Life After LO's arrival/Recovery/4th Tri Symptoms

mello13

I didn't see a thread like this so forgive me if this is a duplicate.

I thought since the 3rd Tri Symptoms thread was so popular, and many of us have started having our babies, we could have an ongoing place for post-baby evacuation chats.

Share your new symptoms/gripes/questions etc about all things postpartum, recovery, being home with baby, etc etc. 

mello13

We are still in the hospital and less than 24 hr since DD made her debut, but I've got to say the PP contractions are KILLING ME this time!! They honestly feel worse than my active labor contractions. I don't know if I just didn't notice how bad they were after DS because of everything else that happened, if I was on different pain medication, or what, but this time they are awful. I keep being woken from my sleep by the pain. No bueno. 

Unrelated to that, DD has been a champion burper since the first feed! Anyone who's had a baby that struggles to burp/has reflux etc can especially appreciate this! DH and I are pretty stoked about it. 

DanandVan

Congratulations!!! @mello13 The post partum contractions get worse after each birth. It is one of the things I am dreading (having my 4th!). Wish I had some advice to make it better. Just hang in there and love that little sweetie. It only lasts a few days! 

tripledaggerWed95976

My PP contractions were really bad the first 24hrs.  I have a tilted uterus so they were all in my back.   they have definitely gotten better though

My son was having breathing problems so he has been in NICU, so breastfeeding has been extremely challenging.   They only let me try to breastfeed him every other feeding (every 6 hrs).   So I am extremely engorged at the moment.   I have been pumping but it's not helping.   I can pump for 20 mins and it barely softens them.  Luckily today is his last day of breathing treatments so they are going to start letting me breastfeed on demand. 

Other than that, my worst symptom is that my vagina is Killing me.  I have second degree tearing so it really hurts to walk or sit down. I'm hoping it starts to get better soon.     

My my son is supposed to get out of NICU on Tuesday!! I'm so happy, he has been such a trooper through all of this- I'm SO proud of him 

helleebellee

PP contractions were the worst with my second than any of the others.  Well, until this time, I can only have Tylenol and it didn't even touch the pain, which was worse than any labor contraction I had.  They were gone by day 6.  

I thought I ended up with epidural headaches, but then my symptoms started matching hellp syndrome.  Headaches, visual disturbances, nausea, and malaise, but my BP never went above 135/90.  For the most part, it stayed around 100/70.  So the Dr just prescribed Lortab for the headaches.  I didn't fill it and today is the first day I haven't had any symptoms.  My sister developed hellp at 21 weeks, and so it all makes me nervous.  

diabeticmom

Hi ladies, not sure if this is the right board but thought I would post anyway. This q is for stm's and those who have had their babies already. For those of you that had water retention/swelling how long did it take for the swelling to go down post partum? My legs are killing me and I still have 10 days till my rcs. 

BabyBliss2012

diabeticmom said:

Hi ladies, not sure if this is the right board but thought I would post anyway. This q is for stm's and those who have had their babies already. For those of you that had water retention/swelling how long did it take for the swelling to go down post partum? My legs are killing me and I still have 10 days till my rcs. 

Mine lasted about 2 weeks after I delivered my first! 

proudparent2b

diabeticmom said:

Hi ladies, not sure if this is the right board but thought I would post anyway. This q is for stm's and those who have had their babies already. For those of you that had water retention/swelling how long did it take for the swelling to go down post partum? My legs are killing me and I still have 10 days till my rcs. 

FTM, but because they'll be pumping you up with fluids while undergoing RCS, my understanding is that your fluid retention levels will increase for at least several days following the procedure.

sarawifenow

diabeticmom said:

Hi ladies, not sure if this is the right board but thought I would post anyway. This q is for stm's and those who have had their babies already. For those of you that had water retention/swelling how long did it take for the swelling to go down post partum? My legs are killing me and I still have 10 days till my rcs. 

My situation may be a little different than yours because I has severe pre-eclampsia which caused me to swell up like a balloon. My swelling started disappearing about 2 days PP and was completely gone by a week out.

sarawifenow

@mello13 DS's NICU stay was definitely the worse when he was getting breathing treatments. It will get so much better when you can feed on demand. Also, I am jealous of your DD's burping abilities. DS is a terrible burper and will spit up if you don't get at least two out. 

doozer1345

diabeticmom said:

Hi ladies, not sure if this is the right board but thought I would post anyway. This q is for stm's and those who have had their babies already. For those of you that had water retention/swelling how long did it take for the swelling to go down post partum? My legs are killing me and I still have 10 days till my rcs. 

For me, immediately.

tripledaggerWed95976

I'm 6 days PP and am more swollen now than I was in my whole pregnancy
@diabeticmom

valerie4786

I'm a FTM and haven't had my baby yet...but I woke up to a message from my sister with this article linked.

https://www.loveyoulittleone.com/pregnancy/12-things-that-people-dont-tell-you-about-the-postpartum-experience/

I feel like I'm pretty prepared to expect the worst and am aware the majority of these things will happen to me, but it was still a helpful read.  For example, I didn't know about the bladder.

Dasha420

Omg we are going to have PP contractions?? 

tripledaggerWed95976

Dasha420 said:

Omg we are going to have PP contractions?? 

Lol unfortunately yes    Mine were basically gone within 24hrs though.   

mello13

Dasha420 said:

Omg we are going to have PP contractions?? 

Yep. FTM usually don't feel them as intensely. But it is the uterus shrinking back down, pushing out the necessary blood etc. It happens when bonding/feeding most often for me because of the hormone release. It's a good thing and is what your body should do, it's just brutally painful this time. 

Bltbear82

mello13 said:

Dasha420 said:

Omg we are going to have PP contractions?? 

Yep. FTM usually don't feel them as intensely. But it is the uterus shrinking back down, pushing out the necessary blood etc. It happens when bonding/feeding most often for me because of the hormone release. It's a good thing and is what your body should do, it's just brutally painful this time. 

Exactly this, I don't remember them being remarkable last time but this time it's literally every time we feed. And we've been feeding a lot. 

mello13

Had my first PP poop. Stool softeners FTW. I cannot stress this enough ladies!

In other news, DD has a fractured clavicle from the insanely rapid L&D. I feel so terrible that my body did this to her. The chief of pediatrics was the on call this morning and felt it straight away. Apparently it is super common when babies come that fast, and should heal in a few weeks. Poor DD is such a trooper! In the meantime we have to take special care of her. 

gamommyx3

mello13 said:

Had my first PP poop. Stool softeners FTW. I cannot stress this enough ladies!

In other news, DD has a fractured clavicle from the insanely rapid L&D. I feel so terrible that my body did this to her. The chief of pediatrics was the on call this morning and felt it straight away. Apparently it is super common when babies come that fast, and should heal in a few weeks. Poor DD is such a trooper! In the meantime we have to take special care of her. 

Creepy internet hug to you & extremely-careful-creepy internet hug to your DD.  But don't feel terrible bc your body kept her safe and warm and fed for the past 30-whatever weeks so you're a rockstar.

That1didntcount

Bltbear82 said:

mello13 said:

Dasha420 said:

Omg we are going to have PP contractions?? 

Yep. FTM usually don't feel them as intensely. But it is the uterus shrinking back down, pushing out the necessary blood etc. It happens when bonding/feeding most often for me because of the hormone release. It's a good thing and is what your body should do, it's just brutally painful this time. 

Exactly this, I don't remember them being remarkable last time but this time it's literally every time we feed. And we've been feeding a lot. 

Mine were brutal last time. Dreading how bad they'll be this time. 

Bluejay3030

mello13 said:

Had my first PP poop. Stool softeners FTW. I cannot stress this enough ladies!

In other news, DD has a fractured clavicle from the insanely rapid L&D. I feel so terrible that my body did this to her. The chief of pediatrics was the on call this morning and felt it straight away. Apparently it is super common when babies come that fast, and should heal in a few weeks. Poor DD is such a trooper! In the meantime we have to take special care of her. 

@mello13 Poor baby, I hope she recovers quickly!!  I'm sure I'd feel terrible too, but you did great mama.  That was in no way your fault.  And congrats on the first PP poop.  This is probably going to make me sound like a weirdo, but my BFF and I joked that the first poop should also be named because it's almost as big a deal as giving birth.  

mello13

Thanks @Aquinna82  I'm trying to stay positive, especially since I had zero control over it. But still! My poor girl ❤️

lalala2004

@mello13 I broke my collar bone when I was born. Apparently it's really common. I obviously have no memory of it and I'm perfectly fine, although my collarbone sticks out slightly farther than the other one. The hospital told my
mom to wrap it up, but the pediatrician said it wasn't necessary and that it heals up easy. Babies are more resilient than they look!

Sunshinebins

mello13 said:

Had my first PP poop. Stool softeners FTW. I cannot stress this enough ladies!

In other news, DD has a fractured clavicle from the insanely rapid L&D. I feel so terrible that my body did this to her. The chief of pediatrics was the on call this morning and felt it straight away. Apparently it is super common when babies come that fast, and should heal in a few weeks. Poor DD is such a trooper! In the meantime we have to take special care of her. 

So sorry! But don't blame yourself. My baby B was born breech and had a fractured humorous. I felt awful and so did the doctor, but by 2 weeks PP she was totally healed up and fine. She was in the nicu that whole time so it didn't really effect us, but it was still very sad. 

diabeticmom

So somewhere between immediately and two weeks after swelling will go down. Fingers crossed that immediately is in my future.

lbachran

@diabeticmom, I had a scheduled csection on April 13th. I had swelling off and on throughout my pregnancy, but nothing terrible. On the morning of April 14th, I was taken off IV fluids and encouraged to walk the hall. My swelling began that day and worsened considerably overnight and on the 15th. I could barely move my ankles and toes and walking was terribly painful. I actually had to leave the hospital in socks because even my flip flops were too tight. One of the pediatric nurses actually told DH to begin rubbing my legs once an hour to recirculate the fluid. By the 16th the swelling was 50% gone and by the 17th my legs and toes were completely normal. I'm forever grateful for that nurse who did more than say "wow, your legs sure are big!" 

mello13

Thanks for all the kind words and support ladies. I truly appreciate you all. Mom life is hard sometimes!

khochanadel

I have a weird one, so I wonder if it's just me: decreased sensation in my outer thighs. 

I can still feel my legs of course, but when I touch the outside of my thighs, it feels kind of numb to the touch. I'm 12 days past delivery and it's the only symptom I still have (besides the cramping/bleeding after pumping or breast feeding).

My swelling went away after about a week. 

PYLWhammy

@mello13 best wishes for your little girl! I'm sure she'll be fine with lots of love from her mama

jthomas2270

khochanadel said:

I have a weird one, so I wonder if it's just me: decreased sensation in my outer thighs. 

I can still feel my legs of course, but when I touch the outside of my thighs, it feels kind of numb to the touch. I'm 12 days past delivery and it's the only symptom I still have (besides the cramping/bleeding after pumping or breast feeding).

My swelling went away after about a week. 

So I had this with my first baby! I believe it's a damaged nerve from how the baby was sitting in the womb. I hate to tell you this, but I still have numbness in my outer thigh (2years later). It has improved but it is still a very dulled/numb sensation.

nerdymama15

DD is still in NICU and is scheduled, if all goes well, to be released tomorrow.  So that will be an adventure.  She won't BF.  She screams and cries and won't latch so I"m pumping regularly and what little I get out goes into a bottle.  
I did not have a bunch of PP contractions or maybe I just did not feel them since I had been pumped full of narcotic pain meds before my c section before they realized it was HELLP syndrome. 

My main gripe at the moment is pp morning sickness.  Whenever I eat I get super nauseated.   Ugh.  I did not have this much ms while pregnant. 

As for the swelling to go down, mine went down about four to five days after the c section.  It was not completely gone, but I could tell a huge difference.

yogahh

@nerdymama15 hoping all goes well so she can come home with you tomorrow!!

mello13

@nerdymama15 FX that all goes well and your DD is released tomorrow. 

VS2016

@nerdymama15 praying you get to take your DD home tomorrow!! 

angc4

I'm pretty sure I have a post epidural headache and neck ache that is making me wish I could go back and re do it all without the epidural!! 

So much pain! 

Jenly17

angc4 said:

I'm pretty sure I have a post epidural headache and neck ache that is making me wish I could go back and re do it all without the epidural!! 

So much pain! 

It should fade away with time. Definitely talk to your doc about it though. 

diabeticmom

lbachran said:

@diabeticmom, I had a scheduled csection on April 13th. I had swelling off and on throughout my pregnancy, but nothing terrible. On the morning of April 14th, I was taken off IV fluids and encouraged to walk the hall. My swelling began that day and worsened considerably overnight and on the 15th. I could barely move my ankles and toes and walking was terribly painful. I actually had to leave the hospital in socks because even my flip flops were too tight. One of the pediatric nurses actually told DH to begin rubbing my legs once an hour to recirculate the fluid. By the 16th the swelling was 50% gone and by the 17th my legs and toes were completely normal. I'm forever grateful for that nurse who did more than say "wow, your legs sure are big!" 

It's crazy how different pregnancies are. I didn't have any swelling with my first pregnancy/Csection and now my legs are balloons. 

kp90

I was cut so my stitches are still causing pain and I had a lot of swelling down there. Also is color change normal? I have a dark bruise like spot and then my actual labia look very dark from what I've been brave enough to peek at. I'm only 4 days post partum but I didn't know what will stay or return to normal. 

Some me of my swelling has gone down but not in my feet and ankles at all. Really hope this changes. My milk just came in the other day and I hope to start pumping soon. DD is latching well and eating often.. I just have super sore nipples. 

Also LO will not sleep in her pack n play or even the co sleeper we broke down and bought yesterday. She will only sleep on our chest which I know has the potential to be dangerous but we are very conscious of her and usually whoever is holding her stays awake while the other sleeps. We are doing shifts but my SO is still working and I know he's exhausted. She won't sleep swaddled or unswaddled but yet she did in the hospital. Any tips?

SunnySurprise

DD made her entrance a bit early on Sunday, so I can join in here now that we were, luckily, able to take her home with us!

As far as my physical symptoms go, the sleep deprivation is starting to kick in (we're still on a three-hourly feeding schedule until she hits 5lbs) but I assume that's bound to get worse before it gets better. Other than the obvious (pain, swelling, PP contractions, bleeding...), my main "complaints" are some major chills and shivers, which is apparently due to hormones re-adjusting and the aggravated hip pain. 

Emotionally, I'm doing way better than expected. Didn't have an easy time during pregnancy, so I went in expecting some baby blues and lots of anxiety. Surprisingly, I'm a lot more relaxed now that she's in my arms. The skin-to-skin cuddles are amazingly beneficial for both of us. 

mello13

I am so glad to be home with DD. DS is still adjusting, but doing pretty well overall. 

Now on for the complaints! I have THE WORST hemorrhoids ever. It definitely was not this bad after DS was born. Just being awake is painful. The sitz baths help momentarily, as does the cooling gel and tucks pads, but it's always short lived. If anyone has any suggestions or miracle cures I'd love to hear them!

Also, my boobs are now painfully engorged. Which I knew was coming but coupled with the above issues is considerably more irritating. Thankfully, I know how to handle that. 

On the upside, most of the PP contractions have died down, so I've at least got that going for me. Well, that and my daughter that I'm now madly in love with ❤️

mello13

@kp90 I don't have any specific tips, other than maybe you are responding too quickly when she makes noise. Babies make a LOT of noises in their sleep, but aren't actually fully awake. Adults tend to jump the gun though and that prevents them from actually sleeping, which ironically makes them getting back to sleep even harder because they are over tired. 

Another possible issue, was the bassinet angled at the hospital? The nurses almost always angle the top, so your daughter might be used to that. 

Making sure the swaddle isn't too tight is a good idea too. Some babies (mine included) like the swaddle but need their arms free. Also, be aware of the room temperature. Babies are often over dressed so they overheat (especially in Swaddles) and that's dangerous. 

And lastly, maybe just give it time. She wants to snuggle because that's what makes her feel safe and it's all she's ever known. But it won't last forever.