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After birth pains-any suggestions?


mykidsrmyjoy
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Baby#6 is due any day now and I'm almost dreading the after-labor pains more than labor itself! I just read yesterday that some women have successfully used a calcium supplement to dramatically reduce the pain, but I can't find a whole lot of info on the subject. Anyone want to chime in with thoughts on calcium or anything else hat helps?

 

ETA: No one was responding so I changed my title :-)

Edited by mykidsrmyjoy
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Yep, I agree with Artic afterbirth pains are as bad or worse than labor pains for me, especially for the 3rd and 4th babies. With the last couple of babies I thought I'd sure like an epidural for that part! I don't do any drugs with labor but as soon as the baby is out I pop as many ibuprofen as I can safely take.

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I hope you find something that works for you!

 

I don’t remember ever having afterbirth pains, but my mom called the doctor in after having one of us kids (I don’t recall which one) and told him “I think you forgot one in there, I’m still in labor.†:lol:

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Really jealous, Elizabeth. The afterbirth pains are from your uterus contracting to try to get back to its regular size (I think). I remember being gob-smacked by it after my first. #3 & #4 were super painful. For some reason, I'm thinking that I did something different for #5 and the pain wasn't as bad. I can't remember what, though. I know it wasn't pain pills. I remember doing research to see what might help. It has been too long & my memory is so bad after all these kids. . . (It is an ongoing joke in my house. I write down who has who for the secret santa gifts at our house. Kids will talk to me about what they need to get for their person. A couple of hours later, I can't remember who they have. I couldn't remember who I have, either. I'm glad I get to write it down...)

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I used AfterEase tincture after my last birth (#4) - I can't remember it being particularly bad, at least, not enough to be worth remembering. I think it was more during nursing sessions there would be strong discomfort at first but it was short lived, I think.... It's only been 2 years but maybe I've forgotten too much - or 4 births are blurring together. :) 

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Never heard of this? Maybe ask your dr? I've been lucky and so far have had zero pain after the baby is out. Now talk to me about pregnancy. I think I'm miserable every single day.

Pregnancy treats me pretty well, but I'll have contraction-like pain (esp while breastfeeding) for the 1st week, then lingering cramps for another week.

 

And since I labor naturally, my midwife tries to boost the after-contractions by PUSHING ON ME SO HARD right after birth. Drives me nuts. They're always surprised when my body works without the help of pitocin...

 

But yeah, after birth pains make my toes curl, literally.

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I'm pretty sure it was methergine, a very small dose given as a tablet. You'd want to talk to your health care provider about it. The label says not to breast feed on it, but my midwife strongly believed it was perfectly safe at the dosage she gave, and she explains her reasoning clearly and convinced me. It was like a miracle drug. One tablet, and basically no pain, little bleeding, certainly much less than with my first two kids.

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Really jealous, Elizabeth. The afterbirth pains are from your uterus contracting to try to get back to its regular size (I think). I remember being gob-smacked by it after my first. #3 & #4 were super painful. For some reason, I'm thinking that I did something different for #5 and the pain wasn't as bad. I can't remember what, though. I know it wasn't pain pills. I remember doing research to see what might help. It has been too long & my memory is so bad after all these kids. . . (It is an ongoing joke in my house. I write down who has who for the secret santa gifts at our house. Kids will talk to me about what they need to get for their person. A couple of hours later, I can't remember who they have. I couldn't remember who I have, either. I'm glad I get to write it down...)

I remember cramping a bit each time the baby latched on like a mild pms p, but it stopped as soon as he or she nursed for like a minute so not enough to be any kind of problem. It would just stop as soon as it started basically. Like I said don't be jealous as I have horrendous pregnancies, so I feel blessed that when the baby pops out I'm normal again. I'm jealous of those that enjoy even 1 day of their pregnancy because I don't. Lucky the birth and after goes so well or I would have been done at 1.

Edited by Elizabeth86
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Yes, I have taken liquid calcium during labor, and I have found that really help with afterbirth pains.  I didn't start doing the liquid calcium until one of my later births--number 8, maybe.  I was expecting it to help my labor (I don't know that it had a tremendous effect there, but that baby was 10 pounds, 8 ounces, so I don't really know that anything would have helped, lol).  But what I was amazed to find was how much less my afterpains were.  Significantly so from #7.  And I took it with my last 2 as well, with very few afterpains.  I highly recommend it!  I know exactly the dread you are talking about--I felt the same way!  Just as bad, if not worse, than actual labor!

 

I got the instructions for what to do from a blogger who I don't think blogs anymore.  Here is the link to the old post though:  Liquid Calcium in Labor.  

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I took 800 mg Advil every several hours for some of them. I even got them while pumping for my preemie, although not badly, just enough to assure me that my body was indeed cooperating. I stopped taking the narcotics 24 or 36 hours post-c-section, but I hear that helps. I tried AfterEase for a few babies, but it did nothing. A warm rice sock on my belly was nice for a few babies.

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Yes, I have taken liquid calcium during labor, and I have found that really help with afterbirth pains. I didn't start doing the liquid calcium until one of my later births--number 8, maybe. I was expecting it to help my labor (I don't know that it had a tremendous effect there, but that baby was 10 pounds, 8 ounces, so I don't really know that anything would have helped, lol). But what I was amazed to find was how much less my afterpains were. Significantly so from #7. And I took it with my last 2 as well, with very few afterpains. I highly recommend it! I know exactly the dread you are talking about--I felt the same way! Just as bad, if not worse, than actual labor!

 

I got the instructions for what to do from a blogger who I don't think blogs anymore. Here is the link to the old post though: Liquid Calcium in Labor.

Thanks for the info! I will look into this.
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A warm rice sock on my belly was nice for a few babies.

Oh hey, this sparked a question: do you all feel after pains mostly in front or in back?

 

And is it the same as where you feel labor?

 

I think mine are more in back; I also have had back labor with all but one of my babies.

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Oh hey, this sparked a question: do you all feel after pains mostly in front or in back?

 

And is it the same as where you feel labor?

 

I think mine are more in back; I also have had back labor with all but one of my babies.

I don’t really remember to be honest. They always felt more like menstrual cramps.

 

Honestly, I’ve forgotten what labor feels like, LOL. It’s been four years, and that one was super fast.

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Tylenol or ibuprofen was sufficient for me. Interestingly, the worst ones were after my second. Due to hemorrhaging after my first, I was always given something to cause my uterus to contract more quickly and thoroughly, so sometimes I was pretty uncomfortable the first day or two, but it didn't last much longer than that, and never was just horrible.

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Drugs. I would literally put a pen in my mouth to bite down on when getting ready to nurse the baby as the pain would hit so hard when my milk let down!!! Ask for narcotics if you can. The midwife told me she prescribed some but I was afraid of being more tired than I already was so I didn't take any. (I should have.) You can schedule ibuprofen and Tylenol to stay ahead of the pain but that only took the edge off.

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Baby#6 is due any day now and I'm almost dreading the after-labor pains more than labor itself! I just read yesterday that some women have successfully used a calcium supplement to dramatically reduce the pain, but I can't find a whole lot of info on the subject. Anyone want to chime in with thoughts on calcium or anything else hat helps?

 

ETA: No one was responding so I changed my title :-)

Heating pad or hot water bottle, can use on lower back, too; ibuprofen 600mg every 6 hours around the clock, take it with food please. Avoid constipation. Breastfeed (even though it hurts a lot while you're nursing, it resolves sooner). Raspberry leaf tea. Earth Mama period tea. Chamomile tea.

 

 

/OB nurse

Edited by Sandwalker
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Oh hey, this sparked a question: do you all feel after pains mostly in front or in back?

 

And is it the same as where you feel labor?

 

I think mine are more in back; I also have had back labor with all but one of my babies.

No, mine definitely have felt differently. I usually feel labor contractions mainly in my lower back but afterbirth pains feel like very severe menstrual cramps.
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Oh hey, this sparked a question: do you all feel after pains mostly in front or in back?

 

And is it the same as where you feel labor?

 

I think mine are more in back; I also have had back labor with all but one of my babies.

 

With most of my kids, it was mostly in front, but with one, it radiated all the way through to my back.  

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I was feeling the same thing about baby #5. How long has it been between babies?  My OB prescribed narcotics in advance because I was so worried, but I actually didn't need any. It had been 10 years since my last baby and my body must have forgotten. The pains weren't bad at all- almost like a first time mom's. My pains after my 4th were worse than labor- worse than anything I've ever felt, so it was quite a relief this time. 

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They are worse than labor for me. Motherwort tincture or Afterease are magic. They worked SO much better than tylenol + ibuprofen. I take about half a dropperful under my tongue for 10-15 seconds before nursing, and make sure my bladder is empty. Wearing a belly band for the first couple days also helped some. With #4 I took ibuprofen on schedule also, with #5 the tinctures were enough alone. Motherwort also (for me anyway) decreases bleeding noticeably. I don't bleed heavily at all but I had very minimal bleeding while taking the motherwort and it picked up to normal levels when I stopped it. Motherwort alsoworked well for a friend of mine after her 5th baby.

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