Labor is not the most painful part. Oh, you thought actually pushing a baby the size of watermelon out of a hole the size of a lemon was the most painful part of childbirth? Ha! The postpartum period is bad too. Some people have easy births with very little damage to their lady parts, but some experience tearing or require an episiotomy (a surgical cut in the perineum to enlarge your vaginal opening). And for those people, the healing process after the birth can be equally, if not more painful, than the birth itself. In addition, as your uterus shrinks back to its normal size you will experience intense contractions that feel like someone is punching you in the baby-maker repeatedly. It’s not fun, but it does get better every day.
Your body will not bounce back as fast as you might want. In movies when women are having baby, they walk out of the hospital looking like a million bucks and in their pre-baby jeans. In real life, not even close. You will have a mini-baby-bump (or maybe not so mini) for a while after having your baby. It might only be for days, maybe weeks, and maybe months. You will still be swollen and sore. But if you took care of yourself while pregnant and you continue to make smart, healthy choices then you will eventually look and feel like yourself again.
