Something Nobody Talks About: Postpartum Recovery

Throughout my pregnancy I did research and read the book What To Expect When You’re Expecting. I read up on everything I could about pregnancy and going through labor. One thing I never even thought to consider was how I would feel AFTER giving birth. At the time, all I cared about was that my pregnancy was going well and that I would get to meet my baby soon. It never crossed my mind to prepare for what happens after giving birth, so I only had a vague idea of what to expect.

Most people don’t talk about all the postpartum stuff because it’s personal and quite frankly…gross! But I wish I would have known what to expect postpartum, so I decided to open up about what I have been going through and feeling.

Night Sweats

Night sweats is the body’s natural way of getting rid of all that extra fluid that built up during pregnancy. When I say night sweats, it doesn’t mean how you feel after exercising. It means how you feel after getting out of the pool. I would wake up to feed Madi and would literally be drenched! Including the sheets! I didn’t even know it was possible to sweat that much. Night sweats for me has been a win-lose situation. It’s a win because in the first few days every morning I would weigh myself and would be 5 pounds less! It’s a lose because I lost most of that weight sweating in my bed…yep pretty disgusting. Just make sure you have a mattress protector.

Tearing

I knew that during birth there is the chance of tearing. Unfortunately, I ended up getting a third degree tear that went all the way from front to back. Sitting down was just about impossible for me because it was just too painful. I’m now about a month out since giving birth and am just starting to be able to sit rather than lay down. Ice packs and sitz baths have become my best friend. And laying in a hot bath is the absolute best!

Bleeding

The first day after giving birth you bleed. A LOT. The nurses give you pads that are the size of adult diapers. It feels weird wearing them, but it’s something that is essential! As the days go by, the bleeding lightens up and luckily it usually lightens up pretty quickly. You usually bleed for a few weeks, but after those first few days it’s just like a light period.

Hemorrhoids

I won’t expound on this much because it speaks for itself. Hemorrhoids are gross, but after pushing a baby out it’s something that happens! I used lots of Tucks pads and hemorrhoid cream and they cleared up pretty quickly. Thank goodness!

Constipation

Now this one was my least favorite. Especially if you did tear and have stitches, constipation is a huge concern. The first few times I was able to go it was so painful! I was bawling the whole time. My doctor prescribed me stool softners to take twice a day. These seemed worthless. I also was eating extra fiber, fruits, and vegetables, but I still didn’t avoid it. But again this also clears up quickly and only lasted the first couple of days for me.

Emotions

After giving birth, your emotions are all over the place. I was so excited and happy that my beautiful baby was finally here and that she was healthy. But I was feeling like crap after giving birth and would cry often those first few days because I was in so much pain from my tear. The first few days I also would worry that I wouldn’t be a good enough mom to Madi or that I wouldn’t know how to take care of her.

I cried about the dumbest things. For example, I like watching The Bachelor. It’s one of my guilty pleasures and I love watching the drama.  I was watching it a few days ago and starting crying during the episode! Who cries about The Bachelor?! Anyways, I would consider myself blessed that I really didn’t have “Baby Blues” for long and I didn’t get postpartum depression, which is common.

Sore Breasts/Nipples

Breastfeeding is a great way to bond with your new baby. It also makes for some sore breasts and nipples. For the first couple of days Madi had a really hard time latching on correctly. Because of that I got huge cracks on my nipples and they would bleed. Lanolin cream has been amazing and I use it pretty much after each feeding. It’s a natural cream that is safe for mom and baby.

When my milk came in, my breasts literally doubled in size! Doubling in size = incredibly tender.

Complete Exhaustion

Babies eat every 2-3 hours, which means you have to wake up every few hours to feed them at night. Madi usually goes to bed at around 8 then wakes up around midnight and 4 to eat. But many times she’ll wake up to eat then won’t want to go back to sleep. Sometimes it will take her hours to go back to sleep and by the time I actually fall back asleep, it’s time for the next feeding! Michael has been great with staying home a little longer before heading to school and taking care of Madi, so I can at least get a few hours of sleep. Now that it’s been about a month my body is getting used to running on little sleep and I can make it through the day without needing a nap. Hopefully this will keep up once I go back to work!

Since every pregnancy is different, you may experience only a few of these things or maybe even more than what I’ve listed. Everyone is different and every body recovers differently. But one thing I think we can all agree on is that the love you have for your baby is unconditional and it sure makes all these terrible things worth it!