What was your recovery like?

[Anonymous]

I had a 9 lb son vaginally (bad 3rd degree tear) with lots and lots of amazing drugs 2.5 years ago. I'm 100% fine now but I'm trying to see how typical my recovery was as I get ready to give birth to #2 in a few months.

1. I was bed the entire time I was in the hospital with very low blood pressure hooked up to IVs and in a lot of pain and on pain meds
3. After I got home and a day or so of being ok I became too ill to get out of bed for about 5 days
2. I was unable to have a bowel movement for a week and only was able to after being admitted into the hospital
3. For a month it took me about 45 minutes each time I had to urinate and that was using a peri bottle etc
4. I bled, needed pain spray and witch hazel pads for about a month
5. I was not able to sit without a special cushion for about a month.
6. I was not allowed to drive for about 8 weeks
7. I had tailbone pain for over a year
8. Sex was VERY difficult and almost impossible for many months

[Anonymous]

Wow, OP, that sounds rough. I'm assuming most of that was due to your tear? I had minimal tearing and a completely different experience, and I hope that yours is much better the second time around.

My baby was just under 7 lbs with an average-sized head, so quite a difference in size from yours. I was induced with pitocin (water broke and labor didn't start on its own). I had a small tear. In response to your experiences, here's mine:

1. I was up and moving around (with some assistance) about an hour after the epidural was removed. I was able to move around with minimal discomfort and on my own several hours later. IV (pitocin/fluids) was removed several hours after delivery. I took no pain medication after the epidural was removed. I was a little sore, but not bad enough to warrant taking anything...not even a Tylenol. I have a low tolerance for pain, so this surprised me.
2. No issues with illness after returning home.
3. No issues with urination. I was constipated for several days and did end up with a small hemorrhoid. I kept up the pain spray and witch hazel pads that the hospital provided for about a week.
4. Bleeding/lochia started to taper off for me after 4-5 days and was completely gone by 1 month pp.
5. No issues with sitting after the first two days.
6. I was given no restrictions on driving.
7. No tailbone pain.
8. I wouldn't say it was very difficult, but it does feel different to me, and I do have pain on occasion that was not an issue before, even now over 18 months pp.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow, OP, that sounds rough. I'm assuming most of that was due to your tear? I had minimal tearing and a completely different experience, and I hope that yours is much better the second time around.

My baby was just under 7 lbs with an average-sized head, so quite a difference in size from yours. I was induced with pitocin (water broke and labor didn't start on its own). I had a small tear. In response to your experiences, here's mine:

1. I was up and moving around (with some assistance) about an hour after the epidural was removed. I was able to move around with minimal discomfort and on my own several hours later. IV (pitocin/fluids) was removed several hours after delivery. I took no pain medication after the epidural was removed. I was a little sore, but not bad enough to warrant taking anything...not even a Tylenol. I have a low tolerance for pain, so this surprised me.
2. No issues with illness after returning home.
3. No issues with urination. I was constipated for several days and did end up with a small hemorrhoid. I kept up the pain spray and witch hazel pads that the hospital provided for about a week.
4. Bleeding/lochia started to taper off for me after 4-5 days and was completely gone by 1 month pp.
5. No issues with sitting after the first two days.
6. I was given no restrictions on driving.
7. No tailbone pain.
8. I wouldn't say it was very difficult, but it does feel different to me, and I do have pain on occasion that was not an issue before, even now over 18 months pp.

Thanks PP! I appreciate it. So your body not remembering how to urinate isn't typical?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow, OP, that sounds rough. I'm assuming most of that was due to your tear? I had minimal tearing and a completely different experience, and I hope that yours is much better the second time around.

My baby was just under 7 lbs with an average-sized head, so quite a difference in size from yours. I was induced with pitocin (water broke and labor didn't start on its own). I had a small tear. In response to your experiences, here's mine:

1. I was up and moving around (with some assistance) about an hour after the epidural was removed. I was able to move around with minimal discomfort and on my own several hours later. IV (pitocin/fluids) was removed several hours after delivery. I took no pain medication after the epidural was removed. I was a little sore, but not bad enough to warrant taking anything...not even a Tylenol. I have a low tolerance for pain, so this surprised me.
2. No issues with illness after returning home.
3. No issues with urination. I was constipated for several days and did end up with a small hemorrhoid. I kept up the pain spray and witch hazel pads that the hospital provided for about a week.
4. Bleeding/lochia started to taper off for me after 4-5 days and was completely gone by 1 month pp.
5. No issues with sitting after the first two days.
6. I was given no restrictions on driving.
7. No tailbone pain.
8. I wouldn't say it was very difficult, but it does feel different to me, and I do have pain on occasion that was not an issue before, even now over 18 months pp.

Thanks PP! I appreciate it. So your body not remembering how to urinate isn't typical?

You're not the only person I've heard of that's had that problem. I don't think it is typical, but I don't think it is incredibly rare, either; particularly for women who may have had difficult deliveries. Did you push for a long time? A friend of mine who had that problem had pushed for nearly 4 hours. Her OB attributed it to the swelling she experienced from prolonged pushing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow, OP, that sounds rough. I'm assuming most of that was due to your tear? I had minimal tearing and a completely different experience, and I hope that yours is much better the second time around.

My baby was just under 7 lbs with an average-sized head, so quite a difference in size from yours. I was induced with pitocin (water broke and labor didn't start on its own). I had a small tear. In response to your experiences, here's mine:

1. I was up and moving around (with some assistance) about an hour after the epidural was removed. I was able to move around with minimal discomfort and on my own several hours later. IV (pitocin/fluids) was removed several hours after delivery. I took no pain medication after the epidural was removed. I was a little sore, but not bad enough to warrant taking anything...not even a Tylenol. I have a low tolerance for pain, so this surprised me.
2. No issues with illness after returning home.
3. No issues with urination. I was constipated for several days and did end up with a small hemorrhoid. I kept up the pain spray and witch hazel pads that the hospital provided for about a week.
4. Bleeding/lochia started to taper off for me after 4-5 days and was completely gone by 1 month pp.
5. No issues with sitting after the first two days.
6. I was given no restrictions on driving.
7. No tailbone pain.
8. I wouldn't say it was very difficult, but it does feel different to me, and I do have pain on occasion that was not an issue before, even now over 18 months pp.

Thanks PP! I appreciate it. So your body not remembering how to urinate isn't typical?

Different poster: not typical at all! I've had two kids vaginally and each time they made me try to urinate pretty soon afterward - before I left L&D for the recovery room. I didn't have an epidural either time so I was able to walk to the bathroom myself.

[Anonymous]

I was kept in the hospital and baby was sent home ... with my husband ... our first baby

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow, OP, that sounds rough. I'm assuming most of that was due to your tear? I had minimal tearing and a completely different experience, and I hope that yours is much better the second time around.

My baby was just under 7 lbs with an average-sized head, so quite a difference in size from yours. I was induced with pitocin (water broke and labor didn't start on its own). I had a small tear. In response to your experiences, here's mine:

1. I was up and moving around (with some assistance) about an hour after the epidural was removed. I was able to move around with minimal discomfort and on my own several hours later. IV (pitocin/fluids) was removed several hours after delivery. I took no pain medication after the epidural was removed. I was a little sore, but not bad enough to warrant taking anything...not even a Tylenol. I have a low tolerance for pain, so this surprised me.
2. No issues with illness after returning home.
3. No issues with urination. I was constipated for several days and did end up with a small hemorrhoid. I kept up the pain spray and witch hazel pads that the hospital provided for about a week.
4. Bleeding/lochia started to taper off for me after 4-5 days and was completely gone by 1 month pp.
5. No issues with sitting after the first two days.
6. I was given no restrictions on driving.
7. No tailbone pain.
8. I wouldn't say it was very difficult, but it does feel different to me, and I do have pain on occasion that was not an issue before, even now over 18 months pp.

Thanks PP! I appreciate it. So your body not remembering how to urinate isn't typical?

You're not the only person I've heard of that's had that problem. I don't think it is typical, but I don't think it is incredibly rare, either; particularly for women who may have had difficult deliveries. Did you push for a long time? A friend of mine who had that problem had pushed for nearly 4 hours. Her OB attributed it to the swelling she experienced from prolonged pushing.

Hmm swelling..I didn't even think about that. I probably was in labor for 7-10 hours then pushed for 3 hours and 45 min. 4 was the longest they were going to let me go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was kept in the hospital and baby was sent home ... with my husband ... our first baby

Care to share more....

[Anonymous]

Still recovering 13 months PP. had trouble with all continence which is why next baby will be a scheduled Caesarean. Good luck OP.

[Anonymous]

4th degree tear here.

Had some trouble sitting for a couple weeks after and of course they wouldn't let me exercise or anything for 8 weeks. But otherwise everything healed fine.

Are you considering a c-section?

[Anonymous]

I had an episiotomy and 4th degree tear. Honestly, wouldn't believe it if I didn't sit through 40 minutes of stitches because I had no pain or issues after delivery. I enjoyed the ice packs at the hospital, but I did just push out a healthy sized baby!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:4th degree tear here.

Had some trouble sitting for a couple weeks after and of course they wouldn't let me exercise or anything for 8 weeks. But otherwise everything healed fine.

Are you considering a c-section?

I'm totally game for having one if the doctor suggests it. Is that recovery any easier?

[Anonymous]

My minor tear with #1 (barely 6 lbs) didn't require stitches so obviously I had a much easier recovery than you, but I do remember being really sore for at least a few days, I was terrified to poop the first time and it hurt for about a week whenever I did go, and sex didn't feel good for the first few months.

#2 was no big deal - not much soreness, only scared to poop the first time but it really didn't hurt, and sex was totally fine once we got back into things at 6 weeks postpartum.

#3 was almost like nothing had happened. Not even sore, didn't bother with the ice pack pads at all, etc

My point is that hopefully #2 will be much less bad than your really hard postpartum experience.

[Anonymous]

I gave birth, and after about 20 minutes had a huge burst of energy/endorphins and told my husband "If I'd done this at home I'd totally consider getting up and making soup for everyone." Instead about two hours later I took a shower, threw on a dress, sat in a chair and hung out with the parade of people who came by.

DH had dinner delivered, he went home to feed and walk the dog, then came back and slept over with me. Then we went home the next day around lunch time. I took a nap, then walked the dog.

[Anonymous]

I would just like to offer that the idea that C-section recovery is not always harder than a vaginal delivery. My three friends who had scheduled Caesareans were all back to the gym/running pretty quick and had fast recoveries. My vaginal birth was awful and I'm still recovering. So do what's best for you.