Wednesday 6 May 2015

10 THINGS: I didnt expect after giving birth


1) Continued pain - in those early days after birth I had moments I would completely break down over all of the pain.
You spend the last three months of pregnancy uncomfortable, there's a very painful labour and then there's the pain after birth. It felt like the pain was going to be never ending! Thanks to having an episiotomy sitting, moving and even being still were all pretty painful, luckily ibrophen and paracetamol took the edge off. It was frustrating though because I wanted to move around, caring for my newborn but instead I was shuffling around with a face of pain. This only lasted around 1.5 weeks, thank goodness. There's also the cramps from your uterus contracting, which are worse if you're breastfeeding. Oh and of course the nipple/breast pain if you're breastfeeding. It's a lot of pain but luckily for me it was short lived after birth.

2) How the lack of sleep would be ok and manageable - I really thought there would be absolutely no sleep and that we would be struggling to function in the first weeks after birth. We've actually not done too badly when it comes to sleep, this isn't the case every night but the majority of the time we both get around 5 hours sleep. Though those hours aren't in a solid block for me, which does make it harder but I've got used to it so quickly. 

3) The feeling of stretch marks - I ended up with stretch marks just under my belly button, on my hips and the top of my legs. The skin and stretch marks on my tummy feel really strange at the moment, the skin was so stretched there that it was always going to be 'wobbly' but it does take some getting used to.

4) Not being able to fit into any of my clothes - after giving birth I thought my wardrobe would be accessible again, after 9 months of being off limits. But no. In my wardrobe I have clothes ranging between 4 sizes, yet still I couldn't fit into any of them straight after giving birth. What I wear also had to be suitable for breastfeeding, which did make the challenge even harder. I was swollen, had water retention and of course some weight gain during pregnancy - I wish I had bought a couple of loose tops to live in after birth.

5) Swollen ankles - my feet and ankles were swollen during pregnancy but NOTHING like they were after giving birth. For the first week my feet and ankles were huge, to the point where the bottom of my skinny jeans were tight on my ankles! It soon drained away, seeing my 'normal' feet again was such a novelty.

6) Dry skin - about 3 weeks after giving birth I noticed that the skin became very dry. I hadn't changed anything in my skincare routine, so I'm putting it down to hormonal changes after birth. I've been exfoliating and moisturising but it's still very dry and flaky - anyone know any miracle products?

7) Feeling of milk coming in - my milk came in two days after giving birth and it was a feeling I was completely unprepared for. It's painful. They felt so hard, hot and uncomfortable, making the let down during breastfeeding really quite painful. The feeling passed after a couple of days, but being prepared for it would be helpful. Simple things like savoy cabbage leaves in the freezer, ready to cool them down can really help. Lanolin cream will also be your best friend.

8) That complete content feeling when looking at my husband and daughter together - I knew it would be incredible seeing them together but the emotions are far stronger than I could have ever imagined.

9) Going to sleep for 2 hours and genuinely missing my daughter - I miss her the moment I'm not with her. Slightly ridiculous, I know.

10) Being left alone for the first night in hospital - I wasn't expecting being left alone in hospital, partially because we had planned to give birth at the local birth centre where the birth partner can stay. We arrived on the post birth ward at 9pm and my husband had to leave 30 minutes later, leaving me with our daughter. I was pretty scared and very emotional, tears were shed. But in fact I had nothing to worry about, the midwives were so helpful and were there whenever I needed them throughout the night. Everyone in our NCT group also found that their midwives were really helpful, which is such a comfort to know. 

Did you experience any of these things after giving birth?

Feel free to leave me a comment :)

Helen x
You Baby Me Mummy
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9 comments

  1. It's so nice to hear someone say that the sleep has been manageable. It really annoys me when people seem so shocked that a newborn doesn't sleep through the night!

    Thank you for this list, I'm 3 days overdue so this will be me soon! Although I think it's impossible to prepare yourself for some things Xx

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  2. It's so nice to hear someone say that the sleep has been manageable. It really annoys me when people seem so shocked that a newborn doesn't sleep through the night!

    Thank you for this list, I'm 3 days overdue so this will be me soon! Although I think it's impossible to prepare yourself for some things Xx

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  3. Oooh the afterpains and milk coming in pains are horrid aren't they? I am glad they don't last too long. My daughter is 4 weeks old now, and the lack of sleep is definitely much more manageable than expected! #TheList

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    1. They really are, but at least they don't last. Congratulations on the birth of your gorgeous daughter :)

      Helen x

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  4. Oh the swollen ankles! I had that so badly after I had my son, it was hard to walk down the stairs, they were so swollen they wouldn't bend fully! Second time round I think my body had a weird reaction to my hormones and I came out in loads of unbelievably itchy spots, I had to get antihistamines from the doctors in the end! Really wasn't expecting that! x #TheList

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    1. Oh no, that's not ideal! Pregnancy and post pregnancy does like to keep you on your toes!

      Helen x

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  5. So true - great post! I was planning on giving birth at a birth centre as well but ended up in hospital. I hated being left alone, especially because I had to stay 2 nights x #thelist

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  6. Still not being able to fit in clothes is so annoying. I have such a range of sizes. #thelist

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  7. Oh yes all of them! I had a difficult birth and was in lots of pain for 3 months after. Childbirth is definitely not glamourous! Thanks for linking up to #TheList x

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