How long after birth did it take you to feel good enough to go out?

[Snowflake777]

I mean like going out where a decent amount of walking is required, eg going to the mall for more than an hour, etc.

I tore pretty badly with DD1 and I recall it taking 3-4 weeks for me last time, but I have a feeling this is probably longer than normal. What were your experiences?

[KinderKim]

I went to a community garage sale about 2 weeks after I had DD2 and walked around for a couple of hours. I definitely felt sore afterwards and the postpartum bleeding got worse. I think it was about 4 or 5 weeks PP until I felt regular again.

[lifeguard]

Definitely 4 weeks & that was primarily because my Mom was visiting. I didn't feel close to normal until 6 weeks. I had a 3rd degree tear though.

[Peony]

Within days, but I've never torn and always have recovered very quickly from birth. 

[kltroy]

With my c-section, about 3 weeks.  Felt like crap for the first week or two.  With my VBAC, maybe 3 days before I wanted to take a nice walk, and maybe a week until I was out at a street festival.  Night and day difference.  I was taking plenty of ibuprofin, mind you (felt like I had run a marathon and then been beat up for a week or so), but I only had one small tear, which healed relatively quickly.

[puddle]

With my first birth, I was still in a lot of pain and had a hard time getting around at 6 weeks.  She was at least 2 months old by the time I could get out on my own comfortably.  With my second, I felt good the next day and great within a week, other than being a little uncomfortable when sitting.  I tore about the same with both (minor), but my second was more than 2 lbs bigger.  I don't know if the difference in recovery was because my body knew what it was doing, because my first labor was long and my second super fast, or because I was so miserable during my second pregnancy that not being pregnant felt super awesome in comparison.

[Bokonon]

I had 2 c-sections, and had to get moving pretty quickly because my babies were in the NICU.  With #1, I was discharged 5 days postpartum and went to Babies R Us and Costco before going home.

With #2, I went to a brunch at my son's preschool and then got my hair cut and colored a week postpartum (I had been on bedrest for weeks and was not a pretty sight, and DD was still in the NICU).

I felt pretty normal within 2 weeks with each birth.

I never labored though, and wasn't nearly full-term, so I'm sure that had a lot to do with how quickly I recovered each time.

[Jaimee]

With my first I only had a first degree tear, but it did require a few stitches that ended up pulling quite a bit when I walked for more than just around the house.  It took me well past my 6 week appointment to stop feeling that pulling when walking.  I also had some tailbone pain/soreness that lasted a few days.

With my second I didn't tear at all and I was up and about days later.  My bleeding would increase slightly if I pushed it too much, but I felt fine.

[mambera]

I had a 2nd degree tear with DD but felt fine getting up and about pretty much immediately (sitting down was way more painful than walking).  Took a walk out for a cup of tea and shopping with my mom at 5 days postpartum - in retrospect not a good idea because people were staring at DD and breathing on her.  I felt just fine though.  Agree with puddle that the minor discomforts of early postpartum were nothing against the awesomeness of no longer being pregnant. :)

[Erin77]

I tore some with my son but felt well enough to walk to his pediatrician's office a mile away with him when he was 4 days old and moved cross country (carrying him and luggage on a plane) when he was 9 days old. I think the stress and excitement of not being pregnant any more + needing to get moving made it work for me. Physically I felt great but emotionally I was a wreck, ha ha. 

[MissinNYC]

I have felt fine with all my natural births to go out within a couple days or a week. For the first few days I've felt super tired. My vulva/vagina doesn't usually hurt, it's actually more of an all-over soreness and back/abdominal pain. I would say it took about a week or 10 days to feel fully back to normal. But I have terrible pregnancies, so not being pregnant is wonderful for me after ten months of suffering (gladly).

[jessica_lizette]

With my first who I tore with, about a week and a half. With my second I was feeling great within a couple of days.

[eclipse]

With my first, I had an episiotomy, stitches, crap loads of pain, trouble breastfeeding (supply+latch problems+bleeding nipples). . .and I didn't even feel like leaving the house when I went back to work at 6 weeks PP. We did go out, but I really wasn't up to it. With #2, I felt awesome! No stitches, no breastfeeding problems, no PPD (in retrospect, PPD started pretty much ASAP after #`1, but not at all with #2. The difference was incredible and unexpected), she slept in huge chunks from the beginning, so no sleep deprivation, etc. She was born on the 18th, I left the hospital on the 19th, and I know we went out to dinner for my birthday on the 23rd and I was feeling fine. We went to the zoo the next day and she snuggle up in the sling the whole time and I walked around all day long without any problems. I'm pretty sure within a week we were back at our weekly playgroup/park day. With #3, it was pretty fast, too. He was almost a month early, but was able to go home the day after he was born (no NICU!), and the day after that we managed to go to his baby shower (methinks he came early so he wouldn't miss his party!). Physically, I wasn't feeling as great as with dd, but I was still out and about fairly quickly.

Oh, and I had epidurals with all three, but I was on some serious pain meds with #1 after the birth. The episiotomy really wrecked me, and I think I would have quit nursing without the narcotics, since my nipples looked like hamburger meat. I'm sure they contributed to me feeling so bad for so long with DS1

[aHikaru]

The day i got home from the hospital, 3-4 days, i was up and getting new things for the baby, as i waited til' after she was born to decide what i needed.

[Lisa1970]

I did not go out, because I had the baby in the hospital, but I felt ready to run a marathon within very short time of my vaginal birth. For my csects, it was months.By short time, I am talking maybe an hour. 

[savithny]

Both times I felt great almost immediately afterwards, and was out doing minor errands in less than a week.

HOWEVER:  With #2, I felt so spry, and it was summer and gorgeous.  So when it was time to drop off the paperwork at my HR office to add her to my insurance (so all her early bills would get paid), we parked at our normal spot on campus and walked nearly a mile down the road to the benefits office, and then back again, with a slight detour to stop by and show her off to coworkers.  I think I was less than 2 weeks postpartum.

I guess my pelvic ligaments hadn't tightened yet, because by the time we got back to our parking lot, I could feel the bones of my pelvis scraping against each other.  I would call that "overdoing it" definitely.   I felt achy and uncomfortable for several days afterwards, too.

[Monarchgrrl]

I had a homebirth and couldn't do anything besides walk to the bathroom and shower for about a week. Then I ventured outside for a short walk to the beach for the first time at 2 weeks PP. Then a quick trip to get some baby stuff at 3 weeks. But for lots of walking it was about 5-6 weeks, and I didn't tear.

[Zimbah]

I'm 4.5 weeks post partum and am fine going out and about for trips to the park etc.  I had a third degree tear but seem to have healed pretty well, I first went out at 2 weeks for a couple of hours (pottering round a craft fair) although I was a bit sore after that.  Haing said that, I don't know if I've overdone it and caused a vaginal prolapse that I might have avoided with less activity - it only seems to have developed in the last week despite me doing pelvic floor exercises religiously.

[Snowflake777]

Thanks for all the replies!

I'm now 4 days PP and still feeling pretty rough. I actually felt better a couple of days ago, but the effects of constantly wearing a pad over tearing have taken their toll. Blech.

I also have a fever, and have just started antibiotics because my doc suspects infection, possibly the start of mastitis or something in my uterus. I hope they start working quickly. I reeaaaallly want to get outside a bit!

[Jaimee]

Originally Posted by Snowflake777 

I'm now 4 days PP and still feeling pretty rough. I actually felt better a couple of days ago, but the effects of constantly wearing a pad over tearing have taken their toll. Blech.

Sorry about the discomfort and infection!  I hope the AB's help quickly!  Have you tried sitzbaths with some postpartum herbs?  There are several companies that make postpartum herb mixes and some package them in giant "tea bags" for the bath tub.   Also, I used cloth pads after the first few days postpartum... they are much more comfortable than disposables and breathe better.  Do you have any cloth pads or can you borrow some from a friend?  You could order some online, but that would take some time... do you have any natural parenting stores around?  Some times cloth diaper stores carry them.  In fact I may have even seen GladRags at Whole Foods... do you have one of those by you?