This is my thrid pregnancy and I have realised I am actually more worried about the after pains than the actual labour!!

With DD1 I only had some mild period type cramps, mainly when breastfeeding that didn't cause me any problems. With DD2 I only found out the after pains would be worse when the midwife let me know just after I had birthed the placenta and wow was that an understatement. For the first few days every time I breastfed I would have cramps that were as bad as my worst labour pains, and as I was trying to bf moving through them wasn't an option. I found heat packs and paracetamol helped. The contractions did their job as m uterus shrank back to normal very quickly according to everyone that checked.

So Im wondering for those that have had more than 2 babies did you after pains get worse post each birth or were they about the same? Any other suggestions to manage after pains? Im hoping being aware this time that they may be fairly painful may help me as the shock of how bad they were last time probably made it harder for me to cope.

Thanks