The TRUTH about what happens down there!

bmacxo

I feel like there are not enough posts about the honest brutal truth about what really happens down there after a vaginal birth.  Ladies please tell all about what your experience was like!

lovesclimbing

It depends. There is a wide range of normal, and people will have different experiences. I tend to dislike posts like these because they tend to be full of "oh my goodness, this horrific thing happened," so I will tell my story in hopes of balancing out any of that stuff that may come later. Again, there is a range of what can happen. Yes, it's possible to have really terrible experiences, or middle of the road or great.

I had an unmedicated vaginal delivery at a freestanding birth center. My daughter was on the large side - 8 pounds, 12 ounces. I had a second-degree tear that required three stitches. After my daughter was born, we were brought food and left alone for a bit. Right after the birth, they put fresh pads under me and a "padsicle" type thing. Padsicles are menstrual pads soaked in various things such as witch hazel, aloe Vera, or essential oils that help with healing and then are partially frozen to give some cold therapy. I was not stitched up until a bit later, an hour or so.

 They gave me localized pain killers much like when you go the dentist. They sprayed a topical numbing liquid and then numbed it fully with four injections with a needle in the area. I did not feel any pain with those or the stitches. On the last stitch, I could feel the needle going in, but there was no pain.

 I healed very well and very quickly. I had to sit down very slowly, but had no real issues with it. I had very little pain. I cannot recommend Earth Mama Angel Baby bottom balm and bottom tea enough. I developed some pain so that I couldn't sit about four days post birth. I used the tea, and it almost immediately went away and I could sit! I took a six-mile hike at 2.5 weeks postpartum.

 No matter what anyone tells you, no, you do not need laxatives! Sure, if you really want to, take them, but you're not going to bust your stitches or hurt anything further by taking a normal dump. Years ago, my dad had a hernia. As part of the recovery, they said he could not strain his abdominals to include pushing while pooping. If he had to sit there for an hour waiting for it to come out, then he had to sit there for an hour! I basically followed that. I sat there and gave just the gentlest of pushes, and it was no big deal. And I didn't sit there anywhere close to an hour. Maybe 10 minutes, if that.

mgf17

I’ve had two unmedicated vaginal births. First was long and I tore but it wasn’t too bad and I didn’t need stitches. The second basically flew out after a few hours of labor and a few pushes. My vagina healed quickly and my boyfriend and I were able to continue intimacy around 12 weeks (preference not because of pain), and it felt a little tight and tender but not painful.