Tell me about afterpains

[Harebellmeadow]

Am due with DD2 and whilst I appreciated the afterpains after DD1 (Vb) shrinking my womb back, have read and heard that afterpains after subsequent births is much more painful.
Just how painful are we talking about here?

I didn't have them with DC1, with DC2 they were like bad period pains when I was breastfeeding. Passed in 2-3 days and fine with paracetamol and ibuprofen. I think my belly actually shrank and flattened faster this time.

Had them pretty bad after my first but only for a few days... Then they have gotten worse after each baby. Last time after no.5 I was literally sweating, shaking and rocking with the pain, was far worse than the labour and gradually lessened but lasted for 3 WEEKS! Due number 6 any day now, bloody glutton for punishment I am!

@FartnissEverbeans Some women never feel them, some they are mild, some severe. Breastfeeding makes the uterus cramp harder so if you get the afterpains then they will feel more painful when feeding baby but usually for a shorter amount of time as the uterus contracts back down alot faster when breasfeeding.

I had forgotten after pains even existed. I had a vaginal birth with first child and then again with twins and don’t actually even remember after pains! Possibly I have just erased them from memory or maybe I was lucky! Anyway hopefully this means you might not have bad ones either.

@Rikalaily number 6?! Incredible!

I had my first 12 days ago and had cramps for a few days but I don't feel anything now. What I do have is a very sad vagina which feels like it's been kicked a thousand times

Agony I remember having them with my first but the strong pain killers worked. With my second I wasn't allowed anything other than paracetamol as I had HELLP. It was horrendous. Although I was kindly discharged with the painkillers 10 days later

After dc2 they started pretty swiftly after the birth so I couldn't hold her for a while as was in too much pain. Incredibly painful (contraction like) for first 24 hours especially when feeding. Then gradually got milder over the next 5 days.

Some women never feel them, some they are mild, some severe. Breastfeeding makes the uterus cramp harder so if you get the afterpains then they will feel more painful when feeding baby but usually for a shorter amount of time as the uterus contracts back down alot faster when breasfeeding.

Oh right, okay. Maybe I was just lucky (in this respect - not so much in others unfortunately!!). How do you know if your uterus has contracted back to its normal size? I know that's slightly off topic but I wasn't aware of anything and it all seemed fine at the time.

@FartnissEverbeans your doctor/midwife will be able to feel and tell you

I didn't know anything about these before I had my son. They were agony.

Not too painful with birth 1 and 3. Very painful with birth 2, which I put down to it being the only one I didn’t have a paracetamol suppository with. They only lasted a few hours though.

Had dc2 just under 3 weeks ago. No pains with my first, but these were horrendous, unlike contractions there wasn't a build up to a peak, it was multiple peaks for each one and no pattern so I couldn't even relax during the downward phase. Every feed I was crying with pains in boobs and stomach and they lasted 3 or 4 days.

Pain killers were totally pointless as the pains only occurred during feeds and I obviously couldn't predict when dc would feed. Best thing is a hot water bottle during feeds, like with period pain.

I know that sounds horrible and possibly scary, but it is only temporary and you probably won't have them as bad as me. The midwife said it doesn't normally make women cry.

I didn't get any with DD1, with DD2 I had period type cramps for about 2, maybe 3 hours after she was born.

@harebellmeadow same with a c section. Awful. Almost as bad as Labour. Contributed to me stopping breast feeding.

GPs used to prescribe cocodamol for this, but I read on MN that's now frowned upon. There must be something else GP can give you.

No after pains at all with first baby but some pretty bad ones with my second. Very similar to concontractions and were very strong when I had a let down of milk. They started on the day after she was born and lasted a couple of days. Mw and gp both said to take full doses of ibuprofen and paracetamol .

Terrible with DC2. We were in a shopping centre (he was 2 days old, who does that?!) and DH nearly called an ambulance!
DC3 die soon, i’m staying in bed as long as possible and keeping on top of the painkillers!

With ds, exclusively breastfed, cat 1 emcs... none.

With dd, combo fed, less of an emergency section... it hurts almost as badly as labour did. For some fun reason, I only labour in my back, pelvis and thighs which is now where my afterpains are.

My uterus is definitely shrinking faster this time though, given that dd was only born on Thursday I look smaller than I did at this point with ds.

I've never heard of these-I had an EMCS, do you not get them after a C section? Maybe they were not noticeable with all the other pain?

Two dc both by caesarean. Horrendous after pains with dc1 then hardly any with dc2. Both bf.

Didn't have any pains after dd born in 2014 but about 4 weeks pp I had to put daughter down on bed and it was like a giant elastic band pinging back into place in one go and then zitch.

Bloody sore but no more than 5 mins.

Had three girls and my last ( 9 years ago) and I still remember the afterpains more than I remember the labour, but honesty you do forget

I’d totally forgotten about them but yep there were pretty bad. Thing is everything is just horrendous around the same time so it all just becomes a horrible blur. Then it gets better!

DC1. Ouch.
DC2. Can't breathe. Can't speak and can't cry for help kind of pain. Passed quickly. I am prone to stupidly fast labour so maybe my uterus is (the only part of me that's) very efficient?
MW said afterwards she has given gas and air to some mums to get them through the pain. Can see why.

Mild with first, hideous with 2nd but only for a very short period. I remember thinking at the time no one warned me and it was this rather then labour that would put me off a third. First period after was equally horrid.