How long after delivery to feel normal again?

loveymay · January 2016

So I'll be officially starting the third tri in a few days, and I'm so ready to be done being pregnant! Every waking moment is a suckfest of symptoms (although luckily I have a healthy pregnancy/baby, just lame symptoms, no serious issues). As I begin the countdown, Im wondering for all you stm+, how long after you delivered did the pregnancy symptoms go away? I'm talking about heartburn/nasal congestion/nosebleeds/hip pain/restless legs/back pain/etc?

I want someone to tell me the severe congestion and excess mucus will clear up as soon as LO is out. Basically when will I stop having to blow my nose every half hour??? Ahhh!!

imakeeff0rts · January 2016

Well, hip pain is likely going to stick around for a little while. That comes with the territory of L&D.

As far as the heartburn, congestion, and restless legs...well, hm. Heartburn and congestion went away literally when they pulled DS out. I immediately noticed a difference. I still have restless legs, though, and even sometimes I still get hip pain. You have to keep in mind that your body is shifting and things are stretching, and you might not be what you were before. Growing a human is hard on your body.

As far as feeling "normal", that's pretty relative, too. I mean, I think it all depends on how your delivery goes, whether or not you BF, etc. I never really felt normal with engorged breasts and the like, but I can't really say that I felt bad, either. I just felt different.

I think that's a good way to put it - my "normal" now is different than it was pre-pregnancy. Not bad, though.

loveymay · January 2016

Thanks! I guess by "normal" I mean not being in pain/being sick constantly, and not feeling like your body is out of your control. For me right now, the worst thing I'm dealing with is the congestion. I've basically had a severe "cold" for the last 3 months and expect it to stay until I'm no longer pregnant. I've been on antibiotics twice now for a sinus infection/URI, and was told to take claritin everyday to try to keep another sinus infection from forming. I'm just getting more miserable each day. I keep thinking the end is getting so close now! I just can't wait to have my body back and for the pregnancy symptoms to go away for good!!

dramaphile · January 2016

My heartburn cleared up immediately, no more baby pushing up against my stomach! I was sore in my whole body for about 5 days after delivery, it's like running a marathon, but after that, my back and hip pain was definitely better. My allergy symptoms also cleared up, I stopped taking Claritin after birth and I've not needed it since. It took over a week for the swelling and pain in my feet to go down, and I've heard it can take longer if you receive IV fluids during labor and delivery (I didn't).

Your pregnancy aches and pains will be replaced with postpartum aches and pains, but it's different, and I feel like it's more manageable. It took about 3 weeks for me to feel more like myself again, and I still have some soreness where my stitches are (2nd degree internal tear) at almost 6 weeks PP. It definitely becomes a new normal. Take care of yourself PP and don't overdo it, and hopefully your healing will go well. My husband remarked a couple of weeks ago that I'm finally laughing and smiling more, I was pretty miserable those last few weeks of pregnancy!

cmerribury · January 2016

It really depends on the symptom. My swelling (nasal, foot, and hands) took about a week to even out, longer for the feet/hands. My heartburn was better almost immediately. Hip pain took longer...several weeks, and the tearing was the worst. It took about 4 weeks to not feel scared to wipe in the bathroom and 6 months for sex to be comfortable again.

You'll have new different aches and pains, but the pregnancy stuff will resolve quickly (relatively).

MississippiCatfish · January 2016

Like others have said, it really depends on the person and the symptom. But I will say that with both of my kids, I just felt SOOOOOOOOooooooo happy not to be pregnant anymore, that I felt like the majority of my symptoms had been relieved! You have the new aches/pains related to delivery, tearing, and breast engorgement like others have said, but it just feels so wonderful to be able to bend over without throwing up in your mouth!

imakeeff0rts · January 2016

I forgot about the swelling. I did receive IV fluids during labor and after delivery. It took a couple of weeks for the swelling to go down. I've never consumed so much water in my life, but eventually it went away.

I think after my incision healed, and I got over engorgement, I felt pretty good. Couldn't really complain.

teachmegs817 · January 2016

I was feeling myself again about 2-3 days after delivery other than the swelling from all of the IV fluids. As PP had mentioned, it took about a week or a little more for my legs and feet to get back to normal size. My legs were the size of giant logs and my feet..ugh! It was awful. I didn't really have bad pregnancy symptoms other than my hips hurting me while I slept and that pain was gone once I left the hospital and was able to sleep in my own bed again.

Achae · January 2016

Mine was right after delivery, but I had SPD and heart burn etc. It got replaced with new annoyances such as engorged breasts and pp bleeding for 6 weeks (oh joy) and the pain of tearing/healing.

ammnam14 · January 2016

I don't want to be a Debbie downer but a whole new set of symptoms and problems occured after delivery. If it's not one thing its another.

doozer1345 · January 2016

For me it was certain things right after birth to certain things a week after, then a year after etc. It takes a lot of time before your body goes back to "normal." Also, your body is going to have a new "normal" you'll have to adjust to as well.

GoogleMD · January 2016

I honestly felt great with in an hour or so after delivery. I had intense pelvic pain with any movement while pregnant, which improved right after birth. It took about a week for the swelling in my feet and hands to resolve, but I has IV fluids

BabyHope2013 · January 2016

The recovery of after delivery was like a light at the end of the tunnel. I had bad back pain and horrible heartburn with DS1. All of that went away pretty much immediately. The bleeding and the pain from the tearing that I had was nothing because I knew that the pain would eventually go away---and I could manage the pain with medication. Even when my milk came in a few days after delivery it was painful--but I just iced myself with frozen peas and wore a tight sports bra till I dried up. I still couldn't have sex comfortably for a few months--but at least I could sleep on my stomach, not have to live off of tums and had my little baby to hold in my arms.

delujm0 · January 2016

It really depends on your delivery and pain tolerance...but for me, heartburn and congestion went away inmediately. Tearing took about 2 weeks. Pooping was horrific for about a week (even with stool softeners). My nipples were sore for the first two weeks of breastfeeding (that was the worst pain of all there for a while).

Sex hurt literally until my cycles returned at 6 months...likely bc that's when natural lubrication increased again. Physically though, day to day living, I felt normal again at 2 weeks aside from being super tired.

teachmegs817 · January 2016

@BabyHope2013 i was SO over joyed to be able to sleep on my stomach again! Lol, it's the little things.

PrimRoseMama · January 2016

doozer1345 said:

For me it was certain things right after birth to certain things a week after, then a year after etc. It takes a lot of time before your body goes back to "normal." Also, your body is going to have a new "normal" you'll have to adjust to as well.

I agree with this. ^

Honestly, 2 years and change after birth I still don't feel the exact same as I did before both kids. I simply adjusted to my "new normal". I can't sleep on my stomach anymore anyway. My boobs are still huge and it hurts my vertebrae fractures (congenital). So that's one thing that never went back to as it was. I'm still a side sleeper.

One thing I was super happy on the improvement is my mood. Pregnancy made me feel like a weepy mess over really small things. Once the PP hormones got regulated I felt so much more in control of my sad/emotional outbursts.

PrimRoseMama · January 2016

Also, sometimes I still feel tender during sex around the area that I had some perineal tearing. I managed to tear in the exact same spot both times. So its fleeting and sharp, but occasionally I guess the nerves are still messed up. Thankfully its not frequent.

2-Step · January 2016

I agree that it takes time depending on what you are talking about. It also heavily depends on the person. I have friends that felt back to normal in 3 days and were out running, and others that it took 2-4 weeks before they felt comfortable moving faster than a walk. The general discomforts - heartburn, achy joints, shortness of breath etc. tend to go away within 1-2 weeks for most people I think. Many of them are replaced by other discomforts such as swollen, leaky breasts, hair loss, and sleep deprivation from having a newborn. If we are talking 100% back to normal, I think with both kids it took me about a year, or about 2 months after I quit nursing. To feel generally normal and not bothered by weird new symptoms from nursing etc, I would say it took about 1-2 months. My feet took nearly a year to go back to normal size, although they never fully went back after my second. I had lingering symptoms of carpel tunnel for months. Exercise really helped me feel normal again because once everything was back in place and a little tighter I felt much more normal. If you have a c-section things will be different. I didn't plan to have one, but I did. If you have one you can push everything back by a week or two since you will be in bed longer and have other healing issues to deal with.

ArtlessIbex · January 2016

How long after birth did I feel normal again? Well, DD is five. I'm still waiting.

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