Postpartum recovery: What to expect?

I am seeking some advice...
I am 29 years old and gave birth to my first child four weeks ago. It was a medically supervised pregnancy with no issues, and the baby weighed about 9 pounds. I had to use forceps during delivery because I just didn't have the strength to push. The incision from the episiotomy is quite large, and I was stuck in bed for 20 days, though I am feeling better now.
The issue is that whenever I walk or stand for too long, I feel this uncomfortable pressure down low, almost like something is pulling. It gets so uncomfortable that I have to head home immediately. The sensation goes away once I lie down or rest.
What could this be? I've been reading online about pelvic organ prolapse, and I am worried that might be what is happening.
Also, for the last two days, I've been having trouble with bowel movements. I haven't had any issues until now, aside from the usual difficulty right after delivery when things finally moved three or four days later.
Please let me know if this is serious. If it is indeed a prolapse, how is it diagnosed—can it be seen during a standard OBGYN exam—and what are the treatment options?
This was my first pregnancy and my first time giving birth.
Thank you very much...

rowdyskipper17, I actually mentioned this back on the Popcorn thread, but it’s totally plausible that those internal stitches are pulling on you, especially since that tension usually hits hardest when you’re just standing around or sitting down. It’s likely just your tissue settling back into place, which can feel pretty tight. Are you actually dealing with any real pain right now?

Have you checked your temperature yet?
I remember feeling that kind of tightness myself for a while, though I honestly can't recall how long it lasted. If the pressure starts ramping up, just give your OB-GYN a call. Otherwise, if it begins to ease off, you’ve got your appointment coming up in two weeks anyway.

I don't have a fever. It isn't really about tension, but more like there's a heavy weight pulling everything downward, especially when I walk or stand...

🤷 I’d say it’s probably just the stitches, especially since you’ve got such a massive incision, though honestly, there’s a chance it could be some lingering effects from the vacuum. Your best bet is to just give your OBGYN a call tomorrow and walk them through everything over the phone.

I know, but I did some searching on Google and found all sorts of things... ugh...

You should probably head straight to the OB-GYN or just hit up the ER right now so they can actually run some tests and figure out what's going on...😘

My delivery went pretty smoothly even though the baby was a bit on the heavier side (about 8.8 lbs). I was able to sit normally after just five days—but then, a month later, internal hemorrhoids hit me out of nowhere. Dealing with bowel movements became an absolute nightmare... the pain was honestly unbearable 😲.....and it dragged on for four or five months because I couldn't touch any medication while breastfeeding. You might be dealing with the same thing if you're struggling right now....

Since you had such a rough delivery, it’s only been about four weeks now—barely a month.
I know exactly what you mean regarding that sensation—that heavy, dragging feeling in your uterus—and I dealt with that for nearly two months postpartum. It wasn't even a pulling sensation, just a literal sense of weight.
And don't even get me started on walking... if I tried to go for anything longer than 15 minutes, I could have dreamed about it.
When I went in for my six-week checkup, I asked my doctor what was going on, and she explained that this is actually pretty common after a difficult labor; the body simply needs a bit more time to bounce back.
You should probably be heading in for a follow-up appointment around now, right?
Just book the appointment—it'll give you some peace of mind.

My delivery wasn't exactly difficult, but my little girl was in such a rush to get here that I ended up with quite a few tears. Honestly, I made the mistake of ignoring all the advice from the older women; I thought I could just rest while sitting up. Huge mistake. Even though this was my first baby, if I ever do this again, I’ll definitely listen to them and stay lying down, because even three months later, I wasn't feeling my best. I felt this heavy sensation, too, which made me want to avoid going anywhere. It almost felt like my uterus hadn't shifted back yet, but my OB-GYN reassured me during my checkup—though she did tell me I needed more bed rest since things were taking a bit longer to settle back into place. I could feel those internal stitches for ages, which made intimacy pretty uncomfortable. To make matters worse, I had this pain on my left side that messed up my walking and sitting. Between the general pelvic pain and everything else, I couldn't tell if it was the stitches or hemorrhoids, but as things settled, the pain stayed concentrated in my left buttock and hip. That's when we realized it was actually a pinched nerve from the labor, which we eventually got sorted out. I read a ton about childbirth and postpartum recovery, and I can say with certainty that nobody ever mentions how much your backside hurts after a vaginal birth. And yes, even from the pushing. So, I always tell my friends not to freak out if they feel what I felt. Just call your doctor and take it easy—twenty days of rest is nothing for a new mom. 😉

My first pregnancy was basically your story in a nutshell—my little one was a whopping 8 pounds 8 ounces at birth, and I ended up needing tons of internal and external stitches. Honestly, for the first month, I barely even left my bed unless it was for a quick bathroom break or a shower... I was stuck on antibiotics and iron supplements too...
I felt that same intense pressure, too...
It didn't really let up until about three months in (that was actually when we finally ventured out of the house for the first time!), and during those first three months, my entire life was just nursing and the occasional diaper change... I pretty much handed everything else over to my husband and my parents...
So yeah... it was just constant resting and more resting...
As for the bathroom struggles... maybe you're just feeling anxious and unconsciously tensing up? If I were you, I’d try to load up on high-fiber foods and drink a ton of water... it really helps things move along more smoothly...

Regarding the pain, I honestly couldn't even hold my baby for the first month without feeling this intense pressure down there—like everything was just going to slip out. It was such an awful, uncomfortable sensation...
Plus, those first walks? I could barely manage 15 minutes on the sidewalk before calling it quits. That was it. 😢

As for the bathroom situation—I was actually terrified of it. I ended up buying some Dulcolax, and my husband told me it was fine to take, but I never even touched them. It eventually just sorted itself out on its own...

It’s all still so fresh for you. The incision is huge and that delivery was brutal... but trust me, it gets better. 🙂

I honestly don't know what to tell you—it’s probably just the stitches. But like, if you ask any OBGYN, they'll tell you everything is still super raw since you literally just gave birth....
Give your doctor a call and just ask...
I went through it all myself. I had a cervical tear, plus my perineum tore, and both my labia—it was a total mess, honestly. But hey, I thought I was recovering bit by bit, until ten days later I ended up right back at Mayo Clinic because there were still some placental fragments left inside me... My six-week postpartum checkup? Total bust. The doctor couldn't even do an internal exam because he said there were too many stitches and he couldn't get "in" yet...
Then, five months after delivery, I went back for another checkup. He was telling me how great everything looked on the outside, but the second he tried to do an internal exam, I just started screaming. Basically, five months out, I still hadn't healed properly😲😲
I'm not telling you this to vent or freak you out—I'm saying it so you'll be annoying and call your doctor... Because for me, this whole thing has escalated. My husband is actually scared of intimacy now, so I'm basically living like a nun again☕

rowdyskipper17 said:I’m looking for some advice here.
I’m 29 years old, and about four weeks ago, I gave birth to my first child. It was a medically supervised pregnancy—everything seemed perfectly fine—and the baby weighed about 9 pounds. I ended up needing a vacuum extraction because I just didn't have the strength left to push through that final stage. The incision from the episiotomy was pretty significant, and I was practically bedridden for twenty days, though things are finally starting to stabilize now.
The issue is that whenever I walk around or stand for any extended period, I get this uncomfortable sensation of pressure downstairs, almost like something is pulling or dragging. It gets so unsettling that I feel forced to head home immediately. The feeling only subsides when I lie down or find a way to rest.
What could this be? I’ve been reading stuff online about pelvic organ prolapse—essentially the uterus dropping—and I’m terrified that might be what’s happening.
Also, for the last two days, I've been having issues with bowel movements. I can't tell if it's related, but I haven't had any trouble until right after the delivery, where everything finally moved for the first time about three or four days later.
Could someone please tell me if this is serious? If it actually is prolapse, how is that diagnosed—can a doctor see it during a standard exam—and what kind of treatment is involved?
This was my first pregnancy and my first time giving birth.
Thanks so much.

I went through this myself about three and a half months ago, and even now, I still get that tightening sensation, like I'm about to go into labor again. There are moments when I feel this intense urge to strain, or this feeling like my pelvis is expanding as if I'm prepping for another delivery... especially when my period shows up.
It’s a well-documented reality that it takes anywhere from six months to a full year for the uterus and the pelvic bones to settle back into their original positions.
Regarding the bowel issues, after I gave birth, I was struggling with going only once a week. Things didn't normalize until about a month ago. Just as a heads-up, my stools were extremely dark during that time... and honestly, the "best" part was when the dark stools stopped, only for me to deal with internal hemorrhoids that caused bleeding.
Your body has just endured an incredible amount of physical stress, and it needs time to regain its baseline functionality. Don't forget that you spent nine months in a completely different physiological state; it’s simply impossible to snap back to your pre-pregnancy self within just two months. It takes time.
If you're feeling anxious about it, though, just head straight to your OB-GYN.😍

And what about ovarian pain?

It’s been three months since I gave birth, and honestly? I still get this sensation whenever I squat—like something inside is just about to slip out. It feels like there's some kind of weight sitting in there, sliding downward when I move, and the only thing that helps is grabbing onto the edge of the sink to steady myself. This was my first baby—a quick three-hour delivery—and I didn't need any stitches or tearing, though I did have one small tear that the doctor wasn't even sure was worth fixing. It ended up healing on its own after five days. But that heavy, "falling out" feeling? It happens when I pee, too—right at the end when those last few drops come out. And sex? Good grief. It’s indescribable. We’ve tried three times so far, and every single time, the pain is just brutal.

I mean, seriously, why don't you just go see an OB-GYN and get checked out? Especially if you can get an ultrasound done.
You really ought to be heading in for those routine postpartum checkups every six months anyway—assuming everything is actually going smoothly with you.
Just call your doctor and get an appointment on the books already, if you haven't done that yet.

Six months?

In my discharge papers, they actually told me to come back for a follow-up after about four to six weeks. 🤷

Hey moms, hope everyone’s doing good. I gave birth about three and a half weeks ago to a pretty big baby—over 9 pounds. It was a rough one, too. Had an epidural, some tearing, had to have some manual cleaning done because the placenta didn't come out all at once, and dealt with some postpartum bleeding issues... basically just total chaos. I was bleeding for about two weeks, but now it's just some occasional yellowish discharge. Honestly, I'm feeling pretty low. Whenever I stand up or try to sit down, it feels like everything is just hanging out there 🥱 like 🤣 and when I'm standing, there's this weird pressure in my butt or pelvic area, I can't even tell which. It's really getting to me. Is this normal after a rough delivery? How did you guys feel?

Maybe you should just start a new thread asking about pregnancy, labor, and all that stuff...
There might already be a similar topic floating around somewhere, I guess. 😊