Post-partum Recovery Questions

[Anonymous]

I am 3 weeks postpartum with my first.

1. Why are postpartum appt.'s scheduled after 6 weeks? Is it to ensure bleeding has stopped? I think I am doing okay "down there" but I haven't had the courage to survey the damage...

2. Related to #1, how soon did others survey the damage? (Can you tell I am scared?) I had dissolvable stitches and 2nd degree tears (big baby). What can I expect to see?

3. I am breastfeeding. My breasts are now much larger than they were. Just to torture myself, I tried on some old clothes. Never expected pants to fit yet, but I was surprised that none of my old shirts fit. Will I have to donate all of them and buy new shirts, too, or will my breasts eventually return to my old size??


Thanks everyone for your patience w/ my multiple questions...

[Anonymous]

congrats on baby!!! i was a c-section so cant comment on when to survey the goods, but i'd assume the sooner the better just to make sure things look ok, if you feel comfortable with no major issues you're probably healing well...as for the boobs, they get HUGE the first few months of nursing when baby is nursing 24/7, as you lose some of the water weight from pregnancy your boobs and body will actually get a bit smaller in my experience, but prepare for large breasts for at least 3-6 mos until your baby starts solids and begins to nurse a bit less freuquently, i look back at the photos with me and my son from nursing days and cant believe how big my breasts were=a total rack!!! they also get way less sore with time, congrats to you new mommy!

[Anonymous]

Every body deals and recovers differently during PP.

I don't know if there is a magical number, but the docs. want to see you at 6 weeks post vaginal delivery (not sure what it is for c section) since most females' uteruses (is there a plural form?) contract to their original size. The vessels also constrict and therefore most of the spotting will decline if not stop all together.

Keep in mind, pregnancy was 9 months - 9 months of fluid accumulation, blood vessel formation, blood volume, muscle stretching, etc. Your body won't go back to pre-baby in a snap - it needs time. Now some people "recover" faster than others, but as long as the doc. feels you are on the right track I wouldn't try to compare myself with others.

I actually couldn't see any of the stitches down there. The "stuff" slowed down a lot after the second week, flared up a few times, and then finally stopped.

Your boobs get big because the hormones and your body are producing milk. DUH, right? If you are nursing they will stay big, obviously, and your body will adjust according to the "supply & demand" from pumping/breast feeding. They will feel engorged at first as the milk comes in which is a good sign...although uncomfortable.

Hope you get some great advice. Nobody told me this stuff - especially the PP bleeding, big boobs, leaving the hospital looking 4 mo. pregnant, etc., so I really wish I had known about it. I guess I should have done some reading...I didn't discover DCUM either until after birth.

Congrats! Now, stop reading the boards and get some rest. Extra snuggles to your little bundle!

[Anonymous]

I agree with the PP - the six week mark is to ensure that your uterus has gone back to normal size, as well as generally checking on your well-being.

You don't have to look now if you don't want too! You will continue to heal over time.

Your boobs will stay bigger for a while. For a long time, your breasts will store milk for nursing, so they'll be much bigger. Over time, they will learn to make milk on demand, and won't store much, so they'll start to go back. Just get some supportive nursing bras in your new size, and expect to buy new ones again once things regulate (maybe the sixth month mark). I found I wanted looser tops while I was nursing, because it made it easier to nurse in public - the extra fabric would cover up my sides, rather than hitching up a tight top all the way.

Although the weight might fall off you, expect "nine months up, nine months down". In my case, it took a lot longer, but I wasn't focused on it - and I did ultimately lose every last pound.

Congratulations!

[Anonymous]

I do remember around 2-3 weeks trying on some old pants, feeling miserable that nothing fit, that my stomach was all this gross loose flesh and still feeling pain in the private areas (plus of course the total exhaustion of having a newborn). But don't worry!! It did all change. So, just give yourself more time.

I didn't have the courage to "survey the damage" (I have 2nd degree tearing too) until probably 2-3 months out. Then when I did, things down there didn't feel quite normal for another few months (around 6 months actually). Also around 6 months my breasts reverted back to pre-baby size. The other thing I noticed was that my rib cage and hip bones seemed spread apart (there was baby weight too of course, but I also seemed wider than normal) for the first 4-5 months pp.

Basically I lived in stretchy yoga pants and stretch cotton/lycra shirts from Target for the first 6 months when my old clothes fit again. This is good too if your baby spits up a lot - inexpensive wash and wear clothes are really helpful at that stage!

Around 3 months I began exercising and around 4-5 months began "dieting" (in quotes, b/c if you're breastfeeding you don't want to severely cut calories but I did WW and they have a plan for breastfeeders that I followed). 6 months weight was off and 8-9 months stomach began looking like maybe I would have hopes of wearing a 2 piece bathing suit again.

This stage is so hard - but it does get better!!!

[Anonymous]

I did feel pretty healed down there by week 3-4 so that sounds normal. That's great that you do too!

As for clothes and being huge, I just kept wearing maternity clothes the first 1-2 months because they really fit me the best. (Really the stuff from months 3-5 fit me best.) It took me 4 months to officially get back to my pre-baby weight, but probably another 8 months before I got back to my pre-pregnancy SIZE, because everything was all stretched out, belly bigger, etc.

If you're itching for new clothes, I would get a few pairs of pants and tops in 1 size larger than you're used to pre-pregnancy, or just try on stuff that fits with an open mind regardless of the size. Realize you're in transition now and it's a vulnerable time. You will probably lose a lot more weight in the coming months, especially while breastfeeding.

[Anonymous]

My DD is 7 months old. I too had 2nd degree tears and dissolvable stitches and surveyed the damage shortly after I came home and was rather surprised at how "normal" things actually looked. Yes, a little stretched out, but couldn't even tell where the stitches were. I had a normal pregnancy weight gain - 30 to 35 lbs and with breast feeding, I found that the weight did just come off on its own...slower than I initially thought though. I'm still nursing and by the 6 month mark I was below my pre-pregnancy weight but my body has changed. I'm now smaller on the bottom and bigger on top....so my x-small and small tops totally don't fit and I think its a combination of boobs still bigger than before, rib cage is still a little bigger, and I think my body is holding onto some extra weight on top. My waistline is pretty much back to normal but I still have some loser flesh/rolls around my belly area - something that I never had before. My OB said your body holds onto 5 to 10 lbs until you stop breastfeeding.

[Anonymous]

Looks like you got a lot of great responses so far so I won't repeat, but I did want to add a comment on the 6 week appt. thing.

The 6 week appt. is pretty standard. It is usually the average amount of time that the uterus and the blood vessels contract and constrict, respectively, to their normal size (that was already mentioned by a PP).

However, your doc. should also be asking you how you are feeling and answering your questions - birth control, exercise, weight control, nursing, back-to-normal routine etc. (whatever is applicable and you want to talk about). In addition, a good doc. should also be looking for red flags of post partem depression. Now that the hoopla of pregnancy is over, your help (whether mom, in laws, friends, etc.) have probably gone home and you and hubby are by yourselves, and the "newness" is now the "norm" - how are you coping. Are there signs of depression - listless, lethargy, empathy? Some people really crash hard. Friends and family no longer bring over dinner, you haven't been social, you're tired, etc. - all kinds of changes. Hopefully, the doc. should be able to recognize the signs.

Congrats. and enjoy this time. It goes by really fast.

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone for the feedback...it helps to normalize my experience. It seems the consensus is that it take time which I am glad to give myself.

My appointment is less than 3 weeks away, so that milestone will be here before I know it!

Things have been going great so far...no PPD or anything, just some impatience in seeing what my life will look like once this recovery period is over.

Thanks everyone!

[Anonymous]

Great post! I am 35 weeks with my first and all of the replies have been really helpful. I am the kind of person that likes knowing what to expect, and when you're having a baby everyone tells you that you can't prepare for it no matter how hard you try! So that just sends me on a quest for more knowledge!

I have a few good friends with babies <1 year old, so I plan to be calling them a lot with those "TMI" type questions I'm sure I'll have.

Thanks for the post, OP!

[Anonymous]

I could have written this post! I'm 5 weeks PP with my first child. I was small to begin with and had normal weight gain (about 30 lbs.). Thanks to breastfeeding, the weight has fallen off quite quickly. I haven't weighed myself but I could wear my jeans and pants within days after delivery. However, the top half of me is another story. It's so depressing that NONE of my shirts fit right. I could wear them if I wanted to but they all look one size too small across the chest and are way shorter (I guess due to the larger chest size). Also, although a lot of weight has come off, there is still some loose skin on my stomach and I'm not comfortable wearing shirts that show that area. So, I went shopping and just bought a bunch of new shirts. They are basically the same pre-pregnancy size that I wore but maybe just a different cut or something to be more flattering at this point. It really made me feel good to have some options when I get dressed each day!! I was also careful to not buy anything too loose looking that I wouldn't want to wear if I lose a little more weight. At this point, I'm not at all interested in wearing anything maternity-like!

As for the rest, my 6 week appt. is next week and I also have not surveyed the damage. I feel fine down there and no bleeding but I just can't bring myself to take a look. I'm actually really anxious to have sex again. Has anyone done that pre-6 week check up? I don't have any pain and I really don't want to wait another week!

Good luck to you and I feel your pain. No one mentioned all of these things to me either. It's definitely not just about weight loss...your body just changes!