Recovery post birth

[Jazmyn]

I've just been to see the doctor for my DS's first set of vaccinations (he is 9 weeks old) and the doctor seemed very shocked and surprised that I was 100% recovered from the birth and feeling fine...... really.... is that so odd?!!!

I've felt completely normal since about 3 to 4 weeks after. She's not the first person to be shocked I'm up and walking a few miles a day with my DS in a sling.

Am I supposed to still feel sore or something? Am I just lucky or are people acting weird?!

IME out odd at all to feel fine after 9 weeks, assuming you had a straight forward vaginal birth. Are you sure it wasn't shock at you not being sleep deprived and vague?

I got some shock reactions at being up, about and normal 2 or 3 days after the birth, but TBH I was pretty shocked myself

Yes, I had this reaction from people as well. IRL I've always found it hard to talk about DD's birth because everyone seems to want a horror story and (thankfully) I don't have one to give them.

I think that if you have a very straightforward birth with no interventions or complications, you may well be completely fine after a bath and a few hours sleep.

People who have a difficult labour, lose lots of blood, experience real trauma etc.. will need a much longer recovery period.

I certainly felt pretty normal by the next morning (gave birth at 2330ish) and was happy to welcome family, make cups of tea and introduce DD first thing at around 9am. I felt as though I'd done a day of strenuous hill-walking and exercised every muscle in my body but it didn't hurt, just felt like I'd worked hard. (Which I definitely had!) We left the house for a walk with the sling on day 2 and went back to normal activities after that. Lochia stopped at 2 weeks pp and I was out jogging again at 2.5 weeks pp.

I was always being stopped by shop assistants who seemed amazed that I should be out shopping with a baby who was only a few days or weeks old.

I had 3 sections and was back to normal in about 5-6 weeks..

After a normal vaginal birth I would think that's normal? I had EMCS with ds1, was in pain for 10-12 weeks, didn't feel 'normal' for months, and the area is still not 'normal'. Whereas had VBAC with ds2 and I was walking around full of beans hours after delivery. For the first couple of wks I felt a little weak/dizzy if walked too far, but otherwise felt wonderful I'd say by 2 wks post birth I was walking a lot with him in sling and running around after 15 month old!

I was like that after the first one. It just makes you very lucky I think! I don't think the second is going to be so easy though, I am waiting for it to arrive as we speak and being pregnant has been harder this time and I'm guessing recovery will be too...

YANBU. I was out with DD and the dogs 2 days after a long, scary forceps/episiotomy birth...people were amazed. I got tutted at a fair few times by older ladies in the supermarket as I did the shopping with a 3 day old baby asleep in her sling.

She is now 6 wks old and I'm back in pre-preg jeans (albeit fairly stretchy ones and with a bit of a saggy bit on top!) and feeling good. The site of my episiotomy has started hurting a little in the last week, but the doc looked at my 6 wk check and all is fine apparently. I can't complain! (So far, fingers crossed etc!)