How long after birth did you feel "normal"

[Poolbirthx2]

Just wondered how long after giving birth before you started feeling your normal self.

Ds is 5 months old and most days i just feel like a zombie and cant ever imagine feeling normal again

[AnyFucker]

2 years approx

Sorry !

[stargirl1701]

DD1 - 11 months

DD2 - 5 weeks in, not yet!

[LiverpoolLou]

My daughter is 21. I'm still waiting ...

[RubberBulletKisses]

When I went back to work when DS was 1

Still feel like a zombie, but know I'm myself underneath now!

[Iggly]

2 years once I was getting decent sleep!

[sallysimpson]

Around 5/6 months

[Andcake]

Hmm a bit more when I went back to work at 10 months. More When he slept through every night from 19 months. At 2 I feel a bit more normal but were having a bad sleep week so shattered.

[bronya]

When he started sleeping through - 11 months.

[SeatOfMyPants]

Hmmm. I'm not sure I feel 'normal' now - if you mean being back to the person I was before DS (2,5). I'm glad about that - it's been tough, and there were times I wished to turn back the clock, but I wouldn't have it any other way now.
Started feeling more full of life and positive at c. 15 months when his sleep settled down. But DS had reflux so sleep didn't really kick in for him until that started to settle.
Sleep deprivation is a real killer and it takes a while to build your resources back up from the birth in any case.

[Poolbirthx2]

Thank you for you replies

Oh no it sounds like i might have a while yet ??

[justaweeone]

Dd ages
Ds straight away

Dd now 16
Ds 11
Kids are at two different schools in a rural county
Dd has a boyfriend!??!

Enjoy them at every stage
Driving lessons soon, then uni.......for Dd
Scary but exciting
Will never feel normal
But enjoy each stage,it does go too fast ( have only started believing it)

[BuilderMammy]

10 months for DD, after she started sleeping properly. It felt so good that we decided we could cope with a second child after all (we'd spent 10 months thinking we would never have another one). I got pregnant and DD immediately stopped sleeping again. She slept atrociously till she turned 2, at which stage DS was 6 months and started sleeping badly. That continued till he turned 2.

Basically, my advice would be to batten down the hatches, take it easy and don't expect much from yourself for the next 2 years.

[Artistic]

When we stopped BF & my weight returned to 'normal' levels so had more energy along with better nights sleep. That was when DD was 15 months. Until then I couldn't recognise myself!

Took another 4 years to return entirely to my 'former' self.

Now expecting DD2 - I must be mad!

[mrsmugoo]

My PFB is 6.5 months and I'm just starting to feel like myself again.

I've just started to give a shit about my appearance again - waxing, pedicure, hairdressers, losing the baby weight etc... and my sex drive is back.

[lollystick]

I've felt like myself since a week after the birth once the hormones settled down - Sounds crazy but I expected it to be alot worse and longer. My only concern is how I can get annoyed at OH for no reason so easily now. We never fell out before DS but now I just snap at him or get in a mood for him literally doing something.

[ch1a]

2 years to feel physically recovered and to have built up strength in the gym again and to be energetic and being able to leave ds1 with family and go out for an evening and feel carefree and like a person rather than a parent. I'm 3 months in with ds2 and I'm steeling myself for the long haul.

[JacktheLab]

Yeah about two and a half years, till ds started reliably sleeping through.

Start all over again feb

[CountingToThree]

Started to feel physically 'normal; after about 6 months

About 1 yr before I felt able to think properly - once sleeping through more, not as reliant for feeds and the routine freed up a bit

[BitchyTakesOnManagement]

9 years and still waiting.
But he is an unusual 9yo in that he still doesn't sleep through the night (diagnosed sleep disorder) and can be up every hour
He is sn so has additional needs that can be very draining
ex is a twat and ds has contact that is mind twistly draining and zombie making for me whilst being ok for ds.

[Stillwishihadabs]

It's a gradual thing. Thinking in terms of 9 months up and 9 months down is helpful I think. For me this co-incited with giving up breast feeding and going back to work.

[WanderingTrolley1]

With DC1 about 4 years
With DC2 about a week
With DC3, she's 7.5 months and I've had an awful postnatal period and praying I stop feeling so crap sooner rather than later.

[beccajoh]

Would have been at about 18 months (when she started sleeping 10pm until morning) but I gave birth to my second baby that very same months. He's 8 months now and no normality yet.

[usualnamechanger]

It's going to be almost 2 years and I'm still not normal :(

[MTWTFSS]

DS1: 9 months
DS2: 2 weeks

[enormouse]

With DS1 - about 13 months. Around that point he was down to one or two breastfeeds a day and I was studying again.

DS2 - 7/8 months. But I had pnd at around 5 months and felt worse at that point than I ever had with DS1. I'm on fluxoetine now and have improved my diet and started running regularly. I'm taking an interest in myself again. So I actually feel more like myself now than I did post DS1. If that makes sense.