I had 2 natural births, no tearing or complications so I was up and about as soon as I gave birth. I was going out for walks as soon as I could, I’d say the only thing I had was bruising but that didn’t take look to go away, my stomach muscles felt strained from pushing and I had mastitis. But overall recovery was very fast for me.
Mine a couple of weeks. I didn’t stay in bed at all. Hormones took longer. Honestly, I was ready to go home the same day, but they wouldn’t let me and I understood.
As far as sex and stuff, 6 weeks. But peeing comfortably was about a few weeks. Lol
You don’t stay in bed. You still have to get up use the bathroom, clean yourself/take care of any stitches if that’s what happened, breastfeed, take care of the baby etc.
Walking around shortly after birth. Felt totally normal, other than being obviously sore down there, right away. The soreness went away in a couple days.
Natural as in vaginal or unmedicated? I’d say the healing totally depends on how your birth went, if there were any tears or complications. For me, I had a vaginal birth with epidural, I got the epi at 10 cm. I had zero tears, not even a scratch even though I had coached/purple pushing for an hour. I tried to stay in/around my bed for 2 weeks, which helped to establish breastfeeding. I ate warm foods and basically followed the guidelines for the book “the first forty days”. I’d say it took about 3-6 months to feel back to normal. Everyone is so different though!
I’ve given birth three times, two of which with no pain intervention.
I was up and walking around hours after giving birth. I wasn’t stuck in bed at all. With my second, I was going on walks with him and his sister when he was a week old.
I had a hysterectomy several years ago and that recovery was so much harder than recovering from giving birth.
Two natural births, second degree tears for both. Took a good 3-4 weeks to feel I was healing and getting back to normal. And by normal I mean able to pee without having to do it in the shower or use a jug of water everytime. Rubber ring was great for sitting down without pain 👍
You can get up and do things. You just have to wear big pads, use pain relief spray and take aspirin. That is probably 2 weeks. You can relax with your baby at home for a month before taking them out. You’ll feel good after a month.
2 natural births, no complications, and no drugs. I was on my feet within an hour of the placenta and on my way home. At home life continues like normal, maybe a little sore to sit for a week or so but otherwise totally fine.
After you give birth, you’re on call 24/7, because you have just had a baby that needs round the clock care
Your baby might be a bit more sleepy the first 24 hours because being born takes a lot of energy from them too; but afterwards they’ll sleep in 1-2 h increments
Once you give birth it may take months for you until you get a full night’s sleep
If your question is about what’s best between vaginal birth or C section : consider what I said above : as soon as your baby is born you.are.on.call. From this perspective, vaginal birth is usually better because you’re much more able to take care of your baby afterwards rather than after a major surgery, which a C section actually is
My experience with childbirth and recovery was very different physically and emotionally. Physically, I was fine almost right away, thank God. But emotionally, it was extremely difficult. For me, the emotional side was far worse than the physical.
To heal …..completely? Not trying to be negative, but the reality is that your body will never be the same again. Tears can heal, be stitched, your organs move back to where they shifted from. But my experience is that your body doesn’t heal completely. I pee myself everytime I take my kids to a trampoline park, even if I pee beforehand. I had to get all new shoes because my feet grew 2 sizes. New bras and shirts when my breasts eventually shriveled smaller than they’ve EVER been. Sometimes I worry about my butthole because I’ve never had hemorrhoids before but now I’m never sure if I have them or if my butthole is just sometimes …..not so tight. And I aint doing anal, so it’s not that…
Personally, I had a very shocking relationship with my body post babies, but it’s all about the expectation I suppose, and I just didn’t know what to expect at all. I knew things moved, swelled up, I did not know they can stay that way, or on the case of my boobs, that they could shrink so much.
Natural birth, level 2 tearing, far too many stitches (thanks student doc) and one popped.
I was out of bed and peeing/showering as soon as my epidural wore off. I went for a walk around department stores with my squish in a wrap on day 3 (first full day back from the hospital).
I didn’t fully heal for a long time, in part because they stitched me too tight.
I had a natural, unmedicated birth with a 2nd degree tear. I wish I got to stay in bed lol. But I was sore for about a week and a half. By the third week, I started feeling better, my stitches healed and I could walk a bit longer. By the 5th, I was back to normal.
I did my second unmedicated and I had a second degree tear with stitches outside and inside (sounds worse than it felt 😂). It took about 6 weeks to heal. A total of 3 months until I felt completely like myself down there.
I gave birth at 9:53am and was out of the hospital by 2pm the next day. I didn’t stay in bed for days-once I was home I was up and moving around immediately. Still had to have a bit more rest than standard, but brand new newborns sleep a good bit so I was able to rest plenty. (But, I didn’t tear at all so that probably helped expedite my recovery as well.)
My baby was born at 10:03 a.m. By 3 p.m., I was taking a shower by myself, washing my hair, and talking to the nurse who was there to make sure I was all right and to check how well and strong I was feeling. I took it easy with daily chores, but I was taking great care of my baby. I didn’t stay in bed; the doctor told me to walk around for a few minutes to help with my recovery. Natural birth was an amazing experience for me. Also, I’m 36, so I’m not super young.
It depends on the birth. I walked around the block 5 days ppd after delivering a 9.5 lb baby. I should NOT have done it and don’t recommend but the weather was beautiful and I wanted to take a walk
Half way around I regretted it.
I had a vaginal birth with epidural and then a spinal because I hemorrhaged and they needed to operate to stop it. Anyway I was in bed for about 12 hours whilst I couldn’t feel my legs and waiting for my catheter to be taken out, but I got up pretty soon after that. Despite how bad the tearing was, I actually felt completely fine no pain down there. So by day 2 I felt physically fine.
It’s complicated, and varies, and isn’t always as simple as someone presents it to friends or extended family.
My worst was pregnancy #3, where during pregnancy the ligaments in my pelvis came apart, causing an intense shooting pain every time I used a leg independently. You know.. avoidable things like walking or going up stairs or driving.
It stayed after my baby was born; so in addition to healing a dinner plate sized wound left by the placenta inside me (this is standard in every pregnancy), passing lemon sized clots out of my vagina, having to change my (basically a diaper) disposable underwear every 30 mins to an hour, I also was in agony any time I tried to walk. No tears though, lucky me!
And yet – my ex husband was a douche and wouldn’t do anything with our kids, so I came home from the hospital 12 hours after giving birth, was up and down with the baby all night, then got up and made breakfast and took the kids to school the next morning. Women just do what they have to do, because unfortunately we are often the only ones who will do it. Even in agonizing pain I stood in the school line with my not yet a day old baby and smiled at the other parents, because wtf else was I going to do?
So basically – birth sucks. It’s incredibly painful, traumatic, and difficult to heal from as well as intensely emotionally isolating (imagine you have an ulcer the size of a dinner plate on your internal organ and literally no one cares) all while you’re cascaded with more hormones than puberty. But most women won’t show or tell you that, precisely because of how very emotionally isolated that postpartum time is for most. No one wants to admit weakness when everyone else is pretending it’s no big deal.
Out of the hospital in less than 24 hours, no time in bed at all. Twice. That said my husband was doing all the housework, cooking, and heavy lifting. I was up walking the baby around, nursing, and dealing with visitors (and the second time I was also dealing with a toddler). Now, actual healing… I bled for weeks, wasn’t up for relations for a couple months, and my stitches were quite uncomfortable for a while. All and all, for two 9lb+ natural births, I say it was fine.
I could walk like 1 hour after birth. Climb the stairs 5 hours after birth.
For both my kids. I had vaginal births, no epidural (bad choice btw, it fcking hurts). Just a small tear, no stitching.
It hurt for a week or two when I peed (tear) but otherwise, there is very little to heal.
My last baby was a home birth at 11:30am. I was up vacuuming later that day. I felt fine. My midwife told me to chill out though because of the risk of postpartum hemorrhage. Relax as much as you can the first few weeks.
I rested a lot for about 10 days, and stayed inside, breastfed, slept and relaxed, while my husband took care of everything else. I did a proper confinement in that time, as in no visitors other than my midwife to check in our health. But you still have to get up and keep the area clean, since you can bleed for upto 6 weeks, but the heaviest bleeding is in the first 10-14 days. You will maybe also have stitches that need to be kept clean for that time. Getting up and walking was very painful for three to 5 days, and just exhausting for a few days after that.
I had other issues from the pregnancy, like organs moving back, the stomach muscles being parted and I think permanent damage to my pelvic floor, training those things back to normal took many months. And I will never look the same, although I lost the baby weight within a year and felt physically normal again after 18 months.
Once you become a mom, there’s no more staying in bed for anything. There’s not much healing to be done. You go home from the hospital and start doing exactly what you did before, but with a baby in tow. The only thing is that you’ll be TIRED like never before, so napping when possible is essential.
If you mean “natural” as in vaginal, I’ve had 3. Minor tear with my first. No tearing or pain at all with my second two. I didn’t stay in bed at all after any of them. Just like with most things medical, you usually need to get up to move around so your body can heal. Not exercise, but some light walking. I also needed to get up to care for my new baby. Tbh, my first one took a couple weeks for my tear to heal but I literally felt totally fine after my second and third.
I had two ‘natural’ births, no epidurals (labors progressed very fast). With the first I got up like thirty minutes later to eat pizza 😂 there’s obviously a recovery period, I had the usual minor bleeding for a couple weeks, sitting wrong would hurt, muscle pain and weakness, but nothing that would make me bedridden. The second was more initially painful but faster recovery — probably because I had another already to distract me and keep me running lol
I didn’t have that much support to stay in bed all day, but my husband did take the night shifts. I had a natural birth and episiotomy and wouldn’t say I was fully healed for about 3 months.
I’m currently 3 weeks postpartum from a vaginal birth with an epidural, I had a 2nd degree tear so I had stitches too. As soon as the epidural wore off I was up and moving, although I was pretty swollen & sore so that first week I stayed in bed most of the time. I’m just now at the point where I’m moving normally again with ease & without pain, but I still have 3-4 weeks until my stitches completely heal so Im still having to be mindful to not overdue it while I still recover.
Unless something went very wrong you don’t stay in bed. You get up and go to the toilet, wash yourself. You now have a newborn to care for. If you had an epidural you are in bed for a few hours until it wears off.
I was able to walk around hours later buuuuut only around the house. I tried going to grocery store 2 weeks later using only a basket and I was in pain. It took 6 weeks to really feel able to run around with out feeling sore after
I felt great soon after and had to take care of my children after returning home. I didn’t have stitches though. Staying in bed was never an option for me.
Bed? Was I supposed to stay in bed, shit….someone should have told that tiny screaming human…😂…for me (and just doing normal stuff) I would say it took about 2-3 weeks for the bleeding to stop, and maybe about til the 6 wk checkup for all the stitches etc, to heal? Something like that!
I had two natural births. First one, my daughter hit my coccyx on the way out so that took 8 years to heal. I also tore a bit and my body healed too quickly so I had to burn off excess skin. I also almost passed out the first time I peed. And I got hemorrhoids even though I took stool softener so that took a week to heal.
Second one came out crazy quick and they took a long time to stitch up but no issues like my first one
Stay in bed? Oh no. You have to stand up, clean your stitches after toilet and so on. My cut became infected while I was still in the hospital. It was hell and took two weeks to heal.
I had a ten pounder plus I had retained placenta and that took a solid 3 months for initial healing (tearing was crazy). My 8.5 pound babe I felt pretty good after like a couple weeks. But there is a lot to healing including the wound the placenta leaves in your uterus, your uterus shrinking down, your pelvic floor recovering… you want to take it easy for awhile but you shouldn’t just stay in bed. I didn’t have epidurals so I started moving around (albeit slowly) right after getting stitched up.
I had 2 natural births with no painkillers and tearing with both and required stitches.
First baby healed after 5 days (was walking around before then but felt amazing day 5). Second baby took ages to recover and I was in a lot of pain for over 2 weeks because I had worse tearing and worst haemorrhoids I’ve ever had. I couldn’t lay down or stand up it was awful.
A lot of women complain they pee themselves if laughing too hard or jumping but I’ve never experienced any of that. Pretty happy in my body, gained a bit of baby weight after no2 which I haven’t shifted but I’m not crying myself to sleep about it 🙂
I had a natural birth and an episiotomy. I was up and about as soon as I had my son, but I struggled mostly due to severe pelvic girdle pain for the first couple of days after birth. I was still up and about, though.
I was forced to have an emergency c-section as my cervix reinflated and the baby got stuck while pushing. I nearly died. 0/10 do not recommend. I also swelled so bad I could barely bend my knees. Took 10 weeks for the swelling to go down alone. The scar healed ok, but that part of my body is numb, it doesn’t ever recover. Whoever told you that having a baby is easy, is a LIAR.
At my 8 week checkup I had healed up so well my OB was pleasantly surprised. I was moving around and doing tasks normally but refrained from very strenuous exercise before then. I took a lot of baths as well.
Depends what you mean by “heal” and what happened during the birth. I got three second degree tears with my first baby and was in pain for months. Couldn’t have sex comfortable until month 6. For no tearing the worst of it lasted about 3 weeks then gradually got much better until weeks 6-8.
After birth you get up pretty much right away to pee. When you get home you walk around to use the bathroom, shower, etc. but should take it easy and avoid pushing yourself too hard for the first few weeks or it makes bleeding worse.
I had 2 babies (1 year apart), with optional 1 stitch. I stayed in bed a few days after getting g home. I had a partner that helped the first birth, not the second. It took a couple of weeks the 1st birth to recover, and a month the second birth. I had some help with chores from family.
Out of 8 kids, 5 were unmedicated and 3 of those were home births. With the unmedicated ones, as soon as the placenta was out, I was in the shower because I hate feeling gross. With the youngest home birth, I did a quick Kohl’s run the next afternoon.
I had too much nervous energy to stay in bed, plus I had other kids to take care of. I think I’m a pretty quick healer and felt pretty much like myself within 4 weeks or so. I co-slept so I didn’t actually have to get up in the middle of the night and that was a huge help.
The hardest one was the last because I had to be in and out of the hospital and my youngest was born by c-section. I didn’t get to hold her until she was 15 hours old because I was busy puking and she was in the NICU. Even so, once I got home, I started going for short walks within days and was back to running — albeit slowly — at 4 weeks with my doctor’s permission.
I’m a big believer in movement being good for you post-partum.
It was hard to move the first few days. I felt pretty good after about a week. The bleeding stopped at 5 weeks and by 6 weeks I felt pretty much recovered.
It’s recommended you take 15 days minimum to be in or near the bed as much as possible. After giving birth, c section or vaginally, your body has a wound the size of a dinner plate that needs to heal; even if you don’t need stitches, there’s a lot of healing happening on the inside.
It takes 18 months for the uterus to fully “heal”, some more some less, but it will never be quite like it was before pregnancy.
Hormone wise, it can take years for the body to be fully balanced again after a pregnancy.
For me, I felt better around six weeks or so, when the bleeding fully stopped and the ghost contractions went away and I started having energy again, and felt like I could leave the house with my baby on my own without emotional support lol.
Everyone’s pregnancy journey is different of course 🫶🏼
No time at all and it was 1000x better than the two c-sections I had later. NO time in bed. I got up, showered, ate dinner, nursed and changed baby, took a walk with her in her rolling bassinet, and was awake for another 6 or so hours and felt like superwoman, and that was after around 8 hrs of labor with an 8.5lb baby.
I’ve had one medicated (epidural) birth and one natural. I was in the shower unassisted about three hours after the unmedicated birth and healed so much quicker.
I felt back to normal after about 4 weeks with my first at 26. It took like 3 months with my second at 29, and I didn’t tear either time. Both times, I was up and walking around within a few hours.
I’d like to say, though, please please get your doc to refer you for pelvic floor therapy after you give birth. It REALLY should be standard practice. I thought I just had to live with peeing myself when I sneezed and lower back pain, but we don’t have to!!
I was basically fully healed in two weeks. It’ll depend on if you tear and if you do, how badly, but I was easily able to get up and move around and lift things within 24 hours. The way I felt reminded me of being in a car accident- you’re really sore and kinda wobbly, but you can do most things. One of the biggest blessings of not having a c-section.
I had a water birth at a free standing birth center and was home 3 hours later. My recovery was unrealistically easy, and I contend that it was because I was so sick during pregnancy that as soon as I was able to eat food again my body was better. I was actually up and at them the next day- at the lactation office, then grocery shopping, and I had to go clothes shopping because I lost 60lbs during pregnancy and absolutely everything I owned was swimming on me. I used a whole whopping 2 doses of ibuprofen. You’re going to hear A LOT of horror stories (and they are very real), but I wasn’t at all prepared for how… easy my recovery was and I always try telling women that this is a variation of normal too. The simple fact is that there is no “one way” to recover from birth. My recommendation: take your time, do what feels right to you, and for the love of God follow the advice to put nothing in your vagina for six weeks.
The first 3ish weeks were the worst (2nd degree tear- aka some internal muscle I believe). After that things got progressively better. My pelvic floor has been the last thing to heal, I’ve been to a pt who gave me some exercises to help strengthen that again, but it was definitely a lot of peeing myself for awhile (I’m 5m pp now).
I will also mention did not even attempt intercourse until literally this week- I was not feeling it at all (I hear EBF can do that, plus the lack of sleep of course), but I can say that hurt too. It was barely pleasurable- hoping the next time is better.
I “healed” in about 3 weeks. Meaning I could use the bathroom without pain, fend for myself completely, be intimate with my partner again. I didn’t have the extra strain of having to take care of a baby unfortunately so that may have helped my healing process. I also had a very quick and easy natural birth. Just remember every body is different and give yourself grace and patience while you are healing up.
I had a 10lb 11oz baby and I never stayed in bed. I had a 4th degree tear so I had to sit on a little donut tube when I sat down. It was uncomfortable but I went right back to my regular routine. Took a few weeks to completely heal
It took 8 weeks to heal enough to feel comfortable. My body back to normal took at least 1 year. No i couldnt stay in bed had a baby to look after. Could sit comfortably due to pain for 2 weeks due to tearing and stitches. It was just hell for the first 3-4 weeks and then gradually got back to normal.
You can move right after, but I am of the belief that my postpartum activity is why I had some pelvic floor issues and wished I had taken it easier – I mean it’s one of the most physical things your body will ever do so it’s okay to take it easy.
Vaginal birth here, only a couple of days. My stitches dissolved after a week or two. But it’s amazing, once she was out the physical pain stopped. When I was pregnant everything hurt always, everywhere.
It depends on what your definition of heal is. Does it mean able to get up, walk around without pain or feeling like your uterus is going to fall out, not hurting when you pee? Probably about a week or so.
But if you mean completely healed from pregnancy and childbirth, then it can take at least a year for your body to come back to some semblance of what it was pre-pregnancy but most likely it never will. You could tear and have scar tissue, you could have stretch marks, fluid retention could have made your feet bigger.
Heal is subjective. Best not to dwell on the big questions like this, it really is a take it day to day situation
I had two big-headed babies vaginally at different times in my life. It took 4 weeks for the bleeding to stop, 6 weeks to feel physically normal. I stayed in bed for 2 days in the hospital.
Not sure if this is the kind of reply you’d expect but: my mum has had lasting liver damage from giving me birth. I found out when I turned 30, she never mentioned it.
I had zero healing time coz I had my baby super early so there was like, no damage (only emotional damage lol). The bleeding only lasted 2 weeks as well. My bump was gone within a day or two.
Five months postpartum here! Natural and unmediated birth. I had a first degree tear and two stitches.
I did not stay in bed as much as I should’ve, the first day I was up walking like nothing because of the adrenaline. First two weeks, I was so swollen down there but it started going down week three.
Although I was healed from the outside, internally it does take the 6 weeks or more if you had a c-section.
BUT I do have fissures 🥲 and they still hurt to this day and remind me of birth lol
Natural birth… first kid, had a tear and some stitches and didnt feel a thing when it was happening asked for extra lidocaine before stitches went in… uncontrollable for sure but manageable, with your wonderful new baby to look at… thank god for the natural drugs your body supplies durning and after labor. Slowly walked stairs and did laundry on day two of baby. Really loved the cooling pads i had prepped
Pre birth. Good luck lady, no matter which way you give birth, it will be perfect for you and your baby to share together
I had the pregnancy from hell. 3 hours post birth I had peed and showered all by myself and was practically prancing down the hallway. By the time my milk came in my stomach had retightened. I had an epidural (late in the process) and 2 stitches. Gave birth around 5 am and by noon I was better than I had been since about week 3 of pregnancy.
I went home the day after giving birth on a Friday. Husband went back to work Monday. I didn’t have any help from family, friends or husband. I sure as shooting never spent any time in bed.
Fully natural birth and I’d say it was three weeks healing, mostly due to some hellacious hemorrhoids, which nobody warned me about. That pain was the worst of the entire procedure.
I was back to masturbating by the end of the week 😅 (externally and over clothes).
Started feeling like I was just having a regular period after about 2 weeks. Stopped bleeding after about 3-4 weeks, had painless sex at exactly 6 weeks. (Second degree tear upwards).
My second baby I had a second degree tear downwards. I was masturbating after maybe 10 days, and had some stinging where I tore the first time we had sex at 8 weeks, took 2 or 3 more times for it to be completely painless again.
3 natural births, never any meds, one hospital, one at home on accident, one barley in the birth center door, recoveries were all different. My almost 3rd degree tear was just as painful to heal from as my 1st degree tear that happened on the side instead of the back or front.
My third baby was the easiest. I had stitches but it wasn’t as painful, recovery was easier. A good week or two of low activity is nice but it took a full month to heal wounds and pain from my first 2 babies. I never stayed in bed, it still felt good to sit on the couch and that’s way easier for nursing.
The First 40 Days might be a good book if someone has a good support system.
I had a second degree tear up AND down after birth 😭 I can remember the first 2-3 weeks still being kinda sore and tender down there. I used my peri bottle literally every time I went to the bathroom to use warm water as a relief. At my 6 week checkup, everything looked fine but sex was still difficult for me until at least 10 weeks (I waited about 8 weeks to try lol). It wasn’t a TERRIBLE recovery, just uncomfortable because I have a very low pain tolerance. But besides the soreness my mobility wasn’t impacted at all. I was walking just fine when I got discharged a couple days later. I went back to work earlier than I anticipated (around 12 weeks postpartum) because I just could not stay home lol.
First baby, age 24, needed a few stitches on the perineum, waited for a month to have sex, about a month when doc made sure all was healed. Otherwise all good. Rested when the baby was asleep. I had my baby in a little bed next to my side. I just reached over and picked him up to nurse. Took naps but took care of myself, hubby and baby without help. Excellent recovery. Nursing went great. Breast area around nipples were tender. Used lanolin. Was able to do just about anything, other than sex, after about 2 weeks. After a few days, did most of the regular household tasks, although not heavy lifting. Housekeeping not important. Simple meals. 2nd baby, age 28, basically same thing. A needed a few more stitches. had a 3 yr old and house to take care of. Just did stuff more carefully until I felt normal. Housework was not super important. Did the regular cooking, laundry, etc. Resumed sex after doc check up, about a month. When baby about 6 months old, had a tubal ligation. That was like getting punched in the stomach. Really noticed the pulling of the muscles in the abdomen. Took about 2 weeks for my stomach to feel normal. I was really lucky how easy my pregnancies, births. and post partum recovery were. Not everyone is the same. There was no family leave in the 70s.
For my first, I bounced back pretty quickly. I had 3 small stitches, but it didn’t really bother me. By the following day I was up and moving pretty normally. Completely back to normal after about 3 weeks.
For my second, I also had 3 small stitches. I was up and moving around normally about 10 minutes later. My doctor made me climb into bed again to rest. 😂 I couldn’t handle the resting and was back to normal after 2 weeks.
For my third, I had an emergency c-section. I was feeling great the next day and overdid it. Ended up with a fever. Tried to take it easy, but was back to normal activity by 3 weeks. The day I was given the go-ahead to start driving again was the best day.
Pushed him out. Got stitches, went pee, then walked to my new room within an hr. I could walk just fine. As for healing completely? That varies from person to person.
The 4th trimester is something i recommend looking into.
I got up every day, each time. I found ice packs in the nether regions were a saviour. Moving is better than not moving IMO. It helps you heal faster. Drinking water, eating whole foods. All of mine were vaginal births, but my last was all natural, no pain meds, in a birth tub and it was by far the best of the four. I felt most like myself after that one. Maybe it’s experience, or good health, or luck. But I found ice and movement helpful. YMMV. Also, every birth can be different. I have also learned that after 4 live births and 2 miscarriages. It’s important to take the time needed to heal no matter what or what journey you’re in. Listen to your body always.
I was up and around right away
But within two weeks definitely back to normal in most ways
No sex for about six weeks though and no it didn’t hurt when we resumed
I have six ❤️
With my first, I was probably acutely aware of my nethers for 2 full weeks. Never stayed in bed. But I ached downstairs and was scared to poop for at least those first two weeks. Sexually? Probably waited the full 6 weeks or close to it. With my second (significantly smaller baby and a precipitous labor) I was over it all within days and had sex again within two weeks. (Pretty sure this is actually dangerous and I wouldn’t do it again but I was young and stupid.) But I say this to say, the recovery was much quicker and I wanted to have sex. I wasn’t afraid to.
My first was longer and they used the vacuum thingy to get the baby out at the end. I was exhausted and that took longer to get over. I don’t think I left the house for a week. I had stitches but they healed without any problems.
The second went really well and much faster and my recovery was quicker. I think we were at a museum when she was like three days old because there was an exhibit we wanted to show her big sister.
I never had the postpartum blues right after birth, for me it came when they weaned.
I had only a first degree tear and felt pretty solid within 2 days. My back was extremely sore for a couple more days (not sure if it was from pushing, or from the epidural?) but once that wore off I felt much more normal than I thought I would. However, it wasn’t until I stopped breastfeeding that things REALLY went back to normal.
Every pregnancy and birth is different. That’s the most important thing to remember, understand and return to when you’re going through your own journey.
That said, if you have a vaginal birth with minimal complications and little to no stitches:
You’ll be very sore for a few days. Bleeding for a couple of weeks. Tender and sensitive for at least a month. (All of this is dependent on So Many factors).
You may want to slowly try some sexual activity after 5-8 weeks. Go slow and easy and communicate A LOT.
Your period will return at some point but there’s very little guessing on that. Some get it back within a month or 2, some wait a year or more.
Your body won’t be fully “healed” in every sense (muscular, ligament, hormonal etc.) for 1-2 years.
Source: Doula and mom of 2 vaginal birth babies. One picture perfect home birth with no drugs and one less ideal, sunny side up birth of a 9.5lb baby with an epidural and 3 stitches.
Still waiting.. oldest kid is 11..
Your body never actually heals completely..
There was also no time for me to lay in bed for weeks to be honest. I in fact had a fourth degree internal tear, and assumed that level of pain was normal.. for 2 while weeks.
When I got sutured again, the doctor said he could see exposed muscle.
There was no healing time. Baby needs you.. and you just go to them
I had 2 vaginal births with epidurals. I was up and walking 30 minutes after birth. I was never bedridden.
Things like tears, pelvic floor changes, bleeding, take about 6-8 weeks to heal completely, but they don’t necessitate being in bed. They’re just things that you deal with while going on with your life.
I had an uncomplicated delivery other than approaching dry labor. I did not tear. It was nothing like I expected. It was intense but causal.
I did have discomfort for a few weeks after anywhere and everywhere from head to toe but I had incredible energy. I was always up and moving around. I definitely slowed down around month one. I had some phases of exhaustion in the early months that affected how I felt for sure. It’s tough. I was a working breastfeeding mom.
My delivery was unique. Every parent experiences it different! Don’t try to plan or predict for anything! It’s a roulette!
What is natural specifically? Are we talking vaginal birth, no drugs, what exactly?
My easiest recovery was with my unmedicated (and largest baby) vaginal homebirth. I felt like I could run a marathon the next day.
Hardest was a c-section. That was rough for a few weeks. The others were medicated inductions and I was walking around the next day. Pregnancy was rough on me every time, so having the baby OUT was a relief to my body.
I never had any episiotomies or tearing, no stitches other than with the c-section.
For one of them, I went to the grocery store with my week old baby in her infant car seat in the shopping cart, and the door greeter – an elderly woman – scolded me for not being in bed with a newborn. Like, legit scolded, like I was doing something terribly wrong. I was like, I’m a single mom, lady, if I want to eat I have to shop for food. (Obviously before the days of grocery delivery.)
Couple weeks at most, but I was 18. The midwife said my body would bounce back at my age and she was right. I was working again within 3mths (do not recommend – out of necessity).
I had two vaginal births. I won’t say natural because I had epidural and pitocion. But I didn’t tear or any abrasions ect. No complications. After my second I had after birth contractions and those hurt alot so my husband had to help me take a shower 5ish hours after I gave birth and helped me go pee and stuff. But by the 12hr mark I was pretty much good. By the time I got discharged 24hrs after birth I felt so much better than I did the entire pregnancy. Everyone is different every recovery is different. I wasn’t even sore after either of mine. If I tore I’m sure it would be a different story.
I think I went to a thrift store by day 3. I healed up for the most part fairly quickly. You don’t really get to stay in bed though, you’re having to go to the bathroom, having to take care of the baby, etc. But the stitches, oh the stitches from tearing seemed to take forever.
I had unmedicated water birth with one tiny 3cm superficial tear. I think I bled for about 3 weeks. After the first week or so it was just constant light spotting. I stayed in bed for 2 weeks (except for peeing every 2 hours, a shower with a shower chair, etc). After the first week I would sometimes walk out to the living room to have a meal with my family and sit in my rocker. Took me probably about 2-3 weeks for the tear to fully heal and I was able to do things I used to easily by 6-8 weeks. It took a lot longer for everything else. 11mo pp and I’m still working on my rib flare issues. Edit to add: I had a lot of water retention/swelling and it all went away within 4i hours. It was wild. I looked super fat and puffy right before I gave birth, and within a couple of days I thinned out and looked like myself again. I peed. A lot.
I didn’t stay in bed at all. I wasn’t super active, because of the pain and bleeding, but I was still active, cooking, cleaning, etc. With both babies, it was about 6 weeks to two months before I felt fully recovered, but the worst if it lasted about two weeks (the part where I had to wear heavy duty pads and pee with a perry bottle).
No. You go home after a couple of days. You can’t stay in bed, you have a newborn ( and your other children possibly) to take care of. You don’t get to stay in bed. With my second I went home in 24 hours because I had a 20 month old at home.
I had a third degree tear and levator avulsion. Due to the levator avulsion I got a stage 2 bladder prolapse and stage 2 uterine prolapse. Also some of the stitches came out so my vagina looks horrible.
But due to my prolapses I still struggle everyday (14 months pp). I didn’t even know something like that could happen, so I’m trying to cause awareness for that.
I eventually need surgery but my doctor said only 60% is still successful after two years and I’m in a higher risk of the surgery failing.
I was out on walks and coffee dates with my partner and baby 3 days after giving birth and I felt absolutely fine. Everyone’s different of course but I had a relatively straight forward labour and healed a lot quicker than I expected
My mom had three natural births. I was the first and she says by far the easiest, but she was very fit and in her early 20’s. She was back managing her shop within a few days (and showing me off to everyone). When my youngest sibling was born, mom says that it was so painful that she would have put herself out of her misery if she’d had the means. I’m pretty sure she had at least one episiotomy, but I’m not sure for which of us.
Get a shower after you have the baby. Get up have a shower change clothes, rest as much as you can but get up and down every hour or so during the day. You are up a couple times at night. I did not have a spinal block- others have different healing needs.
You’ll heal when the child is 18 (or 40) and out of the house!!
Jokes aside: a natural birth requires no “recovery”. You’ll be (almost) as good as new immediately, if there are no complications (infect, high blood pressure), so you’ll be able to be out of bed, it’s not a surgery or an illness. It’s a natural fenomenon.
Having said this: you will need emotional support and of course your partner/husband will need to take care of the child and the house with you.
Each time was different, with my last birth I am glad to be in therapy for diastasis recti and pelvic floor strengthening. There’s no much mentally, emotionally, physically and otherwise but this part is what’s helping my body prepare for the next phase of life now that I’m finished having children.
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I had 2 natural births, no tearing or complications so I was up and about as soon as I gave birth. I was going out for walks as soon as I could, I’d say the only thing I had was bruising but that didn’t take look to go away, my stomach muscles felt strained from pushing and I had mastitis. But overall recovery was very fast for me.
Mine a couple of weeks. I didn’t stay in bed at all. Hormones took longer. Honestly, I was ready to go home the same day, but they wouldn’t let me and I understood.
As far as sex and stuff, 6 weeks. But peeing comfortably was about a few weeks. Lol
You don’t stay in bed. You still have to get up use the bathroom, clean yourself/take care of any stitches if that’s what happened, breastfeed, take care of the baby etc.
Walking around shortly after birth. Felt totally normal, other than being obviously sore down there, right away. The soreness went away in a couple days.
Natural as in vaginal or unmedicated? I’d say the healing totally depends on how your birth went, if there were any tears or complications. For me, I had a vaginal birth with epidural, I got the epi at 10 cm. I had zero tears, not even a scratch even though I had coached/purple pushing for an hour. I tried to stay in/around my bed for 2 weeks, which helped to establish breastfeeding. I ate warm foods and basically followed the guidelines for the book “the first forty days”. I’d say it took about 3-6 months to feel back to normal. Everyone is so different though!
I’ve given birth three times, two of which with no pain intervention.
I was up and walking around hours after giving birth. I wasn’t stuck in bed at all. With my second, I was going on walks with him and his sister when he was a week old.
I had a hysterectomy several years ago and that recovery was so much harder than recovering from giving birth.
I’ve heard (in a birthing class) that natural births tend to have less tearing risk because you can feel what’s happening more.
Two natural births, second degree tears for both. Took a good 3-4 weeks to feel I was healing and getting back to normal. And by normal I mean able to pee without having to do it in the shower or use a jug of water everytime. Rubber ring was great for sitting down without pain 👍
You can get up and do things. You just have to wear big pads, use pain relief spray and take aspirin. That is probably 2 weeks. You can relax with your baby at home for a month before taking them out. You’ll feel good after a month.
2 natural births, no complications, and no drugs. I was on my feet within an hour of the placenta and on my way home. At home life continues like normal, maybe a little sore to sit for a week or so but otherwise totally fine.
Like maybe 3 days?
I had one stitch though.
I was fine. No sex for six weeks, but otherwise fine.
Stay in bed? That’s hilarious!
I had second degree tearing (I think it was second but definitely not third).
I was fine after birth (no meds). I didn’t have to stay in bed.
One thing though is that I had pretty fast labor so I wasn’t as exhausted as someone would be who had been in labor for days.
After you give birth, you’re on call 24/7, because you have just had a baby that needs round the clock care
Your baby might be a bit more sleepy the first 24 hours because being born takes a lot of energy from them too; but afterwards they’ll sleep in 1-2 h increments
Once you give birth it may take months for you until you get a full night’s sleep
If your question is about what’s best between vaginal birth or C section : consider what I said above : as soon as your baby is born you.are.on.call. From this perspective, vaginal birth is usually better because you’re much more able to take care of your baby afterwards rather than after a major surgery, which a C section actually is
Back up and about walking my self to go home within an hour. Back to normal life the next day. Two weeks and back to sex. Six weeks and back to work
My experience with childbirth and recovery was very different physically and emotionally. Physically, I was fine almost right away, thank God. But emotionally, it was extremely difficult. For me, the emotional side was far worse than the physical.
To heal …..completely? Not trying to be negative, but the reality is that your body will never be the same again. Tears can heal, be stitched, your organs move back to where they shifted from. But my experience is that your body doesn’t heal completely. I pee myself everytime I take my kids to a trampoline park, even if I pee beforehand. I had to get all new shoes because my feet grew 2 sizes. New bras and shirts when my breasts eventually shriveled smaller than they’ve EVER been. Sometimes I worry about my butthole because I’ve never had hemorrhoids before but now I’m never sure if I have them or if my butthole is just sometimes …..not so tight. And I aint doing anal, so it’s not that…
Personally, I had a very shocking relationship with my body post babies, but it’s all about the expectation I suppose, and I just didn’t know what to expect at all. I knew things moved, swelled up, I did not know they can stay that way, or on the case of my boobs, that they could shrink so much.
Lol, stay in bed?
Natural birth, level 2 tearing, far too many stitches (thanks student doc) and one popped.
I was out of bed and peeing/showering as soon as my epidural wore off. I went for a walk around department stores with my squish in a wrap on day 3 (first full day back from the hospital).
I didn’t fully heal for a long time, in part because they stitched me too tight.
I had a natural, unmedicated birth with a 2nd degree tear. I wish I got to stay in bed lol. But I was sore for about a week and a half. By the third week, I started feeling better, my stitches healed and I could walk a bit longer. By the 5th, I was back to normal.
I did my second unmedicated and I had a second degree tear with stitches outside and inside (sounds worse than it felt 😂). It took about 6 weeks to heal. A total of 3 months until I felt completely like myself down there.
I gave birth at 9:53am and was out of the hospital by 2pm the next day. I didn’t stay in bed for days-once I was home I was up and moving around immediately. Still had to have a bit more rest than standard, but brand new newborns sleep a good bit so I was able to rest plenty. (But, I didn’t tear at all so that probably helped expedite my recovery as well.)
My baby was born at 10:03 a.m. By 3 p.m., I was taking a shower by myself, washing my hair, and talking to the nurse who was there to make sure I was all right and to check how well and strong I was feeling. I took it easy with daily chores, but I was taking great care of my baby. I didn’t stay in bed; the doctor told me to walk around for a few minutes to help with my recovery. Natural birth was an amazing experience for me. Also, I’m 36, so I’m not super young.
It depends on the birth. I walked around the block 5 days ppd after delivering a 9.5 lb baby. I should NOT have done it and don’t recommend but the weather was beautiful and I wanted to take a walk
Half way around I regretted it.
I had a vaginal birth with epidural and then a spinal because I hemorrhaged and they needed to operate to stop it. Anyway I was in bed for about 12 hours whilst I couldn’t feel my legs and waiting for my catheter to be taken out, but I got up pretty soon after that. Despite how bad the tearing was, I actually felt completely fine no pain down there. So by day 2 I felt physically fine.
It’s complicated, and varies, and isn’t always as simple as someone presents it to friends or extended family.
My worst was pregnancy #3, where during pregnancy the ligaments in my pelvis came apart, causing an intense shooting pain every time I used a leg independently. You know.. avoidable things like walking or going up stairs or driving.
It stayed after my baby was born; so in addition to healing a dinner plate sized wound left by the placenta inside me (this is standard in every pregnancy), passing lemon sized clots out of my vagina, having to change my (basically a diaper) disposable underwear every 30 mins to an hour, I also was in agony any time I tried to walk. No tears though, lucky me!
And yet – my ex husband was a douche and wouldn’t do anything with our kids, so I came home from the hospital 12 hours after giving birth, was up and down with the baby all night, then got up and made breakfast and took the kids to school the next morning. Women just do what they have to do, because unfortunately we are often the only ones who will do it. Even in agonizing pain I stood in the school line with my not yet a day old baby and smiled at the other parents, because wtf else was I going to do?
So basically – birth sucks. It’s incredibly painful, traumatic, and difficult to heal from as well as intensely emotionally isolating (imagine you have an ulcer the size of a dinner plate on your internal organ and literally no one cares) all while you’re cascaded with more hormones than puberty. But most women won’t show or tell you that, precisely because of how very emotionally isolated that postpartum time is for most. No one wants to admit weakness when everyone else is pretending it’s no big deal.
Out of the hospital in less than 24 hours, no time in bed at all. Twice. That said my husband was doing all the housework, cooking, and heavy lifting. I was up walking the baby around, nursing, and dealing with visitors (and the second time I was also dealing with a toddler). Now, actual healing… I bled for weeks, wasn’t up for relations for a couple months, and my stitches were quite uncomfortable for a while. All and all, for two 9lb+ natural births, I say it was fine.
I could walk like 1 hour after birth. Climb the stairs 5 hours after birth.
For both my kids. I had vaginal births, no epidural (bad choice btw, it fcking hurts). Just a small tear, no stitching.
It hurt for a week or two when I peed (tear) but otherwise, there is very little to heal.
My last baby was a home birth at 11:30am. I was up vacuuming later that day. I felt fine. My midwife told me to chill out though because of the risk of postpartum hemorrhage. Relax as much as you can the first few weeks.
I rested a lot for about 10 days, and stayed inside, breastfed, slept and relaxed, while my husband took care of everything else. I did a proper confinement in that time, as in no visitors other than my midwife to check in our health. But you still have to get up and keep the area clean, since you can bleed for upto 6 weeks, but the heaviest bleeding is in the first 10-14 days. You will maybe also have stitches that need to be kept clean for that time. Getting up and walking was very painful for three to 5 days, and just exhausting for a few days after that.
I had other issues from the pregnancy, like organs moving back, the stomach muscles being parted and I think permanent damage to my pelvic floor, training those things back to normal took many months. And I will never look the same, although I lost the baby weight within a year and felt physically normal again after 18 months.
Once you become a mom, there’s no more staying in bed for anything. There’s not much healing to be done. You go home from the hospital and start doing exactly what you did before, but with a baby in tow. The only thing is that you’ll be TIRED like never before, so napping when possible is essential.
If you mean “natural” as in vaginal, I’ve had 3. Minor tear with my first. No tearing or pain at all with my second two. I didn’t stay in bed at all after any of them. Just like with most things medical, you usually need to get up to move around so your body can heal. Not exercise, but some light walking. I also needed to get up to care for my new baby. Tbh, my first one took a couple weeks for my tear to heal but I literally felt totally fine after my second and third.
I had two ‘natural’ births, no epidurals (labors progressed very fast). With the first I got up like thirty minutes later to eat pizza 😂 there’s obviously a recovery period, I had the usual minor bleeding for a couple weeks, sitting wrong would hurt, muscle pain and weakness, but nothing that would make me bedridden. The second was more initially painful but faster recovery — probably because I had another already to distract me and keep me running lol
I didn’t have that much support to stay in bed all day, but my husband did take the night shifts. I had a natural birth and episiotomy and wouldn’t say I was fully healed for about 3 months.
Ask your doctor but most advise against staying in bed and encourage you to start (gently) moving around as soon as possible.
I’m currently 3 weeks postpartum from a vaginal birth with an epidural, I had a 2nd degree tear so I had stitches too. As soon as the epidural wore off I was up and moving, although I was pretty swollen & sore so that first week I stayed in bed most of the time. I’m just now at the point where I’m moving normally again with ease & without pain, but I still have 3-4 weeks until my stitches completely heal so Im still having to be mindful to not overdue it while I still recover.
All births are natural
lol even with an “unnatural” birth you are up within 24 hours and doing laps. lolz
Unless something went very wrong you don’t stay in bed. You get up and go to the toilet, wash yourself. You now have a newborn to care for. If you had an epidural you are in bed for a few hours until it wears off.
Two weeks until I was back to normal. I had no tearing. You can’t really stay in bed, not that I wanted to (much to my husband’s frustration).
I would also caution you against calling vaginal birth “natural.” C-sections are also natural.
I was able to walk around hours later buuuuut only around the house. I tried going to grocery store 2 weeks later using only a basket and I was in pain. It took 6 weeks to really feel able to run around with out feeling sore after
I felt great soon after and had to take care of my children after returning home. I didn’t have stitches though. Staying in bed was never an option for me.
I didn’t rest in bed…I had second-degree tears I was tender but I remember feeling comfortable sitting after about six weeks
Bed? Was I supposed to stay in bed, shit….someone should have told that tiny screaming human…😂…for me (and just doing normal stuff) I would say it took about 2-3 weeks for the bleeding to stop, and maybe about til the 6 wk checkup for all the stitches etc, to heal? Something like that!
I had one really easy breezy birth. Kid had a head the size of a baseball. Popped out and I was fine. That was my second baby.
Now my first… was a very rough birth and probably should have been a C-section.
My second baby actually came three weeks early bc I was too torn up from the first to hold the baby in any longer.
I have had to have internal vaginal physically therapy and a hysterectomy at this point. Still need one more surgery. This child is almost 19.
But I would say it was about 6-8 weeks before I was getting back to normal activities.
Such an adventure.
I was ready to go back to work 2 days later. The tearing took about 4 weeks to heal though.
I had two natural births. First one, my daughter hit my coccyx on the way out so that took 8 years to heal. I also tore a bit and my body healed too quickly so I had to burn off excess skin. I also almost passed out the first time I peed. And I got hemorrhoids even though I took stool softener so that took a week to heal.
Second one came out crazy quick and they took a long time to stitch up but no issues like my first one
Sooo… ya never know lol
Stay in bed? Oh no. You have to stand up, clean your stitches after toilet and so on. My cut became infected while I was still in the hospital. It was hell and took two weeks to heal.
I had a ten pounder plus I had retained placenta and that took a solid 3 months for initial healing (tearing was crazy). My 8.5 pound babe I felt pretty good after like a couple weeks. But there is a lot to healing including the wound the placenta leaves in your uterus, your uterus shrinking down, your pelvic floor recovering… you want to take it easy for awhile but you shouldn’t just stay in bed. I didn’t have epidurals so I started moving around (albeit slowly) right after getting stitched up.
I had 2 natural births with no painkillers and tearing with both and required stitches.
First baby healed after 5 days (was walking around before then but felt amazing day 5). Second baby took ages to recover and I was in a lot of pain for over 2 weeks because I had worse tearing and worst haemorrhoids I’ve ever had. I couldn’t lay down or stand up it was awful.
A lot of women complain they pee themselves if laughing too hard or jumping but I’ve never experienced any of that. Pretty happy in my body, gained a bit of baby weight after no2 which I haven’t shifted but I’m not crying myself to sleep about it 🙂
Going on 4 years and still not put back together again.
I had a natural birth and an episiotomy. I was up and about as soon as I had my son, but I struggled mostly due to severe pelvic girdle pain for the first couple of days after birth. I was still up and about, though.
*take
I was forced to have an emergency c-section as my cervix reinflated and the baby got stuck while pushing. I nearly died. 0/10 do not recommend. I also swelled so bad I could barely bend my knees. Took 10 weeks for the swelling to go down alone. The scar healed ok, but that part of my body is numb, it doesn’t ever recover. Whoever told you that having a baby is easy, is a LIAR.
At my 8 week checkup I had healed up so well my OB was pleasantly surprised. I was moving around and doing tasks normally but refrained from very strenuous exercise before then. I took a lot of baths as well.
Depends what you mean by “heal” and what happened during the birth. I got three second degree tears with my first baby and was in pain for months. Couldn’t have sex comfortable until month 6. For no tearing the worst of it lasted about 3 weeks then gradually got much better until weeks 6-8.
After birth you get up pretty much right away to pee. When you get home you walk around to use the bathroom, shower, etc. but should take it easy and avoid pushing yourself too hard for the first few weeks or it makes bleeding worse.
I had 2 babies (1 year apart), with optional 1 stitch. I stayed in bed a few days after getting g home. I had a partner that helped the first birth, not the second. It took a couple of weeks the 1st birth to recover, and a month the second birth. I had some help with chores from family.
Out of 8 kids, 5 were unmedicated and 3 of those were home births. With the unmedicated ones, as soon as the placenta was out, I was in the shower because I hate feeling gross. With the youngest home birth, I did a quick Kohl’s run the next afternoon.
I had too much nervous energy to stay in bed, plus I had other kids to take care of. I think I’m a pretty quick healer and felt pretty much like myself within 4 weeks or so. I co-slept so I didn’t actually have to get up in the middle of the night and that was a huge help.
The hardest one was the last because I had to be in and out of the hospital and my youngest was born by c-section. I didn’t get to hold her until she was 15 hours old because I was busy puking and she was in the NICU. Even so, once I got home, I started going for short walks within days and was back to running — albeit slowly — at 4 weeks with my doctor’s permission.
I’m a big believer in movement being good for you post-partum.
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It was hard to move the first few days. I felt pretty good after about a week. The bleeding stopped at 5 weeks and by 6 weeks I felt pretty much recovered.
It’s recommended you take 15 days minimum to be in or near the bed as much as possible. After giving birth, c section or vaginally, your body has a wound the size of a dinner plate that needs to heal; even if you don’t need stitches, there’s a lot of healing happening on the inside.
It takes 18 months for the uterus to fully “heal”, some more some less, but it will never be quite like it was before pregnancy.
Hormone wise, it can take years for the body to be fully balanced again after a pregnancy.
For me, I felt better around six weeks or so, when the bleeding fully stopped and the ghost contractions went away and I started having energy again, and felt like I could leave the house with my baby on my own without emotional support lol.
Everyone’s pregnancy journey is different of course 🫶🏼
No time at all and it was 1000x better than the two c-sections I had later. NO time in bed. I got up, showered, ate dinner, nursed and changed baby, took a walk with her in her rolling bassinet, and was awake for another 6 or so hours and felt like superwoman, and that was after around 8 hrs of labor with an 8.5lb baby.
I’ve had one medicated (epidural) birth and one natural. I was in the shower unassisted about three hours after the unmedicated birth and healed so much quicker.
2 hours
I felt back to normal after about 4 weeks with my first at 26. It took like 3 months with my second at 29, and I didn’t tear either time. Both times, I was up and walking around within a few hours.
I’d like to say, though, please please get your doc to refer you for pelvic floor therapy after you give birth. It REALLY should be standard practice. I thought I just had to live with peeing myself when I sneezed and lower back pain, but we don’t have to!!
No, I was up and moving immediately. My bleeding stopped just short of 5 weeks
I was basically fully healed in two weeks. It’ll depend on if you tear and if you do, how badly, but I was easily able to get up and move around and lift things within 24 hours. The way I felt reminded me of being in a car accident- you’re really sore and kinda wobbly, but you can do most things. One of the biggest blessings of not having a c-section.
I had a water birth at a free standing birth center and was home 3 hours later. My recovery was unrealistically easy, and I contend that it was because I was so sick during pregnancy that as soon as I was able to eat food again my body was better. I was actually up and at them the next day- at the lactation office, then grocery shopping, and I had to go clothes shopping because I lost 60lbs during pregnancy and absolutely everything I owned was swimming on me. I used a whole whopping 2 doses of ibuprofen. You’re going to hear A LOT of horror stories (and they are very real), but I wasn’t at all prepared for how… easy my recovery was and I always try telling women that this is a variation of normal too. The simple fact is that there is no “one way” to recover from birth. My recommendation: take your time, do what feels right to you, and for the love of God follow the advice to put nothing in your vagina for six weeks.
The first 3ish weeks were the worst (2nd degree tear- aka some internal muscle I believe). After that things got progressively better. My pelvic floor has been the last thing to heal, I’ve been to a pt who gave me some exercises to help strengthen that again, but it was definitely a lot of peeing myself for awhile (I’m 5m pp now).
I will also mention did not even attempt intercourse until literally this week- I was not feeling it at all (I hear EBF can do that, plus the lack of sleep of course), but I can say that hurt too. It was barely pleasurable- hoping the next time is better.
I “healed” in about 3 weeks. Meaning I could use the bathroom without pain, fend for myself completely, be intimate with my partner again. I didn’t have the extra strain of having to take care of a baby unfortunately so that may have helped my healing process. I also had a very quick and easy natural birth. Just remember every body is different and give yourself grace and patience while you are healing up.
I had a 10lb 11oz baby and I never stayed in bed. I had a 4th degree tear so I had to sit on a little donut tube when I sat down. It was uncomfortable but I went right back to my regular routine. Took a few weeks to completely heal
It took 8 weeks to heal enough to feel comfortable. My body back to normal took at least 1 year. No i couldnt stay in bed had a baby to look after. Could sit comfortably due to pain for 2 weeks due to tearing and stitches. It was just hell for the first 3-4 weeks and then gradually got back to normal.
You can move right after, but I am of the belief that my postpartum activity is why I had some pelvic floor issues and wished I had taken it easier – I mean it’s one of the most physical things your body will ever do so it’s okay to take it easy.
Vaginal birth here, only a couple of days. My stitches dissolved after a week or two. But it’s amazing, once she was out the physical pain stopped. When I was pregnant everything hurt always, everywhere.
I cannot completely heal. I was up within 2 days. 4th degree tears are insane, but someone has to feed baby.
It depends on what your definition of heal is. Does it mean able to get up, walk around without pain or feeling like your uterus is going to fall out, not hurting when you pee? Probably about a week or so.
But if you mean completely healed from pregnancy and childbirth, then it can take at least a year for your body to come back to some semblance of what it was pre-pregnancy but most likely it never will. You could tear and have scar tissue, you could have stretch marks, fluid retention could have made your feet bigger.
Heal is subjective. Best not to dwell on the big questions like this, it really is a take it day to day situation
I had two big-headed babies vaginally at different times in my life. It took 4 weeks for the bleeding to stop, 6 weeks to feel physically normal. I stayed in bed for 2 days in the hospital.
Not sure if this is the kind of reply you’d expect but: my mum has had lasting liver damage from giving me birth. I found out when I turned 30, she never mentioned it.
Heal. 😂😂😂 you’ll pee yourself forever.
I had zero healing time coz I had my baby super early so there was like, no damage (only emotional damage lol). The bleeding only lasted 2 weeks as well. My bump was gone within a day or two.
Five months postpartum here! Natural and unmediated birth. I had a first degree tear and two stitches.
I did not stay in bed as much as I should’ve, the first day I was up walking like nothing because of the adrenaline. First two weeks, I was so swollen down there but it started going down week three.
Although I was healed from the outside, internally it does take the 6 weeks or more if you had a c-section.
BUT I do have fissures 🥲 and they still hurt to this day and remind me of birth lol
Depends on how old you are and how big baby is. I agree that you never will be the same. I’m also a fan of pelvic floor therapy.
Natural birth… first kid, had a tear and some stitches and didnt feel a thing when it was happening asked for extra lidocaine before stitches went in… uncontrollable for sure but manageable, with your wonderful new baby to look at… thank god for the natural drugs your body supplies durning and after labor. Slowly walked stairs and did laundry on day two of baby. Really loved the cooling pads i had prepped
Pre birth. Good luck lady, no matter which way you give birth, it will be perfect for you and your baby to share together
It varies so much!
I had the pregnancy from hell. 3 hours post birth I had peed and showered all by myself and was practically prancing down the hallway. By the time my milk came in my stomach had retightened. I had an epidural (late in the process) and 2 stitches. Gave birth around 5 am and by noon I was better than I had been since about week 3 of pregnancy.
I went home the day after giving birth on a Friday. Husband went back to work Monday. I didn’t have any help from family, friends or husband. I sure as shooting never spent any time in bed.
Fully natural birth and I’d say it was three weeks healing, mostly due to some hellacious hemorrhoids, which nobody warned me about. That pain was the worst of the entire procedure.
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I was back to masturbating by the end of the week 😅 (externally and over clothes).
Started feeling like I was just having a regular period after about 2 weeks. Stopped bleeding after about 3-4 weeks, had painless sex at exactly 6 weeks. (Second degree tear upwards).
My second baby I had a second degree tear downwards. I was masturbating after maybe 10 days, and had some stinging where I tore the first time we had sex at 8 weeks, took 2 or 3 more times for it to be completely painless again.
3 natural births, never any meds, one hospital, one at home on accident, one barley in the birth center door, recoveries were all different. My almost 3rd degree tear was just as painful to heal from as my 1st degree tear that happened on the side instead of the back or front.
My third baby was the easiest. I had stitches but it wasn’t as painful, recovery was easier. A good week or two of low activity is nice but it took a full month to heal wounds and pain from my first 2 babies. I never stayed in bed, it still felt good to sit on the couch and that’s way easier for nursing.
The First 40 Days might be a good book if someone has a good support system.
I had a second degree tear up AND down after birth 😭 I can remember the first 2-3 weeks still being kinda sore and tender down there. I used my peri bottle literally every time I went to the bathroom to use warm water as a relief. At my 6 week checkup, everything looked fine but sex was still difficult for me until at least 10 weeks (I waited about 8 weeks to try lol). It wasn’t a TERRIBLE recovery, just uncomfortable because I have a very low pain tolerance. But besides the soreness my mobility wasn’t impacted at all. I was walking just fine when I got discharged a couple days later. I went back to work earlier than I anticipated (around 12 weeks postpartum) because I just could not stay home lol.
I wish I could remember. It’s been 35 years. My brain has never fully recovered.
First baby, age 24, needed a few stitches on the perineum, waited for a month to have sex, about a month when doc made sure all was healed. Otherwise all good. Rested when the baby was asleep. I had my baby in a little bed next to my side. I just reached over and picked him up to nurse. Took naps but took care of myself, hubby and baby without help. Excellent recovery. Nursing went great. Breast area around nipples were tender. Used lanolin. Was able to do just about anything, other than sex, after about 2 weeks. After a few days, did most of the regular household tasks, although not heavy lifting. Housekeeping not important. Simple meals. 2nd baby, age 28, basically same thing. A needed a few more stitches. had a 3 yr old and house to take care of. Just did stuff more carefully until I felt normal. Housework was not super important. Did the regular cooking, laundry, etc. Resumed sex after doc check up, about a month. When baby about 6 months old, had a tubal ligation. That was like getting punched in the stomach. Really noticed the pulling of the muscles in the abdomen. Took about 2 weeks for my stomach to feel normal. I was really lucky how easy my pregnancies, births. and post partum recovery were. Not everyone is the same. There was no family leave in the 70s.
Six weeks
For my first, I bounced back pretty quickly. I had 3 small stitches, but it didn’t really bother me. By the following day I was up and moving pretty normally. Completely back to normal after about 3 weeks.
For my second, I also had 3 small stitches. I was up and moving around normally about 10 minutes later. My doctor made me climb into bed again to rest. 😂 I couldn’t handle the resting and was back to normal after 2 weeks.
For my third, I had an emergency c-section. I was feeling great the next day and overdid it. Ended up with a fever. Tried to take it easy, but was back to normal activity by 3 weeks. The day I was given the go-ahead to start driving again was the best day.
Stay in bed?! lol. I was brining my kids here, there, and everywhere when my youngest was just days old.
What is a natural birth? Vaginal or c-section?
I had 4 natural births. I was up walking the same day. There is absolutely no way to stay in bed for weeks. That’s insane.
Pushed him out. Got stitches, went pee, then walked to my new room within an hr. I could walk just fine. As for healing completely? That varies from person to person.
The 4th trimester is something i recommend looking into.
I got up every day, each time. I found ice packs in the nether regions were a saviour. Moving is better than not moving IMO. It helps you heal faster. Drinking water, eating whole foods. All of mine were vaginal births, but my last was all natural, no pain meds, in a birth tub and it was by far the best of the four. I felt most like myself after that one. Maybe it’s experience, or good health, or luck. But I found ice and movement helpful. YMMV. Also, every birth can be different. I have also learned that after 4 live births and 2 miscarriages. It’s important to take the time needed to heal no matter what or what journey you’re in. Listen to your body always.
I was up and around right away
But within two weeks definitely back to normal in most ways
No sex for about six weeks though and no it didn’t hurt when we resumed
I have six ❤️
With my first, I was probably acutely aware of my nethers for 2 full weeks. Never stayed in bed. But I ached downstairs and was scared to poop for at least those first two weeks. Sexually? Probably waited the full 6 weeks or close to it. With my second (significantly smaller baby and a precipitous labor) I was over it all within days and had sex again within two weeks. (Pretty sure this is actually dangerous and I wouldn’t do it again but I was young and stupid.) But I say this to say, the recovery was much quicker and I wanted to have sex. I wasn’t afraid to.
First is harder. Hands down.
My first was longer and they used the vacuum thingy to get the baby out at the end. I was exhausted and that took longer to get over. I don’t think I left the house for a week. I had stitches but they healed without any problems.
The second went really well and much faster and my recovery was quicker. I think we were at a museum when she was like three days old because there was an exhibit we wanted to show her big sister.
I never had the postpartum blues right after birth, for me it came when they weaned.
I had only a first degree tear and felt pretty solid within 2 days. My back was extremely sore for a couple more days (not sure if it was from pushing, or from the epidural?) but once that wore off I felt much more normal than I thought I would. However, it wasn’t until I stopped breastfeeding that things REALLY went back to normal.
Every pregnancy and birth is different. That’s the most important thing to remember, understand and return to when you’re going through your own journey.
That said, if you have a vaginal birth with minimal complications and little to no stitches:
You’ll be very sore for a few days. Bleeding for a couple of weeks. Tender and sensitive for at least a month. (All of this is dependent on So Many factors).
You may want to slowly try some sexual activity after 5-8 weeks. Go slow and easy and communicate A LOT.
Your period will return at some point but there’s very little guessing on that. Some get it back within a month or 2, some wait a year or more.
Your body won’t be fully “healed” in every sense (muscular, ligament, hormonal etc.) for 1-2 years.
Source: Doula and mom of 2 vaginal birth babies. One picture perfect home birth with no drugs and one less ideal, sunny side up birth of a 9.5lb baby with an epidural and 3 stitches.
Still waiting.. oldest kid is 11..
Your body never actually heals completely..
There was also no time for me to lay in bed for weeks to be honest. I in fact had a fourth degree internal tear, and assumed that level of pain was normal.. for 2 while weeks.
When I got sutured again, the doctor said he could see exposed muscle.
There was no healing time. Baby needs you.. and you just go to them
A few days. I didn’t have any problems or anything.
Immediate recovery, between 1 to 2 weeks. You’re still active during this time so you’re not staying cooped up in bed.
But in reality, there are a lot of things that are healing internally and your body doesn’t feel ‘normal’ like it did pre-pregnancy for a while.
I had 2 vaginal births with epidurals. I was up and walking 30 minutes after birth. I was never bedridden.
Things like tears, pelvic floor changes, bleeding, take about 6-8 weeks to heal completely, but they don’t necessitate being in bed. They’re just things that you deal with while going on with your life.
I had an uncomplicated delivery other than approaching dry labor. I did not tear. It was nothing like I expected. It was intense but causal.
I did have discomfort for a few weeks after anywhere and everywhere from head to toe but I had incredible energy. I was always up and moving around. I definitely slowed down around month one. I had some phases of exhaustion in the early months that affected how I felt for sure. It’s tough. I was a working breastfeeding mom.
My delivery was unique. Every parent experiences it different! Don’t try to plan or predict for anything! It’s a roulette!
What is natural specifically? Are we talking vaginal birth, no drugs, what exactly?
My easiest recovery was with my unmedicated (and largest baby) vaginal homebirth. I felt like I could run a marathon the next day.
Hardest was a c-section. That was rough for a few weeks. The others were medicated inductions and I was walking around the next day. Pregnancy was rough on me every time, so having the baby OUT was a relief to my body.
I never had any episiotomies or tearing, no stitches other than with the c-section.
For one of them, I went to the grocery store with my week old baby in her infant car seat in the shopping cart, and the door greeter – an elderly woman – scolded me for not being in bed with a newborn. Like, legit scolded, like I was doing something terribly wrong. I was like, I’m a single mom, lady, if I want to eat I have to shop for food. (Obviously before the days of grocery delivery.)
What is there to heal, with a natural birth? I can see asking this for a C-section.
Couple weeks at most, but I was 18. The midwife said my body would bounce back at my age and she was right. I was working again within 3mths (do not recommend – out of necessity).
It’s been two years almost and I’m still healing. Giving birth completely wrecked my pelvic floor. I walked hunched over for weeks
I had two vaginal births. I won’t say natural because I had epidural and pitocion. But I didn’t tear or any abrasions ect. No complications. After my second I had after birth contractions and those hurt alot so my husband had to help me take a shower 5ish hours after I gave birth and helped me go pee and stuff. But by the 12hr mark I was pretty much good. By the time I got discharged 24hrs after birth I felt so much better than I did the entire pregnancy. Everyone is different every recovery is different. I wasn’t even sore after either of mine. If I tore I’m sure it would be a different story.
I think I went to a thrift store by day 3. I healed up for the most part fairly quickly. You don’t really get to stay in bed though, you’re having to go to the bathroom, having to take care of the baby, etc. But the stitches, oh the stitches from tearing seemed to take forever.
I had unmedicated water birth with one tiny 3cm superficial tear. I think I bled for about 3 weeks. After the first week or so it was just constant light spotting. I stayed in bed for 2 weeks (except for peeing every 2 hours, a shower with a shower chair, etc). After the first week I would sometimes walk out to the living room to have a meal with my family and sit in my rocker. Took me probably about 2-3 weeks for the tear to fully heal and I was able to do things I used to easily by 6-8 weeks. It took a lot longer for everything else. 11mo pp and I’m still working on my rib flare issues. Edit to add: I had a lot of water retention/swelling and it all went away within 4i hours. It was wild. I looked super fat and puffy right before I gave birth, and within a couple of days I thinned out and looked like myself again. I peed. A lot.
I didn’t stay in bed at all. I wasn’t super active, because of the pain and bleeding, but I was still active, cooking, cleaning, etc. With both babies, it was about 6 weeks to two months before I felt fully recovered, but the worst if it lasted about two weeks (the part where I had to wear heavy duty pads and pee with a perry bottle).
No. You go home after a couple of days. You can’t stay in bed, you have a newborn ( and your other children possibly) to take care of. You don’t get to stay in bed. With my second I went home in 24 hours because I had a 20 month old at home.
I had a third degree tear and levator avulsion. Due to the levator avulsion I got a stage 2 bladder prolapse and stage 2 uterine prolapse. Also some of the stitches came out so my vagina looks horrible.
But due to my prolapses I still struggle everyday (14 months pp). I didn’t even know something like that could happen, so I’m trying to cause awareness for that.
I eventually need surgery but my doctor said only 60% is still successful after two years and I’m in a higher risk of the surgery failing.
I was out on walks and coffee dates with my partner and baby 3 days after giving birth and I felt absolutely fine. Everyone’s different of course but I had a relatively straight forward labour and healed a lot quicker than I expected
My mom had three natural births. I was the first and she says by far the easiest, but she was very fit and in her early 20’s. She was back managing her shop within a few days (and showing me off to everyone). When my youngest sibling was born, mom says that it was so painful that she would have put herself out of her misery if she’d had the means. I’m pretty sure she had at least one episiotomy, but I’m not sure for which of us.
Get a shower after you have the baby. Get up have a shower change clothes, rest as much as you can but get up and down every hour or so during the day. You are up a couple times at night. I did not have a spinal block- others have different healing needs.
You’ll heal when the child is 18 (or 40) and out of the house!!
Jokes aside: a natural birth requires no “recovery”. You’ll be (almost) as good as new immediately, if there are no complications (infect, high blood pressure), so you’ll be able to be out of bed, it’s not a surgery or an illness. It’s a natural fenomenon.
Having said this: you will need emotional support and of course your partner/husband will need to take care of the child and the house with you.
You mean vaginal births – all births are natural.
And it depends.
About 6 weeks…
Each time was different, with my last birth I am glad to be in therapy for diastasis recti and pelvic floor strengthening. There’s no much mentally, emotionally, physically and otherwise but this part is what’s helping my body prepare for the next phase of life now that I’m finished having children.