After pains?

[Biscuitsandtea]

Hi, I'm 34 weeks pg with dc2. My Mum was telling me recently that when she had me (her second) she had terrible 'after pains' after I was born.

Apparently they are worst when you bf? She said they were so bad she was worried she was going to pass out and drop me while in a hospital room on her own?

So I wondered if anyone could shed any light on this for me. It's not really something I've heard of - how bad are they? Is there anything I can do to minimise them?

I think you only get them with second and subsequent births?

Interested in any experience anyone has - thank you

IIRC the afterpains are when your uterus is contracting back down to normal. Often worse when bf as the bfeeding encourages the uterus to contract more. I only have 1 DC and didn't have any with that birth so I can't give you any advice on what they are like but I know a few people who have had them!

You do get them with first babies - but they are no where near as bad as with 2nd! With DD2 my afterpains were as bad as contractions - I took paracetemol before I BFed, but didn't really help much. Luckily they don't last long

Ah ok - well I guess forewarned is forearmed at least!

When you say they don't last long are we talking a few days?

And how long did each pain last - the whole duration of the bf?

Mine kept me awake. But they weren't massively painful, if you look at it as everything shrinking back to it's normal size then it was a lot easier to put up with! Mine lasted about 24 hours after birth MW said that was quite fast tho.

Hi Biscuitsandtea

Ah, after pains - I had an 'agh' moment the other day when I recalled their existence - am expecting DC3 next month and apparently they get worse with each birth. But agree that forewarned is forearmed and all that.

I hardly had any with DD1 but certainly felt them with DD2 and yes, they are painful and do take your breath a bit but mainly, I think, because you're not expecting them - similarly, I recall awaiting placenta delivery second time round being more painful (to the extent I asked for the jab - not sure why they didn't give it in the first place, but hey ho). Anyway, make sure you have plenty of paracetamol to hand, a hot water bottle or similar and some sympathetic bystanders! They're not hideous but are quite sharp, so just keep yourself topped up with paracetamol and, if you are BF, then make sure you're comfy before you start. Mine only lasted 2-3 days - the positive spin on it is that at least you know everything's getting back to normal.

Good luck to you!

Oh, and mine didn't last the whole BF, just the beginning of it. Not sure if that's the same for everyone tho.

I was scared of afterpains with DC2 but they weren't that bad at all. Agree it was during bf but only at the start of each bf, and only for a few days/ a week.

Mine lasted the 3 days I was in hospital. They were sharp, but I didn't need pain relief. I didn't get them with every feed but when I did, they lasted the length of the feed.

DD was only feeding for about 5 mins at a time though, not sure if the pain would carry on if she fed longer.

Not too bad, meant to get slightly worse with each DC. BF makes the uterus contract, so yes, it would make it slightly worse, but only because its getting everything back into shape more quickly, so in a good way iyswim.

Don't do what I did, and assume that crippling pains are afterpains, when its actually a womb infection!

I had afterpains while bfing DS. I remember moaning with pain, and having to pass DS to DH as soon as I had finished feeding so could roll about on the sofa to try and ease the pains.

I had an elcs so have no idea how they would compare to contractions. They did feel a lot like I would imagine contractions though.

Just to add, I had afterpains on and off for three weeks after the birth. Not with every breastfeed, just some. They would seem to build up during the course of the feed, then stop soon after the feed.

Seems to be a bit different from previous posters, maybe it's cause I didn't experience labour?

I am exp DC4 in 7 weeks and will be discussing effective pain relief to deal with the 'after pains'!

They have got worse with each baby,last time it really spoilt the first week of breastfeeding as everytime she latched on my uterus contracted at a horrendous rate! I had to breath through them, and I have a high pain threashold!

In my last two post birth exams the midwives commented that I must be having bad pains as my uterus had zipped back to pre pregnancy size very quickly,which is the only plus point I suppose.

So,whilst I really don't want to alarm you, I wish someone had told me about them being worse each time,so I could prepare! (I never knew about them at all with my first,I remember asking my mum why she didn't warn me, but she had forgotten!)

They are like really bad period cramps,that come and go in waves,mine lasted about a week or so.

Just make sure you have effective pain relief suitable for breastfeeding, and remember they won't last forever! I used to concentrate on DD while breastfeeding, and whilst it didn't lessen the pain it reminded me why it was all worth it!

Urgh, afterpains, I remember them well. After no.4 they were worse than the contractions.

I've had them after all my babies, they were pretty bad after my first an have worse each time afterwards. They are more painful when you bfeed but you get them for less time as your uterus gets back to normal alot quicker. Make sure you take regular paracetamol after the birth, you can take co-codamol too when they are at thier worst. A hot water bottle placed on your lower stomach helps alot, as does a nice warm bath.

After my first they lasted 3-4 days, after my second was about 5 days, after no.3 was about a week and they stuck around for about 1.5 -2 weeks after my 4th. The first few days are the worst and then they ease off alot and are more like period pain, in the first few days the pain feels very sharp and intense, kind of a burning pain too, hard to describe but I tend to try and feed as much as possible to get them over and done with.