What happens to your body after the birth?

[Neverknowing]

Hey guys, I wanted to start a really honest thread about what it's like after giving birth. There's so many things no one tells you about pregnancy which would have been helpful to know before hand (heartburn, skin tags etc) and I'm wondering what I've not been told about what it's like after ?!

After number 1, I was the same size and weight as I was pre-birth within five days. I remember thinking 'why did I worry about weight gain?'

Unfortunately after a forceps delivery, my nether regions were traumatised. As was I when I got the mirror and had a look. It was like the Battle of the Somme. Top tip: if you must look, stand over the mirror - don't lie down and look!

My boobs hurt like hell - I didn't BF so they were full, hard and really, REALLY hurt for about ten days.

After second birth, I was disappointed to discover that my body didn't ping back into shape straight away despite the fact that I only gained 10kg in each pregnancy. But no forceps that time, so no nasty feeling down below.

Each time, weeing and doing a poo were not problems contrary to what others have experienced. Piles, on the other hand - be prepared for that and get some cream!

Does everyone get piles after birth?! I had no idea!

Stomach shrinks a bit but never fully flat again. I had forceps and episiotomy. I had no core strength at all afterwards. I would say it took at least 8 weeks until I could walk down the road and probably a full year to properly recover. Still have scar tissue now. But I think that is not usual and doing it again now as preggers again!

red stretch marks on my hips and thighs. Really big belly (because I couldn't stop eating during pregnancy). But in 6 months I lost 30 pounds thanks to training and balanced diet and I started looking lean and muscular - frankly, much better than before pregnancy)

I've never had piles! Never had a problem going to the loo afterwards.

2 vaginal births - a few internal stitches with DS1, none with DS2.

Let's see. I had an epidural for DS1. Was not expecting my legs to buckle when I first got out of bed many hours later (I did wonder why two midwives came to assist me to the loo!).

My vagina felt very swollen and tender.

I wet myself after I overdid it on day 1 with DS2.

After pains caused my milk let down can made my toes curl, but other than that I had no problems with BF - well no pain, just the usual few weeks of getting into a pattern. This was a very steep learning curve for DS1 but for DS2 it was an absolute breeze.

The leaking of bodily fluids - blood (not too awful) milk, sweat...jesus! I slept on a towel until the worst was over!

Aside from some puckered skin just above my bikini line (and I presume some internal stuff) you really can't tell I've had children. I am in the best shape I've ever been. My feet didn't grow, my hips have less fat, my boobs are small anyway.

I had to get rid of a load of fitted jackets/blazers - they just didn't fit properly ever again. Oh, and I went up a shoes size, so also had to clear out several pairs of much loved shoes.

I had a straightforward delivery (albeit quick!) with a small tear but no stitches. Also breastfed, My experience:

• the post birth poo!!! Terrifying, was still scary and painful for about 3 weeks!

• contraction period type pains when breastfeeding were REALLY bad for first 2 weeks - get a hot water bottle!

• stomach was flatter than pre preg within a couple of days but was spongy and weird feeling, like a deflated balloon.

• bled for about 8 weeks

• need a wee alllll the time, can hold it in but do get dribbles

• crazy hormonal response to breastfeeding which is still quite strong now at 16 weeks! Think it's called oxytocin? It's like adrenaline almost

• painfully lumpy engorged boobs from day 3-6ish, now they're only super full in the morning but I wake up in a huge wet patch if I get an unexpected lie in

• milk squirting a good metre especially for morning feeds when they let down and dd unlatches and watches it flying everywhere

I'd forgotten about the farting. How could I have forgotten about the farting?

The poos can be uncomfortable for a while. I actually went in to shock after my 2nd poo. My husband had to make me a hot water bottle. Crouching in front of the loo makes it easier.

I got the sweats about three weeks after giving birth and it really got me down. I felt so disgusting.

My midwife recommended buttermilk for the constipation, but it tastes like breastfed babypoo smells. Yuck. Looking back I was a fool not to try anything else.

Everyone talks about recovery from a c section but I had forceps and although the birth was fine (thanks to an epidural!) I felt completely blind sided by how long recovery took. It took a good 2-3 weeks to leave the house and about 6 weeks to feel normal-ish.
I threw up right after giving birth, when I thought I'd be cuddling my baby and having tea and toast.
Night sweats!! For weeks!! Didn't see that coming!
I didn't know you can be temporarily incontinent right after so was devastated when I kept wetting myself and thought it was permanent. Ditto for fart control
There is such a thing as over supply when it comes to breastfeeding and it's really common.
The love for my baby was overwhelming and meant I didn't really care about those things but it felt frightening at times, I got upset about him even having a little scratch and on the way home from hospital wondered if we really needed to take the terrible risk of him going in a car too often!! He's now a boisterous 2yo with a black eye and countless bruises on his shins from running/ climbing/jumping/ just generally stuff he shouldn't be doing!

I didn't have any problems weeing or pooing, I was dreading both but they were completely fine.

My breasts went up four sizes but they went back to normal when I stopped breastfeeding.

I did have a nasty infection in my episiotomy stitches, though, which needed a course of antibiotics to clear up.

Ah yes, and imagining all kinds of horrible scenarios where harm comes to the baby. I used to wind myself up a lot. I still do a bit and it is a year later now.

The first poo! I was so scared to push it out. But after 52 hour induction and 22 hours of labour ending in an emergency C-Section I was too tired to know what was going on with my body.
I had uncontrollable shaking during my C-Section too, not sure if that's normal.
6 months later my belly has deflated to its usual Size but have a fair amount of wrinkley excess skin. When I breath in it looks like a sad plastic bag.

Soooo worth it would go through every second again for my babies.

Good luck and just embrace it.

With my first, after an emergency C section, my body felt like it's been hit by a bus. It felt like it took ages for me to accept it as 'me' again - I was looking at my deflated stomach and wanted to weep. On the plus side, my scar was healing well, pelvic floor was unaffected, the bleeding afterwards wasn't too bad either and I recovered physically pretty quickly. It was the change in my shape and my body's lack of willingness to 'bounce back' that upset me.
A whole different story with my second - a pretty straightforward, fast-ish natural birth left me in awe of what my body could do. I just felt superhuman. I was up, standing under a shower an hour later. And even though all the 'birthing area' was sore for days afterwards, I've since learned I can't throw up and not pee myself at the same time, and the bleeding went on for weeks, I feel a lot better about my body - like I have empathy for it now and not just trying to punish it for not bouncing back fast enough. We'all get there, but in the meantime I'm giving the jelly belly some love.

Currently pregnant with my second and this is reminding me of so much!

I felt remarkably fine after. Had stitches which healed really well and after a couple of days I didn’t feel any need to take the Ibuprofen and paracetamol that the hospital gave me. Other than feeling slightly uncomfortable if sat for too long, I felt no pain. This was after a ventouse and manual placenta removal. I expected to feel a lot worse.

If you have a catheter, beware that you might not be able to wee as soon as you expect to and this is common, I was on the ward about 10pm and couldn’t have a wee until the morning but after that no problems at all.

I was disappointed to find that the swelling I had in my feet and ankles didn’t go straight away, took a few days. After a couple of weeks I was back into my pre-pregnancy jeans and after around four months my stomach looked the same again. The only difference I notice now is that when I get bloated, I bloat in the same shape as my bump and now I’m 15 weeks pregnant, my stomach is quite a bizarre shape, it’s all big up top! I am still breastfeeding about once a day and my breasts, although not as perky or full as before, don’t look awful. I didn’t realise how hungry breastfeeding would make me feel though! It didn’t help that I missed meals due to being stuck feeding etc so when I got the chance to eat, I really went for it! I even had packs of biscuits next to my bed to eat during the night. I was lighter post birth than before I was pregnant but after about three months of eating like I was I put on over stone! I really had to reign in my eating as I felt ravenously hungry but clearly it was more calories than my body needed.

You may - as I did after my emergency c-section with DD1 - wet yourself in front of your husband. And yes you may cry, a lot, but that's a good thing. I felt better after a good weep... It's the hormones and the tiredness. If you feel really bad though, don't be afraid to go to your GP/health visitor...

Oh and I became a 'squirter' whilst pregnant and that stopped after they arrived

Yeah it's surprising how long it takes to get over it.

We're conditioned to think of feeling unwell in "one Week" terms. If you have a cold/flu/gastroenteritis etc it's always about a week. So during the second week after birth I'd start to get upset that I was STILL in pain/passing clots/sweating like a pig/agonising pain in hips/hurty boobs etc.

You have to really remember it's a marathon not a sprint. It takes so long to feel like your body is the old familiar one you remember. Ages and ages.

On the plus side you can hardly see my scar under the stretch marks

Glycerin suppositories is all I can say! Midwives should issue them upon discharge. That and plenty of lactulose for the first post-partum poo.

Other than that I was back in my skinny jeans a week after the birth, although I only put on 10lb in total. And I'm now about a stone lighter than I was pre pregnancy and have gone from a 14 to a 10.

The baby itself was a non-sleeping, clingy, crier but that's another story!

First shower was a nightmare... couldnt kp my balance. Felt really wobbly, esp getting up off the bed for the 1st time.. as central point in body shifts. Floppy bum, floppy tum and general all rounded feeling like a baby yourself... all floppy and loose.

It doesnt last obviously..otherwise I wouldnt be due in Dec With Ds4..... bring it on (not)

I had unusual problems with my bowels during pregnancy (diarrhoea and incontinence) and the minute she was born, everything returned to normal.

I've no stretch marks (but then I had a small bump and premature birth)

I got the Baby Blues quite badly - like severe PMT. I've always had anxiety, and this made it a lot worse. They called in a psychiatrist who assumed I would end up with postnatal depression (he was an idiot) the midwives were better informed but I think with so many new mums discharged quickly, they see less nowadays. It usually doesn't start til about day 3.

And because it doesn't last (or shouldn't more than 2 weeks) people dismiss it as unimportant. Yes as long as it doesn't continue and develop into PND it is a normal psychological condition, but it was still really scary for me.

Oh yes I sweated and violently shook my milk in around day 5/6 and I do get severe calf cramps due to breast feeding but I neck lots of calcium tablets and that helps.

Why do some women's feet grow?! Is that hormones?

Post section morphine poos are disgusting.
The first time a gumsy child chomps down on your nipple don't be surprised at the pain or at the baby crying cos it makes you yelp.
The first shower post birth looks like there's been a massacre. Making psycho noises in the communal shower room as you wash is frowned upon