I can honestly say, the afterpains with #3 and #4 were worse than labour...or about the same par. They were terrible. Esp #3. I used to cringe when i b/f cos that can often bring them on too (uterus contracts quicker when b/f...thus afterpains are more apparent when baby latches on).
I buzzed the nurses for panadol constantly. First 1 or 2 days are the worst. But defn get worse with each pregnancy...