  Regardless of the kind of labour they experience, women who keep themselves physically fit often recover faster. (Clipart) |
Most couples anxiously awaiting the birth of their first child will sign up for pre-natal classes to learn all about the stages of labour, options for pain medication, breathing techniques and how to time contractions. They will discuss what to expect for the first few weeks of the baby’s life and get tips on how to breastfeed and institute sleeping routines.
But according to some moms, what happens to their bodies after childbirth and the reality of how long it takes to fully recover, never get discussed. They say the standard six-week recovery period is laughable and that they weren’t prepared for the physical effects of childbirth because nobody ever told them what could happen.
Krista Lennox-Fryd, 33, knows all too well the long-term affects a gruelling childbirth can have on a woman’s body. During an intense 18-hour labour, she lost dangerous amounts of blood, got an episiotomy and then had to endure the use of forceps to get her daughter out safely.
While pre-natal classes through her midwifery co-op helped prepare Lennox-Fryd for the labour itself, she wishes there had been more information available about the after-effects of childbirth. “All you ever read about is that at six weeks you have your check-up and then you’re good to go,” she says.
That certainly wasn’t the case for Lennox-Fryd, who still has discomfort two years later and isn’t sure she’ll ever fully recover. “It never occurred to me that I could have permanent damage but I think I do.”
Visits to the doctor haven’t brought any solutions. “She’s never treated it like it was anything unique. It was just par for the course,” she says. “It was a year post-partum and she didn’t seem to think it was weird that I had any pain.”
Catherine Connors, a 38-year-old Bowmanville mother uses her popular blog ‘Her Bad Mother’ to rant about her childbirth war wounds. Jokingly referring to her ‘frankenvulva,’ Connors discusses in great detail the fourth-degree tear and subsequent botched repair job she received during her second child’s speedy delivery.
The entire labour was a mere 90 minutes leaving Connors with no time to spare upon arriving at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto. In a mad panic to get inside, she gave birth to the nine-pound baby in a lobby chair.
“It was the most terrifying experience of my life,” she says, adding that despite knowing the size of her baby in advance, the doctor never gave her any insight into what could happen during labour. “Nobody ever tells you that you can sustain massive damage in a vaginal birth. It’s apparently fairly usual in a labour like that for there to have significant damage.”
After blogging about her injuries and severe pain 10 weeks post-partum, Connors received more than 80 messages from other moms who’d had similar experiences. “It’s not like my situation was unusual, which was surprising to me,” she says. “I’ve since heard worse stories.”
Dr. Paul Bernstein, a staff physician at Mount Sinai’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, says while it’s true there can be long-term complications for women who give birth, it’s certainly not the norm. He says it’s not productive to tell patients about the faint possibility of trouble down the road if it’s unlikely to affect them.
“I could say your bladder could prolapse, you may have painful intercourse forever, but I don’t think that’s really appropriate. If there’s an individual case that veers from the norm then you have to sit down with the patient.”
Dr. Bernstein says that while the general rule of thumb is a four-to-six week recovery period, there are moms that certainly take longer to fully heal.
“Some will still have problems with pain and difficulties with their bowels, bladder and intercourse that may go on for a longer time. It’s variable,” he says.
While the C-section rate is at about 25%, Dr. Bernstein says forceps and vacuum deliveries as well as episiotomy rates – which can all prolong a woman’s recover period - are down considerably in the past decade.
Regardless of the kind of labour they experience, women who keep themselves physically fit often recover faster, says Dr. Bernstein. “A lot of it depends on what they go into their delivery with, what kind of shape they are in, if they are overweight, how stressed they are, their anxiety levels…those kinds of things will slow them down,” he says, adding that even if everything goes as planned “the six week period is a tough time.”
As her son’s two-month birthday approaches, Connors is still waiting for the pain to dissipate from her fourth-degree tear. “The prospect of ever having sex again in beyond me,” she says.
