Do you get after pains with dc2 if you had a section with dc1?

[HeadFairy]

I've never delivered naturally, never even been in labour and yet everyone keeps going on about after pains in subsequent babies being much worse... would that still be the case if you haven't laboured before?

I think so because the pains are caused by the uterus contracting back to usual size after the birth - nothing to do with the labour. Lay is some paracetamol and breast feed - it will hurt when you start the feed but this will help the contracting. If you time the paracetamol to about 20 minutes before the feed you can take the edge off. Mine were never too awful - just felt like very bad period cramps.

Aha, thanks for that... I thought it might have been something to do with actually labouring rather than with the uterus shrinking back... so even if I end up with a section this time, there's probably no escaping it really is there? ho hum!

I had a section 1st time, then normal birth the 2nd - don't really remember the after pains with first birth, but they were definitely worse with the second. I breastfed both times, so don't really understand what the difference is.

I had worse pains the first time following a section but that may be because of the wind as well which no one warned me about . Second time I barely noticed them. Breast fed at the start with both.

Yeah parmageddon, I don't remember after pains much, maybe a tiny bit the day after my first baby.. and I bf too. I would have thought they'd be worse first time, because by now my uterus has stretched to term twice so the shrinking back should be easier...

Unfortunately I think the more stretching it does the harder it has to work to get back - hence the pains. Same with bleeding afterwards - I had much heavier bleeding with dd3 and the midwives said that was typical of a third labour - it's just harder to get everything back where it was because the 'elasticity' has got stretched out of it a bit!

Afterpains aren't always that bad. I had none after my first birth, noticed some after my second, nothing after my third (but had section so was presumably on painkillers at the relevant time) and after my fourth and last the afterpains were definitely enough to make me think 'ow' and do a bit of deep breathing, but not bad enough to take painkillers. As best I can remember from my long-ago teen years, period pains are much worse!

headfairy I suppose it varies between women. I have had 2 sections and never laboured. The after pains were alot worse the second time round. Not unbearable, sorted out with some paracetamol, but defo worse!!

thanks for that everyone... better get some paracetamol in then (and extra maternity pads by the sounds of it!)

I had a labour both times, but the labour pains the second time round were as bad as labour itself - toe curling, and always when DD was feeding.

I've had after pains after all my sections (5), not plesant and seemd to get worse after each baby....sorry!

dd1 - emergency section, didnt have any afterpains at all.
dd2 - natural birth and the afterpains...well i thought i was dying and ive never heard of the afterpains before..the first 24 hours i had to have 2 paracetomol every 4 hours and then on the 2nd day it was starting to wear off...it went on for 2 days