5 days post birth and feel a bit meh - can anyone relate?

[PumpkinPie2013]

I gave birth to my beautiful little boy on Wed and he is our first child. My labour was long and quite traumatic - 42 hours from waters breaking to ds being delivered by EMCS.

I spent 2 days on postnatal with him which to be honest were the hardest two days of all really. Don't get me wrong the staff were lovely but massively overstretched so unfortunately I had little support and was struggling to get up to use the bathroom and lift my ds to feed/change him (he was over 9lb so not small).

Came home Fri and my DH has been really wonderful doing virtually everything for me and baby so I can rest/sleep. My mw has been twice and says we are doing really well.

However, I just feel so tired at the moment and I'm still sore from my CS. I feel guilty that I can't do everything for my ds and I find myself worrying at night that he's ok when sleeping (his crib is right by my bed!).

I mentioned it to the mw and she said it's all normal and will ease. She doesn't come out again now but said I can ring if we have any worries.

I'm loving having my ds - he's amazing in every way but I feel like I've been in a train crash!

Anyone else felt like this post birth? X

Yes! You have almost exactly described how I felt after the birth of my ds (induction, 30hr labour, EMCS then Group B Strep infection for both of us). When I got home I felt like I had been in a car accident or similar. I was a bit stunned for a few days, and felt wobbly around my ds for a while. I gradually got into the swing of things and I began to relax. I think it takes a while to process what happened when you have an EMCS - it is a bit like being in an accident, and you have to go over the events until you understand what went on. Well at least that's how I felt anyway.

I'm glad your DH is being so supportive - it's fantastic to have that support there. I was also lucky in that my mum came for a week when my DH went back to work so that I had some extra help.

Please don't feel guilty for not being able to do everything - you and your DH are a team so it doesn't matter who does what :-)

Day 5 was a killer for me. I was totally miserable - it got better really quickly. Get out of the house if you can, even to walk to the end of the road.

Good luck

Day 5 is definitely the worst. I spent the whole of day 5 crying every time, I'm sure it's hormonal x

I had an easy birth the second time round and day 5 was brutal and i was in tears. It is quite normal as its your hormones settling down. However, if you don't feel better over the next couple of days say to your mw again.

Aww thanks everyone - it's good to know I'm not alone

Hopefully I'll start to feel better soon.

DS is currently snoozing in my arms so enjoying cuddles x

I felt awful on day 5, had a total meltdown. Don't feel guilty, let people do whatever they want to do!

Make sure you keep your midwife/health visitor up to date with how you're feeling.

I've had two v straightforward birth, and one slightly dramatic one, I felt the way you describe after all of them! Go easy on yourself.

IN part it's probably the hormones. They always say day 3-4 is the day when you get the awful baby blues - probably this is a bit later when you've had a C Section, I'm not sure...

The car-crash feeling is common.

I note the following from your post - " when he is sleeping at night". Now this, in and of itself, is something to celebrate and sing about from the rooftops. Not many babies do actually sleep at night when they are that wee !

Day 5 = "the tears".

I sat sobbing listening to DS' new chimes CD (sort of lift music of 80s hits) and worrying about him leaving me to go to Uni (in 18 years time). It passed.

Congrats on the birth. Take it easy you have been through a lot.

"I feel like I've been in a train crash!"

Hmmm, well you kind of have :)

Go easy on yourself. These are special days, but they are also (for many of us) really hard and confusing.

It sounds like you guys have everything under control, so just bear in mind that the basic are covered. There is nothing serious to worry about.

But you are bound to feel all kind of things after such an significant life event, particularly as it didn't go the way you had planned. An EMCS after a long labour is quite traumatic.

Give yourself a bit of time to heal emotionally as well as physically and also let your hormones get back to normal. (But if you think you'll ever stop weeping like a baby during rubbish films, you're wrong :o, that bit of you is broken FOREVER now :o)

If you're enjoying cuddles and your DH is being brilliant, then you are doing great, really.

"I feel guilty that I can't do everything for my ds"

Don't feel guilty for this. In a small way, having to involve your DH so completely at such an early stage is good for you, for him and for your son.

Build on it, don't feel bad about it.

Day 5 was a bad day for me post c section. Had hardly slept since and found it was when all the adrenalin ran out on top of the hormones. The visitors who refused to leave that day also really didn't help. Poor dh had to deal with my exhausted melt down but after a really good cry with my mum things got better.

For me when I was uncomfortable and the painkillers didn't seem to help peppermint tea magically made the pain go away, it's meant to ease trapped wind from the op. I also took arnica (sp) tablets which really helped to ease the bruising. Two days later I felt well enough for a good stroll with the pram.

I was also terrible panicking about dd when she was asleep to begin with, worrying I wouldn't wake up for her. For a good few weeks I turned in really early after her cluster feeding and had her moses basket on the bed beside me while dh watched over us. It was so much better than having her next to the bed even though she was technically just as close and made for some beautiful pictures.

"peppermint tea magically made the pain go away"

Oh yes, after my 2nd section peppermint oil in warm water saved me.

Congrats on baby!

I felt like that with DS1 for a month. also a traumatic birth and I just wasn't too happy. I actually resented him at times for causing me so much pain and stress.
(yes, I know none of it was his fault, but that's how I felt.
and those feelings made me feel very guilty)

then he smiled for the first time when he was a month old and I felt we connected - and I fell in love with him.

don't worry if you don't feel much now - your body's been through so much!
give it time for your hormones to settle, for your body to heal, for your brain to get over the shock and allow yourself to feel how you feel.

it will get better, you just need to be patient with yourself.
hth

I think it was day 4 when I cried down the phone to my gp. But ds was born in the very early hours...

Its a complete hormone crash, it generally passes quickly, if it didn't there is support.

Day 4 for me just happened to clash with the Corrie storyline where the poor lad Craig was being terrorised by the bloke from the Rovers (Karl?). I found myself sobbing at his predicament. I knew it was irrational, but I was so emotional about it all. Kids thought i had gone mad.

Yes to the feeling like you've been in a car accident! I had a straightforward 5.5 hour labour with DS and felt like this, let alone a CS! Put your feet up and let everyone help, don't feel guilty! All you need to do is cuddle your baby lots! X

I agree completely. I'm at day 12 and slowly finding my feet. At the moment everything scares me rigid even the simplest tasks. It is getting easier though. Currently sat in a cafe for the first time with DS asleep next to me and feel like reached a real milestone. I'm assuming the anxiety will pass once being a Mum becomes the normal state. Give yourself time though I reckon.

Mozza believe me, it won't be very long until you're in that same cafe and you chuck a croissant at your ds and don't give him a second glance for the next half hour :o

Yep, day 5 sucks. The adrenaline has gone and you're left with tiredness, soreness and whythehelldidIdothisness.

Just checked back and seen all the new replies.

Thank you so much to everyone for sharing your experiences - it's really helped knowing I'm not the only one to have felt like this.

I'm pleased to say I feel loads better today even managed to dry my hair with the hair dryer for the first time in a week lol

We've had a lovely day with just the three of us (sorry - I know visitors are being nice but the other day we had a full afternoon of them and were exhausted!)

Last night ds was quite unsettled between 12 and 2 but then slept until nearly 5am. After a feed/change he slept again until nearly 9am which was great.

Normally we would start getting up when he wakes in the morning but today we fed and changed him and then stayed upstairs in bed as he went back to sleep in his crib. We all slept until nearly 1pm! Feel so much better for it.

Gave him a little bath and just spent the afternoon doing not much!

Off out to register him tomorrow

Thanks again for the support x

The hairdryer may soon be your best friend! My eldest who had reflux would only settle when i had the hairdryer on (white noise can really soothe them) so every day i had lovely blow- dried hair!

pumpkin

that's sounds like a wonderful day to me!

registering birth - double and triple check the spelling of his name!