Prior to giving birth, I read and read and read about postpartum care. I even attended birthing class that went over it in detail. But nothing, absolutely nothing, can really prepare you for what your body goes through and how you feel after giving birth.
I’m a few months out from it and I admit, a lot of it is hazy now. After giving birth, you hurt/sore - you’re sleep deprived - there’s just a lot happening. For me, it was the balance of taking care of my newborn with jaundice, caring for my preschooler, taking care of my dog, & just trying to maintain my household. All of this while dealing with my healing postpartum body. Not easy, but not impossible! In hindsight, I think I did too much too soon and should’ve gave my body more time to heal. Overall though, I think postpartum went relatively smoothly for me.
Weird Stuff
The thing that was the hardest was having all the blood/discharge - official word is “lochia.” It was like a waterfall falling out of your vagina, no kidding. There was absolutely no way to control it. Every single time I stood up, it would go flowing. I had to go to the bathroom every hour, on the hour, to avoid soiling myself. I admit, there were a few times that I missed my window of opportunity and the lochia got all over the bathroom floor. So - so gross, & it sucked having to clean it up! Yuck.
Pre-baby, I thought I would breastfeed him in bed. That didn’t happen in the beginning. Breastfeeding actually triggered my body to have free flowing lochia! If I was laying down, it would get everywhere - even if I was wearing a pad. So each time I had to feed the baby, I had to get out of bed and sit on the couch. Very difficult postpartum to accomplish at times! Also, I had to make sure I went to the bathroom before feeding baby at night, because once I got up — the waterfall hit. My routine:
Lol, fun times for sure. I did put a pad (the blue/white ones they have in the hospital) on my bed when I slept, so that I wouldn’t get any blood on my sheets/mattress. That helped a ton. Not to mention, it’s a bit hard to walk at first. So "rushing" to try and do something, was really like going in super slow motion. Everything just hurts... it got better about a month postpartum for me.
- Baby starts to cry
- I stumble out of bed in a sleep-deprived haze to the bathroom before it leaked everywhere
- Baby continues to cry, waiting for me to be done, try to hurry -- though sometimes the waterfall seemed to last forever
- Pick up baby
- Sit on the couch for 30-40 minutes nursing baby — trying to sit "tall" so the lochia wouldn’t leak out the back
- After I put the baby down, I would go to the bathroom again.
- Repeat about every 2 hours
Lol, fun times for sure. I did put a pad (the blue/white ones they have in the hospital) on my bed when I slept, so that I wouldn’t get any blood on my sheets/mattress. That helped a ton. Not to mention, it’s a bit hard to walk at first. So "rushing" to try and do something, was really like going in super slow motion. Everything just hurts... it got better about a month postpartum for me.
My postpartum bleeding was weird. It really subsided within a week and I thought, "oh that's it?" Then in week two, it picked up and I bled for a few more weeks after that. I can’t remember exactly when the bleeding stopped? Within 8 weeks for sure, but I would guess closer to 6 weeks. I did spot randomly at the end of it and couldn’t predict when that would happen so I wore a pad everyday.
Peri Care
They really emphasize peri care, now I know why! My favorite peri Care items:
- Peri bottle: the hospital gives you a peri bottle, but I needed one for my downstairs bathroom. I got this one and loved it & still use it! Fridababy Fridet, The MomWasher
- Dermoplast: this stuff feels amazing postpartum! I had to get some extras because I ran out of what the hospital gave me. Dermoplast Pain Relieving Spray-2.75 Oz
- Witch Hazel pads: these are the best thing ever invented and work great postpartum! I absolutely loved these. It was like sweet relief. BIRCHWOOD LABORATORIES A-E-R Pre-Moistened Witch Hazel Pads, 80 Count
- Pads: I was able to bring some home from the hospital. But I found these and they were perfect for postpartum when I ran out of the ones the hospital gave me. Always Maxi Overnight Extra Heavy Flow With Wings, Unscented Pads 20 Count (Pack of 2). Some people suggest using adult Depends... but I didn't find it necessary, these were sufficient.
I had two small tears from giving birth that took a long time to heal. My OB said it probably took longer because of my diabetes and my sugars fluctuating from nursing and postpartum hormone changes. But what I learned is: DO NOT WIPE!! E-V-E-R. Just pat very-very gently. One time I forgot... and ouch! They teach you how to do everything in the hospital right after you give birth. But basically: do your business, use peri bottle to wash, pat gently, spray generously with the dermoplast - like EVERYWHERE, apply new pad, add witch hazel pads, and done.
I bought some cheap granny panties at Walmart that I used postpartum. Worked perfect, I just went one size bigger than normal and that held the pads in place.
So... just to be transparent... I don’t think my lady parts felt back to normal until maybe 3-4 months postpartum. I had two issues postpartum: 1) I had a big blood clot 3 weeks postpartum. They say that if it's the size of a golf ball, then you worry. Well, I had one. When I went to the OB, she was like "don't worry about it." Hmm... 2) I was having MAJOR pain every single time I peed about 6 weeks postpartum. I didn't have a UTI. Turns out that I got another small tear by my urethra. OB said it was due to my low estrogen from breastfeeding. I wondered if it was related to the catheter they put in for the birth? But whatever it was, it hurt like hell. OB gave me estrogen cream to apply to the area. It stopped hurting after about 3 weeks of applying the cream.
Today, I still have issues with being able to “hold” my pee. When I have to go, I need to go “right now!” And not wait. Who has time for Kegels? I won’t even mention the difficultly in going poop after giving birth... but let’s just say it's not fun and it's a bit traumatic! No joke. Like "hold on for dear life" hurts. I think I didn't get "regular" again until maybe 2.5 months postpartum.
Today, I still have issues with being able to “hold” my pee. When I have to go, I need to go “right now!” And not wait. Who has time for Kegels? I won’t even mention the difficultly in going poop after giving birth... but let’s just say it's not fun and it's a bit traumatic! No joke. Like "hold on for dear life" hurts. I think I didn't get "regular" again until maybe 2.5 months postpartum.
Postpartum Depression (PPD)
I wrote a bit during my pregnancy about experiencing prenatal depression (AKA antenatal depression) here.I thought for sure I would get PPD. Also, considering how stressful things were with my mother (more to come on this) & just how scary it was when my baby had low blood sugars / jaundice (entry here), not to mention just trying to keep my household afloat and care for my Little Guy.
Surprisingly, and thankfully, I had absolutely no PPD. I was emotional at times, yes. But mostly from being grateful I had my little family. Emotional with happiness :) After I gave birth, the prenatal depression basically went away and I was in a “take care of my Kids and figure it out” mode. More problem solving mode than stressed mode, of that makes sense. Even when things were stressful, it wasn’t PPD level, just normal single-new-baby-Mama-sleep-deprived stuff.
Maternity Clothes
What’s interesting is I lost all my pregnancy weight within the first week of giving birth. I’m sure I wrote about this sometime before — but I had gained 20 lbs during the 2 years I was TTC. So, I’m no where near where I “should” be ultimately. But honestly, I’m not too concerned about it. It might sound weird, but I think I’m more happy with my body now than I ever was before. My body was able to carry my baby boy & now my body is able to nourish him through breastfeeding (I’ve experienced challenges - but that’ll be a different post).
I’ve never been a size 2 at my skinniest! And I don’t expect I will ever be in my lifetime. I do have goals I want to reach with my health, that I’m going to start focusing on one day! But right now, I’m fine with my postpartum body. I do still wear some maternity pants!!! They’re just so super comfy. Lol. I also think all my fretting over finding clothes to fit during my pregnancy that would also work for nursing, turned out pretty good! Almost all the clothes I bought in my third trimester are working perfectly for nursing. So yay for multi-use clothes and not wasting money.
I’m also able to wear some pre-maternity clothing again! Some work for nursing, so that’s nice. But honestly, I prefer the clothing I used during pregnancy. Just super comfy and functional for nursing. Technically, I could wear all my pre-pregnancy clothing, but not all of them work for nursing or pumping.
Energy
I remember when I finally felt back to my pre-pregnancy “normal.” If you’ve read my blog while I was pregnant, I was extremely fatigued throughout my entire pregnancy. I was tired (still am!) and my energy levels were at the lowest they’ve ever been and that I've ever experienced in my entire life. I was just so drained all the time. At a little past 2 months postpartum, I started to feel normal again! I had more energy and I was motivated to do more, which was super nice! Even though I was sleep deprived, I felt like "myself" again.
That is what I remember right now about postpartum and that comes top-of-mind. As I mentioned, a lot is a bit hazy. I wish I had the time/energy to have documented it on-the-go. But considering I haven’t even had time to write a blog post until now, I know in reality, it just wasn’t possible.
I’m almost five months postpartum now and looking back, it all seems like it went relatively smoothly! I have a long list of topics I want to write about, so hopefully I'll find the time/energy to post more.
