need info

[fionas]

Thanks Inanna - I just need to reiterate that the pain during pregnancy or of the birth itself is not my primary concern - it's the length of the recovery afterwards. If an ob was to tell me that I was going to have a long painful VB labour but be fine afterwards, or relatively soon afterwards, this would be a no-brainer. I'd just get on with it.

As for movement, I have found that movement exacerbates my pain considerably but other women, such as yourself, have certainly found that they do 'seize up' if they don't move and in their case pushing through the pain is certainly beneficial. That is not my experience unfortunately. I actually find the opposite - that moving itself does not cause TOO much pain at the time except for a sort of stiffness but that this stiffness then leads to agony hours later.

[fionas]

I appreciate you taking the time skeetaboat - you always make a lot of sense. I will digest what you've said and post in the morning. Thanks again.

[Inanna]

Fiona I too suffered hideously after walking but I credit it with my recovery. I couldn't get out of the car, out of bed. At some stages I needed to be assisted out of bed... It really was painful. However, I religiously walked as I had other women's experiences of this assisting so I went with that. For me it did help.

[fionas]

Inanna, I did the same as you in my first pregnancy and largely carried on as normal and was in a lot of pain by the end and had an 18 month recovery.

This time, despite the onset happening at lot earlier, I am in much less pain than last time.

We can only go on what works for us and this is working for me, as your approach worked for you.