Ah, childbirth. There are plenty of books to read that let you know what to expect while you’re pregnant and what happens when you’re in labor. But I’ve failed to find any literature that explains what happens to a woman’s body after she gives birth. That may be an exaggeration; I’m sure there are some chapters hidden deep down in a book somewhere. The chapters that some women may read but no one really talks about. So this is the time, ladies (and gentlemen) to get real and be unashamed about the the not-so-glorious and downright unpleasant things that happen after you give birth.?
Sure, you’ll have an adorably sweet little squishy baby to admire and that’s great. It really is. People might tell you that you’ll be really tired for a little while and you might not want to leave the house. But what they should really tell you about is the war your body will go through during childbirth and the subsequent recovery from that war that will plague you for months to come. Recovery will differ between a cesarean birth and vaginal birth. Having never had a cesarean birth I am certainly not the best person to describe that recovery process but many postpartum side effects are similar. So let’s remove our rose-colored glasses and get real.
Immediately?after birth: Stitches. If you were unfortunate enough to have torn (or had an episiotomy) during a vaginal delivery then chances are you’ll need stitches to repair the tear. The worst possible tear is a fourth degree–tearing from the vagina to the anus. I had a second degree tear when I delivered my son (TMI? Oh well.) and because I had an unmediated delivery the midwife had to give me a shot of local anesthetic before sewing me back together. If you have an epidural then the doctor or midwife can administer the stitches right away.?
Five minutes after birth: Body shakes. Due the dramatically quick drop in hormones once the baby is delivered it is extremely common to experience chill-like shaking. Whether you receive medications during delivery or not, a cesarean or vaginal birth, shaking can happen to anyone. I had severe body shakes after my son was born but none after my daughter’s birth and they were both delivered without any medications.?
Ten minutes after birth: Blood. Lots of blood. As you lie down, the blood in your uterus will pool and then expel when you stand up. Women can bleed for one week or up to six weeks. ?Along with blood you may also notice discharge and vaginal tissue. This is called lochia.
An hour after birth:?What the…!? ?More contractions?? As your baby makes his or her way to the breast and begins to nurse, you will experience some severe cramps as your uterus begins to contract back to its normal size. The cramping will get more severe with each delivery, so check with your provider about pain medications that are safe for breastfeeding.?
Two hours after birth: Swelling. Ooooooh the swelling. The longer you push the more you’re likely to swell (down there). ? Example: I pushed with my son for nearly two and a half hours and swelled a lot. My daughter was born (in the car) after just two pushes and I don’t think I swelled much at all. Ice packs are your friends for severe swelling. A new thing I learned about right before my daughter was born is padsicles. They’re homemade ice pads made with maxi pads, witch hazel, aloe vera gel, and lavender essential oil. I made about 20 padsicles and didn’t end up using any of them. The good news for second- or third-time moms is that the swelling should lessen with each delivery.
Twelve hours after birth: Sore nipples. It’s totally normal for your nipples to be sore, especially if this is your first time breastfeeding. Don’t worry though; breastfeeding will get so much easier after a few weeks and your nipples will toughen up. However, if your nipples crack and bleed then you need to find help immediately. This could be due to an improper latch and it needs to be addressed and fixed before bad nursing habits arise. An improper latch could be due to a lip tie and/or tongue tie, which can be diagnosed by an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant), pediatrician, or midwife. Not all medical professionals are familiar with diagnosing and treating ties so don’t hesitate to get a second opinion.
A day after birth: Night sweats. And day sweats. The massive decline in hormones will lead you to sweat profusely. I remember waking up drenched in sweat after my son was born and I knew it had nothing to do with the weather because he was born in late November. Luckily, the sweating should ease up after a month or two. I suggest investing in a waterproof mattress pad.
Two days after birth: You’ll still look pregnant. It look nine months for your body to grow a human. It won’t go back to normal overnight. When you return home you’ll still look about five or six months pregnant. Your uterus has expanded from the size of an orange into the size of a watermelon and it needs some time to gradually shrink, which typically takes about six weeks. ??
Three days after birth: Leaky boobs. Up until now your baby has been getting colostrum from your breasts. After two to five days, mom’s milk will evolve into mature milk. To prevent engorgement and build a good milk supply it’s very important to nurse the baby on demand, not on a schedule. Baby’s stomach grows from the size of a marble to the size of a chicken egg in the first ten days of life, so there’s no need to stress that he isn’t getting enough milk; he doesn’t need a massive amount of milk to be satisfied.?
One week after birth: Weight loss. <ahem> Baby’s weight loss. It’s normal for Baby to lose up to 10% of her birth weight in the days following. Don’t let this alarm you. She should be back up to her birth weight by the time she’s two weeks old. ? ? ?
Three months after birth: Hair loss. You know that thick, shiny, gorgeous hair you gained during your pregnancy? Yeah, well, don’t get used to it. As your hormone levels settle back to normal all that hair will begin to shed at drastic rates. It will likely fall out in droves while your wash or brush your hair. There’s not much you can do to stop this from happening, but continuing to breastfeed and take prenatal vitamins may help to reduce some hair loss. The good news is that your hair should stop falling out around the six month mark. Read more about postpartum hair loss here.
As always, thanks for reading and sharing with your friends! Is there anything that happened during your postpartum recovery that I didn’t mention? Please share if you’d like, so that you can help prepare other moms.
The information shared here is not meant to replace medical advice. Please discuss your concerns and questions with your healthcare provider.
