How did you feel "down there" immediately after birth?

[mommy2madison03]

My dh and I are planning on conceiving this summer and are planning a homebirth! I'm just curious, how did you really feel after you gave birth? Was the actual deliver so intense that after the baby was born you felt 100% better. I imagine I will be sore and have like a burning feeling but the relief will feel so great that I won't give it a second thought. I'm not asking because I'm scared I'm just curious as all get out! lol I actually can't wait to birth at home no more hospital for me! I don't trust those "snippin happy" doctors!

[applejuice]

I personally felt relieved...maybe a bit traumatized...I mean, I just passed a human being out of my body, for heaven's sake! I do not do that everyday... but my body had been preparing for it for nine months....urinating a few hours later was a shock.......but other than that, I was fine.

I had my four at home. I never needed any stitches, and I recovered well...

If you had an episiotomy with your previous birth, you may tear near that area since scar tissue does not stretch as well as healthy tissue. But this is not always true...So, Happy Birthing...:

[Tummy]

I felt rather well down there :LOL
I had a previous 4th degree cut with my second DS, every birth after there was NO stitches! with DS # 3 my midwife told me I had a 'skidmark' and she could put ONE stitch in if I would like, I chose not to. After my # 2 it was pure HELL, but as for my others ABSOLUTLY WONDERFUL! No problems, no issues to speak of.

[wednesday]

I had some tenderness but it was not as painful as I'd anticipated. I think I kept a frozen pad on the area much of the time for the first 24 hours or so, but it got to be more trouble than I felt like it was worth and Tylenol was pretty much taking care of it by that point. I used the peri-bottle instead of wiping after pees for maybe 3-4 days. I didn't have any pain at all after 1 week. And I even had an episiotomy! I credit my midwive who very painstakingly stitched me up. I was annoyed at the time about how long it seemed to take but after reading accounts of women who have pain for weeks or months later, yikes! I feel I had an easy time of it.

[mommy2madison03]

Thank you all for your replies! I did have a 3rd degree tear with my first birth. The only fear I have is my stretching ability right there. Sex is even painful now without using anykind of lubricant so I can imagine what the birth is gonna be like. I feel if sex is painful where my scar is then I'm definitly going to tear some. But, I am okay with that! I'm pretty sure the doc that sewed me up put a husbands knot there so I'm hoping a small tear will actually fix that problem. If I have a small tear I am refusing stitches because of that. I'm actually counting on the tearing to heal me if that makes sense.

[catnip]

No pain, no tearing, no bruising, no tenderness at all. I did have a relatively small baby (6-13, 19), but a very quick delivery with no perienal support. The nurse was too busy futzing with the fetal monitor and telling me not to push until the doctor got there, (and I really did try) and Kaia just sort of popped out onto the bed crying her poor little heart out.
I spent most of my active labor at home after being told (on sunday) that I wasn't in labor and to keep my ob appt on friday!?! (after 14 hours of contractions less than 5 minutes apart.) Heck if I was going back unless I was sure. So I hit second stage at home, and delivered 13 minutes after arriving at the hospital.
I think I avoided perienal trauma by having an active, upright labor, spending large chunks of it in the bath tub, perineal massage in the last 6 weeks with a "stretch oil" (used that in the tub during labor, too) and by a side lying position during delivery. (not on my back, though I swear, she wouldn't have been slowed down if I'd been hanging upside down by my knees.)

[mommy2madison03]

I really have thought a lot about doing the perineal massage during the end of pregnancy BUT I am so sensitive down there where my scar tissue is that I even break out in a sweat when I try. I've tried it a couple of times since Madison was born because I thought it may help when we have sex but it's just awful. I'd have Chris do it but I tell you my first birth experience ruined me. I don't trust anyone down there anymore. Do you think I should just suck it up and do it because it will eventually get better? Also, what oil do you reccomend? I have mineral oil, I think that's what it is, and I have vitamin E oil.

Oh I meant to ask what is the "stretch oil"?

[wednesday]

The advice on perineal stretching is very mixed...quite a lot of sources now feel it probably doesn't make a difference, or not much of one. I did some perineal stretching in late pregnancy and had significant massage/support during pushing (which lasted four hours). I still tore significantly, but yet healed very easily. I say if the thought/practice of stretching bothers you, don't bother...it is really questionable whether it is all that worth it.

[mommy2madison03]

That's pretty much what I've been leaning toward. If I can't relax while doing the perineal massage then it probably won't help me. I know I don't want it done during labor at all. I tense up too much!

[KiwiZ]

1st dd: c/sect, so my perineum felt great LOL. Now my surgical site, thats another story, but all was well in the end

2nd dd: VBAC at hospital, I was pretty sore but felt so fabulous at the same time cuz of the VBAC . I had a 2nd degree tear. No problems whatsoever going to the bathroom, I attribute that to good fiber intake, plenty of water/exercise. I used Tux pads and Dermablast spray (you can get those at drug store) and a sitz bath a couple times per day. The first week I was too sore to stand for long periods of time; laying on my side and sitting felt best. I remember using a pericare bottle with warm water to clean myself off while my stitches healed. If memory serves, I think I felt good enough by 2-3 weeks to start exercising again (as opposed to 6-8 weeks for my c-section)

Hope all this helps!

[Artisan]

#1, 10lb baby, epidural in the hospital, pushing on my back, tear that required 3 stitches: SORE. Sore for 6-8 weeks afterward. Even after the stinging stopped, if I sat the wrong way, it hurt.

#2, 8lb 9oz baby, unmedicated birth in birth center, pushed on my side, no tearing at all: FABULOUS. I was amazed at how fabulous. A few hours after the birth, I felt almost no pain in the area. (The uterine cramping, however -- now THAT hurt.)

[catnip]

The stuff I used was from "Earth Mama, Angel Baby" and I used it as a perineal massage oil, on my belly and in the bath during labor. It has a nice, light, soothing fragrance. I could not stand their Labor Ease oil while in labor, though I liked it when I bought it, but the Stretch Oil was nice.

[USAmma]

Both of mine were epidural births, but there was a difference. First one I had an "emergency" episiotomy. I was in agony for weeks.

Second one I tore just a tiny bit, no stitches needed. It was a fast and easy birth. It was sore getting out of bed, but I was back to feeling good within a day or so, and completely healed within 2 weeks.

I did stretching before the birth for a couple of weeks. It did burn a little, but it was worth it. I was so afraid I would tear through my old scar but I didn't.

[Moon Faerie]

With my ds, I had a 2nd degree episiotomy, and I was in quite a bit of pain. It lasted a good 3 weeks. With dd, I had a 2nd degree tear requiring stitches. It didn't really hurt, but I was SO tender. Even the inside of my inner thighs was super sensitive. It may have been due to the fast labor and delivery though. By about 8 hours later, I was just a little sore, and felt completely fine by 1.5 weeks.

[KayleeZoo]

I was sore, and swollen. Moreso with my first- pushed for almost 2 hours and I had a 2nd deg tear, but it took only 2 sutures. Not a big deal. I did make sure to alternate ice packs/warm water and took ibuprofen- I think the ice and ibuprofen helped with the swelling, and the heat (also walked around a lot) helped to improve the circulation, which speeds healing. With my second, I had a couple skid marks, (pushed for 11 minutes :LOL) but no sutures. Not as swollen or sore- but urinating hurt for awhile. No biggie- just sprayed myself with water from the peri bottle each time for a week and no pain.

[Qerratsmom]

OMG it was awful! I could barely walk for a week. I had a 4th degree episiotomy plus a tear, after a vacuum suction delivery, not fun. After the birth was much worse than the birth itself. i am so hoping things go differently with my next birth. It is one of the main traumas of my first birth and something I am trying to get past with my second. I want this to be a gentler birth.

[milkymama1104]

12 hour labor, 2 hours pushing. No drugs, no tearing, etc. I didn't do any perineal massage beforehand or during labor, but did have my OB use hot compresses on my perineal tissue during labor.
The worst part for me after was probably the peeing. I learned that if I leaned forward on the toilet that it felt better... I used ice pack (Actually, ziploc baggies of frozen peas wrapped in washclothes because they conformed to my shape better) around the clock for about a week after delivery and a peri bottle after every time I used the toilet.
Good luck!

[Meli65]

This might be TMI, but I distinctly remember feeling like raw meat "down there" -- I had a second degree tear and got stitches, and that was the only time I wished I'd had an epidural because that part really hurt and I totally wasn't expecting it. This was a very fast, unmedicated labor with a pretty big baby (8 lbs. 13 oz.) who had his fist up by his face.

It took awhile for me to feel better, esp. since I had hemorrhoids too! I sat on a doughnut for a few days, tried the sitz bath, etc. It got better, but it wasn't much fun.

[LoveChild421]

I just had my homebirth so I remember very vividly how it felt :LOL I had been having 20 hours of contractions 1 minute apart lasting 50 seconds and never dilated past 8 cm but I was 100% thinned out so my midwife told me I could just push past the cervix I had left- I did and I was on the birth stool which helped a lot- when he came past my cervix and into the birth canal I swear it felt like my butt had so much pressure on it that it would explode! :LOL I never had any pain in my vagina even when I was pushing it just felt like a slight stinging- it was my butt that I thought was painful! I never had a strong urge to push but pushed rather forcefully at each contraction and still had no tears (1 skidmark- already healed a week later). I had some bruising but that too is almost all gone now.

I think the main feeling I had right after the birth was just numbness down there- and mainly just an extreme relief that I was suddenly in no pain! I was so happy to just lie down on the bed with the baby! The high I experienced from that experience did not go away for at least 5 days after and I still feel AMAZING!

I had a lot of complications with my birth and was so happy that I was at home- I would have been the perfect "failure to progress" C-section case had I been in the hospital- I also had an artery growing through my placenta (my midwives had never seen this before) and they said had I been given pitocin in the hospital (sooo common) that my contractions would have been so strong that the artery could have ruptured causing hemorraging. But because I didn't have anything interfering with my body it did what it was supposed to do and I had a perfectly normal birth. I will always be thankful I followed my intuition and had a homebirth! I'll only have homebirths from now on!

[cottonwood]

Please do a search at MDC for "perineal massage". The previous poster is right, there is really no consensus on whether it helps or not, some are big fans and some are very opposed to it. As far as your situation, I would think that anything that makes you tense "down there" would further inhibit your ability to stretch.

My first birth I had some mild vaginal trauma (due mostly to the management of birth, I believe,) but my unmanaged births were much different, I felt a little sore and sensitive, but no burning, and recovery was quick and complete.