Postpartum recovery questions and rants

adiaz132003 · June 2016

I figured there might be a few of us that either have questions about our recovery or just want to vent to other recovering mamas.

adiaz132003 · June 2016

Personally, I feel like I'm more sore than I really should be. But I did just push out a baby in mere minutes yesterday sooo.... yeah. I do have stitches cause i do have 2nd degree tears and my butt really hurt hurts. How long will it feel super stiff and sore down there? I can barely walk or adjust my position.

NLewis1 · June 2016

adiaz132003 said:

Personally, I feel like I'm more sore than I really should be. But I did just push out a baby in mere minutes yesterday sooo.... yeah. I do have stitches cause i do have 2nd degree tears and my butt really hurt hurts. How long will it feel super stiff and sore down there? I can barely walk or adjust my position.

For me it was about a week before I started moving around better and not feeling AS sore

peaceinnature · June 2016

Take sitz baths! Those helped so much with my recovery after DS was born (2nd degree episiotomy, vacuum delivery, 10.5 lb baby). It just helped things feel less stiff and sore and really helped my stitches heal quickly.

xc1148 · June 2016

Sitz baths and, it sounds counter-intuitive, but walk around if you can. Not too much, but it's good to get blood moving and have your muscles get back to normal. Also do a lot of the witch hazel rinses/wipes to help everything heal.

almostpriceless · June 2016

+1 on the sitz baths and add dermoplast spray. I'd say about a week before I started feeling any better with the previous 2. This DD is a week old today, but it turns out that I pulled some muscles in my lower back and down into my buttocks pushing during delivery, which I had no idea was even possible. As a result, I'm basically still waddling like I'm 85 months pregnant and having a hard time getting around. On the bright side, the bleeding seems to be slowing down faster this time than it did with the previous 2 babies.

egirl1025 · June 2016

I wanna know why no one mentioned what happens when your placenta does not automatically detach itself post baby?!?! I just wanna say it included a glove up to the elbow and I now feel like a cow! Of course I am making enough milk to be a cow (this part is not a rant, just added observation). Really?! Why were we not warned?!

ETA: autocorrect blows

MynaBird · June 2016

Dermoplast is liquid gold. Didn't deliver yet but I already stocked up because it was my best friend last time. Also, a little bit of witch hazel with warm water in your peri bottle.

gdjoken · June 2016

Yes to sitz baths and yes to the witch hazel. Also, I spent a few days sitting on my boppy pillow when I wasn't using it for nursing. That helped a ton! With my first I had 18 stitches and a vacuum delivery, and I started to move around normally after about two weeks.

laylahsmomma · June 2016

Lochia. The nasty, smelly, embarrassing postpartum symptom nobody tells you about. Basically, your crotch smells like a dead animal for a few weeks because your postpartum bleeding & expelled tissues contain bacteria in it. It's really super gross, & I feel like everyone can smell me, lol. & no, it's definitely not BV or another type of infection, (tho this is not the case with everyone, if you're concerned have your OB check you out) it's completely normal after delivery.

adiaz132003 · June 2016

laylahsmomma said:

Lochia. The nasty, smelly, embarrassing postpartum symptom nobody tells you about. Basically, your crotch smells like a dead animal for a few weeks because your postpartum bleeding & expelled tissues contain bacteria in it. It's really super gross, & I feel like everyone can smell me, lol. & no, it's definitely not BV or another type of infection, (tho this is not the case with everyone, if you're concerned have your OB check you out) it's completely normal after delivery.

emmyfreeman27 · June 2016

My lochia has never smelled like a dead animal--- I've always thought it smelled like my period. How many days PP are you? I'd be a bit concerned if it smelled foul.

emmyfreeman27 · June 2016

Yes to sitz baths (or just several regular short and sweet baths a day!). I also made sure that I used the peri bottle each time I used the bathroom-- really warm water PLUS a drop or two of lavender essential oil.

ALSO-- Have you heard of padsicles? I have made these for each baby-- #4 due on Monday!-- about 10-12 of my maxi pads I have for postpartum, I opened them up carefully, without taking the wrapper off, and squirted some witch hazel+lavender oil on it. Stick those puppies in the freezer and when you need a new pad, get one of those-- they'll feel SO nice on your sore perineum and will help healing, too.

NLewis1 · June 2016

emmyfreeman27 said:

My lochia has never smelled like a dead animal--- I've always thought it smelled like my period. How many days PP are you? I'd be a bit concerned if it smelled foul.

I second this - it doesn't smell great but it was never offensive

laylahsmomma · June 2016

I'm 11 days PP, this is my second child, I had the same strong smell after my DD was born 2 years ago & it freaked me out so I went to get checked out & the culture came back negative for any infections, & my OB reassured me that it was normal & due to the bacteria in the blood & tissue. Maybe my bacteria is a little more funky than y'alls, lol.

mollie2383 · June 2016

After after I had my first, I had uncontrollable gas for like 2 or 3 weeks. It was humiliating. Of course H thought it was the funniest thing ever, because i don't fart around him. We've been together 11 years and I just can't. Anyway, these enormous farts would come out of nowhere and there was no stopping it. Thankfully it only happened around him, not in a crowded room or something.

I made padsicles last time but I don't feel up to it this time. I don't remember them being as helpful as I was hoping.

alysemci · June 2016

Yes to smelling like a period and yes to the gas

adiaz132003 · June 2016

Any one get a burning sensation around where the clit hood/top of vagina? I didn't tear there and honestly it hurts more than the perineum where I did tear.

MynaBird · June 2016

adiaz132003 said:

Any one get a burning sensation around where the clit hood/top of vagina? I didn't tear there and honestly it hurts more than the perineum where I did tear.

I remember something like that from last time. It makes sense considering your entire anatomy down there got stretched and stressed during delivery.

mrsp2213 · June 2016

I'm 15 days PP, FTM, vaginal birth with a first degree tear and a couple of dissolvable stitches. It took me a good week to 10 days to really feel a lot better. I haven't had to take any piankillers this week and soreness has dissipated. I am still plagued by constipation unfortunately but I mostly attribute that to a very poor diet, I am barely eating anything because I'm either sleeping, nursing and have absolutely no appetite.

My PP essentials have been padsicles, tucks pads, the mesh underwear from the hospital, Motrin and colace.

adiaz132003 · June 2016

mrsp2213 said:

I'm 15 days PP, FTM, vaginal birth with a first degree tear and a couple of dissolvable stitches. It took me a good week to 10 days to really feel a lot better. I haven't had to take any piankillers this week and soreness has dissipated. I am still plagued by constipation unfortunately but I mostly attribute that to a very poor diet, I am barely eating anything because I'm either sleeping, nursing and have absolutely no appetite.

My PP essentials have been padsicles, tucks pads, the mesh underwear from the hospital, Motrin and colace.

Yaaaaasss to the mesh undies! I could live in these. Did you lose your appetite from day one? I feel like I'm starving myself but I just feel like eating so some reason.

HeartLikeMine3 · June 2016

STM DD is 8 days old I had a second degree episiotomy and just stopped taking pain meds 2 days ago. Honestly what's bothering me most is my hemmroids I was lucky I didn't get any the first time. Do these go away or have to be surgically removed if they are on the outside?

BlueJuice · June 2016

I'm 26 days postpartum and had a c-section, and my abdomen still feels (and looks) like I was trampled upon by a herd of angry moose. Not my incision, which is healing well and isn't really all that painful at this point. But I had an excessive amount of bruising on my stomach (basically between the incision at my pubic bone and my navel), and it's still not faded, and if anything seems to have gotten more tender. I am not a fan. Also it hangs attractively over my incision in the lovely way of loose belly skin and c-section scars. Grump.

snowhite12 · June 2016

8 days PP.
So my crotch def. still hurts but things are getting better, at least I can walk without looking cripple like I did til I was 4 days PP.
I can also get out of bed more gracefully.
I feel like I have to hold my crotch when I walk or all my organs will fall out lol. I've been doing kegels and they have helped. Also, surprisingly didn't get hemorrhoids when I gave birth but got them when I attempted to take a major poop the other day. the only think that helps is a ice pack. I'm going to try a sitz bath too.
tucks haven't helped much.

NLewis1 · June 2016

adiaz132003 said:

Any one get a burning sensation around where the clit hood/top of vagina? I didn't tear there and honestly it hurts more than the perineum where I did tear.

This is from the catheter if you had an Epi. I had this for several weeks after delivery, it's one of the reasons I'm trying med free this time!

mrsp2213 · June 2016

Yep, no appetite since I went into labor. I am literally forcing myself to eat, the only positive is that the weight is coming off quicker than expected.

NLewis1 · June 2016

mrsp2213 said:

Yep, no appetite since I went into labor. I am literally forcing myself to eat, the only positive is that the weight is coming off quicker than expected.

I had this with my first. It's hormonal. I had to start setting alarms on my phone to remind me to eat or I would get to 6 at night and realize I hadn't eaten all day and still wouldn't be hungry. Especially if you are BF it's important to feed your body, but it also helps your body recover! You can't expect a machine to run on no fuel!

Tawny87 · June 2016

laylahsmomma said:

Lochia. The nasty, smelly, embarrassing postpartum symptom nobody tells you about. Basically, your crotch smells like a dead animal for a few weeks because your postpartum bleeding & expelled tissues contain bacteria in it. It's really super gross, & I feel like everyone can smell me, lol. & no, it's definitely not BV or another type of infection, (tho this is not the case with everyone, if you're concerned have your OB check you out) it's completely normal after delivery.

My hubby and I literally had this convo ten minutes ago.

chesterdoodle · June 2016

Postpartum swelling is driving me nuts! Doc says its all normal, although i dont remember it being this bad with my first. My feet are more swollen now than they were when i was pregnant. Hoping it goes away soon!

alileecam · June 2016

My ass hurts, y'all. I either sprained or perhaps broke my tailbone during my delivery (either way, they can't do anything about it says the doc
.. can't cast a tailbone) and it's the worst part of this go-round for me. I feel so lucky to feel pretty good besides the terrible pain while sitting, getting up while sitting, etc. My pain medicine for it wears off pretty quickly so basically it just throbs most of the time. And feels uncomfortable when I have to poop... as if that wasn't already pretty uncomfortable postpartum!

I had a second degree tear this time, but compared to the third degree tear I had with my first, it really hasn't registered at all (thank goodness!!!).

alileecam · June 2016

chesterdoodle said:

Postpartum swelling is driving me nuts! Doc says its all normal, although i dont remember it being this bad with my first. My feet are more swollen now than they were when i was pregnant. Hoping it goes away soon!

Mine was bad and really bothered me (mostly visually). It finally disappeared completely about 10 days pp--i think that finally taking some time to sit with my feet propped up really super high helped a lot.

adiaz132003 · June 2016

NLewis1 said:

adiaz132003 said:

Any one get a burning sensation around where the clit hood/top of vagina? I didn't tear there and honestly it hurts more than the perineum where I did tear.

This is from the catheter if you had an Epi. I had this for several weeks after delivery, it's one of the reasons I'm trying med free this time!

Nope, no epi for me. LO came really fast though so I guess it's just general trans. Maybe? Idk

snowhite12 · June 2016

for those suffering from swelling, I know swelling can last longer if you were induced (this is what the nurses at my hospital said) I was induced with my 1st and had swelling for close to 2 weeks before it went away. With this one, I went into labor myself and only had swelling 3 days pp. Messaging my feet and legs helped.

26pointrunningfor2 · June 2016

I've got a third degree tear (thanks vacuum assisted delivery), which doesn't hurt as bad as I would expect AS LONG AS I REMEMBER TO TAKE THE VICODIN! If I go too long without the vicodin I'm hating life.

I also have a buttload of swelling, which I didn't really have at all during pregnancy. @snowhite12 that would make sense that the induction would add to the swelling. To keep my contractions from being continuous during my first 10 hours of labor they keep pumping me full of fluids. I went through many bags over the 20 hours to control the contractions and then keep my distressed baby alive during the delivery.

Lastly, I don't remember where I read it, but whoever suggested using a padsicle for counterpressure during the first few bowel movements is a genius. I had my first semi-poop this morning, and that helped a lot!

june2016baby · June 2016

laylahsmomma said:

Lochia. The nasty, smelly, embarrassing postpartum symptom nobody tells you about. Basically, your crotch smells like a dead animal for a few weeks because your postpartum bleeding & expelled tissues contain bacteria in it. It's really super gross, & I feel like everyone can smell me, lol. & no, it's definitely not BV or another type of infection, (tho this is not the case with everyone, if you're concerned have your OB check you out) it's completely normal after delivery.

Yes, I am paranoid people can smell me too. I wish we could wear tampons to ensure people can't smell, but oh well. I just read that others think it smells like a period? Huh? To me, a period has a metallic smell. The lochia smells nasty though. Maybe my nose is just extra sensitive? Or maybe my lochia has smelled extra bad with all 4 births? (Doubt that, though.)

bray1214 · June 2016

I am 5 days PP and I delivered vaginally with no stitches.
My biggest complaint was the swelling. My feet are huge and haven't been my entire pregnancy. I hate the feeling of having no abs. I'm not bleeding as bad as I thought I would be. Just a little sore.

Amawanderlust · June 2016

I'm 10 days pp and really got lucky with everything. I hurt for the first two days but never needed pain meds for it. Now I just wish my bleeding would stop! It's about the same as a period now but it's still annoying! Also, I live in arizona and cannot wait for my six week appointment so I can swim again.

amangels2 · June 2016

Does anyone else find they are crying all the time? The smallest thing will set me off, it's incredibly annoying.
ETA: I am 9 days pp

adiaz132003 · June 2016

amangels2 said:

Does anyone else find they are crying all the time? The smallest thing will set me off, it's incredibly annoying.
ETA: I am 9 days pp

Not all the time but as evening approaches I get feelings of dread and start to cry. I may have the baby blues but I'm very open about my feelings so my family and hubby know what to look out for.

snowhite12 · June 2016

amangels2 said:

Does anyone else find they are crying all the time? The smallest thing will set me off, it's incredibly annoying.
ETA: I am 9 days pp

I had this with my first, I think i was mainly just overwhelmed, i never felt depressed but like you said, the smallest thing would make me cry/upset. Anyway, once I got in the "groove" of life with a baby things got alot better. took me a solid 2-3 weeks though. With this baby, my second, I'm alot less emotional lol.

amangels2 · June 2016

@adiaz132003 and @snowhite12 Thank you for your replies. I don't feel depressed, just the opposite, actually. Just seem to cry over everything. Even happy things. ☺️

Postpartum recovery questions and rants

Re: Postpartum recovery questions and rants

Mrs. H

Crohn's Dx: August 2008

Endometriosis Dx: May 2010

Married: 05/19/2012

TTC #1: June 2013

BFP: December 2013

DS: Born 08/29/2014

TTC #2: July 2015

Mrs. H

Crohn's Dx: August 2008

Endometriosis Dx: May 2010

Married: 05/19/2012

TTC #1: June 2013

BFP: December 2013

DS: Born 08/29/2014

TTC #2: July 2015

Mrs. H

Crohn's Dx: August 2008

Endometriosis Dx: May 2010

Married: 05/19/2012

TTC #1: June 2013

BFP: December 2013

DS: Born 08/29/2014

TTC #2: July 2015

Mrs. H

Crohn's Dx: August 2008

Endometriosis Dx: May 2010

Married: 05/19/2012

TTC #1: June 2013

BFP: December 2013

DS: Born 08/29/2014

TTC #2: July 2015

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