Much of what happens after you give birth to your baby is never talked about. Perhaps it’s because people tend to focus on the baby during conversation or maybe it’s just an awkward topic, but the first few days after giving birth were quite a surprise for me. You always hear about not getting sleep and the baby blues, but sometimes there are other symptoms that can take you by surprise. So here is a lighthearted look at some of the stranger parts of recovery:
Is that a Pad or the State of Ohio?
In the few days after birth, your uterus sheds a lot of blood as it returns to its original size. To deal with this, your nurse will give you extremely large and absorbent pads that you will need to change every few hours. If “period” describes your menstrual flow, then the only word worthy of this post-labor phenomenon is “exclamation point.” Fortunately the heavy flow only lasts the first week, and then it slows down until it eventually stops. It can last about a month or so.
Jelly Legs
I was surprised by how tired my body was after giving birth. I expected to be sore, but I did not expect to feel as though I ran 200 miles. The nurses had to help me stand because my legs were so weak that they felt like jelly. After the rush of adrenaline wore off, I realized I expended more energy than I actually had. I felt muscle soreness in places I didn’t even know I had muscles!
Aftershocks
As your uterus shrinks, your other organs will slowly return to their original location, and the sensation of their movement is quite strange. It’s almost as though you can feel them “plopping” back down. After I gave birth to my son, I wondered if there was a twin still in there, since it felt similar to the movements I felt when he squirmed.
Extreme Thirst
For the first few weeks, I could not stop drinking water. I drank about 90oz of water every single day. We were going through jugs of drinking water like we were trying to fill a pool! It’s as though my body was preparing to nurse a 50lb baby instead of an 8lb baby, which brings me to…
Scary Breasts
When your milk comes in, you will look like you just had breast augmentation surgery. What is truly amazing is how quickly it happens. I remember wondering when my milk would come in – and just a few hours later I was crying over how painfully engorged I was! They become so full of milk that the skin becomes extremely taut and shiny under the pressure. They feel like they weigh a hundred pounds and are hard as rocks. Make sure you purchase a nursing bra that is very supportive and about 2-3 cup sizes larger than your pre-pregnancy measurements. Fortunately, they go back down to a more manageable size in about 48 hours.
Lots of Tears
After I came home from the hospital, the first week was a cry fest. I wasn’t even upset about anything! I talked about how sweet my husband was and it made me sob. I admired my son and I wept. I told my mom I loved her for helping me and the waterworks started up again. Lifetime movies, Hallmark commercials and “A Baby Story” were all banned until I got it under control.
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