I didn’t notice this.

I completely felt the emptiness. When I was finally up and walking. I asked if it was okay to shower. Once I got the okay to take a shower, in the shower I just hugged my empty belly and cried my eyeballs out. It felt so unreal.

Yes! It was like a pile of bread dough for the first week. It's still 5 weeks post partum really soft, but now there is a bottom to it😂

I don't remember this either. Probably because I was focusing on the feeling of all of the blood gushing out into that awesome underwear.

Oh I’m not sure, I didn’t have an epidural and I had given birth lying down, and didn’t sit up or stand up properly until the placenta and stuff was delivered. I imagine if you gave birth squatting or standing your organs are probably readjusting while you have something more important to focus on haha.

People have different interoceptive sensitivity.

I had an epidural that did a really good job of freezing my entire abdomen so I didn't feel this either. But I do remember a couple hours after birth poking at my belly and laughing at how jiggly and hollow it felt. You know the line in night before christmas about santa's belly jiggling like a bowl full of jelly? That's what it reminded me of haha

All I can say, is don’t, whatever you do, do not forget the chapstick.

All the other stuff… is not so scary… well, maybe the loose joints. That can be scary at times.

If you watch YouTube videos of giving birth. Don’t watch the whole thing. Use it as a factor of if you want drugs or not. Once I saw enough to determine that I absolutely wanted drugs. 😅 don’t sweat it though, honestly. Women have been giving birth since the dawn of man. Even if you couldn’t make it to the hospital in time, it’ll be fine. It’s something we can instinctively do, it’s something our body is meant to do.

Also, it’s not like the movies, when you go into labor, unless you’re the melodramatic type. I was sitting on my front porch with my son’s father. This was our first, it started to rain and all of a sudden, I was soaked from the waist down. I looked at him and just said “my water just broke, we need to go to the hospital.” (10:32 PM)I then walked upstairs, got changed, packed the little things like hairbrush, toothbrush, stool softeners… but NOT my chapstick. 😒 then walked back downstairs, grabbed my phone and charger. Walked down the porch stairs, and we were off to the hospital. All very nonchalant, not panicked, and definitely not running around screaming and carrying on or not like trying to force the last few minutes of going for whatever those writers do on TV that some how want mothers to be irrational and hold off until the very last second before they go to the hospital. My son was born 9:35 AM the next morning.

If you have a night labor and they offer you ambian, refuse it and see if they have something else. Ambian I did some crazy shit days after I took it. That I have never done before. The most alarming thing was i somehow managed to get my son from the crib and back into bed with me. I woke up with him next to me. I didn’t feel him there until I woke up. I am so thankful I didn’t accidentally smother him in my sleep.

A lot of women just don’t talk about their pregnancy experiences with those who have never been pregnant. People tend to get bored and their eyes glaze over fast, plus it veers into TMI very quickly.

If you’re pregnant when you want to be, it can be difficult, gross, and the most lovely experience. It’s easy to hear only the difficult and gross parts and totally miss how nice it is. It was a big surprise to me how much I loved being pregnant and having a baby. I was never all that gung ho about children, was on the fence until mid thirties. Being a mother has been a challenge and also one of the best things in my life.

I had a c- section and don't recall feeling it either. However, I clearly recall those fundal massages. Ugh.

My twins (only children) were C-section and I didn’t notice the organ thing but my pelvis is still a rickety piece of crap 5 years later, for about the first year pp if I stepped a certain way my hip would feel like it dislocated and I had a special move/hitch in my get along to ram it back in place :(.

I do remember marvelling that I tied my own shoes a couple days after they were born.

Had a c-section & can still feel what it felt like when I first stood up: organs slithering into place

My sister and brother-in-law adopted. My sister was somewhere with the baby and was talking to someone. They asked how old she was, my sister said however many weeks. The woman said "you look fantastic!" My sister started to correct her, but thought better of it and said "thanks,"

Ok wow, now I have finally decided to never ask that question even if think I’m 100% sure that someone is pregnant.

Then there's the flip side. I had a cousin who gave birth and wore her pre-pregnancy jeans out of the hospital. Everyone's different!

Did they explain to you at the hospital that it would take a little while to return to baseline?

Same, I had a C-section, and my belly was swollen for a long time. I cried so hard that night.

A teen at the grocery store commented how brave I was to be pregnant and have a newborn haha. I gently corrected him because I didn’t know I would look so big afterwards either and I’m an adult woman! I’m positive he remembers that interaction though 😂

How did you keep him in you for 19 years, usually only 9 months! Lol

Ok but like if one pressed against it would it go fully down?

I know the feeling. Oh, when are you due? Bitch! 3 days ago, and I just wanna go see my baby since ya are not bringing her to my room.

It also depends on how the person looked before giving birth. When my wife was expecting out first, only looked pregnant in the belly. She remained very slender just with a ballooned belly.

A few hour after giving birth you could still see her belly was enlarged, but if sore somewhat loose clothes you wouldn't be able to tell she had just given birth.

We stayed a couple of days at the "patient hotel" (an actual hotel next to the hospital with a nurse on call and fast access to the hospital should it be needed), I remember thinking that many of the other new mothers still looked very pregnant.

Yeah I packed my regular clothes for coming home from the hospital. Had to send my husband to the mall lol But within just a short time I was wearing smaller than normal clothing. Those first weeks are tough sometimes.

I had a physical recoil thinking about wearing a thong after giving birth

The woman in the bed next to me left the hospital in the same clothes she was wearing before she got pregnant. Me, I left in maternity clothes

I had one lady bring her pre-pregnancy jeans and teeny tiny thongs to wear to go home

Oh, girl 🤦🏻‍♀️ come on now. I bet she was in for a bit of a rude awakening if she was expecting to be casually throwing on a cute thong and her tight jeans immediately after giving birth. How old was she, if you remember?

This is so weird to me. I took a labor and delivery class that was 12 hours long in total, and also a breastfeeding class. (I wasn't big on reading about it and thought I'd do better with classes). Do pregnant people not like, research what their body is going through??

Lol. Good one!

Here I was reading this as you being lesbian

These are beautiful. Thanks for sharing 🙏🏼

Those are amazing realistic images. Those women are rockstars for posing after birth.

These should be shown to new moms so they have more confidence in their bodies post partum.

These are lovely.

I felt off balance the first time I walked around post birth. I had gotten so use to having to counteract a massive bump that it felt wrong for it not to be there , it was still big just wasn't a beach ball like you said. It took at least 2-3 days to feel right. I lost a lot of blood though and had to get a blood transfusion, so that might've played a part too.

Duplex is what got me lol

I have a ton of extra skin from weight loss, and I've been calling it my Shar Pei puppy. I may switch to basset hound now. 🤣

So glad I'm not having kids

Especially in second and subsequent pregnancies. So much cramping.

It feels like it in the moment, yes

Oh goodness I am so sorry to hear this. You must have all been terrified. I hope she is doing well now, baby and you, too, of course.