What should I expect after birth?

Question

I'm am pregnant with my first child. I'm nervous about the birth and the pain afterwards. Please tell me about your experience and what I can expect in the days following delievery. Using the bathroom, pain, soreness, showering...etc.

Answer 1

As far as the immediate feelings after birth, you will be sore. It will feel like your genitals have swollen up to the size of a grapefruit! You can take a shower very soon after birth, but you should not take a bath. A shower chair is nice to have for a few days! Your abdomen will begin shrinking but for the first few days, it will still look like you are pregnant! The pain however, is not so bad. Just a little bit uncomfortable. As far as using the bathroom..the hospital will probably give you a water bottle that you can use while you pee. Fill it with warm water and squirt your self while you are peeing.. that way, the water dilutes some of the amonia in the urine and makes it so that it does not burn so much. It is also handy for washing away blood and helping to feel more clean. Make sure to take the bottle home with you too! In a couple of days, it may feel better to use cooler water. Now, every woman is afraid of the first bowel movement after giving birt. You can ask for a laxative to get you through the first one, but I promise...it's really not that bad! I am sure that the nurse will explain in better detail.
I know you are worried and scared, but I assure you that once you have that beautiful baby in your arms...the pain just doesn't seem so important. Otherwise, some of us who are crazy enough to have multiple children would have stopped at one! :)
Congratulations and good luck!

Answer 2

Everyone is different, that #1, lol, and #2 is how you give birth, if a c-section is how you delivered then you will be in some pain for a while. Taking showers might be difficult and just walking up stairs as well. If you give birth vaginally without complications, the chances are slim that you will have any problems the next day like with a c-section.

I wasnt in any kind of pain the next day after delivering vaginally, just feeling worn and sleepy, I was able to stand up and shower without help. I wasnt sore and I had stitches from tearing a little, but it wasnt enough to slow me down. Going to the bathroom was fine as well, urinating didnt hurt or having a bowel movement either, but the nurses will tell you how to clean yourself and that is important that you pay attention to that. I wish you well wishes on your birth and good luck:-)

Answer 3

If you have stitches or got hemorrhoids from pushing, you will be sore. If this happens, use Tucks pads, witch hazel and ice. You may even need to sit on those blow up O shaped pillows.
Also, using your peri water bottle helps with pain. You will get this after you deliver and the nurses will show you how to use it. It's just a water bottle that you fill with warm water. It does help a great deal!!
It's honestly not that bad healing after giving birth. If you allow your body to rest and heal, you will feel better than you did in your last trimester. It so wonderful to be able to see your feet and feel half way normal.
Plus, if the pain was so bad do you think woman would have more than one baby? Sure it can be uncomfortable but you get over it quickly. Having children is worth any pain or other issues we go through during pregnancy, labor and post partum.
Good luck and don't stress out over it!

Answer 4

I was a little sore after giving birth but that subsided quickly. (I gave birth in the early morning and by late evening I was feeling better) Using the bathroom was okay and showering was no problem. The only other problem I really had was I got hemorrhoids but you can get Tucks pads and Preperation-H. Another thing you can do for hemorrhoids (but I would talk to you doctor to make sure he/she thinks this is best for you) is I've noticed taking Vitamin B-6 in certain amounts helps clear up and even prevents hemorrhoids from coming back, so you can look into that to.

Answer 5

I wasnt in any pain afterwards and got to the showers as soon as I could after birth. Using the bathroom may be slighty uncomfortable, but they will give you stool softener, etc... If you are in any pain they will bring you tylenol or something else. Also you can bleed up to 6 weeks. I did with all 3 of mine.

Answer 6

Currently pregnant with Number two and I've been going over my last experience trying to remember what all to expect! My baby is now almost four and, funny thing, I can't rememeber much at all. I do remember being sore for about a week or two, not to bad, having to take stool softners (and it was never painful to go to the rest room) and the hospital gave me a numbing spray to use if needed. If it was uncomfortable- It wasn't that bad at all because I don't remember hardly any pain! I delivered vaginally.

Answer 7

i was like that with my first child.. I will not lie it can be very painful it just depends on your pain tolerance.. if you have to be cut down there so the baby can come out you will hurt for a couple of days.. peeing can burn ...showering for me wasn't so bad in fact i loved it when i could shower it was the only time i felt comfortable.. and i recommend the drugs.. i have had natural and drug labor and i liked the drug better.. but i also had a 10 lbs baby with out drugs.. for me the pain stopped like 3 days after i gave birth.. the only thing that i really hated was the bleeding its just like you are on your period for like 2 weeks..
hope it helped

Answer 8

All first time mom have that worry or very nervous but dont be everything will be fine once the baby born. When i had my first baby im in CS section and the pain in CS for me is not that painful. what is difficult in being in cs is that its really hard to move coz the pain but in just 2 days i already recovered. and do things same as before without the pain. So dont be worry and nervous as long as you have your family and saw the baby pain is not an issue for you already.

Congrates....

Answer 9

i wont lie, u r going to be sore. words of advice when u sit down, sit very slowly. with my 1st child i dis-located my tail-bone during labor and delivery. so if u r a small framed women ask your doc, what r the chances of this happening. i dont think its very common. because i dont know of this happening to anyone else i know, but i will tell u what i am due to have my second child here in 5 weeks and i am nervous all over agian. no matter what anyone says nothing can pre-pair u for labor no matter how many times u go threw it, because every pregnancy is different.

Answer 10

I tore and had stitches but no pain afterwards (you will have some cramping after) All you have to do is keep it clean down there, using sitz baths and rinsing after going to the bathroom. The bleeding is the worst part. That and when your milk first comes in.