How long did it take you to recover from childbirth?

[ALS17081982]

How long did it take you to complete recover from childbirth? And what kind of birth did you have - natural no interventions/instrumental delivery/c section.

I had a ventouse delivery with an episiotomy. I had diamorphine and an anti-emetic when I was 8cm and then local anaesthetic for the episiotomy and the subsequent stitching (I don't think I had any specifically for the delivery? but my memory is hazy). From the beginning of my contractions to the delivery was around 30 hours and I pushed for about an hour before the help was offered and I accepted. It took me about 2/3 weeks to not feel very bad pain, I was taking diclofenac regularly for around 2 weeks I think that the hospital prescribed as well as OTC paracetamol then I took ibuprofen and paracetamol for about a further week or two gradually tailing off the doses. I was not very mobile the first 2/3 weeks due to pain. I was still significantly sore til I was about 5 weeks PP then it got a lot better. Then when I was about 7 weeks PP a tiny part of my wound opened - I moved and suddenly a tiny bit tore. I saw GP and they left it to heal itself with Sudocrem as a barrier as it was tiny, but it was very sore and took me back to being about 4/5 weeks PP in terms of pain, so then I had to do that recovery time all over again. Once that was healed, about 9 weeks PP I felt more human. However still got a sore pelvic floor if I tried to do PFEs and some tiny infrequent stress incontincence. I saw GP about this at 4 months pp - I'm 5 months pp now, he dismissed this as normal and said the only treatment was surgical which they wouldn't do now and told me not to do PFEs if they hurt. I have not attempted to do any since then and I've switched GP practices and will be having a smear around 6/7 months PP so will see what that feels like and try the PFEs again then and if still sore, go and see GP and forcefully ask for pelvic floor physio. I am too frightened to try and have sex. I also have significant mental health problems related to birth trauma which were also dismissed by my GP however I got in touch with PALS at the hospital where I gave birth and they have forwarded on my questions to the doctor who did my delivery to arrange a birth debrief. I think I wish that I had refused an instrumental delivery and asked for a C-section, I was worried about the longer recovery etc but my recovery was so long that it probably wouldn't have been worse.

DS1: my labour was augmented with a drip after stalling following my waters breaking and they were struggling to monitor his heart rate so I was told to push him out immediately instead of pausing for it to happen in its own time. They wanted to do an episiotomy but he came or while they were getting ready to do it and I had a fair sized tear. Also had a retained placenta and some blood loss with that but I was very well stitched and had minimal lochia following surgery to remove the placenta. I was up and about and feeling fairly normal as soon the spinal anaesthetic wore off enough and the catheter and drip were removed.

DS2: I was in hospital for two weeks beforehand due to unexplained bleeding and an attempted induction had failed several days before my labour started. Labour was very sudden (started whilst breastfeeding DS1), took just a few hours and I think three pushes: a, practice one, one for the head and one for the body! I tore less and then one of the doctors pulled out the stubborn placenta and I had a couple of stitches but I kept bleeding badly and eventually they decided I had some placenta left so my stitches were broken to remove it and I was restitched. I think I slept for almost the whole day with DS2 in the crook of my arm as I just have memories of rousing for a moment every now and then and seeing the visitors had changed. The next day I felt fine apart from some dizziness on standing due to the blood loss, I suppose, and was feeling very keen to get home and get outdoors for a walk in the park after being stuck in hospital for so long.

My healing with the stitches was excellent both times with no need for painkillers and when I had them checked I was told they were really well done and that having a surgeon stitch you up is the silver lining of having a retained placenta! Longer term, my knees and my stomach muscles are really not the same (DS1 just turned three) but otherwise I feel back to normal.

Vaginal birth. Forceps with episiotomy and third degree tear. Just about felt well when I returned to work 6 months later after maximum maternity leave. It was 21 years ago.

My first four daughters I felt fine pretty much right away apart from stitches that needed to heal. This last one though took me longer to feel normal again, it was a very harsh and fast labour and delivery and I think I was running on adrenaline for a good week

I had dc at 40 & 43.

Both normal Vaginal births and I was back on my feet straight away. Bit tired for a few days but that is to be expected after loosing a night or 2 sleep.

Vaginal birth, no intervention no tearing, incredibly lucky and up and about pretty much straight away- even with that much luck I can’t bear thinking about doing it again, oh the pain with just gas n air

Induced, kellands forceps as back to back, 3b tear and episitomy (sp?) Felt so so unwell, I wanted during and after birth to be dead! Physically 18 months, mentally still not there. Ds is 6 in January :(

EMCS. 2 years

Easy pregnancy, epidural with episiotomy and 6 stitches. Felt very sore down below for about 8 weeks, turns out I had granulation tissue, which had to be cauterised twice. Back to normalish in 6 months, but piles have remained and it's a bit sore to have sex

Thank you everyone! It feels so massive for people to be so open and honest. I feel like society is becoming more open to talking about birth realities. I swear I couldn’t find such chats online when researching for my elective section 18 months ago.

I had an elective, probs four weeks to heal as I had good abs and apparently they make stitches hurt more. I nearly fainted from stomach pain when they made me shower on day two but morphine was my friend 🤫. Think the moral of my tale is don’t get into weight training before getting pregnant if you want a section.

My abs are still separated 😭, my boobs are back to being tiny, but not the empty sacks they were post breastfeeding.

Mostly I’m grateful that the delivery was calm and I feel intact physically and mentally. Now I’m just knackered from kid life.

I had HELLP syndrome. It took a year to come off all meds. My blood pressure has not returned to normal and DS is almost 3.

DD1 - EMCS - up and walking after around 8 hours (I think this helped speed up recovery) off painkillers after 2 weeks,
around about 4 weeks to feel normal again

DD2 - EMCS - longer recovery as I had an infection at birth and was quite poorly. Around 6/7 weeks to feel normal again

D21 - ELCS - up and walking after 6 hours, off painkillers after a week or so, school run at 10 days. Felt normal again about 3 weeks.

DS1* that should say

Natural birth, short labour, huge baby, no pain relief, no stitches. I walked out of hospital a few hours later and felt on top of the world. I was only 23 though.

My initial recovery was short but full recovery took much longer.

Section at 34 weeks - late on Thursday evening
Friday was shuffling across hospital to nicu unit
Saturday - discharged. Shuffled out of hospital and around mothercare looking for premmie clothes
On day 6 moved car on driveway to check I could operate it (my husband didn't drive and my baby was still in hospital a few miles away so I needed to get back behind the wheel).
Day 11 - signed off by GP to drive (my insurer required dr sign off and this was the earliest appointment I could get)

Six week check - everything fine, signed off to exercise (but no ab exercises until 12 weeks)
A few days later - first attempt at running. It felt HORRIFIC. Everything was jiggling about and it felt so wrong. I didn't try again for a long time.
After 12 weeks I started gentle Pilates.

For months I could feel my scar pulling.

Four and a half years on ovulation is horrifically painful. I assume I have adhesions.

After my first I haemorrhaged and basically felt like I was going to die for about 6 months! It was a really long labour, waters broke on Monday, by Wednesday they had to induce me but still I wasn't progressing enough so throughout the day I was induced more and more, had an epidural and he finally arrived at 11 that evening with the cord around his neck hence why I hadn't been progressing.

Second birth was just a straightforward labour, about 15 hours long and I felt immediately fine and dandy.

I'm due another one any day now...

I lost a load of blood, tore a bit, and was allowed to push for longer than the recommended time (I think it was 2.5 hours). I felt faint for weeks afterward and had a scary feeling when I walked, like my insides would fall out.

I was reasonably normal again within a few months, feel almost 100% normal 2 years later

@Kemer2018 12 years! My god! Poor you!! Was it an instrumental delivery? Could I ask what the issue is? I'm deciding between an elcs And a natural birth. I recovered from my first EMCS in about 2 months so it's the longer recoveries from natural birth that I want to understand.

I think what made mine worse was the desire to be recovered. I was up doing normal things within 2 days, but what needed was rest and to process the trauma. There's so much emphasis on the empowering and wonderful side of birth and how you forget the pain and it's all worth it that when you don't feel those things you feel wrong, abnormal, like an alien and that stops you healing properly both mentally and physically.

I had an emergency forceps delivery with episiotomy 5 weeks ago. My stitches broke down so I am still recovering and can barely walk 😩

First and certainly only baby for me haha!

Dc1 - 8 months for episiotomy to fully heal. In that time I suffered carpal tunnel syndrome and backache too.
Dc2 - within a week I was completely back to normal.
Dc3 - still recovering after 8.5 months. I have diastasis recti and a weak pelvic floor/ core giving me backache.

All 3 were natural births. 1+3 were b2b. 1 was ventouse+episiotomy. 2 a couple of stitches.3 was 3rd degree tear.

Dc1 - 8 months for episiotomy to fully heal. In that time I suffered carpal tunnel syndrome and backache too.
Dc2 - within a week I was completely back to normal.
Dc3 - still recovering after 8.5 months. I have diastasis recti and a weak pelvic floor/ core giving me backache.

First baby was born naturally in hospital and I needed a few stitches. Was home within a few hours and out and about after a couple of days but didn't feel fully recovered for about 2 weeks. Second baby was born at home, felt absolutely fine the next morning and carried on with normal life straight away.

Elective c section, no complications, no issues afterwards, up and moving the following day, home the day after that. I felt pretty much back to normal after a week or so and fully recovered by 3 weeks.