Pain after natural birth?

[watermamma]

Anyone else experience alot of pain after birth? Our daughter was born naturally, in the water, after less than 10 minutes of my body pushing, so she came out pretty fast (all 10+lbs of her). Also had her hand at her head, and "sticky" shoulders that never rotated and came out together. Bad 2nd degree tear that required a surgeon to suture (my midwives just don't see those kinds of tears!)

Immediately after her birth, I started to experience perineal and rectal "spasms", I guess you would call them. I was in intense pain, with shooting pains in my bottom. It was worse than the labor!

I really expected to feel great relief once she was born, and was sad to still be in such pain. I had heard all these great stories of women getting up and feeling so great and back to normal one hour after birth. I felt awful!

Anyone else experience this? Did it just have to do with baby coming fast and her size? Does everyone feel this way, but we just never talk about it? What are those shooting pains? Any ideas on how to avoid it next time (well, within my power anyway!)?

[pamamidwife]

I've had some moms experience this. I usually recommend not sitting or standing too long at a time, lots of kegels, and lots of arnica.

{{hugs}} It's always difficult to have post-birth pain.

[TurboClaudia]

I would definitely recommend you consider seeing a physical therapist who specializes in women's pelvic floor issues. They have great training in working with women who have given birth and/or had trauma to their pelvic floor. If you have seen an ob, they can probably get you a referral to a pt. If not, try googling pelvic floor physical therapy [name of your city/city close to you]

warmly,
claudia

[Eman'smom]

Not the kind of pain you experience but I was really really sore after having dd. I felt great after having ds, so I thought after number 2 would be even better. Wrong Wrong. I was really sore, and taking any pain meds I could, after a natural birth with nothing. She too was in a funny postion, I pushed and pushed with no movement then then she just popped out. I think coming out fast and in a bad postion makes you extra sore, your tear I'm sure didn't help.

[watermamma]

Thanks for the replies and thanks Pam for the hug

Just to clarify, I am not experiencing the pain anymore, just the first 24 hours or so afterbirth, and after that, just what I would call the "normal" soreness of a vaginal birth with sutures. But those 24 hours were so painful, especially the first 5.

Claudia: Did you recomend the P/T in the case that I was still in pain? Or even if not? I still have some remaining pelvic ligament issues that just won't seem to go away, but make for a very roomy pelvis!

[cottonwood]

I've had similar pains after extremely intense orgasm. Maybe it was just too much stimulation down there?

What sucked for me was when my uterus continued contracting after the baby was born, for three or four days I had severe afterpains. They were worse than the contractions (except for the back labor.)

[TurboClaudia]

I recommended the P/T for the pain, but I'm sure they are also quite knowledgable about pelvic ligament issues. I've met two women who specialize in pelvic floor physical therapy in the past two years, and they are very well-trained and very knowledgable.

warmly,
claudia

[bunny's mama]

ds was born at home in water with one hand up by his head and the other arm bent so his elbow was up by his head. but somehow i didn't tear even a tiny bit, not even a skid mark! my MW looked at my yoni 2 days after the borth and said it looked like i hadn't given birth. wow.

however, the afterpains were absolutely EXCRUCIATING. this was my 2nd child and i have heard after pains get worse with subsequent births, especially if they were bad with the 1st, which they were. ds was born at 9:45 pm, and i wimpered my way through the whole night (especially when he nursed, that hurt the most as it stimulated my uterus t contract). called my doc inthe morning and got a Rx for vicodin, because nothing else would touch the pain(including homeopathy, which i usually use exclusively).

also, i was in a ton of pain right after the birth because i couldn't pee. after 3 hours of trying everything in the book (hoemopathy, aromatherapy, etc etc.) my MW put a catheter in me and drained my bladder. she said she'd NEVER in her 25 year career as a nurse seen a bladder that was as full as mine. it was so big, that the bladder actually pushed my uterus over to the side. whew. i did feel much better after it was drained, though (well, except for the after pains...)

[oceanbaby]

I was so sore after 3 hours of pushing that I cried out if I had to shift positions. One of my worst memories of my son's birth is my mom standing there holding him, trying to give him to me in the hospital, and me being so wrecked that I couldn't even shift positions to be able to hold and nurse him. I eventually did, but it hurt so bad for days. The afterpains were bad too. After an unmedicated birth, I took prescription pain meds (not vicodin, but prescrip strength tylenol) for them, especially when ds nursed.

I was sore for about a week. I was really bummed because one of the (many) reasons I wanted a natural birth was so I could be up and around afterwards.

Just to clarify, I had a very minor tear, but I was so sore, I felt like I had pushed a truck out of my butt!

[watermamma]

bunny's mama: That's funny, they had to cath me too, my bladder was so full my uterus was unable to shrink down. We tried everything to get me to go, but when they finally cathed me, I filled up a couple large bowls and did feel alot better after. I looked at my midwfe and said "I TOLD you I had had enough water!" (they were really good about having me sip water during labor, and I got a little peeved at the end about the straw in my face

[roshismomma]

i too had no pain meds until *after*(also the prescription tylenol)! some women experience really intense afterpains. *hug*it's just part of it. arnica does indeed help.

[Glittergal]

ugh yes yes! i had a fast easy labor (3 hrs). the recovery was worse than labor. i sort of blew her out and and had a deep 2nd degree (i took this to mean almost a 3rd degree!). the next day when i had a bm, i doubled over in such pain. it was like giving birth again. my bottom hurt for wks. i tried sitz baths with herbs but it just seemed to make things worse. i had bad afterpains too. my midwife says she sees this alot with women that have such fast labors. maybe we just have extra strong efficient contractions that continue after the baby??? i feel your pain mamma!

[spero]

My BUTT was so sore after I gave birth, every time (4)! I told people it felt like I had been kicked repeatedly in the behind with steel-toed boots. My last two were waterbirthed, and I still had this pain. It only lasted about 24 hours, but it was intense.

Laying on a big bag of ice helped alot.

For my perineal pain, nothing worked better than Dermoplast (anesthetic spray)...man, I looooooooved that stuff.

[bunny's mama]

skell...add me to the list of dermaplast fans. that stuff rocks! after i had dd (hospital birth) i had only a little tear, but holy moly TONS of tiny little skid marks in and around my yoni and tiny fissures in my butt. they gave it to me in the hospital, and that stuff worked like magic (altho i believe its got alcohol in it, so its prolly actually hindering the healing process, but it sure as heck helps the pain.)

and my butt was killin' me after birthing dd. at one point in the 3 hour pushing, dh had to move away from watching dd emerge cause he said he was afraid my butt would just explode all over the place :LOL i have really graphic pics of that birth and it actually does look as though my butt is about to turn itself inside out.

it is truly amazing what a woman can do with her body, eh gals?!

[CarrieMF]

After my first daughter I was really sore because of the 4th degree episiotomy, I hate that dr. I had an awful time trying to sit. I had no afterpains.

With my 2nd daughter I wasn't too sore there, nothing out of the ordinary but OMG my tailbone hurt for weeks. It hurt alot during the labor with what I thought was a sunny side up birth until she came out and it didn't go away. That was the worst 20min of my life unti the placenta came out. I had partial placenta previa during the pregnancy and I guess it decided to make my tailbone it's home. As for afterpains, I refer to it as backwards labor. I had to do labor breathing through them.

With my 3rd I don't remember being that sore or having bad afterpains but her birth was traumatic for me(and probably her which could explain her attitude ). She was 3weeks old before every thought was not consumed with going over her birth and she was around 3-4wks when I finally started accepting that she was alive. I had afterpains, I don't remember them being as bad as with my 2nd but I may have blocked them out some too.

[spero]

Originally posted by bunny's mama
and my butt was killin' me after birthing dd. at one point in the 3 hour pushing, dh had to move away from watching dd emerge cause he said he was afraid my butt would just explode all over the place :LOL i have really graphic pics of that birth and it actually does look as though my butt is about to turn itself inside out.

I am so glad to know that I wasn't the only one who experienced this sensation! Everyone looks at me like I have five heads when I tell them I was CERTAIN my babies were going to come out the wrong place...I had to work through a lot of fear while pushing. I had very little vaginal sensation during birth, except for the burning when my perineum was stretching. It freaked me out!

[CarrieMF]

I didn't have the urge to push or ring of fire or anything with my first. I paid for it with my 2nd.lol I just about bit the dr's head off when he said I was going to feel some burning and I told him I already was and begged for an episiotomy. He refused, I hated him at the time but was very glad after.lol