Postpartum energy surge?

[KC in KS]

Five or six hours after DD's birth, I was just bursting with energy. I remember some of DH's relatives coming to visit, and I actually had them sit on my bed to get them out of the way while I cleaned up the room!

I figured it was a reaction to the fact I spent a lot of my labor in bed. I'd been sitting still too long already, you know?

But I read somebody's post that mentioned a "postpartum energy surge", which I haven't heard of before? Is this something that's common?

More to the point, can I expect it to happen again, and do you have any suggestions for heading it off? I tore with DD, and it healed very badly. I think my activity for the first several days PP had a lot to do with that, and I'm making it a goal to stay horizontal for that time period this time. But if I get that urge to clean again, I'm in trouble.

Anyone have any info to share?

KC

[zoe398]

I see it quite a bit in unmedicated births.

[Belle]

I felt a big surge about 5 minutes before my dd was born. I was up and moving around right away. I think that I shocked the nurses by getting up and going down the hall to the kitchen to pour myself my own glass of juice.

[faeriewisp]

Well I couldn't sleep for 15 hours after the birth, even though I was up all night. I felt great. It didn't last longer than that though!

BUt you hear about the women who give birth under the tree and then go back to work..........

[MidwifeErika]

I totally had this with my homebirth! I tried to stay in bed, I really did... but I just couldn't. I washed all the laundry, kept sneaking outside to show off my baby, etc. I even got my husband to take me shopping the next day (just to Kohl's down the street for a little boy outfit or two for the new one... and a nursing bra). I only slept for a few minutes here or there even though I had labored through a whole night, I just couldn't nap. About a week later though I was wiped out. So, this time around I told my husband that he needs to chain me in the house and that I am not to be allowed to get out of my pjs for 2 days. Hopefully this way I will get some rest and feel better by the time my DH has to go back to work (within just a few days... 2-3). But yeah, normally I don't hear of this energy surge, I hear of more women who are wiped out and need some rest after their long labors. Must just be the way your individual body chemistry reacted that time.

[1babysmom]

I had the same thing, even after an epi. I went home from the hospital less than 12 hours after she was born and cleaned my house before anyone came over. Then I didn't sleep until the next night.

[Lynski]

I had the same thing w/ my hospital birth and epidural. I felt GREAT once I finally pushed him out and couldn't sleep at all even though I'd been up since 1am that day.

[boscopup]

I call it my "post birth high". I had DS at 7:37pm (in hospital, no pain meds). I'd been on bedrest in the hospital for 4 days prior, on magnesium sulfate (PPROM at 29 weeks, baby came at 29+4 after they took me off the mag that morning). I couldn't physically get out of bed and do stuff because of the mag effects (I needed help getting to the bathroom in the middle of the night, etc.), but I was WIDE AWAKE at 2am and just could NOT get to sleep. My DH was sound asleep on the couch next to me - he was out cold. He'd been worried so much for the previous 4 days, that finally he was able to sleep now that he knew everyone was ok. But I was awake! The nurse came in and asked me if I was hungry. I was. So I had a bowl of Trix (they have a snack room on the postpartum floor so the nurses can get you food anytime - day or night). It took me a while to actually get to sleep.

[savithny]

Kinda

I hadn't slept the night before she was born or the day before. She was born at 2am and I didn't want to sleep - I just wanted to stare at her. I was out of bed showering at stupid-o-clock the next day and wanting to dance around the room!

[annethcz]

I always have a post-birth energy surge. I have a REALLY hard time laying around in bed. I always feel eager to get up and introduce the new baby to our world. The longest I've waited to take the baby out and about is 2 days, and that was pure torture for me.

[grace's voice]

I was told we'd be able to do nothing but sleep, but I COULD NOT sleep! I layed there wide awake for several hours and then finally couldn't take it anymore and got up. I called my mom to tell her about the birth, and talked to my sister and they both seemed to think I was crazy... "yeah, hi, I just had the baby, oh I'm fine, up and about."
I had a tear as well and once the ansthetic wore off the bricks in the crotch feeling kept me down for a few weeks!