Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know you're asking for comparisons to other vaginal deliveries, but here are my C recoveries for comparison to the alternative:

The two recoveries were similar. Minimal bleeding for a few weeks, hurt really bad to laugh/cough for a couple weeks after the first one. Not too much pain around the incision, esp when I used the belly binder. I was walking the day after the surgeries, although in the week that followed I overdid the walking and had to go lie down. Sex after definitely hurt the first few times, not sure why! I occasionally pee a bit when I sneeze.

Almost two years out from the second C, however, I have occasional pain- feels like muscle pain- near the incision. My OB thinks it's scar tissue, and if I have a third C, they'll try to clear it away (though new scar tissue could always form).

This comparison is very helpful! Part of me wishes I could just request a c section

Are you OP? I thought you could request one...?

Wow I had a c-section- the first 4-5 days were rough but then it improved pretty fast for me after that. I'm sorry your recovery was so rough OP. Child birth is no joke either Caesarian or Vaginal.

Anonymous wrote:I know you're asking for comparisons to other vaginal deliveries, but here are my C recoveries for comparison to the alternative:

The two recoveries were similar. Minimal bleeding for a few weeks, hurt really bad to laugh/cough for a couple weeks after the first one. Not too much pain around the incision, esp when I used the belly binder. I was walking the day after the surgeries, although in the week that followed I overdid the walking and had to go lie down. Sex after definitely hurt the first few times, not sure why! I occasionally pee a bit when I sneeze.

Almost two years out from the second C, however, I have occasional pain- feels like muscle pain- near the incision. My OB thinks it's scar tissue, and if I have a third C, they'll try to clear it away (though new scar tissue could always form).

This comparison is very helpful! Part of me wishes I could just request a c section

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:7lb 1oz baby, 2nd degree tears, 1.5 hours of pushing w/ an epidural.

all the nurses and doctors told me how awesome it was that I only had second degree tears. they said that's really uncommon for a first time mom, but I don't know if I buy that. this all led me to believe recovery would be super easy, and it was, except it took about 6 months for sex to be bearable and 8 months for it to be pleasurable. still breastfeeding at 11 months.

I bled for about 8 weeks but by the last two it was mostly spotting. I pooped a few days after coming home from the hospital but kept taking colace for a while. I took ibuprofen every 12 hours for at least the first week or two home.

I've posted about this here before, but seeing a compassionate OB about pain during sex postpartum really helped and I would highly recommend talking to your doc about this if it's a problem. There are things you can do to help this!

Do you mind sharing some things that worked to help the pain of sex postpartum?

Not the PP but Op and for me I think it was a mix of lack of lubrication and anxiety and maybe so tightness from being stitched up? It just didn't work for the longest time and it was painful to try to force it,

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:7lb 1oz baby, 2nd degree tears, 1.5 hours of pushing w/ an epidural.

all the nurses and doctors told me how awesome it was that I only had second degree tears. they said that's really uncommon for a first time mom, but I don't know if I buy that. this all led me to believe recovery would be super easy, and it was, except it took about 6 months for sex to be bearable and 8 months for it to be pleasurable. still breastfeeding at 11 months.

I bled for about 8 weeks but by the last two it was mostly spotting. I pooped a few days after coming home from the hospital but kept taking colace for a while. I took ibuprofen every 12 hours for at least the first week or two home.

I've posted about this here before, but seeing a compassionate OB about pain during sex postpartum really helped and I would highly recommend talking to your doc about this if it's a problem. There are things you can do to help this!

Do you mind sharing some things that worked to help the pain of sex postpartum?

My OB basically showed me how some of the tissue where I'd gotten stitches was tight. So he told me to have my husband use one finger to very gently stretch the tissue and then after a while (when that become more comfortable) to use two fingers until we were ready for penetration. Hope this isn't too explicit but he also encouraged me to climax before trying any of this every time. If those home type remedies don't work I know there are things that pelvic floor PTs can do (sometimes those muscles get too tense and you have to learn how to relax them).

I've had two 8.25 pound babies, both vaginally. The youngest is 2.5 months old. One episiotomy and one 2nd degree tear. No issues with either - stitches fell out after a week or so and everything healed well. I had hemorrhoids with my second starting at about 32 weeks (baby born at 42) which resolved at a month postpartum. I was up and walking around within an hour of both (once epidural wore off). No issues with fecal incontinence but some issues with urinary if I laugh to hard or sneeze too hard. That happened with my first as well and got loads better after about 6 months with a lot of kegels and Pilates. Sex for the first time at 8 weeks was a little bit weird at first but then it was fine. No pain or dryness.

I know you're asking for comparisons to other vaginal deliveries, but here are my C recoveries for comparison to the alternative:

The two recoveries were similar. Minimal bleeding for a few weeks, hurt really bad to laugh/cough for a couple weeks after the first one. Not too much pain around the incision, esp when I used the belly binder. I was walking the day after the surgeries, although in the week that followed I overdid the walking and had to go lie down. Sex after definitely hurt the first few times, not sure why! I occasionally pee a bit when I sneeze.

Almost two years out from the second C, however, I have occasional pain- feels like muscle pain- near the incision. My OB thinks it's scar tissue, and if I have a third C, they'll try to clear it away (though new scar tissue could always form).

Anonymous wrote:7lb 1oz baby, 2nd degree tears, 1.5 hours of pushing w/ an epidural.

all the nurses and doctors told me how awesome it was that I only had second degree tears. they said that's really uncommon for a first time mom, but I don't know if I buy that. this all led me to believe recovery would be super easy, and it was, except it took about 6 months for sex to be bearable and 8 months for it to be pleasurable. still breastfeeding at 11 months.

I bled for about 8 weeks but by the last two it was mostly spotting. I pooped a few days after coming home from the hospital but kept taking colace for a while. I took ibuprofen every 12 hours for at least the first week or two home.

I've posted about this here before, but seeing a compassionate OB about pain during sex postpartum really helped and I would highly recommend talking to your doc about this if it's a problem. There are things you can do to help this!

Do you mind sharing some things that worked to help the pain of sex postpartum?

I had natural labor and pushing followed by a C section. Couldn't have a BM for a week and still have to take stool softeners once in awhile. Scar seemed ok but gets irritated and raised once every couple months. I'm still using silicone strips and trying oil massage. I did months of pelvic rehab therapy and it took away much of the pain (vaginal, back and abdominal) but I have still not had sex 9months after giving birth. Still have issues with urine leaking and can't use tampons due to tightness and pain.

I am working out and trying to desensitize my scar as much as I can, but I don't know if and when things will become more normal for me.

My recovery from a vaginal birth was nothing like that, OP. I'm sorry you went through all that. Although recovering from a scheduled C is harder than recovering from an uncomplicated vaginal birth, I think most moms and doctors would agree that recovering from a scheduled C is easier than recovering from a vaginal birth with complications like yours.

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Haven't read the replies, but the first 5 problems you listed applied to me too. Mine was little, but I had an episiotomy and extensive blood loss. Also had prolapse.
Second was a walk in the park by comparison, despite being larger. Very quick recovery. [/quote]


What kind of prolapse and what degree? I developed a small cystocele after the birth of my huge baby and am scared about it getting worse with future pregnancies. [/quote]

Same boat here. It is likely to worsen some with future pregnancy and deliveries. I have a moderate one and a rectocele. I've been advised to have a scheduled C.

I had a 7 lb 12 oz baby vaginally and had an episiotomy but no tearing. My labor was really fast (under 4 hours from first contraction to birth) and 45 minutes of that was pushing.

1. I was in bed most of the time I was in the hospital, just getting up to go pee or rock the baby in the chair for short periods of time. I was in pain but manageable and just taking Advil for the pain.
3. After I got home, got mastitis but no health issues related to the birth.
2. No problem w bowel movements, took Colace for a few days after birth but no issues, no pain w that.
3. It did take a bit longer to urinate and did hurt a little bit but the time it took to go was more like 5 minutes nowhere near 45 mins ever.
4. I bled for almost 7 weeks after and it was a ton of blood at first (enough that I called my ob about it). Used dermoplast and witch hazel for that whole time too. Don't know that I had to but I was paranoid about taking care of my stitches and preventing hemorhhoids.
5. It hurt to sit for about a week but I never used a special cushion.
6. I was not supposed to drive for 2 weeks. But I extended that even longer (I think til about 4 weeks?) because I really didn't need to go anywhere by myself that first month anyway.
7. never had any tailbone pain.
8. Sex was a little uncomfortable the first couple times (didn't attempt til 8 weeks pp) but was never painful and was back to completely normal within a few months.

Sounds like you had a really rough time, op. Hope it goes better this time. I bet it will.

[quote=Anonymous]Haven't read the replies, but the first 5 problems you listed applied to me too. Mine was little, but I had an episiotomy and extensive blood loss. Also had prolapse.
Second was a walk in the park by comparison, despite being larger. Very quick recovery. [/quote]


What kind of prolapse and what degree? I developed a small cystocele after the birth of my huge baby and am scared about it getting worse with future pregnancies.

Haven't read the replies, but the first 5 problems you listed applied to me too. Mine was little, but I had an episiotomy and extensive blood loss. Also had prolapse.
Second was a walk in the park by comparison, despite being larger. Very quick recovery.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

+1. You're sounds like an unusually difficult recovery OP but my c-section recovery was much simpler than my vaginal delivery.

+2

I had a great vaginal delivery with my first and tore minimally, but I needed a C with #2 because he was breech. The C section recovery was easier!