How exhausted are you after giving birth?

WhatFor

Tue, Feb 16 2021, 2:54 am

I'm more alive than I've ever been. First thing I do after hours in labor and pushing out a baby is ask DH to hold dc so I can do fifty push-ups, eighty squats, one hundred crunches, and then my daily triathlon training. Then I wheel my baby home from the hospital (strap my suitcase to my back).
As soon as I get home, I cook fifty meals for my local tzedakah food bank, and another thirty for all the guests I plan to invite for Shabbat. Once I finish my laundry (all done while nursing newborn), I knock on my neighbor's door and ask if she needs any help with hers.

If you need help with your other children, clearly you haven't been parenting right. You should have any child age one and older trained to feed and dress themselves, toilet trained, and able to put themselves to sleep.

Okay, kidding aside, I'm happy for those of you who have an easy time, but you should just read up on pelvic floor health and recovery. Even if it feels totally fine and easy, your pelvic floor needs time (and often exercises) to recover. If you don't let it heal before taxing it, you run the risk of leaking, prolapse, or other issues. Take care of yourselves and easy recoveries for everyone!

amother

Oak

Tue, Feb 16 2021, 3:52 am

I'm so happy for people who are back to themselves so quickly.
But I'm surprised no one mentioned recovery from pregnancy, not only recovery from birth. Hello?! Your body just grew a human being in it for 9 MONTHS!! Even if you had the easiest birth experience I would imagine your body needs to heal from the 9 months too.
Also, what about the hormones?? Even if I did have energy a day later, my hormones are still wacky. About a week after birth my skin produces a ton of oil and I sweat tons at night. Plus I leak milk all over until it settles. So I just feel gross and not interested in doing much except shower and cuddle my baby.
Another thing, twice so far, around the 3 week mark when I stop feeling like an alien and try to do more, I got mastitis and needed antibiotics and that knocked me out too.
So I would say total, a month until I'm ready for anything. I do things here and there before, but bh dh is a huge help and pushes me to rest as much as possible.

Am I the only one who feels like that?

happinessseeker

Tue, Feb 16 2021, 3:59 am

WhatFor wrote:

Omg I thought you were serious for one second LOL

I was in shock picturing that post-birth workout

amother

Burgundy

Tue, Feb 16 2021, 6:42 am

I always say that 9th month is harder than postpartum. Being so bulky, endless contractions, feeling like the baby is dropping out, pure exhaustion, never being comfortable sitting standing or lying down.
When the baby is out- sheer relief.

My first few births I was on my feet right after. I came home the next day from the hospital and started cooking and cleaning. My old clothing went right back on.
After that my labors were more complicated and I needed a full 6 weeks to rest physically mentally emotionally. If I didnt get that rest, I fell straight into PPD. I had to fight for it too, explain to my husband that I'm different now and have new needs. My last few are 5 years apart, unlike my first few who are barely 16 months apart.
So I got both situations.

amother

Yellow

Tue, Feb 16 2021, 11:03 am

Once any muscle aches from pushing go away, I usually feel great. Assuming baby let me sleep (which most of mine do once my milk comes in), I feel physically capable of doing everything. By my latest baby's bris, despite feeling like I got hit by a truck the first day (afterpains + fast birth + a lot of blood loss) I coul

But I know intellectually that it is a bad idea, because I'm still recovering, even if I can't feel it! So I deliberately rest way more often than my body asks me to and do the bare minimum.

As my dear midwife would tell me, "Don't stand if you can sit. Don't sit if you can lie down. And don't just lie down if you can sleep."

Zehava

Tue, Feb 16 2021, 11:09 am

I am more mentally than physically fragile after birth. I mean I’m not physically amazing but the mental and emotional toll is a lot. Anything can throw me off balance. I need just the right amount of socializing but not too much. I am sensitive to sound and light, and need at least two healthy meals cooked by someone else. I am not mentally ready for my other kids, even the ones who take care of themselves, until two weeks after birth.

amother

Scarlet

Tue, Feb 16 2021, 11:11 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

When do you feel fully ready to take care of your kids again and do things like bathe them, make supper, go to work, put them to sleep, exercise, and fight with them. Do you rely heavily on help from others? Did it make a difference if it was your 4th or 8th or 12th child and how?

After my first, I literally could not stand straight.
Usually I am capable for doing things 2-3 days later, but I am not okay. I know I am not. Ideally I need a couple of weeks mostly at home or in bed and no physical activity.

I never worked when I had a baby, can't imagine the mental load on top of the physical one.

amother

Sapphire

Tue, Feb 16 2021, 11:19 am

After a longgg difficult pregnancy (hg) I felt great after giving birth, like I could do anything. I was ready to go out, see the world, accomplish. My mom insisted that I rest, stay home etc because according to her even if you feel good your body needs to recuperate and the bleeding will stop quicker, and if you dont give it a chance to recover you may have long term consequences. I did make challah by hand 3 days pp though. Hopefully I will feel great after subsequent births

amother

Lawngreen

Tue, Feb 16 2021, 5:25 pm

For me, I felt sooo much better after my last cos I wasnt nursing.
With my first 2, I was , and just this crazy exhaustion and weakness lasting a good few weeks.
Plus, my older kids were out and for a full week after, was just me, baby and my husband.

I could never have managed to take care of them all with all the daily househole work with them at home.

For my last, only thing I felt was just the exhaustion from the nights.
Bh after a few weeks I was able to do stuff but none of that heavy dragging, weepy hormonal feeling I got when I was nursing.
Like I lit could not move.