Talk to me about after...

southernyankeegirl · December 2014

I get there's a recovery, and I am mentally prepared for some carnage with my lady bits...

But talk to me about other pregnancy issues. Do they just vanish with child birth? How soon after do they improve?

Specifically I mean hip pain, stuffy nose, ability to roll over, laying on my back without feeling physically ill, and snoring! I am really ready to not snore like I am cutting logs - I keep waking myself up!!!

YaMrWhite · December 2014

I wish I could remember better. I felt a general total body weakness for a few days and when my milk came in I didn't sleep on my stomach but otherwise things were back to normal. It just took a few days for me not to feel so weak from the marathon of labor.

BookitBoo · December 2014

I don't really remember! I wasn't able to lay on my tummy for a while, but that is because of Csection.

I was so exhausted with a newborn that even if I was snoring, it never woke me up. I didn't have snuffed nose last time so I'm new to that adventure. In interested to see what everyone says!

bkmama · December 2014

For a day or so it felt like my body was the wrong size- baggy muscles and weird posture, used to compensating for a big belly. Bad control over pee, probably from catheter, and butthole felt like it was halfway up my back, due to swelling maybe?

A few days later everything is pretty much back to normal, except swollen boobs, squishy tummy, and bleeding from vag. Can sit up, lay on tummy or back, move quickly, etc. My stomach is shrinking back into shape more every day.

BackseatDriver · December 2014

I didn't have a lot of hip pain last time, but I felt better immediately. I could lay in my back (amazing!) and the aches and such were gone. If it weren't for a newborn waking up constantly I could have actually slept soundly for a change. I actually wasn't in pain after delivery. I felt like there was swelling, but that was it.

I did have a lot of swelling in my extremities after delivery, from my IV I guess. That took some time (couple days maybe?) to go away.

bkmama · December 2014

The only pain I felt after delivery was contractions from breastfeeding. Had to take a few midol to numb those, but they quickly became tolerable level of pain after a day or so.

FitmomJess · December 2014

I don't really remember lol. Motherhood amnesia!

moonfaerie · December 2014

I have only had c/s so it took time before I could roll over easily and such, but everything else disappeared pretty much right away. Snoring, stuffy nose, swollen legs and feet, hip and pelvic pain, all gone within a day. Laying on my back was instantly fine.

pleirey · December 2014

To be completely honest, I was in so much pain from the emergency C-section and so exhausted from lack of sleep I don't truly remember how long it took for things to settle back to normal. I can tell you that even though I had a c/s, it was easier for me to get up off the couch after that than it was to roll off the couch fully pregnant. :-)

muskiefan07 · December 2014

Besides not being able to laugh without pain in my nether region for several days, I remember the heart burn stuck around for about a week.

My pelvic pain was replaced with discomfort from swelling, but it was definitely a relief.

I could sleep on my stomach, but as @YaMrWhite‌ pointed out, once my milk came in, I was not interested in that.

texasmama786 · December 2014

I felt like a million bucks! All my crappy symptoms went away right away and I felt relief. I did have a c-section so my belly felt saggy for a few weeks, but wasn't in much pain. My nipples did crack and chap over from the breastfeeding after week 1, although latch was good. Once they healed it was smooth sailing and never happened again. Breastfeeding helped me lose 30 lbs in less than 3 weeks and shrunk my uterus down quicker. My bitchiness and moodiness took months to subside. To me, pregnancy is so uncomfortable that childbirth and the after process was freedom.

kellimark · December 2014

I remember being able to stretch my upper body and it felt amazing. Also sleeping on my back felt great.
I remember it felt nice to be myself like I didn't feel like a baby incubator anymore.

I remember it hurt to sit for a few weeks. Like I had to sit on a pillow or kind of tilt to one side.

Mom2anAngel2 · December 2014

I had a 3rd-4th degree tear, so I was pretty sore and slow moving for a while. My stuffiness and nausea resolved instantly. Rolling over was tough due to my tear, and DH had to help me out of be for a while. I slept in my back without an issue right away, but my stomach was off limits until my milk supply regulated.

MusicFanatic · December 2014

My hip pain stuck around for over a week. But I have had hip surgery and my hips are a bit jacked up as it is, so I'm not a fair judge. I never felt ill laying on my back and never snored, so can't vouch for those. I couldn't lay on my stomach when milk came in. After I dried up, I could. But my boobs are still bigger than they were pre-pregnancy, even with no milk. So I'm still kinda adjusting to that.

I had a few stitches so I dealt with new issues that I didn't have during pregnancy (like peeing!! peeing sucked, man. It burned!) and uhhh pooping. That wasn't very fun. It hurt for a few weeks, and I was constipated. I generally felt a bit "weak" the first week after I gave birth. Not sure if it was blood loss (though I lost very minimal during birth - nothing abnormal) or just giving birth that made me very tired. Or just having a newborn. I just felt "off".. almost like run down. But that was better after the first week for me.

Overall, not being pregnant (even after a few days for ME, personally) was 100x better than being pregnant. But I had the pregnancy from hell, so I'm likely not a good judge. I kind of danced when I gave birth. Because I was so excited to walk and not be pregnant.

caitlindenise · December 2014

I felt 100% better despite having a c-section! My back still hurt though, couldn't stand up for long periods of time or fold laundry for a little while. I couldn't hold baby long if I was sitting in a seat where I actually had to hold him up because of my back. It didn't take too long for that to go away though. One thing my mama says is you're pregnant 9 months so it'll take time for things to go back to normal.

TXUltraRunner · December 2014

Still can't lay on my stomach because of my boobs. I can't move my legs the wrong way because of the stitches. I thought for sure I'd be done bleeding now because it was so light by the time we left the hospital but here I am 11 days later still bleeding and cramping. I can't go without pads in my bra cause my boobs leak constantly. I'm more exhausted than I've ever been. I had an easy pregnancy and my recovery could probably be considered easy but I just thought I'd be back to more myself now so it's a little frustrating

llambrose · December 2014

I remember feeling better overall but also having some new issues to deal with. The swelling I had went away right away so I felt a lot smaller. I was able to move fine with the exception of having to mind my swollen, sore crotch. I felt a little wiped out for a few days which seemed like that would be pretty normal. I had some issues controlling pee (especially around running water) and pooping was a little scary and traumatic. My body felt a little "changed" like sleeping in my stomach was suddenly comfortable.

speu511000 · December 2014

Had my DD two weeks ago, heartburn was relieved immediately! I still am stuffy... Also had a UTI after birth and difficulty having a BM so that was awful. I could sleep in any position after the first week with no discomfort. Episiotomy was uncomfortable for the first week as well. Two weeks in and I'm in all my pre-pregnancy clothes and feeling like myself again! Uterus shrunk with breast feeding quickly but was pretty crampy the first week.

4littlebears · December 2014

It's been 3 years, but other than being sore from delivery it usually feels pretty glorious to me! I can actually move around, turn over in bed, lady on my back. I just feel more like I'm getting back to normal. It feels so good to have that mass of baby out of your stomach! I was really sore n the lady bits though, and my muscles are sore from delivery. But that first sleep too is a deeper sleep than I've had in months. Then you get woken up to feed baby and it's a bit of annoyance because you were sleeping so good, but then you realize you were sleeping pretty good so yay!

This was it for me at least.

luckylady18 · December 2014

I love reading these. Thanks for sharing, everyone!

bravemommy · December 2014

Amen on the heartburn relief! Knock on wood - have not had a lick of it since she was born. Ditto for the lactose intolerance- gone. C section pain was no fun- but the sooner you start moving the better.

Jellybean707 · December 2014

I also have some mommy amnesia! I remember feeling really beat up and just not like myself. I felt weak and a bit lonely from not having an inside baby anymore. IDK, it's kind of hard to describe for me.

jneden · December 2014

All of the pregnancy related symptoms go away but they are replaced with new issues depending on how rough your delivery/recovery is. I was in a lot of pain because of my episiotamy and engorgement from breast feeding. After about a week and a half though I started to feel normal again.

TXUltraRunner · December 2014

Oh my carpal tunnel that appeared during pregnancy has gotten much worse

FitmomJess · December 2014

Oh yeah, exhaustion and breast engorgement.

LadyXaverian · December 2014

southernyankeegirl said:

Specifically I mean hip pain, stuffy nose, ability to roll over, laying on my back without feeling physically ill, and snoring! I am really ready to not snore like I am cutting logs - I keep waking myself up!!!

I'm pretty sure the snoring went away pretty much immediately. Even though baby was waking up often, I slept so much more soundly for the time baby would let me sleep from the day we got home. I could sleep so much more comfortably, roll more comfortably etc... except for having to be careful of my tummy due to the c-section. But other aches and pains went away pretty well immediately, I *think*.

I had excessive swelling and pregnancy carpal tunnel. I seem to remember the carpal tunnel being gone within a few days. It took a couple of weeks for the swelling to go down completely, but I'll never forget the day I looked at my feet and they looked normal lol.

ETA: After reading some of the other answers, I may just have amnesia, but I remember thinking that having an outside baby was SO much better and that I felt so much better overall.

cassied7 · December 2014

I had HELLP, so it took a few weeks for my swelling to go down. I had DS in April, and I was able to wear all of my shoes again in May. For about 5 months, I couldn't sleep without a fan because my nose was so stuffy and loud...it was gone immediately after I delivered. I also remember complaining to DH about my reflux and how "I just want to burp without throwing up in my mouth!"...that ALSO went away immediately after birth for me. It was amazing!!!

snowbaby1214 · December 2014

I had a nearly 8 lb baby and only lost 6 lbs. The heartburn is still apparent, but Tums alone (no prilosec) can control it. I had no tearing/stitches but it is still very very tender down there. I have yet to sleep on my stomach; it is still bloated and my boobs are killing me and infected and sore. My arms are sore as I received 3 vaccines and 2 failed attempts at IVs before getting one in. My back is killing me where they put the epidural that failed in delivery and my whole body/eyes are sore from getting no sleep longer than 15 minutes in the past 3 days. But I can bend over and move around a helluva lot better now! I know I will recover and be normal again in a few weeks.

kc192 · December 2014

Ahhhhhh my c-section is in just 3 more days... You ladies are giving me so much hope! I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel!!

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