recovery question (newbie here)

Ekg688 · April 2014

Hello ladies, I'm new to this board and im sure this question has been posted before but I'm tired and don't have the patience to scroll

First off I'm a few weeks into my 3rd tri (FTM) and I've recently decided that I really want to try an all natural birth. Ive got my list of books to read and I've started my research but one of my biggest questions is recovery.

Everything I've read says recovery is always quicker with natural birth, but I'm interested in your opinions. Esp those STM+ moms that have had a medicated/epi birth and natural birth.

Ladyburd · April 2014

My recovery went well; however I am a ftm and don't have anything to compare it to. I went home a little after 24 hrs after she was born. I bled a lot less & lighter than what I expected (4weeks).
For me the hardest thing for recovery was pooping. I needed a stool softener. I was not constipated but had really large/hard stools. Sorry if tmi, but it was the worst thing. I didn't have any trouble stoking during pregnancy but after the first week was horrible but the stool softener was a life saver. I purchased extra tux pads and made sure to do the sits bath the first week. All those things really helped with the soreness. I was able to move around with no difficulty and felt pretty good. I had to remind mysf to take it easy around the house b/c I felt myself when it came to my strength although more fatigued by the early afternoon. Hope this helps.

Ekg688 · April 2014

@Ladyburd‌ the pooping part seems to be the same across the board lol. Thanks for your opinion

aylafsu88 · April 2014

I have only had one and it was natural. For me recovery was the worst part or L&D. I had a second degree internal tear so I was sore and had a hard time sitting down/getting back up. I also did not take my 800 mg Ibuprofen regularly so if I had been on top of them more I might not have been so uncomfortable. The ice pads were a hug lifesaver the first week home.
Honestly, I think it would have been the same regardless if I had an epi or not. My LO had a nuchal hand and the OB did warm compresses/massage while I was pushing to help me stretch.

barista411 · April 2014

Based on my experience recovery varies a lot. I have had 2 natural births, so I have no experience with an epi, but with my first recovery was very rough and it took a full six weeks of painful recovery. My second was a breeze. I was up and moving around an hour later and by the time I came home from the hospital I felt almost completely back to normal.

Chichigo · April 2014

I've had one birth, natural with a slight tear. I didn't take any pain medication for 48 hours, when a nurse suggested it would help my swelling. (Pedi kept us for three nights; GBS+ without full course of antibiotics).

I felt able to do most things around the house that didn't involve heavy lifting as soon as I was home.

mb314 · April 2014

I had a fairly easy recovery. After the golden hour of holding DS, I walked from the delivery room to my recovery room no problem. I felt pretty good and I don't think I even needed Advil or anything. I did have 2 small tears that needed stitches.

PSA do sits baths even if you feel okay. I didn't do them and my tears healed with scar tissue , which was a problem. I had to have extremely painful silver nitrate treatments on the scar tissue and I went cleared for sex until 4 months pp. that had nothing to do a natural vs medicated birth though

spicysurro · April 2014

My recovery was great. The day after I felt I had been hit by a truck but taking Motrin as needed and not over doing it are huge. I had a slight internal tear that didnt require stitches just the figuring out how to pee without it burning, even with the peribottle. lol Id recommend like PP's said a stool softener and if you are using Colace like I did, get gas-x as well. It caused gas pains for me so that along with Postpartum cramping= no fun.

I took epsom salt baths that I really feel were vital to my healing. Also I encapsulated my placenta...I have no idea if that really helped or not.

My advice would be not to expect the very easiest healing cause you don't want to be upset with your body or frustrated. Giving birth is a huge body altering event. Just be prepared for all situations!

Good luck!!

realmissjess · April 2014

I've only had one birth, but my recovery was fine. Not great. The worst was sitting — it was about 3 weeks before I could sit on a chair. I was okay on cushions, the couch, or bed. I kept up with the Motrin and didn't have pain besides sitting. I was walking without a problem right away.

I second the suggestions of sitz baths. I got a concentrate from Motherlove that really seemed to help.

2babymama · April 2014

My natural birth was amazing recovery wasn't terrible. I learned to make sure I got comfortable where ever I was because I wouldn't move soon. I had some bladder control issues due to swelling. Which got better 100% after a few epsome salt baths. I did two a day starting 4 days after birth, which I should have started sooner. But overall wasn't too bad. Was back in school and work 2 weeks later

Nicolewinsbingo · April 2014

I've had one pit induction w/epidural, & one pit induction no pain meds. The physical recovery was similar for both, especially after the first few hours. Mentally though, I felt so much better after the natural birth. I accomplished the goal I'd set, & felt strong & happy. Less weepy & emotional then with the epi...but I really didn't want the epi the first time so that probably factored in to me feeling worse.

momofmanyinthemitten · April 2014

I had an induction with failure to or egress resulting in a c/s, which was actually a fairly easy recovery. I was super constipated and had to disempact myself, resulting in a ring of hemorrhoids, but I didn't take any of the pain killers they sent me home with-just regular Motrin once a day.
I had an epidural for my VBAC with #2. I pushed for 3 hrs and my OB had to vacuum him out (I refused to c/s again). I had a 2nd degree tear and bled for 6 whole weeks. I couldn't sit for 6 wks and I lost all bowel/bladder control, both of which I slowly regained.
I went for non-medicated with #3, but ended up getting a dose of stadol when my posterior cervix just wouldn't budge and my OB had to try and rock it forward, unsuccessfully. My doula was able to get me into a position for it to move on its own, and baby's head was out in 2 pushes. No tears! When I woke up 3 hrs post partum, I forgot to use the peri bottle and used toilet paper instead with no pain. I didn't have any pain at all, didn't even feel like I had had a baby. I had no problem pooping post partum either.
For 24 hrs after baby's birth, I said I would get the epi next time because the pain got bad at the end, or maybe I was just really frustrated with my cervix not moving forward. However, once I realized how great I felt (I walked home from the hospital with baby in my arms and pushing DD in a
stroller), I vowed never to get the epi again. The pain of L&D is worth the easier recovery for me.
Sorry this was so long, just wanted to give you all of my points of view.

aylafsu88 · April 2014

mb314 said:

PSA do sits baths even if you feel okay. I didn't do them and my tears healed with scar tissue , which was a problem. I had to have extremely painful silver nitrate treatments on the scar tissue and I went cleared for sex until 4 months pp. that had nothing to do a natural vs medicated birth though

Yes! I was bad about doing the sitz baths during recovery. It ended up taking my tear 9 weeks to heal and I was not cleared for sex until 10 weeks. I did not have any scar tissue but the healing process was slow. My OB is convinced that if I did the sitz baths more often my tear would have healed quicker. Next time around I am going to make sure I do them often.

ArmyQM · April 2014

I've had one medicated and one unmediated birth. After the medicated birth I felt bloated because of the IV fluids, slow to move around much, tired, etc. And that birth was only 5.5 hours so it wasn't because it was a long drawn out labor. I also ended up with a 2nd degree tear because I had no biofeedback telling me to ease up on the pushing. So there was that recovery too. My second was the unmediated birth and was 4.5 hours total. I felt fantastic after this birth. I was up and moving within the hour after birth. I had only a small tear which wasn't even noticeable in the recovery. The endorphin high was incredible and I didn't feel that with my first.

memo9 · April 2014

My first birth was 12 hours in a hospital with an epidural. I ended up with an episiotomy & failed vacuum assist. Recovery was so, so bad.

My second birth was a 6 hour med free water birth (with a tear requiring stitches). Ah-mazing! Seriously such a difference! I told my midwife that I didn't even feel like I gave birth....more like I went and bought a baby at the store. Oh and baby #2 was a pound bigger at 9lbs 8oz.

The upfront pain/intensity of natural birth sucked, but the recovery made it all worth it. It was so nice to be able to feel like I could actually enjoy my baby and not be so focused on how bad I felt.

headgear03 · April 2014

I have had four natrual births so I cant give comparisons between natrual and medicated however I can say that recovery for me has had allot to do with how I labored and what happend right after my kids were born. By far the worst recovery was after my first. I pushed for almost two hours on my back in the tub and ended up bruising my tailbone , also my daughter crowned sideways and I pushed passed the contractions leading to some serious tears . I also ended up with retained placenta after my first and my midwife had to remove it ( I had no pain meds for this btw) then i was transfered to the hospital where I was not treated well and ended up with a blood transfusion and my tear was never adressed. Thankfully my loveing midwife helped as much as she could with my healing but it still took three months to get back to normal . My second and third recoveries were amazing. I was up and walking around withen and hour after their births. I went to the park for a play date four days after my fourth was born and went to Carters childrens store the day after my son was born( he was three weeks early so his clothes didnt fit) and suffred no unusual bleeding or anything. Now my fourth recovery started out great . I was up and walking around just fine , went home feeling great and jumped back into life however at week pp I ended up in the ER with severe hemorrhaging . Turns out my uturus was not clamping down like it was supposed to because it was filled with clots. I ended up with a d&c and a blood transfusion . It took me a good month to bounce back after that . Now I think my issue after my fourth was due to some standard practices that the hospital did that I beleive my body just didnt like. Sorry this was so long .

barnwife · April 2014

I have had 3 med-free births.

My worst recovery was the first one. I couldn't go from sitting to standing or vice-versa without pain (often enough to make me cry) for weeks. I had a lot of bruising and a small tear (no stitches).

After DD was born, the worst was the afterbirth pains. I cried during every nursing session the first day or so. (Reason to be explained later.) Other than that, it was an easy recovery. I had essentially no bruising or tearing (could be because A. was a waterbirth).

My recovery from S.'s birth was by far the easiest. I again had no tearing and little bruising (no waterbirth...born too quickly). The afterbirth pains were much stronger this time though. (It turns out my uterus shrinks really quickly after birth. By 2 days pp, it's the size my MW expects at 1 week pp.) Even with the afterpains, this was my favorite recovery. We had sex about 3 weeks pp (my MW says it's fine as long as pp bleeding has stopped) and there was no pain.

wifeofadam · April 2014

I've had four births - the first was with an epi and the last three have been natural. My natural recoveries have by far been easier. With the first, because of the epi, I couldn't feel to push and ended up pushing longer and harder. I think that experience wore me out physically and also caused more soreness. I didn't feel myself for about a week after that. But with all of my other births I was feeling pretty much back to normal within about 48 hours of the birth. With the last two I've been up cooking meals or throwing in a load of laundry (they were homebirths) within 18-24 hours.

I should add that I had no tearing with any of mine, so that has made a difference in my recoveries.

jess9802 · April 2014

Your first baby is typically going to be the longest labor and delivery and the harder physical recovery, absent some other twist (like nuchal hand, macrosomic baby, etc).

I had an epidural with DS and a second degree tear that bled a lot. While I felt very weak for about 48 hours after birth, I healed well and quickly - bled for two weeks, resumed sex at three weeks, and by the month mark I really had no problems with my pre-pregnancy activity level (moderate walking), though I had some discomfort sitting for long periods on hard surfaces. I took Motrin and Tylenol religiously for about two weeks after delivery, along with stool softeners, but never used the sitz bath. The exhaustion of having a newborn was honestly the hardest part of the recovery for me.

nursekatie47 · April 2014

It all depends on what happens during your natural labor as to what your recovery is going to be like. DD was a natural hospital birth, I was home until 9 cm dilated, transferred to the hospital (was planning on going to the hospital all along, but around 7 cm not 9 cm). I was at the hospital for a long time before she was born because my labor stalled out having to travel there 20mins in the car. After I delivered the placenta I had a 1 L post partum hemorrhage and my recovery was not good. I was anemic, no energy, bleed huge golf ball sized clots for 6 week post partum and then bled heavily without clots for another 2 weeks. I had a ultrasound to check for retained products of conception, there wasn't any, but I did not feel well for a long time post birth (I also had the flu 2 and mastitis all in her first 3 months). DS was a home water birth with pitocin given between delivering baby and pre delivering the placenta. I felt like a million bucks (I have my first bowel movement 4 hours after he was born) and I was up and walking about at the mall when he was only 11 hrs old. I had normal period like bleeding for 2 weeks, spotted for another week and that was it. With my DD I had my husband and sister there helping me the first 2 weeks and really took it easy. With my DS I had a 2 year old, my husband was 3 hours away for work Sunday night to Friday night and I was doing it all on my own. Both of my children have birth with nuchal hand, but the difference I think is that my DD paved the way literally for my DS, so while I got 26 internal sutures with DD, I only had 3 internal with DS.

allrightmeow · April 2014

My recovery was pretty smooth. I recommend you get a sitz bath. I feel like that helped my tears heal really quickly and I had little to no discomfort.

I started out natural and ended up with an epi.

mrsblueeyes · April 2014

My first was epi with episiotomy and my second was epi with 2cd degree tear. Recovery was very easy both times, the only bad part was the annoying itching from the stiches. Number 3 was natural birth with a second degree tear. Recovery was the easiest and I had the least about of bleeding this time. I actually felt so good I did a little too much and ended up with some post-partum edema in my legs, despite not getting any sort of fluids. Stiches were annoying all 3 times.

mlrafiki · May 2014

I had an awesome, relatively "easy" natural birth, but recovery seriously sucked.... I don't know if it would have been better or worse if I'd had an epi, but it was really brutal.... with a second (nearly third) degree tear, no sleep, and early breastfeeding pain (read: AGONY, soreness doesn't cover it.... tongue tie and bad latch equal screaming & crying mommy), I was seriously a wreck. After reading all this stuff about how great recovery after a natural birth was, I was also probably rushing myself a bit.... I often had to sit down (at a weird angle to avoid pressure on my hoohah) after standing or walking for only 10min, even 3 weeks postpartum.

Three things to help with a good recovery: first, if you can, try to take your time with pushing. I was so freaked out by the fast progression at the end of my labor that I pushed too fast, leading to my tear and also some hellish hemorrhoids. Second, pay attention to what postpartum pain meds they offer you. Depending on any tears or other effects from the labor, you may be able to get away with some strong over-the-counter meds, which I highly recommend over any narcotics. Narcs cause constipation, which makes going to the bathroom even more painful than it already is with tears, stitches, and hemorrhoids. Finally, go easy on yourself. You just passed a human through a pinhole: you're not going to feel peachy keen right away.

Sorry to sound scary, but I wasn't prepared, so hopefully you will be!

*LrCg* · May 2014

Mine have all been homebirths (so med free) so I have nothing to compare it to but to my friends' experiences. The comparison has been night and day. With my 1st child, I baked a birthday cake a few hours after birth. My 2nd, my midwife was pretty miffed when she stopped by the next day and saw vacuum marks in my carpet. With my 3rd, she was born at 2:30 am and my other kids woke up at 8am, DH made me breakfast in bed but I made lunch and dinner without issues. I only tore with my 3rd but it was so small it required nothing but a few days to be gone. And before people bash DH- its not that he's not helpful (because he truly is VERY hands on) its my personality that I don't like letting go of control (which frustrates DH) so I always just want to resume after birth and have never had issues in doing so.

Summer889 · May 2014

I've only had one birth (natural) but my recovery was a piece of cake! I only had a couple very minor tears that gave me some minor soreness for about 24 hours. I was up and moving around on my own within an hour of giving birth, and felt almost completely normal by the next day!

I think having a midwife deliver made a huge difference in minimizing tearing. She used oil, a warm compress, and told me to hold off pushing once baby start to crown to give my body time to stretch on its own. I also know that if I'd been with an OB, I would have ended up with a c-section, which would have obviously made recovery much more difficult.

atcwag · May 2014

I prepared for a NB, but ended up with nearly every intervention possible except an episiotomy and CS during an induction from hell. I had IV narcotics x 2, an epi, IV, internal monitor, cath and vacuum-assisted birth.
Even with all this, my recovery was MUCH easier than expected. I had a teeny internal tear (got 1 stitch, but Dr. said I didn't really need it). Never did a sitz bath and never needed a peri bottle. I did use hemi pads/ointment for some peri soreness and hemis for 2 weeks or so. The frozen maxi pads were awesome the first few days.
Bleeding was pretty much non-existent by 4 weeks. By 2 weeks I was more than ready to leave the house. I never was super sore or anything.

jenn43 · May 2014

I went all natural, and only pushed for about 30 minutes, which I'm sure helped tremendously. I was very lucky over all- no tear, and very minimal swelling. I was up out of bed right away (after the first hour of cuddling and breast feeding, that is), and never needed anything more than ibuprofen. I don't have anything to compare to (I'm a FTM), but I really think going all natural helped, because I was up and moving during labor, and because I could feel everything when pushing. I would do it again in a heartbeat!

speechie517 · May 2014

I had virtually the same experience as @jenn43‌.

HNRomance · May 2014

I am 3 weeks PP now, all natural, no meds. I had 2nd degree labial tear. I was able to get up and walk around about an hour or two after delivery. I was sore for a week. I stayed on the tylenol and alternated between ice pads and epsom salt baths when I needed it. It was uncomfortable getting up and down off of furniture (harder surfaces were better). I made sure to walk around to start breaking up the bruising. After 2 weeks I felt pretty good again and hardly any blood but I'm still having some mucus discharge now and that's it!

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