how did you feel after the birth

just wondering how you felt after you birthed your baby.. whether it was a c/s or natural, how did you feel emotionally, physically and mentally?

thanks

I had a vaginal delivery wihtout drugs or forceps/vacuum and felt absolutely elated. I was on a high and felt like I could climb everest. Emotionally and mentally I felt like I could do anything - the whole world had changed.

having a bub is a big shock and With both my girls I felt wonderfully happy for a few days and then the 3rd day blues kicked in (they say it's the pgcy hormones dropping) and I was all teary for a day or two. Not depressed or unhappy, just tired and teary. With a little love and understanding and help from Dh all was great and I felt great after that. I was in such a wonderous place as I had a new bubba I was getting to know and love. Great. C/s wise was not great first time (actually had a hellish first birth), but second time was great and well I'm doing it again (maybe, hopefully not the c/s part, but having another bub) so that tells u something! hehehe

I had a vaginal delivery, aided with gas and pethidine. I was numb, not phyiscally, but more in the way of.... omg and trying to get my head around it. Despite how tired I was, I was over the moon and in love all over again! He was finally here! I couldn't wait to show him off! I never once thought that Id never do it again... Feel like your superwoman, you've just brought a baby into the world!

Despite all this, after I had Jensen, I was instantly shivering. All the hot showers I had, and the layers of clothes I put on afterwards didn't help. My body went into shock. It happens with some ppl - but don't let it worry you... there are more important/better things to think about!

I also had the baby blues for about a week, a week after he was born. Family and friends help out great with that. Don't turn down the help! :)

Congratulations on your bundle-to-be!

Ditto to what Rory said - I had a vaginal delivery, no drugs, no forceps etc - and I was TOTALLY elated and felt physically, mentally and emotionally on a high for days afterwards... but especially for that day! We lay in the delivery suite for an hour or so til I fed Noah, had some tea and biscuits while they weighed him etc and then I had a shower, put on a nightie and walked out of the delivery suite into my room (pushing Noah in his crib). The midwives were shocked that I just walked out of there and didnt want a wheelchair etc, but for me I felt so great that I thought I was fine to walk/push Noah!! I agree with rory that I felt the world had changed, I had a baby now and also I had an overwhleming feeling of pride - thinking to myself 'wow I have done childbirth'.
Try to capture all the positive feelings, there is such an overwhelming rush of emotions and it is the most special feeling you can ever have. I never realised how amazing it would feel til I went through it, and now I would love to do it all again...
My DH felt similar. What a day!

I had a 32 hour vaginal delivery, and afterwards I was on top of the world too. I slept for 2 hours that night and woke up feeling fantastic. I never got the baby blues and couldn't understand when friends talked about the baby blues and crying etc. I just physically felt wonderful, emotionally and mentally felt fantastic and everything was great.
My sister was the complete opposite. She has C-Section and she was very physically and emotionally shot for weeks after the birth. She was very up and down and cried alot.

I had a vaginal delivery at home with entonox (gas and air) for most of the 2nd stage (they didn't know i was that far on so i was using gas and roaring as i was told not to push, and it ended up i only pushed once).

I felt humbled and elated and victorious and glorious. I wrote to a friend a few days later "I am a WOMAN now!" and that was how i felt. Something had shifted, i had felt the edges of myself and the world and knew now how strong i was capable of being. Emotionally i was euphoric, literally high as a kite. I felt like molten gold was flowing in my veins, and i had touched heaven, BEEN heaven, i had been the passage for a soul to earth. It was marvelous. Physically i felt glowing and wonderful. My diaphragm was exhausted from roaring instead of pushing for 90 minutes, but this felt like welcome weakness then, like tired thighs after the triumph of finishing a road race, or the tired muscles after vigorous sex. I had a little tear but right after the birth my whole vulva just felt pleasantly hot, swollen, and to be honest was like a more dramatic version of the feeling i get post-sex from the friction, a feeling which always makes me smile to remember my lover. She was delightful and amazing, feeding at my breast. She seemed to have introduced me anew to a body i thought i knew all about. When i look back, the first 24-48 hous passed in a glowing haze of love and joy and truimph. My mood seemed to put a positive spin on everything - even the sting of the aromatherapeutic perineal gel (with cypress, lavender and rose oil in it) in my tear felt like a welcome burning!

Oh good grief i want another one!

Bx

I had a really long induced birth with gas and pethadine and I also lost alo t of blood. I felt really elated and relieved when she finally came out (after being in labour for 24hrs) and instantly in love with her. But i was also really really tired after not sleeping for more than 24hrs and not having eaten for even longer too. When the nurse asked me to get into another fresh bed, I just couldn't muster the strength. I was so tired. In the days after I was too weak to get out of bed or even pick my DD up out of her crib. I felt really out of it and frustrated with myself that I had this perfect little creature to love and cuddle but couldn't get up the energy to do it. I ended up having a 7 day stay in hospital and three blood transfusions.

I had a vaginal birth and had gas and pethidine.. Afterwards I had soo many different feelings!
Emotionally/mentally , I was like OMG look what we made! I was amazed that the little person in my arms was inside me just hours earlier. I had other feelings like I wanted everyone to just go away and leave me alone and let me have some mum and bub time (i hate people hovering over me if all they want to do is watch and not help- it annoys the crap out of me). I did get the blues on day 4-5 and I just cried and cried, but then all of a sudden, I felt great again.
Physically, I was rather sore. I had a long pushing stage (she was stuck) resulting in heaps of swelling, a nasty tailbone injury and I needed stitches. I couldnt even sit down without almost crying in pain! They also made me have a catheter, which made me feel sort of isolated as it was hard to move round with it. I was very tired too. By the time she was born, I hadnt slept in about 30 hours BUT I was also on such a high at the same time. When she ws handed to me right after she ws born, I laughed, then cried, then laughed again. lol

umm i cant really remember now!

I had a vaginal delivery and I was as high as kite, on top of the world, over the moon for the first hour and a half, and then I fell in a big hole. I had laboured through the night after a very big day (my baby shower) with a broken foot to boot, and I had pushed for four hours. I think it didn't help that my bub was in the SCN and I was so shaky I couldn't hold him for long. But after a couple of panadeine forte and a few hours sleep I was high again, and buzzing around the ward. Like the others have described, I felt like I could do ANYTHING, I felt so strong and amazing. Apart from the usual bad third day post-birth, that feeling has not left me, and I still think I'm pretty clever LOL. It really is the most amazing feeling in the world!!!!!!!!!

ETA Physically I was pretty sore, after all that pushing (DS was stuck), episiotomy and forceps. Stitches hurt!!!!!!! But I really didn't care (except for the third day) because I was so in love with my little man and my DH.

I had a vaginal birth with Aidyn... was induced, with an epidural.

Emotionally/Mentally - I felt numb, shocked, disbelief, awed, overwhelmed with feelings I didn't/couldn't understand... I didn't want to fall asleep, just so I could keep looking at him...
Physically - tired, sore, strange...

Vaginal birth after a 36hr labour.
As soon as my little guy was placed on my chest, which was seconds after I pushed him out, I was in disbeleif. I couldnt beleive that this little cutie had been inside me for nearly 10 months!!!!
I instantly fell in love with the little guy... who I held for a couple of hours and fed within the first 20 mins. I was amazed. Amazed at the little human being on my chest. Amazed at my body, for being able to do what I knew it could but was told by so many others it couldnt!
I was also so proud of myself! I had no idea that I was so strong. I thought I had a low pain tolerance, and that I just would not be able to sustain myself throughout a 6 hour labour..... well I porved myself wrong.
Only 5-10 sucks on the gas, which didnt really do much, and a 36 odd hr labour, no sleep for at least 46 hours. I didnt get a full on bout of the 3rd day blues.. I did and still do get slightly teary every now and then for a min or 2... but everytime I see this little guy smile, giggle, or learn something new, I fall completely in love all over again.
I am at the point where I can't wait to do it all over again... even after 2 seperate tears that I am still healing from!
:)

I had a c/s and I was in pure shock - mainly from the 36 hours from first gel induction to c/s!! I just kept looking at her in the cot and then DH with tears in my eyes saying - I cant believe shes finally here! A weird mix of happiness and excitement plus baby blues for about 2 weeks :( much of which was due to feeding issues - then I settled down to pure and utter joy and awe at this perfect creature we made.

I had a vaginal delivery first time round and straight after i was exhausted but a few hours later after some sleep I felt great.. :)

I had 2 c.s after that and i felt fantastic.

With all 3 I got the 3rd day blues but after a good cry i was fine :) Then I felt ready to go home and start getting on with life with one more extra hand being used :)

With my first two I felt amazing - they were quite easy births with only gas for pain relief. After they were born I got up and had a shower and I reckon I looked like Elle Macpherson LMAO - after 9 odd months of being pg it felt so good to not have the big belly in the way (even though I missed it afterwards) and then walked down the get them from the nursery. Even though I laboured through the night with Erin, I was so alert I couldn't sleep just from the adrenalin.

My third was a different story. I was induced with Syncto and it was a very hard birth phsycially - I had to go straight to theatre for a manual placenta removal so I didn't walk anywhere. When I first got up for a shower about 3hrs after she was born I was so sore in the tummy from having the removal it hurt to breathe, walk and laughing was out of the question. I was also very out of it from firstly the peth in labour and then the GA so mentally I wasn't with it for a while. I was still elated that she was here safely and I was OK, but I felt distanced from the whole event in a way. By the next day I was fine though, but still sore.

With my most recent birth, it was also a very demanding and hard birth physically, and mentally I wasn't too bad during the birth until it was discovered that the cord was around his neck and he was blue and had to be resusitated - that was terrifying. Once I heard him cry my 'worried tears' were replaced by 'elated tears' - because he was OK and also that he was really a he LOL. I was also able to walk to have a shower and I did feel a bit sorer this time as he had shoulder dystocia and it took a fair amount of pulling to get him out, but otherwise I was fine. I only had gas for that birth too.

I did get the 'baby blues' after a few days with Lindsay, but that was more from me being a first time mum and lacking in confidence and having a lot of BF issues too. With the other three it was OK as I was better able to handle the first few days with a baby having BTDT kwim?

Both of my births had long pre-labour, but my first stopped at 5cms and the drip was put up. I was more exhausted after that birth than my second which involved no induction or epidural, I didn't feel like I had given birth the second time around! I got up and had a shower after having no drugs at all, and felt awesome, awake and ecstatic. Having had an epidural with my first, the pushing was a bit of a shock from crowning onwards (as I often find with my clients who give birth after a previous epidural) as I hadn't felt it before, nor the urge to push. So after I got over the shock, I felt so incredibly amazing and as Bec said, like a woman in every sense of the word. I did it and I felt strong and ready to take on the world. It's truly a rite of passage, giving birth. You'll never come out of it the same person.

I had a vaginal birth, 6 hour established labour (WEEKS of pre-labour) and had Gas. I felt overwhelmed and in shock - this is who was inside me for 8 months? Wow, he's so small! What, he came out of there? Nooo??? We have 4 weeks left of pregnancy to go, and he's here?
I just held him to my chest and couldn't stop looking at him, couldn't believe he had a mop of dark hair, just utter disbelief! I was another who couldn't sleep, every little fidget or noise he made, I thought he was choking or something. He then had lots of issues re: feeding and jaundice and ended up in SCN, the hardest thing is to leave the hospital without your baby.

Physically, I felt like everything was going to fall out. I had an episiotomy and the stitches were hell. I hated getting out of bed at all, and showering was the worst thing I could think of. When I did finally have a shower (about 3 hours after birth) I nearly passed out from the exhaustion and exhilleration. I felt dizzy for 2 days and still didn't want to get out of bed. By day 5, I could hardly feel my stitches.

I felt hugely traumatised by the birth. I know other women felt all of these positive things but I almost felt violated. I had a hard birth - posterior with only gas. But I know other women had harder births.
I also felt petrified that the 'real work' was about to start - bringing up a whole new person.
I had immediately blocked most of the labour out of my mind and still feel a bit of stress when I think back to it.
I only post this in case other women felt the same.

Krysalyss - I too felt very traumatised after my first birth, due to a long, difficult birth (gas/peth/epidural/forceps/tear and stitches) and really struggled to connect with my son after it. To be really honest, I was actually just more relieved to finally have it over and went into shock and found it difficult to want to connect with him. I found it so painful to get around for a good 6 weeks after having him.I ended up with PND and to this day still find it difficult at times to connect to this son.

My 3rd was an induction at my request with Gas a peth, but it felt great even though I had stitches I still felt positive and happy with the outcome.

My 3rd was amazing/awesome/life changing. He was completely natural in every sense of the word and liek Kelly I felt so normal after just a 90 min birth that I was almost feeling like I had not given birth! The babymmon period with him is still going 3 months later and I would love to have the opportunity to go through it again in a few years time.

So I pretty much come from the highs and the lows of it. The Highs are amazing, but the lows can be very difficult to process.

With Kameron I had an epidural and lost alot of blood. I felt really awful after the birth and nearly passed out in the shower.

After Lachlan's birth I felt better and had more energy than what I did after Kameron's birth. I never had an epidural with him, but had pethadine

With Ashton's birth it was drug free, and apart from being tired after no sleep for 3 days I was ready to go home straight away LOL.

Love

With my first son i was induced and had a normal vaginal delivery with just pethidine, after it i went into shock i hemorraged (spelling?) and my bp dropped i was hot and cold and kept falling asleep (the midwife and DH had to keep making sure i didnt pass out). I felt pretty washed out for a few weeks after due to the blood loss and clots, i should of had a transfusion after birth. Definately had the third day blues! When i pushed him out (came out in one push) and the midwife gave him to me the first thing i thought was 'oh my god its a baby!' i was just in awe of him i couldnt believe i had actually done it!
This time was totally different, went into labour on my own ended up using TENS and having gas and an epidural (labour was worse and longer, 10hrs compared to 4 first time...) and had vacuum to help him out. As soon as i looked down and saw him laying on my belly i burst into tears (AGAIN!) i was just so overcome with emotion that this was my little man! The bond was instant and being second time round i wasn't nervous like i was with Callum. I only had 3hrs sleep the nite before but i felt so awake and like i could do anything! It just felt so amazing even tho i said that was it no more kids, but now....

my first labour was a quick (4hr) and natural birth.

honestly, afterwards i didn't feel any of that elation or emotion everyone always talks about. I just felt physically, emotionally and mentally darined and exhausted. After finding out that the baby was healthy I just wanted to sleep and could have cared less about anything until later that afternoon when I had recovered a bit. having said this I lost a lot of blood and that no doubt contributed a little to how i was feeling. Also if something had been wrong with angelica then i would probably have had more of a reaction too, but I remember just being so tired and thinking that she would be fine without me while i slept as my DH, the midwives and my ob were all there to make sure she was alright, and that i needed to sleep.

I had an uncompliacted vag del, with a 2nd degree tear. All natural and only went to hossy just before DD was born.

I was ABSOLUTLEY amazed afterwards at how quickly my body 'got over' having just pushed a baby out! After I was stiched and bub had a bf, I went and had a shower and besides feeling a bit achey and looking like a droopy sack of potatoes (!) it just all felt quite normal again. It kinda just felt like DD had been with us forever not that she had arrived just minutes (or hours) before..

The only negative thing I did find was that when I tried to have a sleep in the afternoon (DD was born 7.30am), every time I closed my eyes the intenseness (is that a word lol) of the contractions came flooding back into my mind. That took a few days to get out of my mind.

Physically - completely buggered (7 hours sleep in 3 days before the labour and over two hours pushing). Had a couple of stitches. No big deal.

Emotionally - v proud of myself. Had posterior labour, used pain management techniques on my own until 7cm, then had epidural and forceps. This was my choice and one I was extremely happy with because it was best for me at the time. Walked out of delivery room pushing the crib.

Connection with my daughter - did not happen immediately. I don't put this down to the drugs, more the person I am. I was glad that I read somewhere not to worry if the 'falling in love' feeling doesn't happen immediately. It took a few weeks to really kick in. Now hopelessly besotted. I'm an old fart (38) so am savouring every moment as she may be my only one (not by choice - am raring to go for the second and she's only eight weeks old).

Rest of hospital stay - nightmare. In my case they should have renamed baby blues the "completely sick of being told 15 different things by 15 different midwives" blues. I'm no delicate flower but they drove me to the very edge of my sanity.

I was so relieved a totally horrible and difficult pregnancy was over, and so elated it didn't even phase me while he was sewing me up after an episiotomy! It was the BEST feeling holding my little man on my chest and my husband hugging us both :)

My first I felt numb, confused, dissapointed, very sore back and tummy when I started moving around the next day..
My second I was on the most amazing high, I felt awesome, elated, in control,immense pride in my body and was in no pain.

physically i felt exhausted, i had a vaginal birth with epidurial and forceps, including a episotimy(sp?) and stitches. Labour was about 16hrs.
Emotionally i felt over the moon to see this little person after all this time, but still a little shaken by the birth! My plan was no drugs and definately no forceps but had it all!
By day 2 or 3 i was having nightmares about the birth and feeling very disapointed in myself for not being stronger. I think i was upset that he had to be pulled from me instead of me pushing him out! but after a talk with the OB and DH i felt better.
I felt imeadiately connected to Myles and fell in love with my DH all over again.
Its true what they say about once the baby is in your arms you forget about all the pain!

I had a very long pre labour/labour of 72 hours, no drugs other than gas, didn't get to the hospital till I was 8cm, nothing to eat and no sleep for those three days and it took me 2 hours to push her out. For the first few hours after she was born I was on a bit of a high, got up, had a shower went up to our room and had some McDonalds (ew - although I only ate about half of it!) had family and two close friends visit...and that's when it caught up to me physically. I have NEVER been that tired in my whole life. But I found I couldn't sleep because I was worried about what would happen if DD woke up while I was sleeping - just that first time mum stuff.

By the next day I was sooooooooo sore - just muscular soreness and very stiff from bracing against the contractions for all those hours. That passed after a day or two.

By the third day I had a the baby blues - brought on mainly by feeding issues.

Emotionally I found the longer I stayed in hospital with midwives over my shoulder watching my every move the more my confidence was eaten away - apart from one midwife who spent two days with me helping me gain some confidence in my ability to feed my baby and to this day I credit her for being about 70% of the reason I kept at it and fed my daughter till she was 16 months old. I hope to run into her again this time so I can thank her.

This time I plan to come home as soon as baby and I are able to because once I got home the emotional side of things improved greatly.

I had a gel induction...21 hours as he was posterior. I went into labour wanting to avoid an epidural and syntocin, and wanting to "see what I could do".

I managed with only the gas, and once he came out, I felt like superwoman. As he was coming out though (which only took 10 minutes!) I felt as though there was no way I could do this...I felt like I was splitting in half, and that it would never end.

Now, I feel a bit sore (stitches) but mostly happy and proud.

After my first (vaginal) birth, I felt shocked, dazed, dissociated and also very physically beaten around - I have photos taken when my DD was 2 days old and I just looked AWFUL. The dissociation lasted for months afterwards and affected how I parented my beloved firstborn DD.

In contrast, after my second C/S birth, I felt calm, blissful and very much in a state of "my cup overfloweth". This feeling persisted for a couple of weeks even tho I went on to develop a wound infection and went back into hospy at day 10. Ppl commented continuously on my healthy "glow" which I attribute to my inner happiness levels.

While i was more independent physically after my VB, I am enjoying being supported for these weeks by my DH who has taken extended leave to cover my CS recovery. Also, my libido has returned pretty quickly this time, whereas it went MIA for months after my VB and I didn't even want to know about anything from the waist down (had a prolapse, tear thru to muscle, etc).

I had a vaginal birth, induced via drip, with a bit of (useless!) gas and air for pain relief, and ended up with a few stitches.

I was amazed how energetic I felt for the first few days, even though I hardly got any sleep. I hopped straight into the shower after the 10 hour labour, and felt like I could have jogged around the block. I was a bit tender "downstairs", but ice packs in my undies helped enormously.

Mentally, I was fine for the first 3 days. I didn't bond immediately with DS, but did feel a huge sense of protectiveness towards him. I was also feeling very pleased with myself as I'd managed to get through the labour on just gas and air (that had been my aim, but when I had to be induced, I wasn't sure whether I'd be able to do it).

After day 3 (the day I left the hospital), my mood just crashed, and I felt awful and teary for a week or so. My body just didn't feel like mine - insides felt like they were going to fall out, bladder control was patchy (knew I should have done more pelvic floor work!) and my breasts were so sore I couldn't even wear clothes (fun for my DH, but not so great for me!). Took me quite a while until my body felt normal again, but this was probably made worse by the fact that we had enormous feeding difficulties for the first 3 months.

Very tired! I was happy though but it all felt so surreal. When I got into my room I got mad though coz my IL's were very annoying. They kept trying to get Oscar off whoever was holding him even if they had only had him for a minute, they treated it like a competition.

I felt unreal. No drugs or stiches and as a result my hormones kicked in big time! I was awake for hours afterwards, despite an 11.56pm delivery after a 4am start the same day. I was so proud (in a good way) I birthed Caty the way I did and was so happy cos my sister and husband were equally proud of me and I love them so much so it was just ALL GOOD!

Next day my butt muscles were sore, and my calves, musta been using them during labour accidentally, and when I walked it felt like my gut was going to spill out, but I guess that's normal!

Hmm,

I really don't know how to describe it. I guess I was happy, tired, a little overwhelmed. I was lucky we had a few hours of cuddles before anything else was done. I did turn to hubby and say, now what do I do with it. (Yes I was calling him an it out of habit.) In retrospect I think I would have loved to have my first night without visitors. It was great to show him off, but to have had him all to myself would have been even better, plus he arrived in the afternoon so it was only 3 hours later we were inundated by people.