what did you .... look and feel like after giving birth

[hedwiggity]

No offense meant by this thread im a TTC and just wondering what is it like ? when i do get PG i dream of a water birth naturally

[hedwiggity]

meant to put your not you

[Cookiepants]

I felt lighter than air , didn't care what I looked like.

[Everard]

I probably looked like shit but I felt on top of the world every time.

I think when you have your own baby, you will understand this.

[guineapig1]

Past caring what I looked like. Physically felt as if I'd been run over by a bus and then some but mentally was completely elated and still buzzing after effectively 3 days and night without any sleep.

[hedwiggity]

Ok let me re phrase this and cringe while i do so ..
i meant down below like after a vaginal delivery

[Secretsquirrel13]

Looked like shite, felt amazing.

[Secretsquirrel13]

Oh....just seen the last bit. Well I just didn't look, still couldn't see and any spare time was too preciously needed for sleep to be getting mirrors out for a look. Felt a bit numb and a bit painful for a while then recovered.

[nappyrat]

Felt AMAZING!! Looked fine but couldn't haven given a shit! I was totally naked in the birthing pool and did not care, despite being fairly bashful in normal life!

[LegoCaltrops]

Felt bloody dreadful, TBH. I wanted a water birth & g&a, got a forceps delivery, episiotomy. No idea what it looked like as was too sore to move much. The drugs were good & it stopped being sore after a couple of weeks. As for the rest of how I looked - massive! But, I've lost it all now, yay!

It was worth it though & hasn't put me off having another baby, in a couple of years.

[KaFayOLay]

Bruised. I know I probably shouldn't have been surprised but nobody told me it would bruise .

Second time I was reduced to tears 3 days after the birth because of the pain (ventouse). My mum called and I had to crawl to the phone on my hands and knees. It upset her to hear me crying with pain and said to get the MW to look at it. I didn't show her, I didn't even tell her how bloody excruciating it was.

I'm not sure if I was normal, I have never discussed it with anybody.

Sorry but you did ask

[FastWindow]

I didn't look but I believe there may have been bruising.

If you tear and have a couple of stitches, your undercarriage will feel different because of the scar tissue.

However, after a few weeks recovery (when you will not want to be doing any sort of horizontal tango anyway) , your husband won't notice anything. Marvellous thing, the human body.

Hth!!

[guineapig1]

What Fastwindow said. I didn't look either (forceps and episiotomy with a back to back baby) but was majorly panicked for the first few days as could barely feel my pelvic floor. All healed quickly though and as far as I can see doesn't look any different and certainly doesn't feel any different! Sorry if tmi but you did ask!

[AWombWithoutARoof]

3rd degree tear and it felt ENORMOUSLY SWOLLEN. Like there was a banana in my pants. Didn't look, obviously.

[findingherfeet]

Second feeling you've been hit by a bus!

Believe it or not you don't feel yourself tear at the time well I certainly didn't....how u feel will very much depend on the degree of injury but I felt bruised and sore (both births 2nd degree tear) having a wee stung and I was scared to do a poo! You'll also be bleeding so it's all a bit messy and grim for a while...

My second recovery was soooo much easier I dont know why but healed quickly. After first baby I couldn't sit comfortably and was in bloody agony for 4 long months

All worth it though

[littlegreengloworm]

I was in a lot of pain when the pain relief started wearing of (emcs) very swollen, bloated and retained a lot of fluid

But I was so happy and don't look bad at all in photos from shoulders up

[Cantremembermyid]

bruised and messy

had to have ice packs after dc1 birth and was terrified of the whole downstairs situation.

no ice packs for dc2 and 3, only tears and episiotomy wounds. I have a very nice cross stich tableau on the ground floor but prefer not to have a look.

husband has no complaints

[ohforfoxsake]

Physically, I felt like I'd been hit by a truck, looked like a bag o'shite.

Mentally, I felt incredibly proud of myself.

Emotionally, I felt like I was on a crazy unpredictable roller coaster.

[MotherOfInsomniacToddlers]

I had 2 vaginal deliveries one forceps and one vontouse....... One with 3rd degree tears and one with 2nd degree tears No pain with either really, maybe mildly sore. Don't think I'm normal though all the other women looked like they were in agony taking the few steps to a bathroom but when there was a queue for the closest one and not wanting to leave my baby, I actually skipped down the corridor. Also midwives seemed confused when I kept refusing pain killers and that I was comfortably sitting cross legged in bed......

[teenagetantrums]

I didn't look, I had stitches with both of mine and was a bit sore for a few days, going to the toilet for the first time was 'interesting'

[Smartiepants79]

Looked awful the first time round and felt exhilarated but utterly spaced out. Baby was in NICU but I don't remember being worried, I just knew she was going t be ok. And it wasn't just the gas! Down below was quite badly damaged and painful for some time. Months in fact. Needed repairing surgery!
Second time around was very different. Textbook, fairly quick labour/delivery and minor tearing. Felt much better and almost back to normal after a week. Looked loads better according to my mum!

[Mandy2003]

No tearing, no stitches, I guess I was very lucky.

Also, its the only time in my entire life that I've been able to fit into Size 10 jeans.

Emotionally I was really hyper for weeks.

[KittyandTeal]

I had a vaginal birth with a ventouse delivery and big episiotomy.

My MW gave me a mirror to look at my stitches on day 2. I looked horrendous, much worse than I felt. It looked like my innards were falling out my fanjo!

I got a hemotoma (sp?) on day 4 and stitches split on day 5. Reading that it sounds horrendous but I really didn't feel too bad. It's wasn't skipping in a flowery meadow but it also wasn't as bad as it sounds.

Now I'm totally back to how I was before pregnancy. I've got a tiny little extra flappy bit of skin where the stitches split and then healed naturally. I've lost almost all of my baby weight but my body shape has changed slightly (that might be the gym trips though)

[PenguinsHatchedAnEgg]

Do you mean a few days after a vaginal delivery, or a few weeks/months after - i.e. are you preparing yourself for the aftermath of birth, or thinking more long term

[hedwiggity]

My sister told me it burns giving birth and that when you take a bath or shower after the water turns bright red i think i'd go with an icepack and some vagisil lol i cut myself with a razor once and it got infected the pain peeing was unbelievable :( i take my hat off to you ladies though :) know im going to go google what all these terms mean God im such a newbie to all this

[Neverknowingly]

I had a massice lump after DC1 - swelling from the, what did they call it, oh yes "graze" Basically like a testicle. I could only have a wee by running a bath for about 3 weeks.