I think the fact that it’s taken me 11 months to be able to write about what my body went through after birthing a baby speaks for itself. Was my delivery “normal”? Yes. Did I have any complications? No. Was the physical recovery so bad I probably blocked out parts of it from my memory? Yes.
No one told me about postpartum recovery. Everyone is so excited to tell you how hard and awful labor and delivery is. Everyone has their own warning and horror story. But not a single person warned me about how awful the healing process was after delivery. Here’s your warning. You’re welcome. I like coffee and donuts if you’re ever looking for a way to thank me.
For starters, I knew about the pads that are basically adult diapers. Plenty of people who delivered at the hospital told me about those. But I didn’t think I would need to wear them for so long! So. Much. Bodily. Fluid.
Your first shower might not provide the comfort you’re looking for. I think I took a shower about 40 hours after giving birth and I could barely stand through the whole shower. I was shaking so hard I thought I was going to fall over, so I rinsed my hair and got out. Oh, don’t forget all the bodily fluids too…
Bowel movements. Your nurse might ask you if you’ve had one yet every time she comes in and you might want to hurt her. The stool softeners helped, but I think what would have helped more would have been another epidural and some anti-anxiety meds. I wish I was kidding!
In keeping with this exhilarating topic…hemerrhoids. I don’t think I even felt the stitches, because so much of my pain was coming from another place right down the block. Sometimes it’s hard to know exactly where to push when you’re pushing out a baby. Just sayin’. And there are no rocking chair cushions soft enough to make breastfeeding for hours on end comfortable (I’m pretty sure I bought the one with the lowest comfort ratings). Better moms could probably do it standing up, but I couldn’t.
A lot can happen between weeks 4 and 6. At four weeks postpartum I was terrified that I was even going to have a six week checkup. Let alone the fact that there was a chance my OBGYN might tell me it was okay to *ahem* practice making a baby again. At six weeks postpartum…well, it was only slightly less terrifying. 😳
Some women are excited when their milk comes in because they’re finally “blessed” in the boob region. I was not excited. For me it was painful. And leaky. Which is not usually a look I’m going for. And suddenly I didn’t have a single bra that fit. Which is not attractive either.
And on top of all that, there are unreal post-partum emotions to slug through. I can’t quite put a humorous spin on this topic, so that will get its own blog post. Stay tuned!
A Little Charisma 
Healing from childbirth, whether natural or cesarean, brings so many unknowns. I’ve had four babies now and each recovery was different! It’s crazy how our bodies birth differently from child to child, too. My first three were natural but my fourth got stuck after full labor (on my due date!) and she ended up being my first c-section. Needless to say, it was quite a different recovery. 😉 Anyway, yeah, it’d be nice if more people shared about their recoveries instead of just the births.
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Wow! I would say you’re a pro, but you’re right, every birth and recovery is different, so it’s probably best not to get comfortable or assume you know everything already! Thanks for sharing 🙂
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True that, Charis. I think I blocked it all from my memory! Definitely NOT the fun part! Thank the Lord it doesn’t last forever!!!
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Amen! I remember thinking I would probably never feel normal again. But I do (mostly) 😊
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Definitely, recovery (both physical changes and needs for rest and sleep) needs to be talked about much more. We had company over all throughout the weekend after Hadassah was born, even though the following week Jordan would be working long hours for corn harvest, and we also kept our commitment to help his sister in law and her husband move 2 days after Hadassah was born. None of us knew how utterly stupid that was. We were running on caffeine and adrenaline and as a result Hadassah was becoming dehydrated since I obviously wasn’t properly feeding her in those environments. Not to mention the burnout and horrible start to nursing that ensued.
In some ways, despite differences in deliveries with subsequent children, I found some things do become easier, namely my own awareness of my need for rest and self-care. To know to be careful not to overdo it, to know better how to nurse and to be prepared for the bodily fluids and inevitable emotional roller coaster. To accept help or ask when it’s needed.
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I remember you telling me about after Hadassah was born! That sounds absolutely crazy! I could see how the physical recovery would be easier with subsequent births just because you know what to expect. Does the emotional roller coaster get any easier to ride?
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I think so. Newborn babies are just that much less stressful when you know what you’re doing.
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I was lucky enough to have had a c-section and VBAC (vaginal birth after c-section). Recovery is very different after each one. I also had mastitis twice with my first baby which was an experience in itself.
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