# How long after birth did it take you to feel good enough to go out?



## Snowflake777 (Jan 6, 2011)

I mean like going out where a decent amount of walking is required, eg going to the mall for more than an hour, etc.

I tore pretty badly with DD1 and I recall it taking 3-4 weeks for me last time, but I have a feeling this is probably longer than normal. What were your experiences?


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## KinderKim (Apr 19, 2008)

I went to a community garage sale about 2 weeks after I had DD2 and walked around for a couple of hours. I definitely felt sore afterwards and the postpartum bleeding got worse. I think it was about 4 or 5 weeks PP until I felt regular again.


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## lifeguard (May 12, 2008)

Definitely 4 weeks & that was primarily because my Mom was visiting. I didn't feel close to normal until 6 weeks. I had a 3rd degree tear though.


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## Peony (Nov 27, 2003)

Within days, but I've never torn and always have recovered very quickly from birth.


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## kltroy (Sep 30, 2006)

With my c-section, about 3 weeks. Felt like crap for the first week or two. With my VBAC, maybe 3 days before I wanted to take a nice walk, and maybe a week until I was out at a street festival. Night and day difference. I was taking plenty of ibuprofin, mind you (felt like I had run a marathon and then been beat up for a week or so), but I only had one small tear, which healed relatively quickly.


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## puddle (Aug 30, 2007)

With my first birth, I was still in a lot of pain and had a hard time getting around at 6 weeks. She was at least 2 months old by the time I could get out on my own comfortably. With my second, I felt good the next day and great within a week, other than being a little uncomfortable when sitting. I tore about the same with both (minor), but my second was more than 2 lbs bigger. I don't know if the difference in recovery was because my body knew what it was doing, because my first labor was long and my second super fast, or because I was so miserable during my second pregnancy that not being pregnant felt super awesome in comparison.


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## Bokonon (Aug 29, 2009)

I had 2 c-sections, and had to get moving pretty quickly because my babies were in the NICU. With #1, I was discharged 5 days postpartum and went to Babies R Us and Costco before going home.

With #2, I went to a brunch at my son's preschool and then got my hair cut and colored a week postpartum (I had been on bedrest for weeks and was not a pretty sight, and DD was still in the NICU).

I felt pretty normal within 2 weeks with each birth.

I never labored though, and wasn't nearly full-term, so I'm sure that had a lot to do with how quickly I recovered each time.


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## Jaimee (Jun 7, 2007)

With my first I only had a first degree tear, but it did require a few stitches that ended up pulling quite a bit when I walked for more than just around the house. It took me well past my 6 week appointment to stop feeling that pulling when walking. I also had some tailbone pain/soreness that lasted a few days.

With my second I didn't tear at all and I was up and about days later. My bleeding would increase slightly if I pushed it too much, but I felt fine.


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## mambera (Sep 29, 2009)

I had a 2nd degree tear with DD but felt fine getting up and about pretty much immediately (sitting down was way more painful than walking). Took a walk out for a cup of tea and shopping with my mom at 5 days postpartum - in retrospect not a good idea because people were staring at DD and breathing on her. I felt just fine though. Agree with puddle that the minor discomforts of early postpartum were nothing against the awesomeness of no longer being pregnant.


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## Erin77 (Aug 4, 2010)

I tore some with my son but felt well enough to walk to his pediatrician's office a mile away with him when he was 4 days old and moved cross country (carrying him and luggage on a plane) when he was 9 days old. I think the stress and excitement of not being pregnant any more + needing to get moving made it work for me. Physically I felt great but emotionally I was a wreck, ha ha.


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## Missinnyc (Aug 21, 2003)

I have felt fine with all my natural births to go out within a couple days or a week. For the first few days I've felt super tired. My vulva/vagina doesn't usually hurt, it's actually more of an all-over soreness and back/abdominal pain. I would say it took about a week or 10 days to feel fully back to normal. But I have terrible pregnancies, so not being pregnant is wonderful for me after ten months of suffering (gladly).


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## jessica_lizette (Feb 3, 2008)

With my first who I tore with, about a week and a half. With my second I was feeling great within a couple of days.


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## eclipse (Mar 13, 2003)

With my first, I had an episiotomy, stitches, crap loads of pain, trouble breastfeeding (supply+latch problems+bleeding nipples). . .and I didn't even feel like leaving the house when I went back to work at 6 weeks PP. We did go out, but I really wasn't up to it. With #2, I felt awesome! No stitches, no breastfeeding problems, no PPD (in retrospect, PPD started pretty much ASAP after #`1, but not at all with #2. The difference was incredible and unexpected), she slept in huge chunks from the beginning, so no sleep deprivation, etc. She was born on the 18th, I left the hospital on the 19th, and I know we went out to dinner for my birthday on the 23rd and I was feeling fine. We went to the zoo the next day and she snuggle up in the sling the whole time and I walked around all day long without any problems. I'm pretty sure within a week we were back at our weekly playgroup/park day. With #3, it was pretty fast, too. He was almost a month early, but was able to go home the day after he was born (no NICU!), and the day after that we managed to go to his baby shower (methinks he came early so he wouldn't miss his party!). Physically, I wasn't feeling as great as with dd, but I was still out and about fairly quickly.

Oh, and I had epidurals with all three, but I was on some serious pain meds with #1 after the birth. The episiotomy really wrecked me, and I think I would have quit nursing without the narcotics, since my nipples looked like hamburger meat. I'm sure they contributed to me feeling so bad for so long with DS1


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## aHikaru (Apr 12, 2011)

The day i got home from the hospital, 3-4 days, i was up and getting new things for the baby, as i waited til' after she was born to decide what i needed.


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## Lisa1970 (Jan 18, 2009)

I did not go out, because I had the baby in the hospital, but I felt ready to run a marathon within very short time of my vaginal birth. For my csects, it was months.By short time, I am talking maybe an hour.


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## savithny (Oct 23, 2005)

Both times I felt great almost immediately afterwards, and was out doing minor errands in less than a week.

HOWEVER: With #2, I felt so spry, and it was summer and gorgeous. So when it was time to drop off the paperwork at my HR office to add her to my insurance (so all her early bills would get paid), we parked at our normal spot on campus and walked nearly a mile down the road to the benefits office, and then back again, with a slight detour to stop by and show her off to coworkers. I think I was less than 2 weeks postpartum.

I guess my pelvic ligaments hadn't tightened yet, because by the time we got back to our parking lot, I could feel the bones of my pelvis scraping against each other. I would call that "overdoing it" definitely. I felt achy and uncomfortable for several days afterwards, too.


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## Monarchgrrl (Aug 16, 2007)

I had a homebirth and couldn't do anything besides walk to the bathroom and shower for about a week. Then I ventured outside for a short walk to the beach for the first time at 2 weeks PP. Then a quick trip to get some baby stuff at 3 weeks. But for lots of walking it was about 5-6 weeks, and I didn't tear.


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## Zimbah (Feb 22, 2008)

I'm 4.5 weeks post partum and am fine going out and about for trips to the park etc. I had a third degree tear but seem to have healed pretty well, I first went out at 2 weeks for a couple of hours (pottering round a craft fair) although I was a bit sore after that. Haing said that, I don't know if I've overdone it and caused a vaginal prolapse that I might have avoided with less activity - it only seems to have developed in the last week







despite me doing pelvic floor exercises religiously.


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## Snowflake777 (Jan 6, 2011)

Thanks for all the replies!

I'm now 4 days PP and still feeling pretty rough. I actually felt better a couple of days ago, but the effects of constantly wearing a pad over tearing have taken their toll. Blech.

I also have a fever, and have just started antibiotics because my doc suspects infection, possibly the start of mastitis or something in my uterus. I hope they start working quickly. I reeaaaallly want to get outside a bit!


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## Jaimee (Jun 7, 2007)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Snowflake777*
> 
> I'm now 4 days PP and still feeling pretty rough. I actually felt better a couple of days ago, but the effects of constantly wearing a pad over tearing have taken their toll. Blech.


Sorry about the discomfort and infection! I hope the AB's help quickly! Have you tried sitzbaths with some postpartum herbs? There are several companies that make postpartum herb mixes and some package them in giant "tea bags" for the bath tub. Also, I used cloth pads after the first few days postpartum... they are much more comfortable than disposables and breathe better. Do you have any cloth pads or can you borrow some from a friend? You could order some online, but that would take some time... do you have any natural parenting stores around? Some times cloth diaper stores carry them. In fact I may have even seen GladRags at Whole Foods... do you have one of those by you?


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## Smokering (Sep 5, 2007)

I just left the house today at 1 week postpartum. DH drove us all to the mall and I spent about an hour drinking a milkshake, wandering around a few shops and generally chillin', while DH had a business meeting.

By the end of it I was zonked, and got home and promptly fell into bed and had a two and a half hour nap. I was surprised to feel so tired, but I did lose over a litre of blood during the birth...

ETA: 13 days PP now. Just accompanied DH to the supermarket. Zonked again. It's fortunate I was expecting to be a fainting violet this time around, because I am! Had a quick, natural childbirth... but still! I'm having at LEAST one big long nap a day, and the baby isn't even a bad sleeper.


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## girlspn (Apr 14, 2011)

My mother and aunts believe in staying in bed for at least a month ('sitting month' in chinese tradition) to recover. I just had my first baby so this is my first experience. I had to run errands for baby's travel documents, and I went out for the first time 4 days pp, and a few more times that week. Each trip was only an hour or so, and didn't involve much walking, but I felt completely drained afterwards, even after 12 days pp. I had a natural birth with no interventions and thought I'd feel better sooner!


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## nononose (Oct 6, 2010)

I didn't leave the upstairs the day she was born, but we were out of the house the next day. Small errands/trips. I was doing most things after the first week, but it took a full 2 weeks before I was able to go out with my toddler without another adult to run after her! What a difference from my first (c-section). I had a 2nd degree tear with this one, but found it only bothered me in the washroom and sitting on certain surfaces - not with walking or mobility.


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## Ola_ (Sep 5, 2008)

I just looked back at some of the early baby pictures to remind myself of the dates because I know I spent the first couple of days exclusively in our bedroom. I lost 1000mL of blood in a pph after the birth so I was pretty out of it and would black out after getting up to go to the bathroom. I didn't leave the house till day 17 and that was just to go for a walk around the block with DD in the sling.


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## insidevoice (Feb 16, 2011)

I am always up and about within a day or so. After my first delivery, I went home later that day, then we took a two mile walk to go out to restaurant for dinner. Of course, I was in my 20s then, and I bounced back faster than I do now. My last two births it's been a couple hours before I was up and walking around, and I did get an increase in lochia when I walked more than a couple hours a day initially.

I am likely to have a c-section this time, so I suspect it will be entirely different, but I do hope to bounce back within a week or so.

(Caveat: I am a cancer survivor. I can not tolerate NOT being up and about and doing things anymore, and I tend not to notice discomfort or fatigue until I am well past what most people will find completely debilitating. While I may be as tired as other people- or in pain, I learned early on to ignore those signals from my body. What I do isn't necessarily healthy, but it is what works to keep me emotionally healthy.)


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## Holistic (Jul 5, 2010)

I read an interesting blog post about waiting 40 days to leave the house here: http://integrativemom.com/prevention/fortydays/

made me think maybe i'd do the same thing! she has some valid points....


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## jessica1124 (Jul 11, 2011)

I would say close to 6 weeks as possible


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## artekah (Apr 26, 2009)

I stayed in bed for most of the first week, then got up and started doing some light things around the house. Took my first real walk--maybe a mile around the neighborhood--at two weeks. Made a point not to do any strenuous things until after 6 weeks. I had a natural birth at home with no tearing and my blood loss was normal, so I think I probably had an easier time healing than some. It's really important to listen to your body--whether it takes you 3 days or 3 months to recover.


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## member234098 (Aug 3, 2002)

.


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## ~Amy~ (Jun 7, 2009)

I was hiking (not strenuous hiking but hiking a local moderate trail) 2 weeks after my c-section. I felt great, never took any pain meds other than a regular strength Tylenol once or twice while still in the hospital. After my VBAC, it took me a lot longer to bounce back. I was quite sore, had some stitches, and walking was really uncomfortable for a month at least. I did feel a lot better immediately afterwards with my vaginal birth, but longer term, my section recovery was easier. I expect I'm not the norm, though.


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## samstress (Feb 21, 2008)

well, i've gotten out pretty quickly (out of necessity and out of the fact that i just hate being cooped up in the house) after both my births (one c-section and one vbac with an episiotomy), but nothing more than just shuffling around the grocery store. i'm gonna say it took about four weeks before i was really moving and even longer before i felt 100% myself again (maybe six to eight weeks). i'm now nearly nine weeks pp and have finally started running just in the last week.


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## Zan&Zav (Nov 25, 2006)

First birth, natural drug free birth, 24 hours later i was out with baby for a 4 hour walk.

Second birth, emergency classical C-section took about 8 weeks before I could walk longer then 10 minutes.


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## SilverFish (Jan 14, 2010)

wow, i really am having a hard time remembering! with dd, it was a fairly easy and not too long labour, and she was in the NICU for 2 weeks after, so i was out and about quite a bit within 2 days of delivery, as i was travelling back and forth between home and the hospital. as soon as she was home, i was pretty much back to my normal level of activity, walking, etc (and we lived in a 3rd floor walk up, so lots of stairs!). however, despite the fact that i was quite active, i felt horrific. my tearing was 2nd degree but quite extensive, and what with the stairs and the travelling, i ended up tearing my stitches in the first week. i was not close to feeling myself physically and emotionally until about 9 weeks pp. that was when breastfeeding finally got sorted out, the tearing was fully healed, and i was sleeping a bit better. the weather becoming nice and warm around then really helped too!


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## KaylaBeanie (Jan 27, 2009)

It's been interesting reading the wide variety of experiences! I haven't had babies yet, so I obviously have no idea how things will go. I will say though, I love any excuse to curl up at home in my pajamas with loved ones, so that "40 days" thing intrigues me. I love the idea of spending that time in comfy clothes, resting and nursing baby while family/friends come to me. I've always been a visual person and I envision the first month or two after the birth of my first baby to be spent in sweats, nursing while spending massive amounts of time watching TV and surfing the web. Sounds heavenly to me.


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## philomom (Sep 12, 2004)

We went out with baby in the sling at four days after. The holidays were coming on and I had to get a few things bought.


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## ThreeCats (Mar 10, 2010)

DS was born on a Saturday morning. We had him at the Outlet Mall (in a sling) on Monday afternoon - I needed a bra. I was tired, but otherwise felt fine. It was a hard labor (induction), and I had an epidural...but I was walking around and wanting to go home within a couple of hours of his birth.


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## MrsMike (Aug 4, 2006)

I'm 10 days pp. I was up an about the house - even did a few dishes - a few hours after the birth. I tried to lay in as much as possible for the first 3 days. We were out briefly at 4 days pp, but I didn't really get out of the car. I visited Target at 5 day pp for a new bra and I've been out at least once a day since then. I'm resting as much as possible when home - hubby has been doing most of the cleaning, brings me meals in bed and takes my son out for a few hours so I can nap with the baby - but I cannot stand to be cooped up. I've felt fine. Had a bit of bottom soreness the first few days I started going out, but it's gotten a lot better. My pp bleeding has slowed and is just some brownish to clear discharge now. Oh, I had a natural birth at home with a 2nd degree tear.


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## lizsky (Sep 14, 2009)

In the past I've heard so many "I felt awesome right away" stories that I'm kindof reassured to realize that I'm not the only one who felt pretty sore and tired for a while. With DD I had a great waterbirth, but a 2nd degree tear, and felt sore whenever I walked or climbed stairs for a couple weeks. I wanted to stay home and take it really slow, but the unexpected death of my best friend 4days postpartum sent me 200 miles to a funeral where I had to make a speech at 13 days post-partum  ...with my next little one due next spring I am hoping for a REAL babymoon. Although my toddler might make that more complicated!


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## Honey693 (May 5, 2008)

With my first I tore and was out the next day.

Second, no tear and I was out the next day, I would have been out that day, but that got vetoed by everyone.

I am one of those lucky people that bounces back super quick from everything (I ate solid food 24 hours after having my wisdom teeth taken out under general) and can't stand to be home for more than 24 hours. That being said I took a ton of naps too.


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