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31-3-2009 - What to Expect...after delivery!

My mood while writing this blog: a bit tired but happy

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Geez...I had NO idea!!! I was so fixated on how scary labor and delivery was going to be that I never thought about what comes afterward. It was a rude awakening! Even though I had 14.5 hrs of labor, afterward it seemed to have raced by. And I forgot the difficult parts very quickly. My recovery however seems to have dragged on forever...but it's really just one tough week pretty much.

Right after delivery I was still pumped up on adrenaline for 24 hrs..barely slept. There was tons of blood and I had NO bladder control at all. I also could not feel when I needed to pee...so I constantly got up and could not make it to the bathroom on time. I got MASSIVE hemoroids with all the hours of pushing I did, so between that and the stitiches on my perenium I could not sit (for 10 days)...so I had to lie on my side OR stand...very hard to breastfeed baby...and feet became like swollen blocks of pain from eating standing up etc.

It is very depressing that you still look 5 months preggers after delivering...try to avoid eye contact with your belly in the mirror :-) I shed 23lb by the end of the 1st week. Today I am 2 weeks postpartum and my belly looks about 1 month pregnant. Bring baggy black pants and a long loose tunic for going home. There is BLOOD.

Every time you pee it burns like fire and you need to always have your squirt bottle (from hospital) filled ahead of time so that it's ready for your next toilet run. You squirt water as you urinate to dilate the acidity of the pee. Fill it up each time you are done on the toilet and leave it right next to the toilet ready to grab. Have all your supplies on hand next to the toilet. At the hospital, I made a table for myself with a trash can covered with a towel that I could reach from the toilet. The big stretchy mesh undies the hospital gives you will become your best friends...take some HOME!!! You can stash an icepack in there as well as your doormat sized pad, and you'll need it!! There is no granny panty large enough to accomodate your comfort measures.

Forget maxi pads...go to CVS and buy the major diaper type pads just for the beginning, in case you pee on yourself. I have now regained bladder control thank goodness! You'll gradually bleed less and less and can go down in pad size.

Major constipation for several days after delivery...your system kind of shuts down temporarily. Have Colace at home or even bring it to the hospital with you so you can start right away. It's scary because you start eating ravenouisly after birth and wonder when it's going to come out! (Sorry...nothing is TMI after you have given birth...really! :-)

The full body pain didn't start till about 2 days after delivery...I was on Motrin and Tylenol around the clock and made sure I called for my meds ahead of time to keep up with them. The nurses are very busy so stay on top of it. At some point I suddenly felt like a truck had rolled over me...but I managed not to go to heavier pain meds. For the first week I felt like a canon had gone off in my nether regions. Then again I did push a 14.4cm head through a 10cm opening, I guess.

Just when you feel like you couldn't be more miserable..painful...sleep deprived...trying to get used to taking care of a baby...your breasts undergo another metamorphasis and get HUGE, hot and painful!! Honestly mine looked like they DOUBLED!!! I was shocked. It was temporary, as my milk was coming in. But forget all the cute nursing bras I had bought...all I could wear were the nursing camisoles from Target (they have saved my life..I live in them around the clock) And you must have nursing pads and Lansinoh lanolin cream...you'll be using them around the clock to doctor your very painful nipples.

Forget the adorable robe and nightgowns you picked out so carefully for the hospital...I bled and urinated on several hospital gowns per day!! Thank goodness someone else was doing the laundry! The snaps are also very handy for nursing.

Don't expect that the hospital will be a place where you can get some REST!! Ha,ha!! it was like Grand Central Train Station. There are a constant parade of people coming through your room AROUND THE CLOCK...to monitor your vital signs, draw blood, give you meds, nursery staff, your doctor, people with paperwork, food delivery, the baby's doctor, the photographer, laction people, etc etc...then your baby comes to you for nursing every 2 or 3 hrs or so...and in between you can hear other people's babies crying. I had VERY LITTLE sleep the 3 days at the hospital...I couldn't wait to go home already.

If there is a lactation consultant at the hospital get as much help and advice as you can before leaving. It is very stressful to be home and suddenly realise the immense responsibility of feeding your little one. I read exhaustively and attending a breastfeeding class, but nothing prepared me for how hard it has been.

My expectations would have been different had someone told me all this ahead of time and it may have been less overwhelming. The first week at home was very difficult even with my husband off work and very helpful. Taking care of yourself AND your baby the first week is exhausting. So set up someone to HELP! IF you are breastfeeding you have very painful contractions and bleeding every time you feed...like period pain. Take tylenol a half hour before you feed...and try to get a blow up donut pillow to sit on to not put extra weight on your incision.

Now for the good news :-)....things get SO much better the second week...so hang in there!! :-)

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18 Comments on What to Expect...after delivery!


res - Saturday, 4 Apr
I wasn't on for a few weeks, so Inever got to say congratulations! A St Patty's day baby! Congratulations, mommy.

Quiver Full - Thursday, 2 Apr
after having 5 i can say that it was pretty much like this for me each time. even with the best of circumstances it is a very difficult first week or two! i remember with my first i was totally shocked! I HAD NO IDEA IT WOULD BE LIKE THAT!! i knew the labor would hurt but nothing about afterwards! i didn't even know i would bleed afterwards. i thought getting out of a period for 9 mos was great--i didn't know i'd bleed for almost 6 weeks afterwards to make up for it! i think if girls were more prepared it wouldn't be so awful to go through. and i think more people would keep pushing past all the discomfort to keep breast feeding. alot of people quit because its so overwhelming but maybe if they knew it was all normal they would keep going? i'm glad you are feelign better! me too finally!

t555rm - Wednesday, 1 Apr
Hi there... Not sure how I got to yr profile but just read yr 'after delivery' blog and OMG how true! I had a really traumatic labor myself and a nightmarish recovery. Everything u mention in the blog was like me reliving the whole thing only mine was 2 times worse. I pushed for 4.5 hours and had 3rd degree tears and yeah, hemorroids too. Thank heavens for witch hazel and the squishy bottle! It took me 6 weeks to be able to walk without wincing in pain... to make it worse my son hadto be in the nicu due to birth trauma. Oh, the undies u get from the hospital were a life saver LOL I did grab some to go. One thing that didn't work for me was the doughnut. Anyways all that was 5 months ago and my son is a blessing! Enjoy yours!

kristink21 - Tuesday, 31 Mar
Aw hunny that's awful you had such a hard time afterwards!! my daughter was 8 pounds 13 ounces and 21 half inches and i didn't rip...if you don't rip you don't have to have all that stuff..lol but she's also my second. Hopefully your next one will be a lot easier for you and if not you'll defiently be prepared!!!:)

alaina698 - Tuesday, 31 Mar
Wow - My experience was NOTHING like this! I also had a vaginal delivery and my baby's head was 14.5 cm. I pushed on ly 40 mins and barely tore at all (only needed 3 stitches on the inside). I felt like a million bucks after delivery! I had barely any pain at all and even though they kept offering me Motrin, I didn't need it. I had some back pain where the epi was, but nothing that made me want pain meds. It's true that you get NO sleep at the hospital. I also had to keep my baby with me, as my hospital makes you room-in. I am sorry you had such a bad pp experience! I am glad you feel better now!

little-squirt - Tuesday, 31 Mar
wow this is my 3rd and i def have to agree with most of your post, tho everyone is always a little different. The hospital staff buggin you after is so true its non stop..if you have the lights off and bed laid back to sleep they will turn the lights on and raise the bed while in there and NOT leave the room in comfy darkness like when they came so u gotta drag u sore self off the bed to turn lights back off. EPI WARNING!!!!! after you deliver they want you to pee in like an hour to make sure your plumbing works..after my epi i could not walk to the bathroom and the stupid nurse would not help me to the bathroom to show i could pee so they put a cath in there...not nice to feel with a sore prsonal area...otherwise both my recoveries were fine for me and bless your heart for such a rough one...if you have more children please dont let it cement your opinion on the "afterbirth" it may be better next time. i had a 18 hr delivery with my first with no pain meds that i adore and a 6 hr delivery with and epi that was the worst expierince ever....good luck moms!!!

luv4lukas - Tuesday, 31 Mar
Wow...I guess there's a lot more I have to look forward too! Thanks for posting that, I'm actually going to do a last minute run and get some essentials that you suggested that I had no clue I would need!

JanetN - Tuesday, 31 Mar
I couldnt have said it better myself...

WaitingForYou! - Tuesday, 31 Mar
Hi - I read your blog. Thanks so much for taking time to post it. I have to have major modifications in my expectations. Good luck!

candiceleigh-x - Tuesday, 31 Mar
You forgot that some woman experience painful stool passes. i'm on fiber pills and 7 weeks PP and still can't pass a stool without hurting a bit, and i didn't hemorrhage either.

babywest - Tuesday, 31 Mar
WOW!!! When you are pregnant with your first I guess all you think about is coming home and everything being perfect and all your friends and family coming over to visit! I never really put much thought in losing bladder control and how bad it will burn to go!! Thank you for your honesty!!

larkspur69 - Tuesday, 31 Mar
PS... I added witch hazel to the nice warm water in the Peri -bottle--- about 1/4 witch hazel....and refilled it to be warm each time. Salt or bicarb is also supposed to be useful

angiepants - Tuesday, 31 Mar
Wow, thanks for posting this! I knew it was really painful after delivery but geez, you really put it all into perspective! I am not so scared of the delivery, but the "after" now!

larkspur69 - Tuesday, 31 Mar
ALL TRUE! I read a blog from somebody else who posted and had a list of such things to consider before I went into labour....little did I know how useful it would be!!

I hope you don't mind a few additional suggestions from me!
maxi pads with 2-3 tbsps of water added and then FROZEN=Ahhhhh

donut cushion = essential!!!

don't wait for nipples to hurt...apply Lanisoh after EVERY feeding!

heating pad for boobs or belly = essential

SLEEP WHEN BABY SLEEPS!! screw the visitors!! We changed our outgoing msg on our answering machine to reflect that "we are unplugging our phones for 3 days, thank you soooo much for understanding, we can't wait for our little bundle to meet you once we recover!"

Do not bring jeans, LMAO to go home in!!! LOOSE pants!!!

$10 sitz bath with epsom salts and witch hazel = ahhhhh

Tucks pads kept in fridge = ahhhhhh




Phoenix39 - Tuesday, 31 Mar
Good for you to write this for everyone. Hopefully you will post it in each week lol. Is it salt they tell you to put in the bottle for while you are using the washroom to help with the healing or just plain water? I am glad to hear your second week is lots better, hoping to hear more from you soon.

OurSpringBaby - Tuesday, 31 Mar
OMG....Thank you for this!!!! Not only for the abundance amount of information but the TRUTH(and the laughs...even though you probably weren't trying to be funny, you were really just telling like it is)!!!! Your little man is beautiful and congrats to you!!! I've got 12 more days until my due date, but thinking he'll stay in there as long as he can!!!! Again, Thank you!!!

EricandCalebsMommy - Tuesday, 31 Mar
SO true ~ and SO worth it! :)

sara-in-oregon - Tuesday, 31 Mar
Hey, sorry you had such a rough recovery. I too was surprised by hemrhoids. Still have mine after 3 months although they stopped hurting after the first month. I also live in the Target nursing tanks. I was prepared to still look pregnant after delivery, but I wasn't prepared for the horrible saggy elephant/granny skin 3 months out. Pehaps I am unlucky in the skin dept. Some swear it gets better. Others say there is no cure but plastic surgery. Anyway, it's super depressing. I guess I just have to wait and see if it looks better or worse after losing the other 30 lbs.