Things they're not telling you about vaginal birth..

[Viola82]

Just wondering what expecting mother should know about the natural birth and AFTER it please?
There is so much info about c-section and recovery after, but what about recovery after the natural birth? Even the vanilla standard one with no complications ect?
please don't sugercoat, write it as it is

Immediately after the birth, I was just starting to relax and recover from the ordeal (no pain relief available). Wanted to meet DD, take pics etc. Then the midwife reminded me that I still had to deliver the placenta. That was by far the worst moment for me, I asked her if we could just leave it there. But she insisted. Then DH wanted to name DD after said midwife. Sadist.

After I’d gone up to the ward and had rested, I was really pleased how flat my stomach was... until I got up and it all just flopped out on me. Took a few weeks before that floppy feeling went.

Agree with others about stitches being more painful. But even without stitches on my second VB there was still stinging when I peed.

I remember the crowning but found the contractions more painful (was back to back until the end). I was amazed that once the head is out the pain just disappears but then the contractions come back for the afterbirth. I was like “for fucks sake I have to do this again”. Cuddled baby & then went to sleep, I remember having a shower & thinking it was amazing to get the blood, sweat etc of me but it was tarnished by sight of belly in the mirror! I had 5 stitches & no pain except when I went for a long walk 5 days after & just felt a bit weak. No issue or pain peeing but I was scared to pooh although after the first it was fine. No piles but I felt like I gave birth via my bum if that makes sense. I did do lots of pelvic floor work before so I think that helped.

So much blood though (same after CS) & forget the crappy Boots maternity pads. Also square hard boobs squirting milk out all over the place, yuck!

thank you very much again!
I feel I'm so much better prepared now for what's coming
Just one more question.. hemoroids..any issues please?

They don’t tell you that it’s really worth your while seeing a specialist physio after birth. NHS is both incompetent and stingy with resources when it comes to prolapses and antenatal support.

All I can add, as a mum who last delivered vaginally and without pain relief 20 years ago, is that the memories obv fade. I know I had an episiotomy with DC 1 but can't recall what it felt like. I suspect first poos were painful but again can't recall. All I can remember is an appealing health visitor who after examining me cackled 'you'll never be a girl again". I was horrified and upset, but tbh I wonder now what on earth she was talking about bc everything 'down there' works just fine decades later

Drink lots of prune juice after the birth to help with the first poo. It wasn’t that bad overalll, more strange/disorientating but really fine for me.

Afterpains! Not one person told me that you got afterpains!
With my first they were OK but still a shock!
Then not one person told me that they got worse with each baby! My 3rd labour was a quick labour, but the after pains were vile!

Viola I had a traumatic birth with long-lasting consequences but absolutely no piles. Also despite all the stitches and scar tissue peeing was painless (unlike sitting down, walking, etc).

The upside for me was the end of hyperemesis and how wonderful it was to be nausea free and be able to just eat without throwing up. I only got happy hormones, no baby blues. Months of babymoon great memories

Hope it all goes great for you

Yes haemorrhoids are very common. Even if they don’t happen during labour you’ll often get them a few weeks later. Have cream and ‘bullets’ ready. Make sure you drink many glasses of water every day and eat a lot of fruit. You will get badly constipated if you don’t, especially if breastfeeding.

This is the single most important thing to keep on top of post birth in my opinion. Otherwise you’ll suffer badly for many many years. No joke.

I didn't have any major problems after giving birth, no constipation, no pain when weeing (even with a tear), no nights sweats, no afterpains. My stitches were sore for 2 weeks, but bearable without pain relief. That's it.
I also experienced the most fantastic energy surge after giving birth - I felt like superwoman for the first three days. It was fabulous, I wish I could experience that again. If there was a drug with the same effect, I'd be addicted!

Not too bad for me. Toilet wipes are a good investment. Don't expect to hop straight out of your maternity gear. Everything feels much better after a shower. I was back on the school run a couple of days after having my twins so can't have been that awful. Good luck and don't panic.

I didn’t have haemorrhoids but had friends that did. Like with most of these things it can happen it also might not

Oh, and don't lie down! So so so much easier to go through labour on your feet!

Agree on the constipation thing and pooing painful. I'd been really good about eating lots of fibre while pregnant but forgot in the days after the birth - mistake! I ended up resorting to Andrews Liver Salts which did do the trick.
Also, the stitches can feel very tight as the area swells in the first couple of days. I was convinced they had been done wrong and made the health visitor check but in fact they were fine.
Apart from that nothing too awful or unexpected. It hurts a lot while it's happening but the great thing about VB is that the pain pretty much stops as soon as the baby is out. Infinitely better than a CS which I've also had.

That I wouldn't be able to walk for over a week and I'd still wake up at night from nightmares a year on

I had a third degree tear the first time and don't recognise any of the scaremongering on here!

Childbirth was quite painful. Afterwards was fine, even with an op to administer stitches.

It's really not that bad OP.

Yes, DO NOT lie down, it slows down Labour. Insist on pacing around

‘Yes, DO NOT lie down, it slows down Labour. Insist on pacing around ’

I was induced and had to lie down strapped to Monitor in bed; sometimes pacing isn’t possible. I pray I won’t have this the next time!

All 3 of mine I had to be laid down and monitored. Raise the back of the bed if you can but definitely don't insist on pacing if they're asking you not to for some reason.

pass yep I had to lie down too (DS1 being monitored) but second time I made sure I stayed on my feet!

I had the opposite problem and about a week or 2 after birth I couldn't pee at all despite drinking gallons of water. It was horrible!

I think ignorance was bliss in my case. Had to have a blood transfusion after birth and that was not nice at all!

I had a emergency c section, but was told before to get some frozen pads ready. Put some alo Vera gel and witch hazel onto the pad and put them into the freezer a few days before. I still got to use them as I was teared during failed forceps. But that's all I can give you lol

Stitches can be awful as they heal. I couldn’t walk further than 10 yards without them being painful. Turned out I had a granuloma - discovered at 6 week check - and had to have it treated with a silver nitrate pencil. Ouch again. My poor fanny.

I never laid down during labour, I spent the whole time stood up and lots of it running about, amusingly. Up and down stairs mostly - although there was a bed I wanted that for sleeping in after so I wasn’t going to get in it.