When it comes to postpartum, I feel like there are so many things that no one talks about. Things that you don’t really learn about until you are going through it yourself.
I am the oldest of nine children, and you would think that I would have a better idea of what postpartum is like but NOPE, I was in for a surprise on a lot of things!
My mom made it look so easy, so I had no idea of how difficult some things can be in the fourth trimester. Now, I don’t want to scare you if you are about to have a baby because while it is challenging, it is also such a beautiful time too.
Being mentally prepared my second time helped me tremendously in the fourth trimester! That is why I am sharing 10 unexpected things that happen during the postpartum time (10 things that I was personally unaware of).
**DISCLAIMER: I am a health care professional, only sharing my own experience.
1. Intermittent Postpartum Bleeding
We all know that there is bleeding after giving birth. This can last anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks. However, what I did not realize was that you can stop bleeding for a couple of days and then start again, and it can vary in intensity. This is called intermittent postpartum bleeding which happens when the uterus doesn’t heal all at the same time. Some parts of the uterus can take a little bit longer to heal.
Bleeding can also increase with increased physical movement.
This is your cue to take it easy and rest. While this is normal, make sure that you are watching out for any signs of hemorrhage, which they tell you about when you leave the hospital.
2. Fundal Massages
Unfortunately, the pain does not end when you deliver your baby. After the baby, comes the placenta, and THEN the nurse will begin doing fundal massages. These “massages” are actually very important and are meant to help your uterus contract so that the bleeding slows down. They are pretty painful though, I have to admit.
The nice thing is that this happens when you are holding and bonding with your baby so you’re not fully concentrated on the pain.
3. Cramping
Although not as strong as labor contractions, afterbirth pains or cramps can be intense! They also help to shrink down your uterus which in turn, slows down the bleeding.
You will notice that these cramps happen during breastfeeding and pumping. This is because nursing causes the brain to release oxytocin which also stimulates the cramps.
Taking Ibuprofen or Tylenol can help with this.
4. Hot Flashes & Sweating
A couple of days after giving birth, I began sweating A LOT! I would experience hot flashes that would happen mostly during the night and would wake up soaked needing to change my pajamas.
This is due to the fluctuating hormones that happen after giving birth.
5. Extreme Thirst
I am someone who normally struggles to drink enough water during the day. But after giving birth, I could not drink enough water! I was constantly filling up my 32 oz water bottle. I guess this is your brain’s signal to your body to drink more water so that you could produce milk because as soon as I would start breastfeeding or pumping, the thirst would kick in right away!
6. Increased Hunger
Along with the thirst came a huge appetite (especially for carbs).
It seemed as though I was hungry ALL THE TIME. At night when I would wake up to feed my newborn, I would be starving and would go into the kitchen for a snack.
A helpful tip with this one is to stock up on healthy snacks to have at your bedside so that when you do get hungry you have something to munch on.
7. Breast Milk Takes 3-5 Days to Come In
Unless you have taken a breastfeeding course, you may not know that you don’t actually get any milk in until 3-5 days after giving birth.
In the first few days, you produce something called colostrum which is yellow in color and thicker than regular breast milk (referred to as “liquid gold”). Although you only produce a tiny bit of it, it is exactly what your newborn needs since their stomach is as small as a toy marble.
8. Cluster Feeding
Newborns typically eat every 2-3 hours. However, something I had no idea about was cluster feeding. This is when newborns want to eat more frequently and sometimes (like in my case) they just want to breastfeed all night long. This is very normal as it helps stimulates the production of breast milk.
Night one after being born, a newborn will typically be very sleepy and difficult to wake for a feeding. Come night 2 or 3 though, they usually want to cluster feed. With my first, I did not know this, and so I thought my baby was in pain or not getting enough to fill his stomach. I was then told by the nurse that this is common and that he just wants to cluster feed. He ended up wanting to breastfeed for almost 5 hours.
9. Body Odor
Not only may you feel sticky from all the sweating but you may also find that you don’t smell so pleasant after giving birth. This is actually very normal as your body is trying to shed everything that was in the uterus for the last nine months.
Changes in hormones contribute to this as well. Your senses may also be heightened after giving birth, so you may be extra sensitive to the change in your body odor.
10. Hair Loss
Losing my hair was probably the most frustrating postpartum “symptom”. Not only was it annoying having my hair literally EVERYWHERE, but I actually thought I would develop bald spots!
I knew that postpartum hair loss is a thing, but I did not expect it to happen so soon after giving birth. I mean I started shedding hair two days after giving birth! And it was not gradual, it was like I woke up and started seeing my hair everywhere.
Again, I hope that this post does not scare you because you may not experience some of these things (each postpartum journey is different). However, I do hope that it can help prepare you and reassure you in case you do experience these things that it is normal and very temporary!
