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Babies: 0 - 3 Months
Freaking out about recovering after delivery
Not really any more to say but do you ladies have any advice. What expect ect. No one really tells you about what happens to your body after the baby is born. I am scared to death and get more scared daily. TIA
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Re: Freaking out about recovering after delivery
Just relax and take it easy. The first week you won't want to do much except watch your LO. Make sure you have everything you'll need at home (food, tucks pads, stool softeners...) and then just sleep when your LO sleeps.
I'd also recommend going for walks as soon as your body lets you. It'll help you feel better and get you back in shape.
Missed m/c 10/25/10 @ 11.5 weeks
Its really not that bad. As long as you take it easy and don't overdo it you will be fine. That goes for a vaginal delivery as well as a c-section. Stay on top of your meds (eben if you don't think you need it). Take your meds on time every time.
Take a deep breath. You'll do just fine.
Don't stress about it...it's not that bad. Plus you don't know if you will have a vag delivery or c/section adn both are very different recoveries...so no point in stressing about it! Plus you'll be so consummed with your LO that you kind of "forget" about yourself
Camryn Grace ~ July 6th, 2009 ~ 7lbs 9oz, 20.5"
Brayden Richard Drew ~ December 20, 2010~7lbs 9oz, 20"
After DS was born, my bladder leaked. Expect it; be pleasantly surprised if you don't. Move slowly. Things were swollen. I never needed Tucks or witch hazel pads and stopped using the hospital pads within the first week. Enjoy your baby every chance you get. Walk outside when you can; it'll be good for you mentally and physically.
What are you freaking out about exactly?
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Everyone is different, but I found the recovery to be worse than the labor- but that's because I took every drug anyone offered me during labor and my labor was super fast
Anyway, I had a very long 2nd degree tear that required 30 minutes worth of stitches. It hurt to sit, it hurt to stand, it hurt to walk. Then, I had swelling. Apparently from the epidural, I had swollen feet and legs for a week after the delivery, I had no swelling at all during my pregnancy. They said the swelling could last up to 6 weeks.
I bled for 4 weeks, went through about 5 boxes of pads and a can of epi-foam (numbs your hoo-ha). Then, I was so into my squirt bottle (to clean off down there) that I developed a lovely diaper rash- but I cleared that up with DS's diaper rash cream. It was pretty miserable though so use it, but don't overuse it.
My pelvis is not the same. It separated a bit extra and has not gone back yet. If I walk more than a mile it gets very sore. My Dr. said that it will probably not tighten up until I stop breastfeeding since everything stays loose while you are bfing. My hips widened out too, I only have 1 pair of jeans that fit now so I had to do some quick shopping (not really the end of the world). But I'm happy to say that slowly I am fitting back into things so I have hope that the hips will go back in.
Anyway, all in all it really isn't that bad. Things will slowly get back to normal and any time you look at your baby you will forget all of it and be happy!!
I wasn't even a baby person before I had one and it was all worth it.
No lie, its not fun, but honestly, you are so focused on the baby that you hardly have time to worry about yourself. Just try to rest before delivery if you can, take it as easy as you can after, take your pain meds and sleep when you can. I had a c section and after a week, I was feeling a ton better. Those first two weeks are really hard though. Lack of sleep and post partum hormones can make you feel pretty crazy. Just try to have everything ready in your house so that you can focus on your LO and make sure that you have people available to support and help you. Good luck!
Yea, it's tough and there's really no way to prepare for it. Just be aware that it isn't going to be the baby bliss that a lot of people think it is. I think the hardest thing for me was the baby blues. No one really talks about it, so it was quite shocking to me how sad I felt. I was also worried b/c I didn't seem as stoked about being a new Mom as I thought I would. It lasted about 2 weeks and now everything is pretty much fine and I am so in love with my little boy. Just know that your hormones will be out of control and to just roll with it.
Physically, I relied on overnight pads, Motrin, 'roid cream, stool softeners, nipple cream (if you will be BF) and the help of my H. Don't try to be Super Woman. Good luck and, remember, it may be tough, but there is an end. It doesn't last forever!
I had a vaginal delivery and I could have gone home the same day. I was a little swollen, but that went down pretty quickly. I sat on ice packs twice and took ibuprofen twice per day. I was in pre-pg pants one week pp.
Get up and move around as soon as you feel up to it. I think that's what really helped me.
If you have a vaginal delivery, then your recovery will be quite easy, even if you have an episiotomy.
If you have a C-section, recovery is more difficult, but certainly not impossible.
I had both a C-section and episiotomy.
Either way, you will have vaginal bleeding afterwards. For me, the hospital provided all of the supplies (disposable underwear, Ice pads, regular pads and Tucks pads) that I needed while I was there.
For Vaginal Delivery, no Episiotomy: You will have to wear the thick pads and disposable underwear. If you have hemorrhoids, then Tucks pads make them feel better.
For Vaginal Delivery, with Episiotomy: Same as above. They might also give you some "ice pads"- like an ice pack but also absorbent like a pad.
For C-section: Same as above when it comes to vaginal bleeding. You will also have a 6-8 inch incision below your bikini line usually stapled closed. This makes moving around difficult, though they will have you on some good meds while you are in the hospital. Getting out of bed the first time is tough. Just take your time and ask for help whenever needed. Nurses are very helpful.
At my hospital, they came in at every shift change to check my vitals and my C-section incision. They gave me my meds whenever needed and answered the call button as soon as I hit it. They took out my staples the morning I was discharged. It doesn't hurt, just a slight pinching sensation as they cut each one.
Ultimately, as I said before, if you have a normal vaginal delivery then your recovery will be quite simple. The C-section causes some complications but nothing that is horrible to deal with, you just have to take things more slowly.
If you have any more questions, or need anything clarified, feel free to send me a PM!
HTH
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I had a vaginal delivery. The day after delivering all of my muscles were really sore and my butt felt really "heavy" like there were bricks trying to hold it down everytime I got up. That all went away the next day though and I was fine.
My friend had a c-section and her recovery was just as easy as mine. After 2 weeks she was taking the baby for walks and moving around the house. (I know she wasnt suppose to do this stuff that early, but she did).
No one else mentioned it, but you need to drink tons and tons of water. I drank 100+ oz per day while I was pregnant and continued afterwards. My MW said the more water you drink, the faster everything heals. I was feeling awesome after delivery, was able to do some easy housework, and was done bleeding at 2ish weeks.
Just keep drinking your water!
I had a vaginal delivery w/ episiotomy. The night after delivery I was pretty swollen down there but things have healed pretty quickly. I was walking around no problem at about 1 week but I'm still not 100% healed and sex is out of the question for now. My hoo-haa is definitely more stretched out than before, not sure if it will tighten a little more with time and Kegels, I hope so! I have a little bit of bladder incontinence and a couple of times last week I couldn't hold the poop in either! That was scary but I blame the stool softeners I've been taking. Thank God it hasn't happened this week. I guess everything is relaxed down there and it will take time for things to tighten up.
At the hospital they gave me Tucks, epi-foam, pads, disposable underwear, a squirt bottle, Dermaplast and hemorrhoid cream. Trust me, you need all those and you'll use them. The epi-foam w/ the tucks feel great for the 2 weeks after. I only took Motrin 800mg for 3 days after delivery since I wasn't in pain anymore, just a little uncomfortable when sitting and walking. The bleeding is almost gone too, breastfeeding helps with that and it helps your uterus shrink too. It's worth BFing at the beginning, at least for a month.
GL and don't stress too much about it. It is what it is and now we have pain meds and epidurals to get us through it. My epidural was amazing, I don't know how people labor with no meds. HTH!
Ditto. It truly sucked while I was going thru it. I felt disgusting and sore all over my entire body.
But looking back on it now I barely remember so take it day by day cause it gets better with every day and every shower.
My advice is to try not to be superwoman. I left the hospital the very first moment they'd let me, and I wish now that I'd stayed longer. Physically, I was healing fine, but the rest you can get while the nurses take care of a lot of things for you is priceless.
When you get home, sleep when the baby sleeps - which will be all the time for the first few days, with quick change/feed interruptions every few hours. Learn not to care much about laundry/dishes/etc. Things don't need to be kept up like they were before baby for the first few weeks. No one in their right mind will expect it. Focus on yourself and the baby and everything will come together.
And drink tons of water. Twice that if you're breastfeeding. You'll be at a high risk of constipation just from the big event as it is, and when the kiddo starts depleting your fluids, it only gets worse.