after pains what are they, how bad are they and did you get them.......

[cookiesandcream]

As you can tell I'm contemplating a second baby

[expatinscotland]

I have two, and I admit, they sort of took me by surprise. My community midwife had 4 children, and she said by her 4th, the afterpains were worse than the birth!

[Twinklemegan]

I felt no afterpains at all. I was on paracetemol for the episiotomy though, but still I was surprised. I've heard they're worse after the second, as Expat's post would seem to confirm.

[expatinscotland]

I had none with my first baby.

[Pinkchampagne]

I had more severe afterpains after giving birth to DS1, but they started earlier (pretty much straight after the birth) & I got them more frequently after the birth of DS2. They felt like bad period pains.

[ambercat]

the morning after i had my third i thought i was in labour again, i was begging the mid wife for some analgesia.


A few twinges after my second and none after my first.

Definstely gets worse each time.

[Twinklemegan]

Anyone know why they get worse with each one?

[Pinkchampagne]

Think I must be in the minority having such a bad experience with afterpains after my first. It was around 4 days after the birth, and I was in so much pain that I didn't know what to do with myself.
It only happened like that the once though, and the midwife didn't seem too concerned.

When I had DS2 I had a lot of afterpains, but they never got that painful.

[cantseemyfeet]

I only got really bad afterpains with my last one (4th). They really took me by surprise and I had to have some codiene(?) because they were so painful but it only lasted for about a day and the midwife told me that my uterus had gone right down to its normal size really quick and that was the cause of the pain. I vaguelly remember having bad pains with my first but I was breastfeeding him so I put it down to that. You would think after us girls have gone through 9 months of sickness, tiredness, feeling enormous and uncomfortable THEN going through hours of unbearable pain to have the baby that our bodys would give us a break but NOOO.

[FlameBatfink]

I think it could be that the uterus has a lot more work to do to shrink down by the later children (could well be talking crap though).

First one was like mild period pains... second I was going white and light headed. Having seen Psychomum with them after her 5th - 2 sounds a good number of babies to have

[typhoonsmum]

Didn't feel any with first child but They were quite bad with second. Even worse when breastfeeding. They only lasted a day or so. Just kept telling myself that it was my body trying to get back to some normality. Co-codamol every six hours managed it well.

[preggersagain]

i sat on the loo crying after ds2 convinced my insides were falling out- or there was a twin in there and no-one had noticed! None with my first though- and i'm mad/stupid enough to do it all again!

[WaynettaSlob]

I had none after either (although I was doped up after DS1). Don't remember getting them with DS2.

[EscapeFrom]

Oh they are really nasty. Like early stage labour. they last for about 3 or 4 days, IIRC. I took ibuprofen for them, which was very good, as I 'couldn't' breastfeed, but I don't know if you can take it while breastfeeding

[Scotia]

I had really bad afterpains with my second - about ten days after the birth.

I never had them with my first, or with any subsequent births. I've had five children, so don't understand it, but I was told by someone else that she only got them with her second too.

[harleyd]

i got these after my fourth. they were like really bad period pains and lasted for a day or so. they were bearable with painkillers

[fawkeoff]

i had horrid ones with dd but hardly any with ds

[hannahsaunt]

Dreadful ones immediately following the birth of ds1 (and then large pph). None that I can recall after ds2. Vomited both times though.

[inkstigmata]

Worse after second and still worse after third child. Very unfair. More painful than labour. Fortunately this last time I managed to get cocodamol (I think) prescribed to me in advance so I could take it straight after. They were worried I was going to take it before the birth but DH assured them it was for after and MW backed up the advance prescription. If I had to wait until after the birth and then go get a doctor's appt it would have been dreadful.

[Cloudhopper]

They were agony after the second, made me cry. But in the overall scheme of things - pregnancy, labour, sleepless nights, breastfeeding, actually looking after the children etc etc. - they wouldn't feature in the decision to have another.

[happypiglet]

Worse with every baby- after my most recent one I had to grit my teeth during every breast feed for about 5 days. In fact I wish I hadn't sent the TENS machine back- and I did have to 'breath' through a few!!!

[bananabump]

I had them pretty much every time I fed the baby for the first three days, just felt like grinding period pain, coming in waves. Midwife said my fundus had snapped right back into place on 4th day so it's all good!

[NomDePlumeIsIrrationallyAngry]

I didn't get them

Not that I remember, anyway.

[iliketosleep]

i had them really bad after 3rd it was like i was in labour for 3 days afterwards cant imagine what its going to be like with dc4!!!

[indiasmum]

i had them really bad after the third birth. i had to have gas and air whilst i was feeding dd (didnt have any thing for the birth itself lol!)