To have a massive the after effects of my horrendous pregnancy?

[Shehz21]

And I'm not even pregnant anymore!
I had a HORRIBLE pregnancy 2 years ago and I'm still not over it. I felt nauseous 24/7 and threw up most days throughout the 9 months. Surprisingly due to a horrible diet of only being able to keep down carbs and coke,I gained weight massively going from a size 8 to a size 16. (FINALLY managed to come down to a size14). Due to putting on so much weight so quick,I am left with so many stretch marks,it's hard to find a meter square of skin without any. I couldn't brush my teeth most days because sticking a toothbrush in my mouth made me even more nauseous and the result of it is a lot of gum/decay problems today. I had horrible pelvic problems while pregnant which is still f*cking ongoing! I can't sleep on my side without something between my legs.
Oh I forgot to mention due to being the weight I was and not being able to leave my bed most days because of horrible effing nausea the moment I even sit up, I left a dent in my mattress!!
Now I have a 15kg toddler who wants to hang by my hip most days and Its really not helping my bad back and pelvic problem. I have lost any sense of self confidence and self love. I love my little girl though. Only good thing that came out of this big fat nightmare. Thank you for reading MN.
Please feel free to share some of your experiences so I don't feel as lonely in my misery.

HUH.

I still have back pain and heartburn years after not being pregnant any more.

I hear you! No one tells you you’re never the same! My back is awful still after epidural 7 years ago. 2nd baby was a vbac, 18mo still pee myself a bit if I have a cough, sneeze etc! Wear the really thin tenna ladies liners sometimes and refer to them as my piddle pads 😂
And the random feeling like the baby is kicking when there is no baby is very freaky!

Title should say Have a massive rant about the after effects of my horrendous pregnancy

SirJames Commiserations my friend

Have you had physio for your pelvic problems? If not please go to GP and asked to be referred. The physio I had after my second child for separated stomach muscles was a huge help.
Sorry you don't feel great in yourself. Please don't worry about the stretch marks, we pretty much all have them from pregnancy on some form or another.

strawberrypenguin Yes I did have physio but it didn't really help me. Thank you for the kind reassurance :)

Gin The pee sneeze! Omg how could I forget! Ahh poor you with the bad back, I really understand.. not easy to live with but us Mommas just got to crack on despite all the pains!

Similar here. Trashed my teeth and gums, wrecked my immune system (because all the nutrients I managed to get down went to the baby I think?) so I got repeatedly ill afterwards. Pregnancy also sent my gall bladder crazy, so I started getting bad attacks a few weeks after the birth and had to have it taken out when my baby was a few months old. My ribcage got broader and took months to start moving back, so loads of my clothes stopped fitting and I felt huge and frumpy, and I have a C-section shelf that still won’t go away.

I know it’s horrible, but try not to beat yourself up about how you look. The way I see it my body went through a hell of a battle to make babies and it deserves a pat on the back, even when I felt at my worst afterwards.

And the random feeling like the baby is kicking when there is no baby is very freaky!

YES! It’s so weird.

I still wet myself, cough, laugh, sneeze and its game over. Also have bad hips, sleep with a pillow between my knees, memory foam, Ebay! Btw DD is 31 yrs old! If you have time get yourself moving, put little one in a buggy and start walking, slowly at first for a short length of time, increase speed and duration as it starts getting easier. YouTube Joe wicks hitt for absolute beginnings, 10 minute work out, go as slow as you like to start with. I found with exercise my hip problems improved, still wet myself tho

Have you tried counselling? Although the physical symptoms sound difficult I think the psychological impact of what has happened to you sounds worse.

I'm 2years post having my 2nd baby and 2 stone overweight despite serious efforts to shift it. I'm absolutely knackered ( still bfing and child doesn't sleep well) and low on vitamin d . I still think it's early days, you won't feel like this forever

lol yes to the phantom baby kicks.

Please don’t suffer with joint pain - try and find some stretches or exercise/physio that will help as it simply won’t get better on its own.

I still get the phantom baby kicks and my youngest is 36!! Wierd.

I had physio with no effect for my SPD which hung around for years... had six sessions with an osteopath and I’m 98% fixed!

I had extended bleeding after both kids and my periods are a mess. Ds is 2 and they are still not back to normal with a period lasting anything from 10-17 days, undergone numerous tests dr says all fine and to accept my new normal.

Had horrific pelvic pain both pregnancies but with physio and weight loss that has ceased Try core exercises as a weak core can out pressure on nerves in your hip and back as you stand.

Post natal hair loss, is not a joke. I had a lovely head of hair it is now much thinner and no amount of vitamins are helping.

When I am overtired I get shooting pains in my c section scar. It has healed very well but still have numbness in the lower part of my stomach.

I love my kids but I have made sacrifices for them interms of my longterm health.

My baby is 9 months old and I'm still getting over being pregnant! I wanted her so much but my god it was horrendous. SPD meant I was more or less house bound for 3 months and I got pre eclampsia which wasn't diagnosed, I went 3 weeks overdue because they forgot to book me in for induction and then didn't have room, my stomach muscles split, I still can't trust a sneeze, I've got a slipped disc and my body looks like I'm wearing a joke fat person costume.

I had receding gums when pregnant. I had to have three gum grafts last year where they took large flaps of skin from the roof of my mouth and graft them on to my top gum to patch it up. Thank you baby number one.

Heartburn and restless legs 9 years post-pregnancy :-(

I still have awful hip problems from my pregnancy 8 years ago. I can't lay flat on my back or walk far without it locking up or hurting. If I hadn't been refused physio at the time I might have been ok.
I have the usual mum tum and stretch marks too, including some really deep ones that are horrible. The veins in my legs are becoming varicose too. My babies were all huge and I think it was from the weight and pressure.
I don't think many people are ever the same afterwards to varying degrees.

@vampirethriller I hear you with the joke fat person costume, I feel like I'm in one of them too! I honestly felt I looked better and less frumpy at 9 months pregnant

My DC are 11 and 7....
I still gag at brushing my teeth and
my back and hips kill...physio helped a bit but not fully. I have found tai chi helps my backand hips; gentle movement and stretching has strengthened it. Plus getting out of the house and meeting people has really helped too.

I totally hear you, getting over pregnancy is no joke!
An osteopath really helped my back and pelvis, had horrible pain still two years after my second child was born.
My body isn't much heavier but defo looks different. Not as firm, very jiggly with some crepe bits that were stretch marked. I lost lots of hair but much of it is back now (3 and a half years after my last child was born).
I am considering a pelvic floor physio because I have some minor continence issues (jumping jacks and trampolines are no longer my friends)

Pelvic pain here too, and sleeping with a cushion between my legs, I'm 4.5 years down the line but she wasn't my first. Also have a thyroid problem from another pregnancy, that's a massive bummer!

It's definitely hard! One thing I have recently discovered is a Hippychick hip seat, it straps around yout hip and your daughter sits on it while you carry her. It keeps your back aligned and relieves pressure. I was really struggling carrying my daughter and had back/hip/shoulder problems , now I can carry her for more than an hour quite happily without the aches and pains! It was £25 on offer (only a couple of colours were the cheaper price) but it was worth it! My husband likes it too and it's great for trips out or schools runs etc

Oh I’m so sorry you’re all going through this shit but also so happy I found this thread, misery loves company etc

Pregnancy was shit. Nausea, vomiting, nose bleeds, fainting, cramps, heartburn, couldn’t lie down on either side for more than 15 minutes without my bottom leg aching and cramping, couldn’t lie on my back for more than 5 minutes without difficulty breathing, pelvic pain, wetting myself... I’m sure there was more

And now:
My back is just fucked
My periods have become even more monstrous than they were before
Can’t sleep without a cushion between my legs
The area around my c-section scar is often painful. The rest of my now rather large floppy belly is weirdly numb, it freaks me out.
Teeth and gums are a mess.
Stretch marks and loads more body hair.

My little girl is amazing and it’s all worth it but right now I feel like there’s no fucking way am I going to go through it again.

Thanks it was good to vent!

6 years on and I'm in huge amounts of pain daily from my forceps delivery and horrendous tear/ aftercare.

My weird gross side effect was green discharge. Months and months. Various tests later, they concluded 'hormones'. Never expected that one!

My back has never been the same after. I have found an osteopath helped (I had to visit a few until I found a lady that i felt was actually doing anything - all the men I saw seemed to be afraid of hurting me). She has told me that if I do more exercise and pilates it will build up my stomach muscles more and take more pressure off my back...might get round to it one day!