How did you feel post-birth?

[LikeAnAdventCandleButNotQuite]

During the last few weeks of pregnancy, I was soooo looking forward to being able to reach my feet, get up easily out of bed and walk faster than 1 mile an hour.

But, I didnt realise quite how knackered I'd feel after giving birth. Im not expecting to be able to do cartwheels, or run marathons, but, I just feel like i've been put through a mangle!

How did you all feel in the first week after giving birth?

should say "all those drugs" !!

I had a fairly textbook (although quite long) labour with DD, until she got stuck. Suction failed, her heart rate dropped and then all hell broke loose in the delivery room. She ended up being delivered with forceps, which is to say a fully-grown woman dragged her out with a pair or enormous salad servers, and it felt like my organs were following! The episitomony, bruising and general trauma of the last 15 minutes meant like squeegle I think I went into a bit of shock afterwards. Body felt like a war zone for about 2 weeks but somewhere around week 3 I started feeling back to normal and now, 4 weeks on, I'm even contemplating bringing the recommencement of our sex life forward by a couple of weeks, so all good! Can't say it's something I am in any rush at all to do again though.

alikat - i was exactly the same - except being at home meant I couldn't have the forceps or ventouse. So just an episiotomy and ineffectual contractions!

I'm now at the start of week 3, and I feel very human again now - even got out of bed before 10o'clock today!
and I've just been outside and cleaned out the chicken coop. It's been over 3 weeks since the poo was cleaned out : it's normally done every week.

1st time around, like I had been run over by a train. Like I had just done the worst possible thing to myself by having a baby. So sore I coudn't sit down properly. Emotionally traumatised. Shocked. Though I would NEVER allow myself to go through it again. But I did of course. Much easier birth second time round. Tired, but happy. I had been expecting the worst so was pleasantly surprised by how it went. Felt like a hard workout, but not traumatising.

thrilled to be out of hospital:) exhausted from losing 2 litres of blood and refusing a transfusion- long story, too boring, doctor still "resting" and luckily for any ladies after me in that hospital, not practising.
estatic at new fabulous baby, new capacity for sitting on sofa with snacks bf day and night plus a hitheroe unrealised love for crap daytime tv and strictly come dancing, plus loving watching all the sport glued to sofa bf, like tennis, although the olympics would be a nice time to be at home:)

mil put in place for interfering(hurrah, dh has balls after all) and able to eat lots as bf and not strong (see blodd loss above) so no worries about being thin. yet.

I have a theory that if you're breast feeding your hormones keep you going and the tiredness is kept at bay at bit more. Worked for me - was knackered when I stopped at 7 months. Thoughts?

Back to your original question: the second 'post birth' arrived, my mind was just thinking 'That was torture, utterly horrific' and that thought has never gone away. Post birth even when they wanted to hand me DS2 (who is now 2) I was just traumatised by it.

Right after the birth I felt awesome and relieved, but sore (and yy to the sore throat),was surprised because I found giving birth dreadful - actually said to the midwife "Why does no-one tell you how bloody awful it is?" The midwife sat and chatted to me ,whilst I was in the bath after the birth, which help me feel better about it all.

Was sore for about a week (remember having to wee in the bath, as I was so sore), I did have a tear, but no stitches.

Also yy to the b/fing comment from above, I b/f for 18mths, it was after I stopped that the PND hit in a big way. Tiredness hit 3 days after giving birth, DD was the sleeper from hell - no naps, waking 8ish times a night. Even now at 6yrs she's not great at sleeping.

Mine are teenagers now but even after the first relatively straightforward birth with no stitches I was exhausted physically and emotionally. Ached all over and was not at all prepared for the amounts of blood loss or the stampede of midwives I had never met before in and out of the house all offering completely difference advice and opinions.

The second time around I was much better prepared and knew what to expect. I also realised I had been in shock first time round because it was only when I had a very very easy birth that I realised how painful and distressing it was to deliver ds who was a posterior birth. Nobody explained that either and at the time I just felt pleased to have managed it on my own as the emergency cs team arrived and gave me two more pushes.

Understand why mothers used to be kept in hospital for 8 days when I was born 50 years ago. Women need to be cared for in the week or so after giving birth and need love and understanding.

After 2 days of labour and almost 2 hours of trying to deliver dd, I was absolutely euphoric when they lay her on my chest and remember thinking "Oh Thank God that is the end of the pain".
Little did I realise that the pain would continue well after the birth what with healing stitches, anal fissures, engorgement and the hell of sleep deprivation. I was like a ghost for a month after, my family were shocked at how poorly I was.
5 months on, dd is a bouncy healthy beauty and I have been dancing and drinking all Christmas :)

....re tiredness/pnd hitting when stopping breastfeeding, I bf'd for 3 months and just days after switching to bottlefeeding with formula I felt so much better and the healing process sped right up.
I was really, really shocked at just how tough bf'ing is - it drained me emotionally aswell as physically - and lets not talk about cracked nipples/blocked ducts :(

Couldn't agree more Poley. Had infective mastitis and an abscess in the first 8 weeks - it was a living hell. Mother and baby both turned the corner after the first few formula feeds but then of course the pnd set in because of the sense of failure and the pressure. Remember the feeding far more clearly than the birth in fact I think childbirth is but a rite of passage for the pain of breast feeding.

I've not read the responses, just your initial post, so sorry if other people have said this.

What you are feeling is totally normal. I felt exhausted. My hands hurt from pragnancy carpel tunnel, my bits hurt from episiotomy and surgery, my legs ached from being in funny positions to push her out, I had a cough, my lungs hurt from being squashed, and my breasts hurt from trying to breastfeed. And you know what, a year later my body only just feels like it is starting to recover (though it got significantly better much earlier than this don't worry).

If you can get out of bed and have a shower and maybe walk to the corner shop then you are doing exceptionally well.

Congratulations by the way. xx

And then we go and have another child...

Us women are crazy :)

Initially, I felt bloody brilliant, (that total euphoria feeling which several of you have already mentioned) which then was followed by 9 hrs on the high dependency unit as I had a bad reaction to every pain killing drug they gave me (C-section), plus it was like a sauna in there which didn't help with the constant being sick & dizziness. Once I got down to the ward, all was fine, out the next day, no pain really, up & about easily within another day or so, & it was just fantastic not to be pregnant with the constant sickness & heartburn & getting up twice an hour during the night to go to the loo!

Worse than I have ever felt in my entire life. Please make sure you sleep and eat properly.