HONESTLY - how terrible did you feel post-birth and for how long?

[elportodelgato]

I am 28 weeks with my 1st LO and am almost as worried about how crap I will feel afterwards as I am about the actual labour! I know everyone has a different experience but at what stage did you start to feel as though your body was recovering from the ordeal? And just how awful is it in those first few weeks?

With first baby fine after a day or two.
With second I felt like I'd been run over by a truck for about 3 weeks. And then I was fine.

I felt pretty knocked about after labour with three of my four, like death-warmed-up after dd2. But for some reason I felt fine after dd1, my third baby, I have no idea why that one should have been different. I was much better after about a week or so with all of them.

Fine after DS1 (emergency CS)
With DS2 I was so exhausted i felt like I was detached from my body. it had ben a long and difficult labour and DS2 had had to go to special care immediately after birth because of very low apgar scores. Then I was on a ward with four other women and babies and midwives clattering about in the night so I had very little sleep for about a week. I'd never known tiredness like it. I was also extremely sore from the ventouse delivery and episiotomy.

6 weeks after emergency c section. A day or two after planned c section.

Fine with DS. With DD I was sitting outside in the sun with a gin and tonic 30 minutes after I delivered her (at home). Made him go to the shop and get it!!

I felt great. No problems at all. DD3 was born on Monday afternoon, had family over that evening, had a lovely day at home with her and DP on Tuesday, nesting etc, on Wednesday was out in TK Max etc with DP and viewing houses!

Was exactly the same with the other 2.

DS1 was born at 5pm midwives left about 7pm we fell into bed and the next morning although a little tender I felt brilliant, went for a walk to the shops in the village and popped into the Drs surgery to show them what we had made..

DS2 was born at lunchtime and we would have popped out to sainsburys in the afternoon if we hadn't thought it slightly inappropriate so I made a victoria sponge cake and invited the neighbours in to meet our little man.

Honestly.. no pain relief except for when I had a couple of stitches I had some gas and air.

with both boys the stitches were slightly uncomfortable for about a week.

had her thurs eve
home friday eve
felt a bit creaky for a day or two (had epidural and was in a an awkward position for ages) and that was about it

I worried that sitting would hurt as i had a tear and stitches, but they didnt at all.

flipping midwife was no blardy seamstress I can tell you that though, stitches came out after first "at home" wee.

still didnt hurt though

physically pretty much fine almost straight away. I did have stitches which were a bit sore but it wasn't bad, I didn't need any painkillers - just a cushion to sit on for a few days!

Physically felt OK immediately afterwards!

Heavy bleeding for 2 days but more inconvenient than painful.
Stitches not sore at all even when did poos.
Piles agony for 1 week and had to stick ice cubes up my arse.
Emotionally felt fine until day 3 when the combination of sleep deprivation, shit BFing and family interference caused the mother of all meltdowns!
Nipples painful until 4 weeks when BFing became much easier.

8 months on still dont feel right and have a pain in the bum, although i did get 4th degree tears.

honestly, about a day of feeling awful then gradually better, 4 weeks on feel fine.

except the piles!

Absolutely DEAD for the first 2-3 days after the birth, then amazingly awake and high (Hmmm... mad hormones I think) and then about a week after the reality kicked in, the sleep deprivation kicked in, and just felt pretty exhausted.

took about 6 weeks to feel normal, but was really OK after a couple of weeks.

Take it easy for the first two months though...

felt fine right away honest no pain or anything afterwards, the only problem i had was constipation i really really couldnt go and when i did it hurt more that having my LO!!! but after that i was absolutly fine. hopr it goes well for u novicemama

I had episiotomy and forceps delivery. I was black and blue afterwards and unfortunately for me I had no sphincter control. I was fully recovered by about 3 months.
Hoping the next one (due July) will be easier! Good luck.

truly miserable and uncomfortable for about a month after em c-section. But perked up once I was driving again and realised that actually my insides weren't about to fall out.

ok, i wont lie.
after the first birth i felt v sore in my whole undercarriage for a couple of days. well, for the first day or so... then improving for the next couple of days. then you still feel kind of like you need to be a bit gentle with yourself for a couple of weeks while your body gets used to hormone changes (is it relaxin that you have in you which softens all your joints etc ready for birth? that slowly disappears)

i was kind of busy trying to make bf work, which took my mind off my bod tbh. apart from my boobs obv

all in all i found recovery time really pretty impressive - especially considering the magnitude of what your body has just done!

I felt much, much better almost immediately after giving birth ; nothing could have been worse than the last 2 months of pregnancy when I felt like an elephant, couldn't sleep etc.

My sister (who had had three children before me) told me I would feel better straight away, and I did. She had three c-sections, btw - I had a totally straightforward natural birth.

I've had 2 really good text book deliveries and honestly, the moment the baby's were out I felt absolutely fine, like someone had switched off the pain with a 'switch', for me it was the sleepless nights that got me, not too bad with DS1 cos you can sleep when they do, but with a toddler already I was totally knackered with DS2.