Is Recovery Really That Bad?

By day three, I'm using out walking about a mile.

I had terrible carpel tunnel with my second, it went away immediately.

At the end of a week, I tend to be back to normal, and normal weight by 11 weeks.

With that said, I did bleed for 6 weeks with my firs, and about 2 weeks with my second. I have a hemorroid that won't go away too. Had no desire for sex for a few months, but in general, I was up and about in a week.

Now, at about month 5. I really start to suffer from lack of sleep. Total exhaustion is the real killer with a newborn.

With my first delivery my bladder didn't work for 10 days and it took me weeks to recover.

With my third, I didn't have time to have drugs. (Delivered within 12 minutes of getting to my room) I felt fabulous.

I've only had c sections and my recovery wasn't that bad. My 1st one I stayed the max # of days because my son was in the NICU, but with my second I was released after just a day and a half. I didn't take more then over the counter Tylenol for pain. I've heard horror stories from my friends of tearing and getting cut and yea...no thank you.

Recovery after a vaginal childbirth is not bad. If you're having carpal tunnel syndrome (I had with my first, but not my second) you will have immediate relief after your baby arrives. Within an hour - no kidding.

But recovery is not a big deal. There's discharge for many days (like a menstrula cycle) only it takes tapers off for weeks instead of days. I used antibiotic cream with pain reliever (cream not ointment - generic is find) for my stitches (every woman I know has had stitches) and I'd put that on my stitches before I used the bathroom. THey'll also give you a peri-bottle at the hospital which is nothing more than a soft plastic bottle that you can pull the top open (like a shampoo bottle or dishwashing detergent bottle) and squeeze to wash off your tender stitches area. I would fill it with warm (NOT hot) water fromt he tap and then use toilet paper to pat it dry.

Within a few days you'll be fine. But remember, you won't be peeing that often anymore becuase now you'll have room in your bladder again! You'll realize it's been a half day since you peed...!

As it relates to the first bowel moevement - if you eat lots of fruits & veggies you won't have any issues. I kept hearing it was rough from so many people - but it was a non-event for me - but I eat a ton of veggies & fruit so that may have made the difference.

The bigger issue is getting sleep and caring for baby that the physical recovery doesn't impact you that much. Most of the effects of childrbirth are positive (less peeing, no carpal tunnel, ankels un-swell, etc.) that the care of stitches and your private area really are only a concern when you're using the bathroom. Look at it this way, for thousands of years women have recovered from this - the process of giving birth is more intense than the recovery - you will be fine!

Vaginal childbirth recovery is way easier than a c-section, IMO, although technically I haven't had a c-section.

But, I had large ovarian cyst removed when I was 19, performed the same way as a c-section. I was miserable. You can't lift anything, are not supposed to go upstairs and pretty much need to be waited on. I was in the hospital longer than my grandfather who had a quintuple bypass! I remember laying on my mom's couch swearing that if I ever had kids I would not choose via c-section.

First kid, I got an epidural, he came out vaginally and recovery was no big deal. Took a number of hours to walk and get through the drugs, and went home two days with no problems.

Second kid, had him completely naturally (mostly because he came super fast) and it was awesome. Within 30 minutes of birth, I walked to the bathroom, peed, and felt great. I had that adrenaline high and felt like superwoman. Went home the next day. Both times I had minimal tears and really didn't give them much thought after the births.

Both my husband and I agreed that as tough as the natural birth was, the recovery was SUBSTANTIALLY easier. I had always been a doctor/hospital fan, but my second birth drastically changed my mind. I vote for vaginal, and more specifically, I would choose natural. Good luck!

It's really a relative question. Most people will say no, it isn't bad, nor as bad as pregnancy. It all depends on how bad your pregnancy is, and how your delivery goes. Lots of variables are contained within those two things.

I had a friend who had a 4th degree tear. She was in pain for a LOOOOONG time post-delivery. And didn't know if she would EVER be the same. But her pregnancies were a breeze.

For me, my pregnancies sucked. I had carpal tunnel so bad I couldn't brush my teeth for the first 30 minutes I was up each morning. Shampooing my hair in the shower was almost an impossibility, and showering itself wasn't high on my list of things that were easy to do, in the first place. I nausea every single day of my pregnancies, until they were delivered. It was misery.
BUT, my deliveries were fine. No drugs. Vaginal delivery, with minimal tearing (2 stitches, which I didn't even notice). Healing was quick and "relatively" easy. It stings when you pee. There is a cut there, duh. And it is annoying to rinse every bathroom trip. But that lasts all of a week or so, and then it is minor annoyances. Night sweating (when you lose the excess water retention), gross. Bleeding (goes on longer than a normal period, but there is no pain involved, just a little cramping in the very beginning).
I go into the details, because it sounds like you have never done this before, and nobody talks about the realities of recovery.

I have a good friend who had her first baby at age 43. No one told her that for the first week or so post-partum, she had "supplies" she needed to use in the bathroom and that being out and about (or at someone else's house) would be awkward due to it. She had no idea. She was grateful for the "warning". She is the type who is ALWAYS on the go. Never at home. So she needed to know, that despite how GREAT she would feel, and how much she would want to go and do, she would be dragging a small bag of bathroom supplies with her for the first week. For most people, it is much easier to stay home and take care of that in the privacy of your own home/bathroom. ;)

With my first baby, (he was over 8 lbs) I felt like my uterus was about to fall out for the first week, whenever I would try to walk around. With my 2nd baby (she was 7 lbs 6 oz, and a 2nd baby, so it may not be related to size, but birth order), I felt like I could run around the entire hospital complex the morning after she was delivered.

Well, I can tell you how it was for me but I think my whole experience was a very rare case.

I had a very easy pregnancy. My biggest problems was that I had to pee like crazy and belly button never popped out (I was really hoping my belly button would pop out, Lol).

I had a very easy delivery. My water broke, got to the hospital at 4cm dilated, didn't start having painful contractions until I was 7cm dilated (Before that it was just a feeling of pressure but not actual pain - And I had a natural delivery, no pain meds), had to have an episiotomy but they injected something to numb the area before they did that so I didn't feel that either, and 10 hours after I got to the hospital my little boy was born at 6lbs 12 ounces.

My recovery was also easy, compared to other people's experiences. I can say though that while in the hospital I stayed in bed the entire time unless I had to go potty, and I really think my recovery would have been so much easier if I had gotten up and walked around while in the hospital. I was sore for a couple of days, but it was no "horror story". Lol.

One thing that nobody warns you about (Well, at least no body warned me about) was the first bowel movement after delivery. I don't feel like going into my details but google it sometime. Fiber, liquids, and lots of walking - They are all your friend!

easy-peasy....especially if you go all-natural! I mean, seriously, my 3rd delivery was all-natural & I bounced right back.

1st: vaginal with epidural. Typical recovery, but hated the pain in my back from the epidural + I had residual effects from the procedure. 25 years later, I still have issues from the epidural.

2nd: c-section with epidural. On my 2nd day home, I tore muscles & extended my recovery by weeks! I was miserable. Enough said.

Yep, I'd go natural again....bounced back quicker, healed quicker, & had a lot more energy. :) Good luck on a safe, quick delivery!

Hey... I was on bedrest for months, and had a thing going on with my metabolism (cancer & old anorexia, not practicing) which caused caused uncontrollable weight GAIN. As in I doubled my body weight (ugh) and any exercise would cause a miscarriage.

So I went into recovery a few steps behind most.

It. Was. Awesome.

Every day I got my body back a little more!!!
The dinosaur farts were low on my list of happy things
As were the "pads" that were roughly the size of New Hampshire.
But EVERY day was better than the last.

I was also back to tampons & dancing after about a week.

I suppose some might be relative.
I had such a miserable pregnancy...
... Recovery might have had to be on death row to not be a gazillion times better.

Every day.

Crossing legs
Wiggling toes
Stomach sleeping
Something.
Something new and AWESOME every day.

This is going to be very different for each person. However, I also had carpel tunnel, and crappy pregnancies, and can say that I would MUCH rather deal with the soreness after birth, than deal with being pregnant.

I had a vaginal delivery with both kids (each were 9+ pounds!) and I tore and had stitches both times. I think the most uncomfortable part was the stitches and just feeling like someone hit you with a baseball bat in your crotch. However...I was up an moving around (pretty well with some ibuprofen) within the first day or so...and usually felt 'almost' back to myself after a week.

The only thing that sucks, is now that you CAN sleep...your baby will keep you up LOL. (I think pregnancy is natures way of preparing you for sleepless nights with a newborn!)

I did end up going to a chiropractor about 2 weeks after I delivered for my carpel tunnel and back, and felt 100x better!

Hang in there...that last 8 weeks was ALWAYS the worst. But like everything, it DOES pass!! You are almost there...and yes, you will feel like your old self pretty shortly after birth. Not right away, but a little bit more everyday!

ETA: May want to stock up on some Tucks pads (help with swelling 'down there'), lots of sanitary napkins (for all the bleeding), some ibuprofen, and some stool softener (helps with hemrroids and constipation).
But I swear it really IS better than pregnancy LOL

I went grocery shopping after I got home and baby settled. Never took me more than 48 hours to feel 100%. My biggest issue was hemorrhoids

I agree, each pregnancy is different... but I will tell you that with my third I had no epidural (no clapping please, it wasn't by choice haha) and my recovery was SO SO much better than my other two babies! So much that, if I were going to have another baby I would definitely go without the epidural. 30 minutes after she was born I got up and walked to my recovery room. I did have a few stitches with all 3 and that part does suck a bit, but for the most part I was feeling pretty darn good by 4-5 days PP with my 3rd and by about 1-2 weeks PP with my other ones. I never took any pain meds after any delivery. You will do great and it will soon be a thing of the past! :) Hey if it was that bad then no one would have more than one, right? ;)

Oh yes I second the tucks pads for sure!!!

I had 3 babies, one vaginally and two by c-section. My first was vaginal and her delivery was easy, in terms of other stories I've heard. My first c-section was rough. It was emergency and getting my son out was first priority for the doctor's, My 3 baby and 2nd c-section was like a walk in the park. All 3 were very different.

I also just want to add, that none of my babies were planned, but I absolutely signed up for it when I did the deed that creates a baby. I hope it all goes smoothly for you though. Talk to your doctor, get them on board with your lower pain tolerance now so they don't fight you when you're in labor to give you meds.

I really do pray it goes smoothly.

This is my personal experience, you may feel differently, of course.

With my first, i had a 14.5 hr labor, with epidural 9hrs in, long pushing stage, and significant tearing. I was tired, drugged-feeling, and sore. I was ecstatic about the baby IMMEDIATELY. My body felt closer to normal after ~4 wks. Sounds long...flew by!

With my second, i had a 5 hr labor, no epidural, short pushing stage, and minimal tearing. I was ecstatic about the baby, and life, and my body's power IMMEDIATELY. I honestly could have walked all around that hospital RIGHT AWAY. I would have gone home right away, if they would have asked! I was flying high. No recovery time, really, truly!

A MAJOR difference for me the second time...besides experience...was an AMAZING labor prep class!! Honestly! I learned how to work WITH my body during labor to make things easier and quicker. By not having the epidural, I was totally clear headed and flying high on adrenalin (sp?)!!

My first to were natural no drugs (well, a bit of nubane for second :). So. Labor was VERY PAINFUL, and then the moment the babies were out, I had that rush of blissful euphoria and numbness, got up, walked down the hall to my room, went to bed on my stomach, and began kegels (sp?), and recovery right away. YAY!

My third was an emergency C-section. Delivery was instant and painless. Recovery was HORRIBLE. I hated being on painkillers and acting like a car crash victim and limping around unable to get out of chairs by myself and lift stuff for two weeks....but it was eventually OK of course and I'm thankful for modern medicine. The scar is OK...I can STILL feel weird pings in the scar area though during certain ab exercises after three years... Personally, I can't BELIEVE people choose it as if it is easier. It's so much worse. But that's just my experience.

You sound like you've made a pretty honest assessment of your situation, T., and you and your doctor have probably made (or are making) the best possible plans under the circumstances. We can all tell you our stories, but that is all the are, because moms of multiples will even tell you that every pregnancy and every delivery and every recovery period is likely to be different. In my case, I had a very easy pregnancy, a pretty difficult birth, and an easy recovery (after the first few days, anyway). I had no help with the new baby, but really didn't need any.

There's no way to predict, but of course worry won't help, and can actually release stress hormones into your system that are less than optimal for you or your child. So distract yourself from negative scenarios whenever you can. Take the best care of yourself possible – it will probably help you later. You're probably winded because your lungs are crowded, but you can still take several short walks daily; accumulated exercise still helps.

Wishing you the best possible outcome!

T.:

it's different for every W..

No, I didn't feel worse. But it was a different stress...waking up in the middle of the night to feed, stinky diapers! :) I can tell you - it's all worth it...
would do it all over again for my kiddos!!

Good Luck!!

I've had both deliveries, for me the c-section was tremendously easier to recover from. I had terrible pain from the pushing for about a year but I was up and around very quickly with the c-section and was able to resume intimacy with my husband after the five week check up with absolutely zero pain. So sorry about the carpal tunnel, I had that in the worst way too. I would literally cry at night because I was so tired but my hands and arms would be tingling to the point of pain. Thank goodness, that literally went away after I delivered, hang in there and wrap your arms up pretty snuggly with ace bandages if you haven't already, it helps a little :-)

After my first son who was a vaginal birth I was up and feeling good the next day. I was a single mom, so I had no one to help me with the new baby.
I felt pretty much like my old self after a week and I went out dancing when I was 2 weeks post partum (not at a club, at a family birthday).
My delivery was rough, but I only had 2 stitches, so i think that helped quite a bit.
You will be fine!
L.

Well, I don't know what to tell you here......childbirth is associated with alot of pain, did you think the baby would arrive magically? Knowing your pain tolerance is not good, you signed up for this, so just relax. Mind over matter type of thinking. You will survive, as have the rest of us. I personally didn't think of the pain while pregnant with my first. God took over at his birth and I had a c-section, so I guess he knew I couldnt handle it. My daughter was a c-section as well. It is important that you excercise. Simple stuff like walking. The more immobile you are, the harder it will be for you. You have to be able to breathe, bend, stretch when you deliver. Start moving or you will not only experience pain after the birth, but during. Cramping, charlie horses, etc. Drink lots of water. Prepare. You have 8 weeks, get ready. I understand you are exhausted, but this is nothing compared to what is to come, so, prepare. Take walks, excercise your legs and ankles as you sit, simple up and down movements will help. Good luck. Remember...it is vitally important, that you MOVE, before and after the birth.

For me the pregnacy, labour and delivery were all OK, the recovery was the worst part. I wasn't really, truly recovered for about six weeks. I was out and about right away, but my nether regions were like hamburger.

Not going to comment on my experience - you have a lot of responses and they're all different, anyway.
Look into some natural methods that can help with childbirth. Go walking. Drink your red raspberry leaf tea. There are a lot of things that women used to do before the advent of epidurals that have some merit. Look into that stuff. Take ownership of this experience and don't fear it - that will only make it worse.
Good luck. You'll be fine :)

I had a completely natural, vaginal birth, and it took me about 6 weeks to recover.

The only part that was hard for me was the tearing/stitches. That definitely slowed me down and made basic things uncomfortable. But within hours of giving birth, I was able to walk around -- just more slowly and awkwardly than usual. By the time my son was 8 weeks old, I was bundling him up in his little Bjorn and taking him for long, brisk walks, no problem.

I recommend being as active as possible during the remainder of your pregnancy, and avoiding a c-section if at all possible. Everyone has a recovery period, but even for me, with lots and lots of stitches, it wasn't a big deal. And the more active you can be now, the easier the recovery will be.

takes about a week-I was able to have natural childbirth-got up off the delivery table, showered, got into my own beautiful nightie and went home asap. You feel much better-but caring for the baby is exhausting-hope you get a healthy baby that is also a good sleeper!

I think it depends on what kind of birth experience you have. I had a great, short and uncomplicated birth. DD was born at 6AM and we went home at 8 PM the same day - we would have left earlier but had to wait for our ped to sign her out after office hours. I had a tiny labial tear, so no bad injuries. I spent the first two days on the couch with her and on day three we started venturing out for short outings... I felt fine!
Good luck.

Every woman and every birth is different. I have had 4 vaginal deliveries - my three sons, and a set of twins that I carried for someone else. My first was far and away my longest pregnancy, labor and delivery so I was pretty darn wiped out after him (42 weeks of pregnancy, induction, vacuum extraction, middle of the night delivery, etc.). I probably wasn't really up and around with him until day 4 or 5 and was pretty nauseous and sore with him but it was a complicated delivery and I was a single mother so there was a lot going on. I left the hospital the morning of day 3 and was able to dress and shower and walk around etc. but I certainly didn't feel ready to venture out.

The rest of mine were faster and easier - daytime deliveries, all at or before due dates, faster labors, etc. With my 2nd, I had him at 6 PM on a Wednesday and was home by 3 PM Friday to pick my kids up from school. I think I was at Wal-Mart on Saturday. With my 3rd, I delivered at 10 AM on Thursday and was home by Friday evening - we stopped to visit my grandmother-in-law and pick up some dinner on the way home. On Saturday (2.5 days after birth) we were at a party and I went to church on Sunday. With the twins, I delivered at noon on Tuesday, was home at noon on Wednesday and at Target buying Halloween costumes and candy Wednesday night. I went out with friends that Friday and trick-or-treating and to a party that Saturday.

For me, the physical relief of no longer being pregnant was immediate. You lose a ton of fluid (mostly through blood and sweat, plus some tears) in the first couple of days. You pass more blood than you ever thought possible and wear these giant maxi pads with built-in ice packs that will feel amazing. Toileting can be a challenge at first - if you have stitches, those can get irritated when you go and it takes a while for those muscles to get back to regular but most women don't have major issues with that after a day or two. Things like carpal-tunnel and joint inflammation and heartburn end almost immediately. You can breathe again, yay! And eat what you want! I was always ravenously hungry and thirsty after delivery (except with my first, where I was over medicated from a bad epidural and therefore nauseous).

There are definitely things that take a long time to return to normal, or never really do. Your hormones will be wacky for a while, and you might be pretty weepy for a week or two after birth. Some lucky women truly do get their pre-baby bodies back, but most of us end up a little softer and stretchier. I always ended up with some kind of random joint issue after each birth. Some women find that their hair or skin change forever, and many of us go up half a shoe size permanently. The immediate recovery is usually pretty fast (a few days to a week) followed by 6-12 weeks to slowly get back on your normal cycle and have your hormones mostly on an even keel, then up to 9-12 months for things like weight loss.

Best of luck to you!

Yeah, ignore the snippiness. I'm a little worried about the fact that you've only gained 10 pounds. What does the doctor say about your weight gain? Your shortness of breath isn't caused by being 30 pounds over your ideal body weight. It's because the baby itself is pushing against your lungs and diaphragm.

The reason it's important to put on weight is because it's best for the baby. And if you aren't eating good food, it will make it harder for you to get over the birth, because the invitro baby sucks the everloving life out of you, like a parasite! (LOL!) So in order to have a reserve for YOU, to help you get over the birth, you need to eat a good diet. Not sugar and a bunch of carbs, but protein, veggies and fruits. And lots of water.

I know it's hard to walk, but walk some anyway. Keep drinking and peeing, drinking and peeing. You need baby to "cook" AT LEAST for the next 5 weeks. If you don't drink enough, the uterus, a smooth muscle tissue, actually contracts, and can cause you to go into early labor. AND if you hold your urine, a full bladder presses against the uterus, and, you guessed it, can cause contractions, causing you to go into early labor. So drink and pee, drink and pee.

Those cat naps are fine. You need them. It helps that you aren't working at a full time job. But DO get out and walk, but be close to a bathroom.

You need to keep an eye on your blood pressure. That's important. If you realize that you haven't felt the baby move in a while, drink some orange juice and lay down on your left side. The sugar in the orange juice gets the baby moving, as long as things are fine. If baby DOESN'T react to the juice, call the doctor ASAP.

When you are in the hospital, they will want you to move around after the baby is born. You'll think they've lost their mind - but do it anyway. They will give you pain killers to take home with you. TAKE THEM. It will help. However, you need to have stool softeners and prunes at home, waiting for you. The pain meds will make you REAL constipated, and if start with the softeners AND prunes as soon as you get home, it will help you a lot. IF it's not enough, rather than push, get hubby to get you Fleet Enemas (they come 2 to a box) from the drug store. I promise you that relief from being constipated will help you get better sooner, and keep you from having worse hemorrhoids than you'll get during birth.

At home, try to just take care of the baby and of yourself the first week. That's enough. While you are waiting for baby to come, make some ready made dinners that you can put in the freezer. Get as much done now as you can - have everything organized. If you are planning on sending out birth announcements, address all the envelopes so that this is done. Have a list of people and phone numbers for your husband or you to call after the birth. If you want to send out a mass email, type in all the email addresses in advance and put the announcement into "mail waiting to be sent". That way, when you get home, you pull it up on your computer, update it and push send.

If you have a shower, write those thank you notes BEFORE you go into labor! It will be hard enough to find time to write thank you notes for the gifts that come after the birth.

If you get as much done before the birth as you can (which will keep you moving around and help you be in better shape for the birth), and then focus on taking care of the baby and sleeping when the baby sleeps, AND taking your pain meds the first few weeks, you'll get better. And don't pick up anything heavier than your baby. That gives your abdominal muscles a chance to recover without being stressed. Don't take baths until the doctor says you can - take showers instead.

PS - Have you seen an ortho hand doc about your carpal tunnel? You should.

You'll do fine. Just plan ahead and try not to stress.

Good luck,
Dawn

not sure about a vaginal delivery, but I had 2 c sections, and I felt so much better after both! LOL! I was in the hospital for 5 days after the first, only because they MADE me stay after the first. I was BEGGING to leave after the 1st day, but this was 22 yrs ago, and it was mandatory that I stay for at least 4 days. UGH! My second was 19 yrs ago, and I went home the very next day. I had my c section at 4:45 pm, and was in the shower at 7 am the next day! I was in the car and on the way home by 9am that same day, the day after I gave birth, not even 24 hours later. The doctor said he was letting me leave because they weren't doing anything for me. I had gotten up, eaten, was caring for the baby, and had gone to the bathroom. I wasn't even taking tylenol, let alone any pain meds, so they released me. I was so thrilled to get out of there! I HATE hospitals! They really wanted me to stay at least 3 days back then, but I was feeling way too good to stay. LOL! I think that you will feel great after a vaginal birth. I can't imagine why you wouldn't unless there were some complications. Good luck!

its a different kind of tired and sore. I don't know exactly how long until I felt normal but I do know after about 5 days I was itching to get out of the house and at 2 weeks I went to Disneyland (for each kid).

I also had carpal tunnel through both pregnancies (right arm), which is still have sometimes - 5.5 years later. But, it is an occasional pain. In terms of post-delivery recovery, after the first, I was antsy after 2 days and ready to rock and roll. I had two epidurals and was in labor for 26 hours, so I think it just took that long to get the drugs out of my system. The second one - we arrived about an hour before she was born and I didn't have an epidural. I was ready to do something about 2 hours after the birth. I was a little sore for a day or two, but nothing else. The carpal tunnel was what was the worst. I did get cortisone shots which helped.

It really depends on the delivery. My two were very different. With my daughter, it took nearly 20 hours and I had an epidural, but I felt like a truck hit me when I was done. I was SO exhausted, so the recovery seemed like it took a long time. It was about 4 days before I really started feeling like myself again and sitting up was torture. With my son, I don't know if it was because I was prepared more for it, or because the whole thing only took 6 hours, but I walked out of there on my own and had no problems just going about my schedule. You will be sore...you use a lot of muscles during delivery, so stomach and back muscles especially get a work out, and then you are really sore in the vanginal area. I tore both times and had stitches, so going to the bathroom was really painful, but my nurse told me to try going in the shower with luke warm water spraying on me and that really helped...I could NOT go sitting down because it felt like my stitches were going to rip out. But that only lasted a few days and then I was back to normal. I would say prepare for the worst and it won't feel so bad if it's not as bad as you imagined it.

Everyone is different. I gave birth on Monday and was back at work by Sunday. But my deliveries were relatively easy. I had a friend who was out of commission for several weeks, her delivery did not go as smooth. It also has lot to do with what kind of shape you are in going in. Walk as much a possible and watch your weight gain (the last few months can be brutal for weight gain).

Depends on you and your body. Are you in pretty good shape now? Then it won't take long at all afterward. I was in good shape and very active so I popped back rather quickly. (I also went totally natural with both births and was able to get up and walk around immediately! That felt good!)

I think the only thing I wasn't prepared for was the fact that my tummy was still there! I was very naive thinking once the baby was out the tummy would be gone; nope! Took a little while for it to go down.

I had morning sickness the first and third trimester so I understand the feeling bad part of it. Plus I had terrible back pain. But it will all be worth it when you're holding that little baby in your arms and crying because you're so happy!!

Good luck!!

I've had both kinds of deliveries, and I can say that for me, recovering from a regular delivery was much easier than from a c-section. It was awesome to be able to sleep on my stomach again. I had episiotomies and some tearing, but recovery from that was uncomplicated for me - just a little minor tenderness, and some itching later as the healing continued. The bleeding continued like a heavy period for about a week and a half, and I had aches and afterpains from my uterus returning to normal size - especially while breastfeeding. All that was ok. I was sore, but nothing too terrible.

After the c-section, I disliked the feeling of needing to protect and hold my incision - it felt like something was going to fall out if I didn't keep my hand there - of course, the doctor assured me that was just a feeling, that it would never happen. I had a lot more achiness and fatigue with the c-section, but again, it was manageable.

While I'm sure that being in better shape physically helps with recovery, don't worry about it too awful much. I am NOT in great shape and have a lot of extra pounds, but yet my body performed really well delivering 3 babies in the 9-10 lb range naturally, and I was able to get up and walk around shortly after delivery. Your positive attitude, a good understanding between you and your midwife or OB about what you want and don't want, and a generally strong constitution will go a long way, even if you're not in tip-top condition.

I wish you all the best. Have confidence in your body's ability to handle labor and delivery, and read 'The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth', if you're looking for good information about L&D with as few interventions as possible. And hang in there!

Like most said, it is different for everyone woman.
There are a variety of factors that lead to how difficult recovery is.
How long you are in labor and pushing
If you tear during delivery
If there are any complications during delivery
With my first I had a difficult recovery, probably took about 2 weeks to feel like myself. With the second it was super easy, I was up and about on day 2.
Just take it easy and listen to your body (because the other factor after pregancy is that you now have a baby to take care of also!)

It is different for every woman. I had carpel tunnel, also.

My H had a kidney stone and he had a lot of pain for hours. After he passed it. He was pretty wiped out. I told him, at least he didn't have to be awakened to feed and change it every two hours!

I had a very rough recovery from the first one with some terrible tares and a hungry, cranky baby, that had broke his collar bone being delivered. Trying to learn to breast feed and the crazy ordeal of peeing after the delivery is a 20 min ordeal! I had my mom with me for about 10 days. I felt overwhelmed many times.

You may be Entirely different. My H was absolutely very little help and I had unreasonable expectations for myself. So be gentle on yourself if you are having a hard time! It will get better!

Personally, I felt so much better after each of my 3 deliveries (all vaginal), but I've always hated the bleeding part which for me lasted a full 6 weeks for babies 2 and 3 (first only bled about 3 weeks). For me, that was the worst part of recovery. Even with tears and an episiotomy (all my boys were over 8 1/2 pounds) I didn't have pain or discomfort, maybe a little itching. And yes, the cleansing Victoria discuss is a nuisance but doable. The other stuff--being in zombie mode from late night feedings, emotionality due to hormone changes, feeling overwhelmed and anxious, etc.--will happen regardless of how you give birth. From people I've spoken to who have given birth both ways, everyone agrees that vaginal births are a much easier and quicker recovery. That said, know matter what, you WILL recover, and you will have a wonderful little baby to love and care for! Best of luck!

This does vary a bit from person to person.
My labor was 36 hrs long.
I LOVED LOVED LOVED my epidural - I had a chance to rest up for the pushing stage - which for me was only 1.5 hrs long (my son was 9 lbs 1.5 oz).
You'll be a bit sore.
You can't help but get bruised down there when pushing 6 to 9 lbs of baby through your loins.
My upper abdominal muscles (ribs area) were sore (like from lot's of sit ups) from the pushing stage.
It felt wonderful to have my kidneys and bladder to myself again!
I was holding a lot of water the last month or so.
At birth I lost 20 lbs and then the following 2 weeks I lost another 20 lbs as all the water weight came off.
I peed and sweated a lot - showers felt so good!
The last month my hip joints were pretty loose - I had some awful grinding feelings when I walked.
It took several weeks after birth for those joints to tighten back up again.
The stitches to repair the episiostomy itched as they healed.
I should have taken the time to do a sitz bath more often than I did.
My body was feeling better at 2 weeks postpartum, but the sleep deprivation was difficult to deal with for the first 6 to 8 weeks.
You'll be fine!

I have no idea what is involved in removing cysts, but the way you and Krista C describe it sounds so much worse than my two c-sections.

My first was an emergency c-section (placental abruptia), and labor hadn't even started. My second was breech (Right. No way in hell was I going to attempt a vaginal delivery. Even if an OB would have been willing to do it, I was not interested.), so he was a scheduled c-section.

I didn't think the recovery was bad at all. The first day I was pretty sore, but you just take easy for a few days. I was in the hospital for 4 days with my first (also in the NICU) and 3 days with my second (full-term and no complications).

I have to say, no labor and knowing exactly when your baby will be born? Even if he recovery is a little harder than with a vaginal, I'll take it!

Whatever happens, remember that the ultimate goal is a healthy mom and baby. Trust your doctors and nurses and let them know if you have any questions or pain. The nurses are their for you and usually wonderful. Try not to have too many specific expectations about the way things will go (ie, some people don't want a c-section or don't want an epidural). Let the nurses know what you want, but remain open to the fact that sometimes things don't work out that way. If I had said I didn't want a c-section (and really insisted on it no matter what my doctor said), I might not be here right now. My husband still remembers that day as the day he feared he would lose both me and our son.

I was nauseous for both of my pregnancies, so I have to admit that the second the kid was out, I felt so much better!

No matter what type of delivery you have, follow your doctor's instructions. Don't do more than you should. Make the daddy help!!! And your mom or MIL or sister or friend help, too.

And give your baby lots of kisses!!!

I've only ever had c-sections but I can tell you that three days after I got home I had taken back my wifely duties and was doing laundry and washing dishes with no pain pills. Six weeks out I was back to doing sit ups trying to get my belly back. It just really wasn't a big deal. I've had three c-secs and I admit to malingering on the last one just because I really wasn't up to handling two kids and a new baby quite yet. Other than that, best of luck to you and don't let anyone push you around. This is YOUR delivery and YOU get to say what drugs if any and how soon to quit and go for c-sec if that's what they're trying to make you do. Look inside yourself and really decide if you need a C-sec or if maybe you still have just a little left in reserve.