Once the baby's here, is not being pregnant anymore a real relief??!

[Bumpsadaisie]

Those of you who've done this before, once the baby's born, do you feel really great not to be pregnant anymore?

Am 36 weeks and I keep imagining what bliss it is going to be not to be the size of a cow, to be able to walk 100 metres without getting puffed, to be able to eat normally, not to wake up umpteen times a night with reflux, needing the loo, baby kicking etc etc.

However, am I in for a nasty shock? It occurs to me that post-natally you might actually feel even worse - sore bits, sore nipples, no sleep.....

I think I've got this fantasy idea that I'm going to spring back into feeling like a lithe teenager again ....

[memoo]

I think it gets worse before it gets better

[sausagetits]

Umm, everyone will feel different. I don't want to be negative but I think it might be wise to expect to feel a little "rough" after the birth. However, when you have your baby to look at I can assure you that your sore fanjo/nipples really don't seem to be a big deal.

Seriously though, be as kind to yourself, physically and emotionally as you possibly can. Have you got some support for after the birth?

Best of luck!

[heverhoney1]

Hever daydreams about sleeping on her belly again!!! when is that ok?

[Pinkjenny]

Ha ha, it must be different for everyone, but as soon as I had dd, I was so sorry I'd wished my pregnancy away and been so impatient. Once they're here, they're here!

[Kathyis6incheshigh]

I felt wonderful, it certainly didn't get worse for me. Partly because I was lucky and didn't have any real problems with breastfeeding dd and she slept amazingly well, partly because I had had hyperemesis and felt crap for most of the pg
Even though I had dd glued to me all the time, she weighed a lot less than she had with the added weight of placenta etc, and it was lovely having my normal lung and bladder capacity back again.
Hope it works that way for you too!

Oh and every time I had to get up in the night to feed her I thought 'wow, this is so much better than getting up in the night to throw up!'

(If you do feel crap though, remember it is probably more normal than feeling fantastic.)

[hannahlouhoo]

errrmmm, well pregnancy seems like a dream you had about 4 weeks in!

You dont feel worse (dont launch your self off the sofa ala pregnant lady you fly halfway across the room!) you feel sore (downthere) and some times breast feeding can make your nips a little sore, but get as much sleep as you can when people come around to see baby DO NOT i repeat DO NOT run about after them making drinks and so on, be assertive and tell them the kettle has just boiled and you would like .....

Its not easy but parenthood is what you make of it! Some days are brilliant and you feel like youve really got the hang of this parenting lark, some days are not, accept all help you can, just concentrate on you and the beauiful thing you created.

I found 4 months old was a turning point we had bf well established i could plan my day and start to enjoy motherhood! Dont have too high expectations just try to enjoy everyday!

Good luck not that i think you'll need it!

P.S i do and always have thought that the weeing thing was to get you used to interuppted sleep!

HTH
x

[profiterole]

yes i hated being pregnant but also hate the recovery afterwards the best bit comes at around 6 weeks post labour

[Alibabaandthe40nappies]

Well - realistically I would give yourself a month to six weeks before you really feel noticeably better than you did while you were pregnant. Different bits will hurt and you'll be waking up umpteen times a night to deal with the baby rather than because of your heartburn!

Hever - for me it was about 5 weeks because my c-section scar was so slow to heal, but if you have a viginal birth then I would think almost immediately!

[MrsMattie]

I missed being pregnant both times, even though I had hard pregnancies. I still feel pangs of sorrow about not being pregnant anymore, and my youngest is 6 mths old. If I'm brutally honest, I preferred my body in it's pregnant state - all womanly and full - rather than the sad, saggy aftermath . Sorry, you don't want to hear that, do you?

[sweetkitty]

I feel fantastic after the baby is out.

I hate being pregnant due to SPD which all but clears up the minute the placenta is out but the difference in being able to walk, stand up from sitting, turn over in bed is amazing not to be in constant pain.

Also the heartburn going and beng bale to breathe properly again, not peeing every 10 minutes and being the sise of a house sheer bliss.

OK bits were a bit sore and nipples too but you have a wee newborn to gaze at.

I would think about DC4 if someone else would do the pregnancy bit for me.

[TamTam29]

Well, i had a real shock after DS birth as no one ever mentions what it is like afterwards!!

I wasnt prepared for how sore I would feel down "there", or just how much my boobs would hurt.

I would reccomend having lots of paracetamol in the house and salt for the bath "just in case" as we had none and I could have done with some in the first day or two. And I also had some tea tree and lavender oil that I put in the bath to sooth my poor "bits".

The first 3 weeks after birth for me were the worst, but then confidence crept in and the soreness slowly went.

[Trikken]

i felt better the moment id had the baby, as the others have said, bit sore, but i knew with pain-killers and things i wud be ok, which is copable compared to being able to do nothing about 24 hr vomiting and the stomache ache that brings, plus i could eat what i liked again. sleep deprivation did kick in after a day or two but thats what the grandparents were there for, baby-sitting whilst i sleep for a couple of hours. they didnt mind one bit.

[BeatrixRotter]

Took me a little while to get over the birth. Just the physical effort of it all, the lack of sleep and the seeming elephantitus of the fanjo.

[orangina]

I just LOVED not being pregnant. I was really shit at being pregnant, had insomnia, was depressed, blah blah blah....

Felt bloody marvellous once it was all over.

Obviously knackered, blubbed a bit on day 3 etc, but it was still a joy.

Did miss the feeling of the lo kicking inside though.....

[orangina]

Oooh, I had night sweats with dc1 as well Marla.... no-one told me about those, I thought I was going mad (or menopausal)....!

[BonsoirAnna]

Definitely!

When I was heavily pregnant, my sister (who had three children) told me that I would start feeling better the minute my baby was born. And she was right!

[Lizzylou]

The relief is amazing, truly (DS2 was a huge baby, so even more so with him). You will feel lots lighter and more comfortable, though you will experience other discomfort, it doesn't matter because you have your baby.
AND you're not pg anymore, you can drink wine and eat pate and cheese (and rare steak).

Best of luck

[BonsoirAnna]

Oh yes, the eating!!!!! I ate like a complete pig after DD was born, loads of red meat, cake etc and lost loads of weight at the same time because of breastfeeding!!!

[MerlinsBeard]

Depends on your poregnancy really. With DS1 (PFB) i was relived to not be pregnant simply so i could see my toes, however - then i had a baby and a whole new set of "Oh My Gods"

with DS3 i was relieved as i had had problems since the start

as for the afterwards, i have to say that beyond the first few days i haven;t actually hurt but felt heavy 'down there', no sleep- well kiss goodbye to that for the next however many years

[Meglet]

My lungs were well and truly squashed during both my pregnancies so it was bliss to be able to take deep breathes once the babies were whipped out. Even though I had c-sections I felt like I was myself again after the babies were out. I remember carefully lying down flat in my hospital bed just so I could lie on my back again without being suffocated by a bump . No more heartburn either, that was awful.

[Lizzylou]

I hated being pg with a passion, slept more when I had a newborn and the first meal I ate (aside from hospital toast)was brie, pate and rare roast beef washed down with veuve cliqot...absolute bliss

[Lizzylou]

Gosh, yes, Meglet haven't needed Gaviscon since I had DS2

[alicecrail]

I really hated being pregnant (i did break my leg badly at 20 weeks though) but after i had DD i did almost wish i was pregnant, just for a few more days! The first 10 days were horrendous but after that i really loved being a mum and was so happy not to be pregnant anymore!!

[chequersmate]

I had a horrible birth, episiotomy and tear and still felt a million dollars compared to when pregnant.

I remember going to the toilet the evening after DD was born like some kind of battle-scarred soldier and finding HUGE solace in the fact that at least I was no longer pregnant.

Still looked it though