What can you expect physically in the day or two after your baby arrives? Expect to be sore, particularly if this is your first, or if you had a cesarean.

• The muscles of your shoulders, back, and legs may hurt from pushing -- after all, these aren't muscles often used for other activities. If you had an epidural, you may be tender at the site of the injection. These aches and pains usually resolve within a few days.
• For a sore bottom, ice is your best friend. The hospital will probably have special sanitary pads that can hold ice chips, or those little packets with chemical reactions in them that crunch and then get cold to put inside your pants. Use them! Ice diminishes swelling and inflammation and numbs the area. After 24 hours, sitting in a tub of warm water, called a sitz bath, may be soothing and helps prevent infection. Oral pain medicines also will be available. Ibuprofen (Motrin) and acetaminophen (Tylenol) may be adequate, but narcotic pain medicines like codeine or Percocet may be needed. Narcotics are constipating; wise new moms limit their use. A stool softener may be prescribed, since episiotomies and birth lacerations often extend near to the rectum, worrying new mothers about their first post-baby BMs.
• Hemorrhoids (swollen veins near the opening of the rectum) are quite common after vaginal birth, due to mechanical aspects of pushing. Ice and stool softeners are helpful here too, as well as witch-hazel soaked pads (under the brand name Tucks) and, after the first 24 hours, warm sitz baths.
• Pain with urination can be offset by pouring warm water over the area to dilute the urine as it runs over, spraying with an anesthetic spray like Dermoplast, or urinating directly into a sitz bath. (Urine is sterile, so it won't cause infection of the sitz bath water.) The hospital can supply you with all these items.
• Bleeding is often surprisingly brisk for the first few days. Blood loss after birth tends to be heavier than a normal menstrual period; those who are used to wearing tampons suddenly find themselves struggling with pads. Big disposable diaper-like pads are often useful for the first day or two, then maxis. The hospital will supply pads, and either a belt or stretchy mesh underwear to hold the pad in place. Small clots are normal. Bleeding should be down to the level of a period within a few days, but a brown to yellow discharge called lochia (loh-kee-uh) may persist on and off for six to eight weeks, sometimes mixed with some blood.
• Afterbirth cramps are usually mild with the first baby, and become more severe the more children you've had. These contractions help to diminish bleeding, and shrink the uterus back down to normal. Most women notice cramps most when they are nursing. Ibuprofen tends to be more effective than acetaminophen for the pain of cramps.
• Many new moms have swollen feet for a few days after birth. With cesarean, this may extend for a few weeks and be pretty severe, due to the high amounts of sodium in the intravenous fluids and normal post-operative fluid shifts. Within a week or two, the fluid will come out of your tissues. You'll know the edema is receding because you'll urinate a lot -- the fluid moves into the blood vessels and is eliminated through the kidneys.
• Exhaustion after birth shouldn't come as a surprise. You may not have slept for a night or two, and your newborn may not respect your need for sleep. In addition, postpartum hospital units are not necessarily the most restful places. If you are having a hard time, talk to your nurse about limiting visitors and other disturbances and turn off your phone, so you can get rest when your baby sleeps.