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1st Trimester
Mrs.KLF
member
Pregnancy and labor do not freak me out at all
Mrs.KLF
member
I've read plenty about it and basically know what to expect.
What freaks me out is recovery. Seems like the worst part to me. At least all the crap that happens durning pregnancy and labor has a positive end...but recovery is just the carnage left behind. And seriously, no one talks about that part of it!
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Re: Pregnancy and labor do not freak me out at all
I'll talk about it. What do you want to know?
I will get as graphic as you'd like. I have no shame.
My Etsy Store PIGGY'S PLACE
It does suck, but the upside is that you'll generally be too exhausted to notice or care.
And I'm prepared to be brutally honest as well. Ask your recovery questions here!
Word....recovery tops L&D a million times over.
I try to tell those to come after me the truth. I don't think they always believe me.
you're right, there is a lot of stuff not spoken about. for me, i knew nothing about engorgement! i also didn't know about night sweats. lots of hormone changes!!
but not everyone's labor is difficult to recover from. i was out going on a walk w/the stroller and my mom 5 days later!
Ohhh Natalie, I recognize you! I read your blog and JUST read your birth story a few minutes ago.
I don't even really know what to ask cause I have no idea what to expect...but here goes...
How long did you bleed? Was it way heavier than normal periods? What about vaginal swelling? Was it worse than before labor? How long before it went away? And was the first poop as horrible as I hear??
I bled for a few weeks...maybe 4? It was only really heavy for a few days after I had him...then it was much lighter. Swelling was horrible. I didnt want to look (or touch!) for weeks let alone thing about having sex, wearing a thong or using a tampon. The first poop was bad, but not as bad as I thought...take the stool softeners!
Honestly the first two weeks after were the worst part for me. I cried every night for no reason, and couldnt sleep. Daytime I was ok, but as soon as it got to be the evening I would turn into a puddle.
Engorgement was the worse. I was prepared for the rhoids and vaginal soreness I didnt tear. I took a bath in brown lysol my mom told me to and it helped. I ended up getting an epidural and to this day I still have back pain.
wasn't directed at me, but I had a c-section and I bled for 3 weeks (or almost 4) after having Alek, it was very heavy at first and alot of clots- I don't remember much about vag. swelling I may have been lucky enough to not experience that, but I could also have been pre-occupied with the incision pain over everything else, I dont remember that one. and My first poop was horrible. it's all sorts of awful pressure on the ute- and after it's been sliced open it hurts sooo much- Passing clots after birth is just as painful- I passed one as large as a grapefruit- TMI-yes, but even more painful than the poop! Hope that helps. Recovery is a B!tch!!
I feel famous!
How long did you bleed? I bled for about 4 weeks. The first week or so was pretty heavy - about like a really bad period, but the following three weeks I bled very lightly - just enough to be aggravting enough to still require a pad. The most disgusting bloody part was right after I had Anna. The on-call nurse came into my room that night and pushed on my stomach/uterus. Lots of nastiness came out at that point - it made a sound that still makes me shudder to this day. Be prepared!
Vaginal swelling - I had a level 3 episotomy, so I had quite a bit of swelling. Not everyone had such a severe tear or epi, so the swelling may not be as bad for you. It was definitely worse after labor b/c of the stitches. The peri bottle (the water bottle that you use to clean yourself after urinating) felt pretty darn awesome around that point b/c I was so swollen. That helped things go down a little bit. I'd say it was feeling better by about a week and 2 weeks out all of the swelling was gone.
FWIW, I was walking around about two hours after labor - or once my epi wore off, and I could feel my legs. I was walking the halls the entire next day.
And was the first poop as horrible as I hear?? Load up on stool softeners, drink tons of water and then say a paper. My first poop wasn't too bad. I actually took a damp paper towel and pressed it against my stitches. That helped the pressure and helped me know when I was pushing too hard. It wasn't too bad since I had the softeners and was well hydrated.
My Etsy Store PIGGY'S PLACE
I bled for about 3 weeks, and in my case it wasn't too heavy, no heavier than the heaviest day of my period. The vaginal swelling was bad, but I had 3rd degree tears and tons of stitches so it wasn't really the swelling I noticed. The first poop, in my case, was worse than anything I'd heard about. In fact, it was horrific. But the nurses should show you what to do to help out a bit (press a cool cloth to your vagina so that you know where you are pushing -- you will be an expert in this after pushing during L&D). Also, be sure to keep your peri bottle, tucks pads, and Dermaplast close. They are life savers in those first days after giving birth.
Also, the nurses will give you some pretty sweet pain meds in the hospital -- so don't worry too much. I was walking normally and feeling a little better by about 5 days PP.
How long did you bleed? Was it way heavier than normal periods? What about vaginal swelling? Was it worse than before labor? How long before it went away? And was the first poop as horrible as I hear??
I bled for about 7 weeks with DD, about 5 with DS. It is SUPER heavy the first couple of weeks, and the clots are out of this world....we are talking golfball size things. Then it tapers down to light bleeding at about 2 weeks, and then light spotting for a few more weeks. It'll pick up if you do too much though.
My swelling was really bad after DD as I had a 2nd degree tear. It took about 2 weeks to even see my vagina. After DS it wasn't nearly as bad, but I didn't have any tearing then.
The first poop sucks big donkey balls. Take the stool softners!!
Engorgement SUCKS too but it passes quickly.
Honestly the night sweats and the mood swings were the worst things for me.
Yes, engorgement happens when your milk comes in and will happen whether you are breastfeeding or not. You just have to keep feeding baby to help it ease up. For me it happened while taking a nap. Went to sleep fine, woke up with huge rock-hard porn star boobs.
oh, here's my TMI question, so after regular delivery, i'm a bit nervous about the feeling associated with going #2. I'm assuming it's going to hurt for a while -- did you have to take stool softeners?
I took the stool softners about 1 month after both kids. I was in the 'better safe than sorry' mentality at that point.
Really for me it was just the first week that was really rough. With DS I had no tearing and felt almost normal right away, with DD it was harder but I didn't know that until I had the easier 2nd delivery
It's also a lot of the emotional stuff no one warns you about. Like how you WILL hate your husband at some point. Or how you will miss your old life and feel completely overwhelmed by motherhood, etc.
I too asked for more than Motrin...but got nothing I was told the pain was "Normal" so they couldn't give me anything (after I got home I did get some meds at the hospital). I had a 2.5 degree tear. Postpartum was a lot harder for me than Pregnancy + L&D.
Engorgement happens when your milk is coming in... you will experience it whether you breastfeed or not unfortunately. But at least when the milk comes in... and the baby drinks the milk... the engorement will go away (or so that is the story I am being told)
Agreed. It all depends on the experience. Mine were easy recoveries, no tears, no episiotomies, I was walking the halls the about 8-10 hours later. Some are horrible, needing to sit on donut blow up things, or c-sections that are painful. You will find a LOT of different kinds of stories.
For me I bled for about 5 weeks maybe?? But it was only heavy for about 2. I tore my urethra so peeing was so painful I almost passed out everytime I had to go. And if that was not bad enough i had NO NO NO bladder control and peed all over myself every single time I got out of bed or stood up. IT was HORRIBLE. That for me was the worst part...the tearing and the lack of bladder control. I was given a stool softner so no problems pooping at all. I'm sure that all depends on where and how far back you tore though??
I bled for 4 weeks. The first week was very heavy, heavier than regular period. By the third week, it was more like spotting.
Vaginal swelling was worse than before labor. It felt sore when I showered. I had an episotomy, but the swelling wasn't too bad for me. By the 4th week, it wasn't swollen anymore.
The first poop wasn't as bad as I thought. I was prepared for a lot of pain, but nothing too bad.
I think I have a pretty easy recovery. I didn't have a hard time walking/moving/getting around. I didn't take any pain medications b/c I didn't feel any pain afterward. We only stayed in the hospital for 1.5 day after giving birth.