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Get updates on how your baby develops, your body changes, and what you can expect during each week of your pregnancy by signing up to the Mumsnet Pregnancy Newsletters.

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Get updates on how your baby develops, your body changes, and what you can expect during each week of your pregnancy by signing up to the Mumsnet Pregnancy Newsletters.

Pregnancy

Labour & lady garden

40 replies

emma94 · 12/02/2018 23:38

Hi lovely ladies!
I just wanted to know what happens to your bump straight after birth and within a couple of months after that? Also down there…does the labia stretch out and stay like that? I guess I just wanna know if it is significantly different or not afterwards.
Thanks,
Emma x

OP posts:

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lovelystar · 13/02/2018 00:28

Not much help sorry but following because now pregnancy is nearly over this is one of the most recent thoughts to plauge my mind

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BuzzKillington · 13/02/2018 00:33

Well, I am not a 'lovely lady' but my bump deflated immediately and look like a popped balloon, but was back to normal within a month. Nothing happened to my labia at all.

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Pandapoppy · 13/02/2018 02:56

My bump stayed quite hard after birth. I was expecting the deflated thing but my bump stayed firm and then very gradually (over a month or so) disappeared. My waist was much thicker than before for 6-8 months before I returned to more or less the same shape as before.

I only looked down once in the weeks after birth and it was terrifying. The entire pubic area was purple and skin looked like leather. I decided never to look again but about 3 months later I glanced and everything was back to normal. Nothing was stretched and as far as I’m concerned it’s more or less the same as it was before.

It’s not like I had a perfect body before I had a baby but I was amazed how everything just went back to more or less the way it was before. I’m now due my second and doubt I’ll be that lucky again...

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Scoobysue10 · 13/02/2018 07:23

My bump deflated straight away after both pregnancies and was back to normal after first within a couple of wks. Remember went to a wedding reception 3 weeks after the birth and was back in my size 10 trousers.
My 2nd took a little longer. Was in a size 12 for maybe 4 wks.
Pregnant with number 3 now and older at nearly 39. Just hope my body will bounce back again. As for down below I never looked but all is fine lol.

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FrostiesMum · 13/02/2018 07:34

Ummmm....I had post parted pre-eclampsia and blew up like a balloon. It probably took me 9 months to get back onto my old clothes (properly) and for my bits to look normal (it seemed to look open all the time iyswim). All fine now though and I’m sure if I’d been able to exercise a little bit sooner it would have taken less time.

Not trying to worry you OP, truly. I had a hideous birth and I still made it back to being me. Just try not to put too much pressure on yourself. Some people snap back, some don’t. Everyone is different afterwards, but your baby will be amazing.

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RoryAndLogan · 13/02/2018 07:37

Bump was like a deflated balloon for a few weeks, breastfeeding helped it suddenly start to shrink and was back to pretty much normal by about 4 months.
Everything else was very swollen and stretched, but back to normal by about 3 months.

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PandaCat · 13/02/2018 07:48

As others have said, my bump looked like a deflated balloon straight after. I'd say it was gone and back to normal after a month, my hips were a lot wider though so never did get back into my pre-pregnancy jeans. I've no idea what I looked like down there though, didn't really look.

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floriad · 13/02/2018 12:49

My bump stayed quite hard after birth. I was expecting the deflated thing but my bump stayed firm and then very gradually (over a month or so) disappeared. My waist was much thicker than before for 6-8 months before I returned to more or less the same shape as before.

I only looked down once in the weeks after birth and it was terrifying. The entire pubic area was purple and skin looked like leather. I decided never to look again but about 3 months later I glanced and everything was back to normal. Nothing was stretched and as far as I’m concerned it’s more or less the same as it was before.

That makes me feel kind of relieved.

Good thing to remember. It may look and feel like shit but it will (most likely, hopefully, in general etc...) get better.

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floriad · 13/02/2018 12:54

May I also ask when you started exercising again?

Because I'm planning to breastfeed (at least for some time => no medication....) and exercise tends to help deal with these effects.

And I feel like I've been given very conflicting advice. By various health professionals etc.

My therapist seems to see things more relaxed (self-care, prioritise my mental health, my medication whilst probably not ideal has not been shown to be detrimental, just see what I can do / how I feel etc) whereas the midwife is more... rigid, I guess.

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squarecorners · 13/02/2018 16:28

I got sewn back up and have bits sticking out because it didn't go together quite right. They went down after a while but they are still very sensitive. I tried tying a piece of thread around the skin tags to make them fall off but because of the shape and the fact it's perineum skin the thread just falls off. (TMI sorry). Bump went down quick though, also breastfeeding made me skinnier than I was on my wedding day if weight loss is your thing.

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Iamnotacerealkiller · 13/02/2018 16:52

Gave birth 11 days ago. felt like i had grown an extra limb down there because it took ages to push his head out and my perineum was very stretched and swollen. this shrunk after 4 or 5 days and is close to normal now and pain free. no other damage at all. labia is surprisingly fine!! I refused to touch or look down there for the best part of a week cos i dreaded what i would find but it isnt nearly as bad as i i thought, perineum slightly puffier then before but even if it doesnt get any smaller i feel i have gotten away with it.

I had a natural birth so although the birth was very painful the extra time it took to push him out allowed everything to stretch and i didn't tear. he was three weeks early but had a bigger then average head size for a full term baby so im counting my lucky stars.

Still looked 6 months pregnant after the birth but this has been steadily shrinking so now 11 days in i look like im 3/4months pregnant. i didn't have a defined waisr or flat belly before though. i have been doing lots of breast feeding and expressing and i have felt my uterus contracting everytime so i imagine this has helped massively. My son was ill in hospital for a few days which i imagine has helped me lose weight too!!!

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QuercusQuercus · 13/02/2018 16:54

Immediately after birth my bump was the same size as when I was 5 months pregnant or so. It shrunk quickly, especially with breastfeeding. I was back to 'before size' in a few months.

Down there? At the time it was a swollen mess. Probably didn't help I had an episiotomy and forceps delivery. But it all went back, and bar the scar, there's no lasting deformation.

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MsHarry · 13/02/2018 17:01

14 yrs on from last DC. Immediately after births I felt like Kate Moss but actually like deflated balloon. Lost loads of water retention in legs and felt so skinny. Was about 7lbs over my normal weight for a few months. Labia were not stretched. Had sex 5 weeks after, all good. Don't worry OP.

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MsHarry · 13/02/2018 17:03

Oh and had episiotomy with first. There is still a scar but can't remember what it all looked like before anyway!

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MsHarry · 13/02/2018 17:06

floriad I walked LOADS as I didn't have a car. Breastfeeding and walking definitely got me back on track very quickly. Was same weight and size within 2 months.

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floriad · 13/02/2018 17:22

MsHarry
That's awesome.

Although my concern about sport / movement in general isn't weight related (not to sound conceited) but mental health (no or less medication whilst breastfeeding) related...
But just walking a lot will probably help as well. So let's hope that I'll be lucky and able to do that :)

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spagbol11 · 13/02/2018 17:27

My stomach felt blobby for a couple of weeks after with both of my babies, I didn’t get any stretch marks at all, both baby’s were 6lb ish. My dp says my lady garden is better than before children. I think from doing endless pelvic floor exercises hth xx

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MsHarry · 13/02/2018 17:36

Oh god yeah I consider my daily dog walks as therapy to this day!

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squarecorners · 13/02/2018 17:52

Top tip- find out what time the shift changes are for the midwives and don't let them push you to deliver before you're ready! Mine changed over at 8am, I was telling them I wasn't ready to birth the head and lo and behold, child born (on paper) at 7.59am (I know it was 8am sharp because I had radio 4 on and James Naughtie said it's fucking 8 o'clock!), and mummy with a massive tear because it was more convenient for the paperwork.

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MsHarry · 13/02/2018 18:06

Funny that square I was strongly encouraged to be cut at 1.45pm. Other midwife, less senior pleaded with her not to.Was cut, delivered and horrid midwife off shift at 2pm! With second DC , midwives were wonderful.

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floriad · 13/02/2018 18:11

Ok... :=0

I'm making a list of these things. And have DH read them as well.
Idk how switched on / able to argue I'll be...

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kikibo · 13/02/2018 18:58

I remember looking in the direction of my lady garden seconds after DD was born and I said to my hubby "Woohoo, I can finally see my bits again!" It was actually pretty spectacular. When I left hospital, I think I had gone back to about 3 or 4 months pregnant or so. Back in size 6 trousers at 1 month. I didn't breastfeed at all. Stomach never got that deflated look at all.

As to down there, I noticed last time I shaved that my bits are open when stretched sideways (sorry if TMI) though they don't feel any different and I had a huge episiotomy (so my midwife told me anyway). They were firmly closed before.

As to exercise, I'd say trust your body. Your pelvic floor will have a hard time for a bit, but you'll feel it 'fall out ' when it's tired. Other than that, I didn't exercise at all apart from a few pelvic floor exercises the month after DD's birth and as soon as I got past 10 days things went more and more back to normal.

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fishdogpancakes · 13/02/2018 19:42

Hell. I thought this was about the Labour Party and their complete betrayal of all things with a real lady garden.

You know...the fact a spotty boy is the Women's Officer. He doesn't have a lady garden just a bit of a spade handle. Or do I mean trowel?

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OutyMcOutface · 13/02/2018 19:47

My bump deflated as others have mentioned. But down bellow-it way black from bruising and torn up. It was perfectly fine and fully functional () after a month though. But I do remember the midwife looking really horrified when she first came to check on me post birth.

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GoodMorning1 · 13/02/2018 19:53

Had an emc. Breastfed.

Took maybe four months to get back to pre pregnancy waist line. Think it took that long cos of emc. I don't really do the gym but I do walk everywhere and pram pushing really helped (find I walk faster and in a more focused way with a pram). After yhat i I just kept getting thinner - due to breastfeeding. By the time I stopped breastfeeding (at 17 months) I was really skinny compared with pre- pregnancy. Within a couple of months of stopping bfeeding I was back up to my normal size pre-pregnancy. Every time my DC had a growth spurt the weight just dropped off - she was literally sucking all the calories out of me.