Postpartum Recovery Thread

[hannahbear]

I thought I had stopped bleeding last week, but I seem to have started up again

[misshart00]

Sept 4, 2016 7:47:30 GMT -5 coffeequeen14 said:

Sept 4, 2016 7:42:24 GMT -5 misshart00 said:

No fever. And still bleeding very slightly. Wouldn't even fill up a panty liner all day (but I change them often in case irritation is the culprit). It's just weird because it doesn't hurt all the time.

If it were me then I'd probably wait until Tuesday with what you described but only you can judge how serious it is. Also I'm no doctor and typically don't call after hours unless I'm like bleeding out or have a 105* fever or something.

I like when doctors give a very clear "call immediately for the following; call the next business day for these other things" that is helpful to me! I need clear rules for what's an emergency.

Totally agree. Especially when I was pregnant. I very rarely called when I thought I was in labor. It always ended in "come up to L&D triage and get it checked out." So I just started going up there myself.

[hollyberry]

Sept 4, 2016 8:45:29 GMT -5 hannahbear said:

I thought I had stopped bleeding last week, but I seem to have started up again

Could it be Af? I stopped bleeding for like a day and started back up again. But I am positive it is AF because the blood just looks different and more like AF.

[hannahbear]

Sept 4, 2016 10:43:03 GMT -5 hollyberry said:

Sept 4, 2016 8:45:29 GMT -5 hannahbear said:

I thought I had stopped bleeding last week, but I seem to have started up again

Could it be Af? I stopped bleeding for like a day and started back up again. But I am positive it is AF because the blood just looks different and more like AF.

Dear lord I hope not!!

[hollyberry]

Sept 4, 2016 10:53:11 GMT -5 hannahbear said:

Sept 4, 2016 10:43:03 GMT -5 hollyberry said:

Could it be Af? I stopped bleeding for like a day and started back up again. But I am positive it is AF because the blood just looks different and more like AF.

Dear lord I hope not!!

When was your LO born? Did you have a CS? I was told 4 weeks after it could come. And I was at 5 weeks when it came. But also the pp bleeding came and went. But was never really completely gone each time it came back, just got a bit heavier every so often.

[gratefulgirl]

Sept 4, 2016 8:45:29 GMT -5 hannahbear said:

I thought I had stopped bleeding last week, but I seem to have started up again

That can happen if you overdo it.

I spotted for months after DD2. It was not fun but my OB said it was not a problem. I got AF at 6 mo. PP with her.

[hannahbear]

Sept 4, 2016 12:06:28 GMT -5 gratefulgirl said:

Sept 4, 2016 8:45:29 GMT -5 hannahbear said:

I thought I had stopped bleeding last week, but I seem to have started up again

That can happen if you overdo it.

I spotted for months after DD2. It was not fun but my OB said it was not a problem. I got AF at 6 mo. PP with her.

I think that's more likely it. This doesn't seem like full on AF.

hollyberry no, vaginal delivery. 4 weeks pp

[bocaburger]

I think I have that thing where your abs separate (diastasis?). Is it dangerous? Am I supposed to do anything about it?

gratefulgirl I could be crazy but I seem to remember you had that, right?

[misshart00]

Sept 4, 2016 10:53:11 GMT -5 hannahbear said:

Sept 4, 2016 10:43:03 GMT -5 hollyberry said:

Could it be Af? I stopped bleeding for like a day and started back up again. But I am positive it is AF because the blood just looks different and more like AF.

Dear lord I hope not!!

I got my period back 6 weeks after both my other kids were born. I'm fully expecting this time to be the same. It sucked because everyone told me you don't get your period while breastfeeding. Liars.

[dc2london]

I had a weird recurrence of PP bleeding around 8 weeks with DS2. Apparently it is fairly common. I didn't actually get AF until he was 18 months old (which was glorious)

[frodabaggins]

meagpt22 thank you I will for sure try that!

misshart00 thank you and I hope you also feel better really soon!

[hashbrownnofilter]

Sept 4, 2016 14:55:21 GMT -5 dc2london said:

I had a weird recurrence of PP bleeding around 8 weeks with DS2. Apparently it is fairly common. I didn't actually get AF until he was 18 months old (which was glorious)

Strangely, this was my situation exactly - some reappearing bleeding at 8 weeks and then no AF until I weaned DS at 18 months. Hoping for the same again.

[shanny]

Sept 4, 2016 16:32:12 GMT -5 hashbrownnofilter said:

Sept 4, 2016 14:55:21 GMT -5 dc2london said:

I had a weird recurrence of PP bleeding around 8 weeks with DS2. Apparently it is fairly common. I didn't actually get AF until he was 18 months old (which was glorious)

Strangely, this was my situation exactly - some reappearing bleeding at 8 weeks and then no AF until I weaned DS at 18 months. Hoping for the same again.

Didn't get it back until DD was 13 months old then got pregnant so I've only had one period since December 2013...heh.

[gratefulgirl]

Sept 4, 2016 13:50:18 GMT -5 bocaburger said:

I think I have that thing where your abs separate (diastasis?). Is it dangerous? Am I supposed to do anything about it?

gratefulgirl I could be crazy but I seem to remember you had that, right?

It's not dangerous, but you should restrict the type of ab workouts you do (no sit ups).

MuTu Mama is a great workout program for addressing it. I plan to pick it back up once I can carve out some time.

[hannahbear]

Do you know of any pp yoga workouts? I would love to start moving my body again!

bocaburger why/how do you know you have diastasis? Does it hurt? Just curious!

[bocaburger]

Sept 4, 2016 22:35:15 GMT -5 hannahbear said:

Do you know of any pp yoga workouts? I would love to start moving my body again!

bocaburger why/how do you know you have diastasis? Does it hurt? Just curious!

Does not hurt. I tried flexing my abs and when I do there is a bulge in the center, and when I feel with my fingers I can actually feel a space in the middle.

[gratefulgirl]

Sept 4, 2016 22:53:03 GMT -5 bocaburger said:

Sept 4, 2016 22:35:15 GMT -5 hannahbear said:

Do you know of any pp yoga workouts? I would love to start moving my body again!

bocaburger why/how do you know you have diastasis? Does it hurt? Just curious!

Does not hurt. I tried flexing my abs and when I do there is a bulge in the center, and when I feel with my fingers I can actually feel a space in the middle.

FYI - in the first 6 mo. PP that gap will close on it's own somewhat regardless of what you do or do not do.

I still had a 2 1/2 finger gap after that point after DD2, so barely separated.

[joy]

Sept 4, 2016 7:47:30 GMT -5 coffeequeen14 said:

I like when doctors give a very clear "call immediately for the following; call the next business day for these other things" that is helpful to me! I need clear rules for what's an emergency.

Uuugh.  So, on discharge from the hospital, I was asked if I passing any blood clots.  I said no, should I be?  And the nurse was very clear that I should not be and if I pass anything larger than a quarter, then it's a problem.

So.  Cue me freaking out when I passed a large clot a few days later.  I called the on call doctor and she goes "Okay, tell me.  What was the size of the clot in fruits?  A grapefruit?"  Holy shit.  No.  More like a walnut.  (Side note: can you imagine a grapefruit sized clot...?)

She told me I was fine.  When I said that the nurses said anything bigger than a quarter was a problem, she goes "Why did they tell you that?!  Oh my god.  You're bleeding.  Your body is releasing clotting factors.  When you lie down, it's going to pool, clot and be released later.  It's normal.  Relax.  You're fine and I'm sorry they told you that.  Any size clot is fine; hemorraghing is not.  Got it?" 

I loved her.

[hannahbear]

joy the clotting is kind of scary, though. I'm totally with you!

[coffeequeen14]

I remember being told anything bigger than a baseball size clot I need to call. Holy shit. If I had a baseball side clot come out of me I would be rushing to the ER!

[dc2london]

Uhhh yeah, passing clots is 100% normal. I was told to call for anything larger than an orange

[misshart00]

I was told to call if I passed anything large enough to name. She also clarified about the size of your fist. I passed plenty of quarter-size ones. I can't imagine calling that much.

[bocaburger]

joy they told me anything larger than a quarter too

[dorkusmalorkus]

That's so weird--I was told to call for anything walnut-sized or bigger. I would have thought there'd be more of a consistent standard for this.

[coffeequeen14]

Sept 5, 2016 18:01:38 GMT -5 dorkusmalorkus said:

That's so weird--I was told to call for anything walnut-sized or bigger. I would have thought there'd be more of a consistent standard for this.

I would be calling the doc for larger than a quarter or walnut just because that seems big. I'd be calling 911 for a baseball or orange!

[hrushka]

I was told clots are normal and to call for anything bigger than my fist. Luckily I didn't have much at all.

[frodabaggins]

I'm super happy to report that my sciatica is getting way better. Leave it my husband to come up with the remedies that ended up working!

[quirks]

Sept 7, 2016 23:12:53 GMT -5 frodabaggins said:

I'm super happy to report that my sciatica is getting way better. Leave it my husband to come up with the remedies that ended up working!

What remedies? Mine is not good.

[frodabaggins]

Sept 8, 2016 2:20:03 GMT -5 quirks said:

Sept 7, 2016 23:12:53 GMT -5 frodabaggins said:

I'm super happy to report that my sciatica is getting way better. Leave it my husband to come up with the remedies that ended up working!

What remedies? Mine is not good.

Here is what is working: he has this weird really super hard massage ball that he uses on sore muscles. Basically I lie down on the ground and position the ball right where it hurts - that piriformis muscle - and I just let it dig into the muscle. On the side that hurts, I cross that leg over and just kind of roll. It hurts terribly but feels way better after! I've also been icing the area nightly.

[penny2103]

Sept 8, 2016 14:48:20 GMT -5 theophania said:

I went in for my three week visit, everything is healing great and all restrictions are lifted except core exercises. My OB said to wait three more weeks before any core work. Otherwise to use my common sense and pay attention to my body cues. If something hurts our feels uncomfortable then I should not do it lol.

My OB said I'm "ahead of the activity curve" most likely since I was up and moving so much post surgery to go to and from the special care nursery.

I wish my doctor did a 3 week visit. I'd like to start working out again or at least do a few yoga/Barre classes a week but not really sure what is OK at this point.