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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

Afterpains - worse after each birth?

49 replies

BlinkAndMiss · 13/03/2015 20:43

Just that really. I had quite bad afterpains with my first baby and breastfeeding seemed to make them a lot worse. I remember the lady in the bed opposite having a very tough time with afterpains and she'd just had her fourth baby. Do the pains worsen with each baby and is there anything that might ease them should they be bad? I want to breastfeed but if they're worse than last time, and breastfeeding causes them to be worse I'm scared of giving in with the breastfeeding like I did last time.

OP posts:

rockybalboa · 13/03/2015 20:47

Yes, they do get worse with each baby. Pack paracetamol in your hospital bag as having to rely on over stretched staff to give you medication can be a pain (literally).

Glittermud · 13/03/2015 20:51

I've only had two, but the second time the pain was really quite bad (it was non-existent first time round). I was awake crying with the pain most of the night. The midwives were very tender and helpful though.

On the plus side, one anecdote doesn't prove a rule. I have plenty of friends who had the opposite experience.

RugBugs · 13/03/2015 20:53

I had very mild cramps after DD1 but was in absolute agony after DD2. Honestly for 36hrs when they came they were worse than the most painful contractions. I'd had a home birth and was begging the midwife to bring back the gas and air. It really really put me off #3, 19wks in and I'm bloody terrified.
I did two things differently in my second pregnancy/delivery, I had the injection to speed up placenta delivery with DD1, I delivered it by myself with DD2 and had taken raspberry leaf capsules for a month.
In the vague hope it was these that made my pains worse I'll be laying off the capsules and having that injection when I do it agin.

GladysTheGolem · 13/03/2015 20:55

God yes.
Just had dc3 & had to wear my tens machine for two days after brith, agony!

LongDayAlready · 13/03/2015 20:59

I had them really badly after DC2 and was fully stocked up with paracetamol after DC3, it was one of the things I was most dreading.

Hardly felt a thing! No idea why, but grateful for it.

Just hope the same is true after DC4 turns up in September......

feministdog · 13/03/2015 21:04

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

RoganJosh · 13/03/2015 21:07

I found them worse each time. Diclofenac was the only thing that touched them. My midwives gave me some the first time and I think I just kept them and used them with subsequent babies!
It might be available over the counter. I think it's Voltarol. It's fine for BFing.

monkeyfacegrace · 13/03/2015 21:07

I had them with Dd1, nothing at all with ds or dd2. And dd2 is only 6 days old so it's fresh in my mind

There's no hard and fast rule for something like this.

gaahhnonicknamesleft · 13/03/2015 21:13

I didn't notice them with dc2 or dc1.

However the woman I the next bed who'd just had her 8th....boy did we all get to hear about the afterpains!

5madthings · 13/03/2015 21:19

I have had five and never had more than a bit of period like cramping when I was bfeeding. Just in the early days as uterus shrinks back down.

Everyone told me they would get worse each time but they never did. Never needed more than paracetamol after any birth and midwives were always impressed with how quickly my womb shrank back down.

So it's not always the case that after pains get worse.

Honeyishrunkthekids · 13/03/2015 21:22

Yep they get worse I've had four labours with little of no pain relief , but asked for the drugs after dd4 (put it on birth plan) . Apparently it's a good sign everything's going back into place.

marshmallowpies · 13/03/2015 21:22

Definitely not as bad the 2nd time. I had Diclofenac both times...I don't really remember the pains at all the second time.

Strokethefurrywall · 13/03/2015 21:24

I concur with the others - dear God it was far worse than labor. My 3rd day with DS2 nursing on sore nipples plus crippling after pains meant I was sobbing and unable to stand up straight. If there's ever a next time I'll be getting a script for 800mg ibuprofen that seemed to be the only thing that would touch it.

Sorry, just realized that may not have been what you wanted to hear...

doobeedee · 13/03/2015 21:35

You haven't been able to get Voltarol OTC since January. Shame as Diclofenac in the only thing that works for me.

ragged · 13/03/2015 21:42

It's good to be prepared. Cocadomol is your friend. :) Get a small subscription (the higher dose available) when about 36 weeks pg, just 8-20 pills will get you thru (I think I had 8 with 4th baby). Cocadomol is ok with breastfeeding.

Honeybear30 · 13/03/2015 21:49

It's threads like these that make me want to stick to just one dc! My after pains were awful with DS, the ladies giving me a bed bath ( because I couldn't stand and barely even talk) kept saying 'is this her first baby? Wow.' In my head i was thinking wtaf, it's worse with a second?!

Cleanbean · 13/03/2015 21:52

I've had two children and never had after pains. Never actually heard of them until this thread!

morethanpotatoprints · 13/03/2015 21:55

The pains didn't increase for me, in fact only had them with ds1.
all 3 were quick births but with ds1 the pains afterwards were horrendous, even the mums who had endured a full 24 hour labour sympathised with my 2 hours as they saw how much pain i had afterwards.

Ds2 none at all and he was 90 min.
DD none at all 30 min labour from first pain

Roomba · 13/03/2015 21:55

I have 2 DC and never noticed any afterpains either. BF both.

nobutreally · 13/03/2015 21:57

To give you hope, op - my after pains were the worse bit of my first birth experience. I didn't notice them with my second birth (& I was dreading them)

Greenstone · 13/03/2015 22:00

Just periodish cramping here both times. Maybe slightly more noticeable with dc2 but only for about a day and a half. I took about two rounds of paracetamol after birth but would have been fine without.
Both times I got the injection and womb shrank quickly also.

Roseotto · 13/03/2015 22:35

Mine were never that bad but then I've always had 3-4 stitches for a small tear and I get fever when my milk comes in so usually take a painkiller around that time anyway.
You can't get diclofenac OTC any more I think.

HaveYouTriedARewardChart · 13/03/2015 22:44

No real problems with 1 and 2 but with dc3 it was awful.

marymouse · 13/03/2015 22:46

Never felt them with dc1&2 but dc3 it was agony. I couldn't hold him after the birth because it was like continuous labour pains and I stayed on the gas and air. They continued into the next day too, awful.

Notso · 13/03/2015 22:57

I had horrendous afterpains with my 4, they did get worse with each child. With DC4 I was writhing round for the first few mins of a feed.
Everything shrank back really quickly though. I didn't have any kind of bump after day 2.

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