after… I say even if they didn’t have a tear, I’m like, look, this perry bottle is awesome. It helps clean you. We put warm water, we spray down low. And then I just say if you want to, you can pat, but definitely no wiping. And then we usually have ice packs to put in the pad. I love to still use the first few times just because the bleeding is a little bit more heavy after. And then it lightens up. I still use the puppy pad, like the big Chuck. Oh, you do? Yeah. In addition to the bigger pad in the middle, just because I’ve experienced because right now I currently work in an LDRP, which is labor and postpartum. I’ve had to clean a lot of bed sheets and stuff. If the pad is a little bit small and the bleeding misses the chuck, then it gets all over. So I like to use that big pad just for extra comfort where you don’t have to worry that you’re going to be making a mess in bed.

[00:18:09.260] – Hilary Erickson

And every hospital totally varies in what supplies they give you after you have a baby because my current hospital, it’s like a Chuck’s pad. They only give us three. I don’t know why we only get three. But it’s basically just like it depends. It covers almost the entire underwear, which is really nice. Oh, that’s nice. Only three times.

[00:18:28.150] – Ashley Pipp

Okay. Yeah, they have a bigger one and then a regular, almost like what you would use for your period. Even if I don’t have the bigger ones, I’ll put two little period ones on it. I just get creative on a Chuck, because the Chuck will make it, I don’t know, just more comfy that you feel safe that you’re not going to leak because it does feel messy.

[00:18:50.100] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah. It is going to be more bleeding than you’ve had during your period. A lot of people are like, Well, how bad can it be? Usually, you’re filling up that pad every single time you go to the restroom, you will have a fairly full pad those first few days just to give people an idea.

[00:19:03.380] – Ashley Pipp

It does get better over time. It does. But then what I’ll put is the ice pack and then the witch Hazel pads or the tux create a little, what do they call it, a pad sickle.

[00:19:15.950] – Hilary Erickson

In.

[00:19:16.890] – Ashley Pipp

Which Hazel pads help with soothing and healing. And then most places will have that DermiP last. I think I’ve seen… I forget what the generic name is for it.

[00:19:28.880] – Hilary Erickson

Benzocaine, something and something. Yeah, everybody uses DermiP last, though. I do know some people who are like, oh, that’s too… There’s something in it there, like, is horrifying. So there are some natural brands out there if you want to look for something with a numbing spray.

[00:19:43.460] – Ashley Pipp

Yeah, to help with the burning or the itching just to help numb it.

[00:19:47.640] – Hilary Erickson

One of my hospitals, we had like a steroid foam that we put on the text, which I thought was a good idea. But what I’m telling you is there’s a lot that goes on down there. You’re not just like slapping a pad down and jumping up.

[00:20:02.120] – Ashley Pipp

No, I guess you could, but it won’t feel.

[00:20:05.400] – Hilary Erickson

As nice. Yeah. So there’s a lot of things that we do, and all of this is meant to just try and help you heal faster, less pain, because I have the fourth degree and I have to tell you that no painkiller was touching it. I was taking all the Vica, Perca, Oxy that I could, and that just really made me constipated because the stinging and whatever from that cut, I just needed topical stuff. I should have just like, heist it for.

[00:20:28.840] – Ashley Pipp

Six weeks. Did you have topical stuff or they didn’t have that then?

[00:20:32.700] – Hilary Erickson

No, we still had tox and dermaplast, all those things. But I’m just saying that the more you can put stuff on that type of a thing rather than taking the pain.

[00:20:43.180] – Ashley Pipp

Meds, it would be better. Yeah, that post part in poop is something else, too. So that’s a whole topic.

[00:20:48.500] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah, maybe we’ll have you back on for talking about poop, but we’re just handling pee right now. Okay. And then you want to change the pad every time you get up to the restroom. I don’t know what you did when you had your period when you were 14 because I have a really light flow personally, like on a normal period. But you do want to change that pad every time because you have, even if you haven’t torn, you do have tissues that are real fragile right then and you want to make sure that they’re not getting infected, mostly.

[00:21:14.770] – Ashley Pipp

Right. And you just want to keep yourself clean, right? You don’t want any type of infection, anything like that. Yeah. It makes it feel nicer, too, I think, which is super important.

[00:21:26.060] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah. Because really, most people don’t get up to shower, which feels amazing until 12 hours after birth. I don’t know. What do you see?

[00:21:32.830] – Ashley Pipp

You LDRP, maybe? Yeah, usually it’s like the next morning. Yeah, like 12 hours after. Oh, and one thing I forget, too, which I offer, but not everybody wants to do it. Maybe it’s something you can do at home is like a warm sits bath.

[00:21:47.780] – Hilary Erickson

Do you guys have the Sitz baths on your unit? Sitz bath, it’s like a homemade bidet, basically. It’s got a big bottle of water that gravity flows down and then it sprays your perineum.

[00:22:00.140] – Ashley Pipp

We have a little bucket that we can make shift into to help do that. Then we also have a bathtub, which it’s so funny because I think in the beginning of my career, I learned absolutely no baths. But a warm, six bath, if you don’t have that, you could, if you’re feeling up to it, get into the bath and have warm water.

[00:22:23.740] – Hilary Erickson

Usually, they’ll say run the water, leave the drain halfway open so that you’re constantly recycling the water. You’re not just sitting.

[00:22:31.300] – Ashley Pipp

In dirty water. My doctor.

[00:22:32.900] – Hilary Erickson

Told me to do that, and I had a fourth degree. And when I would squat down to get into the bath, I thought I was going to die. So I don’t know why they didn’t give me a six bath.

[00:22:41.600] – Ashley Pipp

To sleep with my tub. The bathtub might have not been for you. Maybe you needed that. It’s hard work to get in the toilet. I can’t imagine what it would have felt like to get in the tub feeling like that.

[00:22:52.000] – Hilary Erickson

And I would 100 % ask for a bidet for my shower gift if I was having a baby right now. Like someone to come and install.

[00:23:00.090] – Ashley Pipp

It. street list.

[00:23:01.000] – Hilary Erickson

They have fancy ones like the tushy, I think it’s called.

[00:23:04.030] – Ashley Pipp

Yeah, I heard of that. Yeah.

[00:23:06.040] – Hilary Erickson

Which they sent me one. We’ve had it for a while. But it’s too firm of a spray. You want one that has a very light spray initially, I think, because I think the tushy is meant for the back hole. You really just want a light flow of water on that area. And I think it would have felt amazing. So if that’s something you guys are concerned about, I think a bidet is handy either way. It would be a good one to install if you’re in your own home and can do those things.

[00:23:33.350] – Ashley Pipp

And look, if you don’t like it, at least try it, see if it works. And then if not, then put it away.

[00:23:39.660] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah. And while we do warm water in the hospital, a lot of times cold water will feel better when you get home. Or I have patients who prefer the cold water on day two at the facility. So just do whatever feels best. There’s no magical thing that will fix it. I wish there was a perineum fairy. That’s what we should call this episode the Perineum Fairy. What do you think about this? I think people feel super awkward about all that.

[00:24:05.860] – Ashley Pipp

About the whole process?

[00:24:08.140] – Hilary Erickson

Or us going to the bathroom, showing them how to put the things on. And I don’t want that for my patient at all. That’s such an important part of my job to make sure you can take care.

[00:24:16.280] – Ashley Pipp

Of yourself. Oh, yeah, for sure. Well, I’ve also seen a lot of moms worry like, Oh, where are you going to be? I’m like, Oh, don’t worry, girl. We’re going to hook you up. We’re going to give you all these things, all those things to help you heal down there. But yeah, it can be awkward just because you’re waddling your belly. Once you have your baby, your belly does not go completely away. So sometimes you can’t see.

[00:24:40.870] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah, you can’t because you’re going to be like, when you have first visit to the restroom, you’re probably six months pregnant. That’s what you’re going to look like.

[00:24:48.920] – Ashley Pipp

Yeah. I created a little basket. So when I went into the bathroom at home, I literally had everything right there. I didn’t care if my family or friends or whoever came. I’m like, This is my basket. Looks a little funny. Got all the pads and stuff, but it’s just easy so you don’t have to go collect everything. It just makes it easier.

[00:25:10.440] – Hilary Erickson

Two things I just thought of. First, don’t wear your favorite pair of socks right after you have your baby.

[00:25:14.680] – Ashley Pipp

Because.

[00:25:16.660] – Hilary Erickson

They could get real bloody and then you’ll be like, Oh, my favorite pair of socks. And I’m like, Do you want me to throw them away?

[00:25:23.360] – Ashley Pipp

Or your cute blanket.

[00:25:25.820] – Ashley Pipp

Or your cute blanket.

[00:25:26.750] – Hilary Erickson

Anything you really like needs to be waist level up.

[00:25:32.250] – Hilary Erickson

Yes. And then the other thing is I had a hard time controlling my pee on my first baby who had the big tear. I would get up and I would pee a little bit. I couldn’t hold my pee when I needed to use the restroom. I needed to go right then. And that did get better. Still not perfect, but it did get better. So a lot of moms, that pad was not full of blood. There were other things on it, and it’s meant to be that. All those things are stretched out. Don’t freak out. That’s your new life.

[00:25:59.120] – Ashley Pipp

Things got to just get adjusted.

[00:26:02.640] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah. Anyway, anything else.

[00:26:03.660] – Ashley Pipp

To add? Gosh, not that I can think of.

[00:26:06.840] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah, it’s just a thing and it doesn’t last that long. You’re not going to be putting those pads on. My flows usually lasted two, probably three weeks on the third baby. So again, I’m not a big bleeder in general. What do you think? Talking to friends.

[00:26:22.040] – Ashley Pipp

You know what? Honestly, for myself, you mean? Yeah. Like how long it was for me?

[00:26:26.840] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah.

[00:26:27.240] – Ashley Pipp

I can’t even remember how long, but I know it can be up to… I feel like it was a little bit longer for me, maybe four weeks.

[00:26:36.640] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah, that’s probably closer to the average. And then you’re probably wearing panel liners for a little bit. Just out.

[00:26:41.570] – Ashley Pipp

Of fear. Out of concern. I’m not wanting them. Especially because I had cute postpartum pajamas and stuff like that. I was like, No way am I getting this mess. This for extra coverage.

[00:26:52.220] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah. And then you’ll just go on and be a normal peeing human being that doesn’t need a whole rigmarole when they go.

[00:26:58.290] – Ashley Pipp

To the restroom. I think if I could add just one one thing, it would be like sometimes Mamas are in labor for a long time and they’re getting all this fluid. Sometimes those tissue down low can become very swollen. You wouldn’t even recognize it. It is just to alternate ight? Maybe every time you go to the bathroom, put that ice pack on, on and off. Alternate each time you go to the bathroom to help with that swelling.

[00:27:23.600] – Hilary Erickson

You mean when they’re in labor or after? No, after.

[00:27:27.060] – Ashley Pipp

If you notice or if your nurse notices or mentions anything about being swollen, yeah, you can put an ice pack too while you’re in labor as well to help that swelling.

[00:27:36.420] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah. I ice pack constantly for the first 48 hours. I just tell them if it’s not cold, just put a new one on. And you have to remember, hospitals are really weird about their ice packs. I don’t know. It sounds like you might have a premade one at your hospital. Oh, no, not at my hospital. We either put it in a newborn diaper. I’ve seen that. Yeah. Which is also nice because then if you put the diaper and the ice, it’s all good down with a diaper. Or we’ll put it in a glove and then cover it with gauze or something like that. And there are times that I really like that because the gloves can get into your lady cards a little bit. Like, if you have a specific hematoma or something like a bruise, I’ll stick that glove finger right where it can help out.

[00:28:20.500] – Ashley Pipp

Or they don’t want that. They want you to use the specific ice pack, which I’ve learned tricks with our ice pack is like, oh, if you sprinkle a little water on your hospital ice pack, it makes it more cold.

[00:28:34.330] – Hilary Erickson

Oh, interesting.

[00:28:35.420] – Ashley Pipp

Yeah. But I’ve heard of the diaper, not the glove.

[00:28:39.190] – Hilary Erickson

Well, we only give you three pads too. Anyway, labor nurses are crafty. So if there’s anything that you’re feeling down there, whatever, ask the questions, don’t be embarrassed. This is our thing. Obviously, we’re here in a podcast talking about pee. We have very few barriers to bodily functions.

[00:28:59.020] – Ashley Pipp

There’s no such thing as a. Stupid question.

[00:29:01.590] – Hilary Erickson

No. And if it can make you more comfortable, we don’t even care.

[00:29:04.150] – Ashley Pipp

Now, you got to be prepared for taking care of yourself at home. So I know you’re going to get all this information on the baby, but you matter, too. So you got to pay attention and learn of how you can care for yourself down there.

[00:29:15.690] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah, you actually matter more because if the mom is gone, then the baby is screwed. All right. Where can people find you?

[00:29:24.930] – Ashley Pipp

You can find… I have a website, but I don’t do much with it yet. I’m still working on it. My website is projectmamabear.Com. You can follow me on TikTok @projectmamabear.

[00:29:37.460] – Hilary Erickson

That’s where I found you.

[00:29:40.260] – Ashley Pipp

On the clock app. And then if anyone… I mean, I’m literally… What I want to do is just help moms prepare for birth, which is what I’ve been doing, just talking to them one on one. So if anyone has any questions, it’s not medical advice, but here to help, you can email me at projectmamabear.Birth@gmail.com.

[00:29:59.130] – Hilary Erickson

Awesome. All right, thanks for coming on, Ashley.

[00:30:01.890] – Ashley Pipp

Thank you, Hilary. It’s so nice to meet you.

[00:30:04.180] – Hilary Erickson

I know it sounds crazy to do a full episode just on peeing, but I think it is something that really catches people off guard, and I am here to not let that happen. So if you have had a baby and there was something that caught you off guard, I would love to know about it. Come tell me over on the Instagram. Or if this was an eye opener, come tell me on the Instagram. I just think that would fun to know. Hopefully this gave you some good information and you guys will check Ashley out on social media.

[00:30:28.700] – Hilary Erickson

Don’t miss my upcoming episodes. Next week, we are talking about teaching reading with your kidlets. And even if you’re pregnant, there are some good nuggets in that episode. And then the week after that, I’m having another TikTok nurse come on where we are talking about what the hospital does to prepare in case something bad happens to you. I know it sounds scary, but sometimes when you learn what we’re doing to help prevent stuff like this, it can really help. So stay tuned.

[00:30:52.180] – Hilary Erickson

Thanks so much for joining us on today’s episode. The Pulling Curls Podcast grows when you share us on social media or leave a review. If you do, please tag us so that we can share and send you a virtual hug, which, frankly, is my favorite kind of hugging. Until next time, we hope you have a tangle free day.