Post by Velar Fricative on Mar 8, 2015 21:14:09 GMT -5
I had a pretty great physical recovery from a long induction and vaginal delivery but I still didn't want to actually do much of anything for a few weeks.
I think I was delirious from sleep depravation at that point.
This. Physically I felt good but the tired about did me in on more than one occassion. And I don't even think it was from the actual baby. It took me a long time to get caught up from being poked, prodded, attempting to sleep with the lights on a glorified air mattress with a scratchy blanket in a too hot then too cold room that was the hospital. The hospital stay was by far the worst for me.
My kids were still in the NICU so I guess I'm a special snowflake?
My bleeding was period-like (not heavier), my boobs did not leak unless I had a crying baby in the same room as me, and I was fucking exhausted but walked farther than the street corner because it's what needed to be done.
ETA: Also, c-section. Twins, obviously. I would definitely not want to be a bridesmaid at 1 week postpartum. But given that even full-term babies can come anywhere in a 5 week window (using the 37-42 week definition, I know there are different definitions) it seems that it's not a very productive game to try to guess when baby will come.
Post by waterchurch on Mar 8, 2015 21:16:07 GMT -5
I only leaked with my first. With my second I was covered in hives and super itchy from pp pupps. I wouldn't have been able to hold a bouquet, let alone be a bridesmaid.
C was a vaginal delivery. At 1 week PP I was bleeding heavily, engorged, and having trouble sitting from stitches. I was an emotional basketcase and crying several times a day.
P was a c-section and I was actually better a week out. We went to the grocery store at 8 days PP and I remember being really sore and tired afterwards. I had minimal bleeding and never got engorged this time though.
With my first, I was a mess and barely functioning. It was a long induction, vag delivery, but my milk was barely in and I was the most tired I've ever been in my life. Crying every day.
With my second, I had an uneventful vag delivery, literally didn't even push. He just slid out with a strong contraction. So no swelling or tearing. I was barely even bleeding a week pp. But if I pushed myself and vacuumed or tried to be "super mom" then the bleeding did pick up. But I felt pretty normal.
I think I must have been high on adrenaline because 7 days post partum I went and hung out at the pride festival all day. I probably could have been in a wedding. B was asleep 90% of the time for his first few weeks of life.
Post by AlpineSlide on Mar 8, 2015 21:20:19 GMT -5
my boobs were so swollen and painful. also leaky. i could barely stand up straight due to gas pains (after surgery) sweaty all the time BAD acne!! so fucking tired and hormonal. everything was terrible.
eta - the swelling! I forgot about that. No way could I have worn bridesmaid shoes.
I called the OB's office because I passed a couple of huge clots. They were like "uh.. you just had a baby, so...?"
I made my H and mom come look at a clot. I could feel it come out of me, which I thought might be cause for concern. Apparently huge clots are also in the realm of "normal". Barf.
I was about 80% back to normal physically and mentally at 1 week pp. I cooked and cleaned for ~10 friends when DD was exactly 1 week old, and entertained people at our house for ~6 hours. We went to church (7AM Mass no less) earlier that same day. I regret not finding a way to go to my boss's wedding at 6 days pp. Honestly the hardest part would have been finding something appropriate to wear.
I had a 1st degree tear that was aggravated by a fall in the hospital, bled for 5 weeks, and was only down 4lb at 3 days pp. But DD was FF and liked to sleep for 3-4 hour stretches.
I was a hot mess. C section. Bleeding nipples, bled through 2 super pads when I tried to go out at 3 weeks. Made DH stay home a 3 rd week bc I couldn't take care of myself, let alone DD.
Post by AlpineSlide on Mar 8, 2015 21:26:19 GMT -5
@vicmo I had the "lost baby in the bed" freakouts so many times. OMG it was bad. I stopped bringing him to my bed around 7 months. and I just had one of those lovely freakouts a few weeks ago (he's 15 months now). DH still laughs at me for it. I was all "where's the BABY!" H was like "....his crib?" But those early ones were no joke.
I felt surprisingly normal - minimal bleeding and no leaking/engorgement, but very tired. I also had a "lost baby in the bed" freakout for several weeks postpartum.
Post by ilikedonuts on Mar 8, 2015 21:27:37 GMT -5
2 completely different recoveries with my kids.
At 1 week PP with DD1, I had just got my catheter out. I could still barely pee enough to empty my bladder. I could barely walk.
At 1 week PP with DD2, I didn't feel like I had given birth at all. I was actually like that like 6 hours after DD2 was born. I bled for less than a week. it was very light the whole time. I had no pain, minimal swelling. The only pain I had was 3-4 days PP when drying up. I didn't BF so my milk drying up the 2nd time was incredibly painful, but I was fine after a couple days and a lot of advil made it pretty bearable.
"Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you've got a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies-"God damn it, you've got to be kind.”
O was in the NICU, but I remember being in pain just sitting in the chair next to him and my blood pressure was still really wacky. H was supposed to be in his cousin's wedding at 1 week pp, but he didn't go. If O hadn't been in the nicu, I may have tried to go to the wedding since my parents live in the same town as the wedding, but wouldn't have lasted long even as a guest. I was a guest at a wedding at 6 weeks pp and I was just ready enough to go to an event, but be exhausted way before anyone else and bow out early.
Yes! At 1 week DD was a lump, made a noise, we jumped. Changed her, fed her, she fell asleep, repeat. That went on for about 4 weeks. I remember my mom spending the night at ~3 weeks so DH could go to one of Derek Jeter's last games. We went out christening dress shopping and DD didn't make a peep except when she pooped. At 6 weeks, I was thinking going back to work right then wouldn't be tooooo bad. She was fussy but manageable. Changed formula, fixed the problem. At 10.5 weeks I was counting down the hours before going back to work. At 6 months, I hate working PT. SAH at all is not for me. Being with her all day with no help those days just kills me. But she is supposedly "easier" than a newborn. Not IME.
I think you really forget a lot though. I used 1 week post partum in the poll because after that until about 6 months- I don't remember. My Mom was telling me how I was so tired -abnormally so. Like exhausted and rundown etx. I said 'um, just had a baby?' And she acknowledged that but said I was worse than most people. (But not as bad as her who had a csection cut the wrong way due to emergency or stupid people in the 70s)
I called the OB's office because I passed a couple of huge clots. They were like "uh.. you just had a baby, so...?"
My MIL is an RN and has dealt with a lot of nasty crap. At one point around 10 days pp I was like "IS THIS BIGGER THAN A GOLF BALL?" The verdict was it was questionable, lol. Luckily that was my only one quite that large.
I feel like hospitals need to start providing actual golf balls to pp women. I was so tired I honestly couldn't remember how big a golf ball was.
I'm mobile so no poll, but I had a pretty easy recovery with both girls and don't think I could have been a bridesmaid. Bleeding, swelling, and leaking would have made getting into a dress and nice shoes very, very unpleasant if not impossible. And I wouldn't have wanted to have to be away from baby for any period of time. I was up and going to stores, walking to the park, etc (particularly after dd2) but I could do it on my own schedule (or really, on baby's schedule) so it made everything much more bearable.
My MIL is an RN and has dealt with a lot of nasty crap. At one point around 10 days pp I was like "IS THIS BIGGER THAN A GOLF BALL?" The verdict was it was questionable, lol. Luckily that was my only one quite that large.
I feel like hospitals need to start providing actual golf balls to pp women. I was so tired I honestly couldn't remember how big a golf ball was.
I am pretty sure my discharge paperwork said "larger than your fist". My fist is way bigger than a golf ball!