Mothers experience unexpected pain after childbirth

“I’m exactly 9 weeks postpartum today, and I still have some slight swelling above my ankles. It also feels heavy and worse with pressure like walking or holding baby, etc. Everywhere I’ve read, these fluid shifts should resolve 1-4 weeks.I showed my OB at my 6 weeks postpartum appointment, and she said there were no major red flags. I’ve been monitoring my HR and BP daily (a little PPA), and both are consistent on the low/healthy end. I had bloodwork at about a week postpartum, and it was all no”

“I hadn’t had a period in a long time prior to becoming pregnant. Birth control had stopped mine. But prior to that it was always a whatever thing for me. They were never bad. I’m almost 6 months pp and this will be my third period. The pain is truly horrendous. Cramping feels like I’m literally in labor again. Has anyone else experienced this? Does it get any better? (Please say yes) and anything anyone did to help? submitted by /u/No_Log3326 [link] [comments]”

“Hi everyone! I told myself after I have this baby I would get off of Reddit and try to keep things positive, but I am at a loss for what to do with my arm pain, and it doesn’t seem to be common after giving birth so I’m wondering if anyone has any similar experience. I am 4 days postpartum and had a somewhat traumatic birth story I can’t fully talk about yet. But I was in labor for an extremely long time and had to push for 3 hours. I had the epidural but pushing was genuinely the worst pain I’v”

“I had a pregnancy and birth with zero complications. I didn’t even tear. The only “problem” during the labor was that I pushed for almost four hours (which maybe is contributing to my current pain?) Ever since I gave birth, my stomach is regularly in pain. I feared retained placenta but was assured by my doctor at 7 weeks pp that it wasn’t the case. I’m going back to the doctor this week but looking to hear if anyone has experienced this also. The pains feels like period cramps with frequent, ge”

“I’m really worried I have or I’m going to get a pulmonary embolism. I’m 4 days postpartum and yesterday I started getting a pressure type feeling (not pain) in my upper back between my shoulder blades, it goes under my ribs and sometimes my left shoulder. I went and got checked out at A&E and they did bloods and an X-ray and they weren’t concerned and said my symptoms dont present like a PE would but then I’ve had many people, even midwives say that it doesn’t always present the same way 😩”

“I am a FTM and just recently gave birth to a baby boy vaginally 3 days ago. I ended up getting 2nd degree tears. The pain is so bad and I’m usually someone who has a high pain tolerance. I’m on round the clock Tylenol, Motrin, and stool softeners. I’m making sure to utilize dermaplast, witch hazel pads, and ice for some relief, but the pain is still so unbearable for me. Just wondering if you’ve experienced a tear and how long did it take for pain to go away or at least become tolerable for you?”

“I’ve never had super painful periods before this… I’m feeling like I’m getting manually swept again. It hurts so bad I’m damn near laying on the floor just locked in pain. Is this shit normal or what cause wtf! submitted by /u/Ok-Ranger-8198 [link] [comments]”

“Has anyone had a DVT postpartum? I’ve got an ache in the back of my left lower leg, I can feel it more when I flex my foot upwards. I’m still currently in hospital (gave birth yesterday), so I am going to mention it to a midwife when they come in but I also suffer with a lot of anxiety and I’m terrified about this being a DVT and what that means for submitted by /u/Rose1993__ [link] [comments]”

“Going to ask about this at my two week checkup, but this is my third birth, and I’m noticing some pelvic soreness that hard to describe and I can’t remember feeling it with my previous births. There’s heaviness too, but it doesn’t feel like prolapse. I feel the soreness in the same areas I was feeling contractions…so maybe it’s “after pains” like you get while breastfeeding? If that’s it, I guess that would make sense, because they get worse with each pregnancy. submitted by /u/Lanky”

“It’s been 6 months and I can’t stop thinking what an awful time I’ve had giving birth, like there’s no way people go through this much pain and decide to have another one. I’m 29yo, have bicornuate uterus but otherwise no medical history, perfect no issues pregnancy and we were looking forward to the most boring physiological birth. Long story short, I had a membrane sweep on Monday that led to regular painful contractions at night, they spaced out in the morning when we arrived to the hospital”

“Help! I’ve had waves of back pain all day. It’s about 15 minutes apart and it lasts about a minute. Just doesn’t feel like a contraction all the way across my belly.. is this beginning labor? I don’t want to bother the OB on call especially since it’s after hours. submitted by /u/Katrinav98 [link] [comments]”

“Does anybody else have bad pelvic floor pain along with regular normal period cramps after giving birth? I had my baby 2 years ago and am still dealing with bad pain for the first day or two of my period. Never mentioned it to a doctor so I have no idea if this is normal! submitted by /u/oustoublier [link] [comments]”

“I’m 5 days pp! My bleeding has been normal but for the first time today I passed a clot that wasn’t the size of a golf ball but maybe just a little smaller. No other symptoms, no pad soaking besides period blood amounts. I’m thinking maybe it’s ok it’s a little bigger but only bc this is the first one I’ve passed! Waiting on a response from my OB. Wondering if anyone experienced anything similar? TIA! submitted by /u/delicious922 [link] [comments]”

“When did you ladies start feeling better physically and mentally postpartum? I had my 6 week postpartum check up yesterday, and my doctor cleared me for all things yet still having pain in my legs and today holding (my big) baby too much and felt sharp pulls in my uterus. The physical recovery then affects me mentally by feeling down that I’m not 100% or even 80% recovered… submitted by /u/SoCal_Mama94 [link] [comments]”

“I’m 7 months pp and since I was 7 months pregnant I had right sided soreness ranging from ribs down to pelvic over to flank, right hip, and lower back. I find myself mainly holding my 21 pound chunk on the left. The ache moves a lot and I do feel it mostly with movement. It’s not painful per se just sore. I can’t seem to find anyone else talk about this at this many months postpartum. I know my core is weak, I gained 48 pounds in pregnancy and still have 25 to lose to get back to pre pregnancy w”

“I’m 10.5 weeks postpartum and I still feel like I’m randomly being electrocuted down there. The pain is not persistent anymore, but when it happens, it’s like white hot lightning for 0.5 seconds. I also have a general aching that comes in waves. My dr said everything is healing normally and even cleared me for sec at 6 weeks but I just cannot imagine while I’m still dealing with this pain. When does it end? I feel like I’m kind of losing it. submitted by /u/lil_gingerale [link]”

“I’m 10.5 weeks postpartum and I still feel like I’m randomly being electrocuted down there. The pain is not persistent anymore, but when it happens, it’s like white hot lightning for 0.5 seconds. I also have a general aching that comes in waves. My dr said everything is healing normally and even cleared me for sec at 6 weeks but I just cannot imagine while I’m still dealing with this pain. When does it end? I feel like I’m kind of losing it. submitted by /u/lil_gingerale [link]”

“During the end of my pregnancy I had really bad lower back pain & terrible back labor (Having an 11lb baby get stuck will do that) but I have had almost constant low back pain since then. I had a 2 finger diastasis gap that took a while to close, but it finally has and I thought the pain would ease with that, but it hasn't. It feels like my back is constantly arching backwards? So there's this painful ache anytime I lean forward. I had a compression band from early postpartum that I”

“Has anyone suffered a back injury after giving birth? Since the day after giving birth I had the most excruciating back pain and it has never gone away. It’s beyond what you normal post partum back pain would be. I’m a year post partum with no improvement and I’m honestly not just physically struggling at this point Its taking a mental toll. I’ve tried pt, working out, Pilates, injections, ect. The. Only thing my MRI showed was grade 1 spondylolthesis and the dr I saw said that I probably had it”

“hi all, is any one else currently taking or has experienced taking warfarin postpartum to reduce blood clotting risks or deal with a clot? I have been on it for two weeks and at first I had daily, then every two day, blood tests to ensure I was in the right range of medication. I now have a week’s supply to take before the next blood test to see if the dose is correct. Sleep deprivation from my newborn is probably not helping but I keep worrying that every headache or muscle twinge or just any k”

“I NEED to find relief for my wrist. I have had intense pain along my thumb and at the base of my wrist since I was about 20 weeks pregnant and now I’m 5 months pp. I haven’t been able to sleep because of it. My baby is a good sleeper and I still can’t sleep because of my damn wrist. Please someone tell me they’ve had success with relieving mommy wrist pain!!! And please share how!!! submitted by /u/Quick-Zombie-6343 [link] [comments]”

“4 weeks post c section and last night my pain seems to have returned. Don’t know whether I’ve overdone it with housework etc or whether it’s because my nerves have feeling back in them (or both). Has anyone else experienced this? Also the tugging feeling 🤢 submitted by /u/graceelizad [link] [comments]”

“I had my baby on the 11th. I had severe pelvic pain during my pregnancy. Now I’m postpartum and still experiencing what feels like bruising and soreness where my pubic bone is and my tailbone. I don’t remember feeling this way after my first baby. I did have a lot of extra fluid and swelling during my pregnancy so overall I’ve had lots of soreness throughout my body after delivering but I wasn’t expecting to continue to have pubic pain. Anyone else experience this? What helped? submitted b”

“Hi everyone, I’m about 4 weeks postpartum and exclusively breastfeeding. I’ve already been dealing with issues in both shoulders for the past few weeks, and more recently with my wrists and fingers as well. Since yesterday, though, things have suddenly gotten much worse and many more parts of my body are affected. Over the past few days, and especially yesterday, I’ve been breastfeeding extremely frequently because of cluster feeding, both during the day and in the evening. As a result, I feel l”

“I’m 8 months postpartum and my legs have started to ache so bad. The bottom of my legs between knee and ankle feels like I’m having growing pains, my bones ache. I was thinking maybe dehydration, poor circulation, weight gain (still 40lbs from pre birth weight 😭), lack of nutrients from breastfeeding. I don’t know it’s awful and started within the last few weeks. Has anyone had something similar? submitted by /u/Due_Response_8309 [link] [comments]”

“I am currently at 32 weeks. struggling with severe pelvic pain and hip pain. I was wondering if I get immediate relief from these. I can’t sleep at night and it’s been so tough. what else are almost instantly cured after giving birth? submitted by /u/Citruslor [link] [comments]”

“Those who had SPD/Pelvic girdle pain and or a precipitous birth, did you go on to have another child? I just had my 3rd baby in June and had horrible SPD/Pelvic girdle pain. I could not lift my toddler or a laundry basket, it hurt to put on my clothes, to walk or lay down etc. I was chronically in pain from 15 weeks to the end of my pregnancy. To top it off I also had nausea and acid reflux the entire pregnancy. It took a huge toll on my mental health. I was a complete shell of myself and I felt”

“Hello moms! My SI joint pain started in the last weeks of pregnancy, and still with me 1 week after giving birth. I had a big baby of 4 kg that ended up being delivered by C section. My pain is still with me. I thought it will automatically go away after removing the direct pressure, but it does not seem to be the case. Anyone in my situation? It really hurts on walking, when changing weight from one foot to the other. Thank you🙏 submitted by /u/Mental-Horse-820 [link] [commen”

“I was in so much pain that I felt like I was burning on the inside, I’m not sure if that’s a typical experience. I just remember the contractions being soo intense, I wasn’t expecting to feel like I was burning lol I had pitocin contractions too if that makes a difference. I’m 3 months postpartum and I can still remember exactly what it felt like. People tell you that you’ll forget but I remember. submitted by /u/TropicallyGrownEMT [link] [comments]”

“Is anybody experiencing pain in calves? It feels like precramping pain. Sometimes it’s just one leg at a time, sometimes it’s both. It would stay for a few days and go away then come back. I’m 3 months postpartum and I have benign fasciculation syndrome. submitted by /u/aloy_lantern [link] [comments]”

“Are most women just living with some kind of chronic pain or complications after childbirth and no one speaks about it? submitted by /u/Neither_trousers [link] [comments]”

“Im a little concerned, as the title says, I still feel pain occasionally. It's not constant it's more like certain positions, or moments. For example I was patting myself dry, and patted a little too firmly and I felt pain. I don't know how to describe the sensation, it's not burning or stabbing, but I was surprised. I hadn't expected pain at this point seeing as in half a way is supposed to be my clearance. Later I use the bathroom again I was gentle and was fine, but I drop”

“I'm almost a month postpartum and today started to feel tenderness on the lower left side of belly near belly button. At first it was just tender but now it's hurting when I walk and I'm wondering whether I should call for appt or wait until my scheduled one on Monday. Could it be hernia? My belly button has returned to being an innie but the location checks out. Any insight appreciated. Thanks!! submitted by /u/artsyparky [link] [comments]”

“I’m 4 months post partum and I’ve started getting cramping recently, it started about 1-2 weeks ago and has ben very sporadic, I seem to have had a bit more today though just on the one side. Did anyone else cramp every now and then weeks before getting their period back while breastfeeding? I’m talking like probably 4 times since it started so not much I hope it is my period because I had a c section and I’m kind of worried about the cramping being scar bands submitted by /u/Accompl”

“First time mom here, delivered yesterday (yay!) after 31 hours of excruciating labor (nay!) What made this excruciating was the contractions. The best way I can describe the pain is skeletal rather than muscular, specifically on my pelvic bone then later the tail bone. I never felt my belly tightening the way others describe it. It didn’t feel like menstrual pain at all (and I get gnarly cramps). Come to learn my baby was sunny side up (head down, posterior facing). I was trying to do a home bir”

“Has anyone else had like full body soreness after giving birth? I’m 2 days pp and my whole like neck and shoulders and arms are sore. submitted by /u/cutieconsultant [link] [comments]”

“Not necessarily more or less painful, just very different. I can feel them in my vaginal canal as well now and it kind of feels like everything in there is attached to a string and the string is being pulled. Does anyone know what I'm talking about? Or is this not period cramps? I haven't actually started bleeding yet and I suppose it could be something else, but I'm due for my period and I'm just assuming having a baby and horomone fluctuations changed this all around. sub”

“I just gave birth 48 hours ago, since I’ve been home the stinging I get from peeing is crucial. I didn’t tear during birth. It only stings in the surrounding areas and it stops after I am done but it makes me not want to go to the bathroom anymore because it hurts so bad. Do I go get checked? submitted by /u/chaostocalmm [link] [comments]”

“Since giving birth 6 months ago, all I notice when I see labor and delivery content on my socials is just how mobile everyone seems to be. Moms are making videos in the hospital HOURS after giving birth and walking around, sitting cross-legged on the bed, getting themselves dressed. I know that social media isn’t super realistic, but I couldn’t have even began to fake being comfortable. I couldn’t even shuffle around in my hospital bed without wincing in pain. I needed help getting out of bed, s”

“I have 2 kids and before both of them, I had no period symptoms ever. I had my daughter and after that I would get sore boobs / mild cramping right before my period. I had my son 8 months ago and since then, right before my period I’ve been getting the worst cramps in my hips and uterus, and my boobs hurt so bad. Anyone else experience their period symptoms getting worse after childbirth?? submitted by /u/ConsiderationMain618 [link] [comments]”

“I’m about 7 weeks postpartum and continuously feel like there’s hot liquid running down my legs. i am guessing it‘s something with my circulation because my legs are dry, but I can’t find anyone posting about something similar except this post - https://community.babycenter.com/post/a65871559/wet-sensation-on-legs....?page=2 . I did not have an epidural, so that post did not provide any answers :( has anyone had a similar experience or know what might be causing it? thank you submitted by”

“My upper back is agony since having a baby it sounds so ridiculous as I feel like I should be able to cope carrying my own baby but I’m 8 months PP and my shoulder and across my back just ache constantly. I feel like a crap mum as I cannot bend over and pick up my baby as much as I want. Is there any tips or advice on how to help this, I did physio once a fortnight and try and walk regularly. Thank in advance submitted by /u/Equivalent_Common287 [link] [comments]”

“Just wanted to share my experience in case it’ll help anyone. When my LO was born and for the weeks following I was achy in every joint in my body literally down to my toes. Tried heat, lots of ibuprofen, baths. And all would only help momentarily if at all. It was literally driving me crazy. Long story short: vitamin D supplements have helped tremendously. I am personally taking 10000 IU a day because I was definitely deficient before pregnancy, but bonus is that studies have shown mothers supp”

“I gave birth a week ago and it was fairly uneventful for my body, I felt tender but mostly fine after. I didn’t end up using ice packs or anything because I felt actually less comfortable with the cold. My newborn unfortunately had to go to the special care nursery for a week and while there I spent a lot of time going back and forth from home to the hospital, and sitting in this awful extra firm recliner to hold her and nurse her while she was hooked up to wires. About day 5 my bottom started f”

“I’m 5 weeks post C section. When will my joints stop hurting so much? I heard the breastfeeding keeps relaxin high. I wasn’t planning to stop breastfeeding at 1 year but this sucks. I feel awful all the time and I am in a lot of pain. Pretty much every big joint aches. submitted by /u/MyBodyMyChoice2024 [link] [comments]”

“I’m 13 months pp and now 19 weeks pregnant, and I have sharp-ish, burning streaks of pain all over my body (arms, legs, hands, chest, sides) that only last a couple seconds and come and go and this started shortly after giving birth to my first. I also have a higher D Dimer and wondered if it was pain from clotting, but I’ve gotten a CT scan to check my chest for blood clots/other issues and it came back clear, and an ultrasound on my leg and it was clear, so I am hoping this isn’t the case. My”