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November 2012 Moms
? for STM's. How long did it take you to "heal' after birth?
I askl because I was just looking at the maternity leave and reading about recovery and was wondering how long everyone took, and how long it took to heal (C-section, tear, Episiotomy, other)?
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Re: ? for STM's. How long did it take you to "heal' after birth?
EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT!
With that said, Im going to sound like a freak of nature here... But I healed up really fast- alot faster than I was expecting (vaginal birth). I was totally back to feeling 100% normal right at 2weeks PP- bleeding had stopped and stitches were gone (I did tear). I was really horny after healing, so we had sex wayyy before 6weeks PP.
We made up for lost time...
Now my tailbone? That was another story- that took a good 5 months to feel normal again. O.U.C.H.
Big sister meeting little brother for the first time-
<a href="http://s326.photobucket.com/albums/k409/YellowMiles/?action=view
I had a c-section and was shocked at how quickly I recovered. It was less than the 8 weeks, but I'm not sure exactly how long.
I was on my feet the same day, and going to the bathroom fine after the first week or so, I think. I can't really remember, so I keep telling myself I miraculously healed immediately. (It helps keep the nerves at bay to pretend the stork just dropped him off.)
I just know it was fast and even though it was only a couple years ago, it's barely a blip on my radar anymore.
It really depends.
I had a vaginal birth of a 9lbr. I had a 3rd degree tear and had a very difficult time getting DS past my pubic bone. He was a posterior lie and ended up breaking my tailbone on the way out.
My stitches fell out after 3 days and due to the risk of infection, they could not be redone, so I had to heal my tear from the inside out. It took 8 weeks. My tailbone issue took much longer to heal and when it did, it healed at an angle. I went to massage therapy for 3 months, was on some pretty heavy duty anti-inflammatories and was prescribed physio therapy. It was about six months before I could rise from a seated position normally and even to this day I still have pain (pretty much chronic,but usually manageable, although this pg is definitely aggravating it and we are thinking of a c/s this time around to avoid further damage). THIS IS NOT NORMAL and breaking your tailbone during delivery is EXTREMELY RARE.
Most OBs see their patients for post-delivery followup at 6w around here. Prior to that you see your GP for a well baby visit at 1w and 4w post delivery. Most of my tailbone issues were managed by my GP. With a vaginal delivery, you can pretty much resume most normal activities shortly afterward. You are on pelvic rest for at least 6w though (at least that is standard practice around here). With a c/s you are more restricted (no lifting anything heavier than baby for at least 6w).
I felt pretty good after a week or two. I went for daily walks with DS starting the day I got home from the hospital.
I did have a pretty bad tear, but luckily the stitches didn't bother me much. I realize now I did way too much in the beginning though (the 4 bouts of mastitis can back me up). I have decided this time I will try and relax more (if at all possible with a toddler at home) and not worry about the house so much.
I had a c-section and I will say I was fully healed after about 3-4 weeks. It was a really easy procedure, so I wasn't down and out about it. I will add that I did bleed for about 3 weeks pp. and that sucked worse than the pain.
Edited to add: We had sex about 4 weeks out.
Our first family photo!
With my first, I had an epidural and a long labor (36 hrs prodromal, 16 hrs to go from 4cm-10cm and 2 1/2 hrs of pushing). I had a 2nd degree tear and I remember pretty much feeling like a$$ for 2-3 wks. With my second, I went med-free and had a significantly shorter labor (water broke at 5am, contractions started around 3pm and he was born at 10pm). Baby was sunny side up so I had that terrible pubic diastasis pain but I remember feeling great other than that. One week pp, I drove 45 minutes with baby for Thanksgiving.
As the others have said, it's pretty much impossible to predict!
When I went for my 6 week PP visit, my doctor pressed on my episiotomy/tear site and asked "does this hurt?" I remember wanting to kick him in the face. So, yes... to touch down there was still very sore at 6 weeks, but in general I remember feeling pretty good around 1-2 weeks after delivery. Honestly, I felt decent after 2-3 days... didn't have any issues walking, going up/down stairs, carrying DD, etc. Yeah, I was sore, but it was far from excruciating (aside from actually pushing on it, that is).
Sex was next to impossible to even attempt for 10 weeks, and even then it hurt like a ***. I had a 2nd degree tear and episiotomy.
I had stitches... 3rd degree tear. I also bled for about 6 weeks. (Much lighter after about 10 days though). In hind sight, I think I did too much too fast and plan to try to give myself a little more recovery this time. (with a toddler and newborn, ha ha!) I only stayed in the hospital one day and was out taking walks, etc... 2 days after birth. Anyway, I felt so much better and about back to normal at 2 weeks for just general purposes, but didn't have sex again until probably about 8 weeks later. I was cleared at 6 wk appt, but was still SO sore. I think breastfeeding also makes sex less pleasurable (since it causes dryness) so would definitely recommend some lubrication.
That being said, all is obviously well worth it! Though you go through the physical recovery, your mind and life is consumed by the joy of your new little one.
I am really terrified of breaking my tailbone during delivery. At my very first visit my OB said that my coccyx was very forward/prominant and that there was a good chance I would break it in delivery. After talking with people at the hospital and my childbirth classes that I could decrease the risk if I am not on my back during delivery. So I asked a different doctorat my practice on another visit and he said it wouldn't make a difference and if I didn't want to break that bone I should just have a c/s. He talked about it like it wasn't a big deal at all. I asked how I was suppossed to care for a newborn with a broken tailbone and he said something to the effect of, "lots of people do it, you just suck it up." (BTW - I will NEVER see this doctor again, I HATED him!) So my questions are: What was your recovery like/how long did it take? Do you still have residual pain? Do you recommend a c/s even if it just a possibility of a break? Does ANYONE on here know of ways to avoid breaking the tailbone/coccys during delivery? I've researched a lot of positions, but this doc really freaked me out.