PP Pain and Bleeding

[GiantGi]

I am 4 weeks post partum. I have some days that are more uncomfortable than others. I sometimes have what feels like muscle aches in my abdominal and pelvic area and they seem to occur in the evening. I wonder if its noticeable at that time of day when the older kids are in bed and I can finally sit for a moment.

This is baby #3. I also tend to lug around my 16 month old and my (almost) 4 year old. I dont remember feeling this way with the other two at 4 weeks PP. Is my body just tired and not completely healed yet?

I am also having very very light bleeding still. I dont remember this at 4 weeks either.

Anyone else feeling discomfort still?

[Panthira]

Yeah, I am. I'm only 2 weeks PP though. My whole system seems out of whack and I still have light bleeding as well...

[luckydog]

I was just commenting to DH and MIL that I'm recovering faster from this pg/birth than I did with any of the others. My first being a cesarean, of course you'd expect that. I also got a bout of mastitis early postpartum then. My second was a VBAC, but it was only 14 months later, plus I had an episiotomy to recover from. And my third was about 3 years after that - no tearing, homebirth, but OMG I had so many pelvic floor issues postpartum, including a little bladder prolapse, followed by a UTI and incontinence problems.

My theory is this time my body got a 7 year break, hence the easier rebound. Or I've just gotten lucky. <knock on wood> I've been aggressively treating my engorgement though - I think I've been flirting with plugged ducts/mastitis, but as of this morning the engorgement seems to have retreated considerably...

[wheatie]

this is my 2nd baby but first section. he's a little over 4 weeks old. i felt great(almost no pain) about a week after the section, and then, suddenly last week, the pain is back! it's not as strong as it was post-surgery, but it's dull and definitely there, after being almost completely gone for a few weeks! picking up my 30+ lb toddler doesn't help i'm sure, and i have always had a tendency to not ask for help and push myself a little harder than maybe i should. so i'm sure the pain stems from that.

pp bleeding is getting SUPER annoying. i had about 10 days of moderate bleeding, but here, again 4 weeks later i'm still not completely done yet...every time i think i can go pad-less i'm mistaken. grr

[bdavis337]

3 weeks pp today, still having light bleeding (more than a panty liner can handle) and occasional cramps, etc. I just never get a chance to really sit down and rest, that's my theory.

[sleet76]

I had some aches and pelvic pain (mild, though) until maybe 4 or 5 weeks PP this time. I'm 7 weeks pp today, and still occasionally have a bit of bleeding. It was consistent up until about 6 weeks. I only switched to a pantyliner at about 4 or 5 weeks, too. I guess I'm a heavy bleeder.

[pilllowhead]

I had never heard this before but supposedly most mums here seem to know that the more babies you have, the worse the post partum cramps as the uterus has to work harder to squeeze back to size. I think this is suppose to be Nature's way of saying you mustn't have too many kids But mine were worse in the evening and worse when I tried to go downstairs. You can take some arnica, gelesium and oh, something else homeopathically for the pains.
I have healed much faster this time and Bee, I agree that the long wait must really let your body heal. Someone told me that it returns to it's prepreggo state after 5 years.
Wheatie, I was wondering what pp bleeding was like when you've had a c-birth. The doctors have obviously taken the placenta out, is the bleeding the same? worse? better?

[Racecar]

When I had my first c-section I was disappointed to find that I bled at ALL post-partum...I guess I'd thought that they'd have taken out the placenta and...I dunno...suctioned the rest out of the bleedy bits? But no, I still bled (and am still bleeding) I think about the same as a vaginal birther.

[mtn.mama]

My bleeding (post c-section) at three weeks is almost gone. Just some salmon colored mucusy stuff in the mornings now. My chiropractor has me off my feet to try to quiet the lower back pain from stressed discs, so this is probably helping keep the bleeding down for me. I do have muscle pain when I try to sit up or stand up, at the incision site. I'm hoping that in three more weeks all this will be behind me. Please.

[bluebird68]

nak... hello all... feeling tired but pretty good physically. pilllowhead, i had a c-section (after 76 hrs labor) with ds1 and bled for 9 weeks! i, too, was quite surprised to bleed at all after a c, so knew what to expect this time! hopefully it will be much shorter! healing vibes to all you mamas!

[Emma's_Mommy]

omg PP bleeding is getting annoying!!! just when i think its stopped and i'm safe to leave the house without a pad on i get a sudden gush of blood and find myself scrambling to the restroom so i dont get a stain in one of the 2 pairs of pants i own!

i still get bouts of heavy bleeding and its annoying b/c i'll start feeling more normal and then BAM i start bleeding heavy and just feel like i've been hit by a truck!

[GiantGi]

Thanks for the replies. Although I see I am not alone. Sorry there are many of you in the same boat. Healing vibes for us all.

[mollybird77]

Add me to the list too. I could have written Erika's post.