[esokitty]

I had a wonderful, mostly uncomplicated vaginal birth Tuesday. I delivered my 11 lb 5 oz son after 2.5 hours of pushing.

It was the hardest thing I've ever done, and of course was painful, although not excruciatingy so. He did get a little stuck and my midwife had to pull his body out after I delivered the head. THe OB who was watching said "talk about a shoulder dystocia, that was a full body dystocia"

He presented and was delivered OP. His chest was large and barrel shaped. He was 23 inches long.

I was uncomfortable at the hospital, yes, but not in severe pain. The first night was mostly my vagina (no tears, but swelling and pressure). The second day was mostly pelvic bone pain, which has gotten slightly worse each day. The third day began muscle aches in my back and abdomen.

THings are getting worse. Admittedly I am home and tending to the babe and my 2.5 year old... but this seems out of the ordinary. I will be calling tomorrow, but was wondering about the experiences of anyone else out there...

Let me know how it went for you. I realize everyone and every delivery is different - but I like to gather experiences.

Thanks

 

[chaoticzenmom]

I was warned by my midwife that at about a week, my muscle fibers would start to heal and it would be pretty painful. That's what hurt at a week post partum. The pain wasn't as bad the first few days. My son was 10 lbs 5oz. It did hurt a lot worse than my last baby who was a pound less. It was the first time I tore. Those back and muscle pains were also pretty bad. I'm not sure why, but I think it was everything going back into place. For the pubic bone pain, Try not to overdo it and keep your legs together. Don't take long strides and don't get out of bed one leg at a time. Always do both legs and then stand up. Don't get on the treadmill or walk much yet. Don't sit with your legs crossed.

Feel better.

 

[Veritaserum]

If you have a fever or smelly/unusual discharge I'd wonder about infection. I've never experienced bone or muscle pain after giving birth, but my biggest was 7 lbs. 13 oz. Ibuprofen might help, especially if there's inflammation. I hope you feel better!

 

[chaoticzenmom]

I was still thinking about this, so I came back to post more. You pushed for over 2 hours and had a huge, huge baby. Your muscles did a lot of work. My back muscles didn't hurt for the first 2 days, but maybe that's because I was medicated with tylenol 3 and lying in bed and dealing with the afterpains. ONce I got up and started moving around without meds and without afterpains, I noticed how badly my muscles ached from all the pushing. If it doesn't feel better in a week, I'd ask the dr. about it or like the other poster said, if there's a foul smell.

 

[TzippityDoulah]

You can take arnica for pain relief and to help muscle healing.

but yeah you did push out a big kid, so it's gonna hurt a little. I would look for any signs of placenta retention just to be careful- smell discharge, big clots, way too much blood etc...

if you don't feel better after a couple of days of rest and recoup, I would consider bringing it up to your midwife. maybe she would have some more ideas...

 

[Jane]

I think you're right on with your thought to get checkout out tomorrow.
My typical advice is that you should be getting better each day over time. Tuesday might not feel better than Monday, but Wednesday should be better than Monday and Thursday - well, no question you should be feeling more recovered. It doesn't sound like you're there. You're not really saying what is hurting, so no specific advice there.

 

[sapphire_chan]

Regular workouts the soreness is often worse two days later than the next day. And it's not like you could stretch those muscles after your workout.

 

[jecombs]

My DD was 8# 6 oz and my whole body felt sore for a week after having her! My abs, arms, and back ached like I had just done a major work-out. I also had a bruised tailbone from DD being OP. I took lots of ibuprofen for about a week after having DD. PP is right, you can't stretch those muscles after birth and they worked really hard!

If you're concerned, there's nothing wrong with contacting your MW.

 

[Jilian]

I agree that you should get checked out. Any pain tha gets progressively worse like that needs to be looked at by a professional. The most concerning part is that YOU feel like something is not right. In the meantime try to ake it easy and rest as much as possible, your body is letting you know it needs rest. Do you have any friends or family members who can help with your older child so you can sleep?

 

[kltroy]

Yes get checked out if it's getting worse, not better. That said, I felt like I had run a marathon and then been severely beaten after having my 8#7 oz daughter. I can't imagine how much more sore I would be with an extra 3 lbs of baby! Good luck healing - I felt much much better after 2 weeks.