Postpartum recovery for petite moms!

[D219]

Hello ladies! This may seem silly, but this is my first pregnancy, and the thing I'm most anxious/stressed about is the recovery! I'm wondering if any petite moms could speak to whether being small affects how long you bleed or how long recovery seems to be after birth? Or if it has no effect at all? I'm 5'1 and was only 90lbs pre pregnancy. I have always been so uncomfortable with periods and refused to use pads due to extreme discomfort....I'm afraid I'm going to lock myself away with my baby and hide from the world til the recovery is over. Hoping there's some chance being small will help my body snap back faster.

 

[MindUtopia]

I am not petite by any means (I'm 5'9, so actually quite tall), but I don't think being bigger or smaller makes any difference at all in how quickly you bounce back. I would say plan to be pretty much taking it easy for about a month, not so much because of discomfort, but giving birth and mothering a new baby is exhausting and hard work on your body, no matter its size. The best thing you can do now is just to make sure you're healthy, eating well, staying active assuming there's no reason you shouldn't be (like you're on bed rest) because that will help tremendously. You may also consider having a stash of iron tablets already in case you need them. I think something like 40% of new mums become anaemic after birth and I did and it was really rough. I was exhausted and dizzy and could barely stand up for the first few days. Taking the iron made a huge difference and I started to feel better quickly. It's not pleasant on your gut, but it's better than passing out! You may not need it, but if you do, it's cheap and at least you have it without needing to send someone out to the store.

Generally, our bodies don't make babies we can't birth naturally, sizewise. So you should be no more likely to tear or have an pelvic issues just because you're smaller. But it's always good to prepare beforehand. I got a nice soothing after birth spray for 'down there' made with natural ingredients, which helped (from Earth Mama Angel Baby). Lots of ladies also make pads with aloe and witch hazel and freeze them, which I haven't tried, but sounds nice. I also took lots of soothing soaking baths with lavender oil for the first week or two, probably twice a day, which my midwives recommended. I seriously don't like baths and could not at first even imagine getting in and out of a bath (had a small 2nd degree tear, which wasn't really a big deal, but it was pretty sore to start). But actually the baths were amazing and they really helped with healing but also just gave me a 20 minute break alone (and when you have a new baby, a 20 minute break is such a luxury!).

As for pads, you will honestly not care. It's gross and it's a lot of blood at first. I found it was pretty heavy for about the first week and then tapered off after that to a lighter flow and then went away altogether after a month. That sounds like a long time, but honestly, you just get on with it. I never, ever used pads before either, but they were great then. You will not want to even think about sticking a tampon up there, so you'll love the pads. I actually find now I even prefer pads. I'm 3+ years pp now and I only use a moon cup for my 2 heavy period days and use cloth pads the rest because I love them so much more. You'll be fine. If you have to lock yourself inside for a month though, then great. You should be resting and taking it easy and getting some sleep when you can, so that isn't a bad thing. You'll get back to normal life when you're feeling up to it, so there's no rush.

 

[jessmke]

I found the postpartum bleeding to be nothing like having a period pain-wise. I didn't have any period cramping or discomfort at all from the bleeding itself. I had a very complicated 2nd degree tear (took them over an hour to stitch me up) and even that wasn't too uncomfortable so long as I took my ibuprofen. Pooping on the other hand was terrifying and I needed stool softeners for about 6 weeks.

Less than two weeks after giving birth I was stomping through thigh deep snow with baby in a carrier to go cut down a Christmas tree. Being petite won't make a difference in how quickly you recover, but staying active during your pregnancy will so try to exercise often.

 

[Rhiannon137]

Previous posters have made some good points. After the first heavy days of bleeding, I'd suggest looking for some pads marketed to teens or "juniors". I also never use pads, and found that all of the regular ones completely took over my underpants.

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

I am 5ft 1 and a small frame. No issues. I bked heavy for 3 days but then itvwas just light period. I just wore maternity pads then cloth pads. I was out doing school run 2 days later.