How long after birth did you feel "normal"

[Poolbirthx2]

Just wondered how long after giving birth before you started feeling your normal self.

Ds is 5 months old and most days i just feel like a zombie and cant ever imagine feeling normal again

Probably about 18 months. I had physical injuries and a non-sleeping baby and both took that long to resolve. But they did eventually. I was quite worried at a year and beginning to think the physical stuff would be permanent but it got better.

3 years. Sorry but true.

It depends what you mean by 'normal'. I feel like a different person than I did pre kids but (most days!) in a good way! I stopped feeling like a zombie when DD1 was around 6-7months but that was because I developed an under active thyroid after her birth and it took that long to get it diagnosed. Everyone is different but if you feel tireder than you think you should then do get it checked out.

About 10 months after ds. I suddenly noticed that dh and I were getting things done in the evenings rather than just sitting in a glazed, zombie heap. Plus we started having more sex.
With dd, I don't remember, probably about the same.
Hang in there, the dog will lift.

The fog. Not the dog. Unless your canine pet does actually start to levitate, in which case call the RSPCA I guess.

After a year I felt more myself - but that year also included moving a hundred miles and dealing with my parents' divorce, so not all DD's fault! But it was a steady change, not like waking up one morning and feeling 100%. Got a bit better when she started eating a respectable amount of solids and needed fewer breastfeeds, I dunno if that's a factor for you.

At five months I was definitely still a sleep deprived zombie. That was when we moved house and I was useless, a shambling zombie. Thank god for lovely friends coming to help.

(A sleep deprived zombie and a shambling zombie! Zombie zombie zombie.)

Physically - in that did my body feel that it had given birth - six weeks.

Mentally - I couldn't say, probably never.

Around 14 months when I stopped breastfeeding and didn't have to wake up every hour at night to feed!

With dd1 I felt awful - took a while it get over c-section, had back pain that meant I couldn't walk or lift her sometimes, pnd etc. Went back to work at 10 months and pnd lifted around then. Can't say when I felt normal again though. Around the 1 year mark probably.

Dd2, the day after I got home from hospital, so 3 days. Another emergency section but everything went smoothly. If it wasn't for the squishy belly and baby attached to my boob pretty much all day I'd have forgotten I had just given birth.

I thank my lucky stars.

Physically around 18 months, my body took a long time to adjust to carrying and giving birth to twins.

Sleep wise, around 10 months. Mine have been good sleepers from small but I still do miss laying in on the weekends :)

DS1 is 5 weeks old and I know I won't feel myself until I've had a full nights sleep and some time away from him to do something for me like a haircut:-)

1st i felt normal within about 8 weeks
dc2 was about the same
dc3 around 3 months old hes now 10 months

5 years and counting.

Ds 8 months
dd a year

Coincided exactly when I stopped breastfeeding.

15 years and counting (3 kids)

I recovered pretty quickly, despite an EMCS. I bullied asked my GP to sign me off to drive at 3 weeks and as soon as I was out and about again everything improved. Caveat - DD was, and still is, an amazing sleeper. She's 19mo now and loves bedtime.

I've only just started feeling normal again quite recently and DD is 4.5.

I like to think of it as the new normal.