STM+ How long did it take your water retention to go down after birth?

RedBird11 · March 2014

A couple days? A few weeks? I am asking because I have an inner ear condition that is worse with water retention. I had been doing pretty good up until a week or so ago, around the same time my feet started to swell. I am just trying to hold on to the fact that I will hopefully have relief within a month from now... but sooner would be nice.

aboleary34 · March 2014

Mine got horrible after delivery because of all the IV fluids I needed but I would say it was gone in a week to 10 days.

ksulli · March 2014

I stayed pretty swollen for a few weeks. To be fair though, it was a really hot summer, so I'm sure that didn't help.

RedDawnsRevenge · March 2014

The first night home from my c/s I peed 11lbs! They overloaded me so bad. My mom would walk through the living room and press on my ankles, you could literally watch the fluid leaving it was so noticeable a change! From 4+ to 2+ edema was a very fast and dramatic change, after 2 it was much slower and maybe a week before it was gone completely.

britt33 · March 2014

I am having a horrible retention problem. C section was 6 days ago and my feet look like they did at the end of the day when I was pregnant. Horrible retention. Makes my skin hurt.

Sisimama10 · March 2014

About two weeks for me. Vaginal delivery not c section.

JoelleOK · March 2014

I don't remember exactly, around 1 week? It seemed to go down faster after my milk came in. I lost more blood than average, but I was only given 2 bags of fluid. Vaginal birth.
I do remember some epic night sweats. The bath towel I put under the sheet was obviously wet.

Sisimama10 · March 2014

Kbmac said:

Sisimama10 said:
About two weeks for me. Vaginal delivery not c section.
This. I was more swollen when I got home compared to before I delivered.

Me too. I did to have any swelling at all before. After, my face and legs were crazy puffy.

WhiMiMa · March 2014

I got crazy swollen the last month and it was pretty much gone by the time I left the hospital, two days after birth.

Merlyna04 · March 2014

The third day PP I was sweating like crazy I lost like 18 pounds in 2 weeks .

DemoDoll · March 2014

I feel like mine stayed around for a good 2 weeks. I thought it would instantly go away.

pete0121 · March 2014

Both times I was more swollen after birth than before. I would say swelling was completely gone by two weeks but considerably better after 1 week.

Christinekeyser · March 2014

So with all of this to look forward to, STMs would you advise us to remove jewelry (like wedding rings) now? My finger is getting a bit sausage-like and my ring is making an indent already.

ksulli · March 2014

@Christinekeyser said:
So with all of this to look forward to, STMs would you advise us to remove jewelry (like wedding rings) now? My finger is getting a bit sausage-like and my ring is making an indent already.

I had a larger replacement ring on when I went and it wasn't a problem, but it was nowhere near tight when I went in. This time I still have my real ones on and I'll probably take them off before (if) I get IV fluids because I think that's most of what does it.

pete0121 · March 2014

I never wore my rings to the hospital. I haven't been wearing my E ring now for a couple weeks but my wedding band will come off before I go to the hospital.

MapleLeafMama · March 2014

It was 10-14 days if I remember right. I remember trying to walk down the stairs and not being able to bend my ankles from the swelling.

laurel22 · March 2014

Christinekeyser said:

So with all of this to look forward to, STMs would you advise us to remove jewelry (like wedding rings) now? My finger is getting a bit sausage-like and my ring is making an indent already.

I would say absolutely. Some hospitals make you take your rings off when you're admitted. The IV fluids I was given during my vaginal birth made me swell so much that they would've had to cut my rings off, if I was wearing them. There was a whole thread dedicated to this topic a few days ago. To answer the OP, I was very swollen after birth, but I think it mostly went away within a week or so. Edited for typos.

snowclouds · March 2014

4-5 days. I swelled up like a balloon after my cs, but by the time I was discharged it was mostly gone.

Then you spend the next 2-3 weeks sweating like a crazy person at night to get rid of the excess fluids your body has been carrying around for the baby for the past 9 mths.

pdilly2b · March 2014

I didn't notice any water retention before or after. I didn't have an IV though, only a hep lock to get antibiotics for GBS. I was peeing a lot though, but I think that was more because breastfeeding made me feel so parched and I was drinking water like it was my job.

britrundell · March 2014

Glad this was discussed!! I have been having the worse fluid retention in my hands (feet somedays-but hands constantly!) it's so bad I can barely bend my hands at times.
At my last appointment my doc told me it's only going to get worse before it gets better after I deliver @-)

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