Up and about after giving birth - how soon for you?

I had two sections, 1979 and 1983; was encouraged out of bed the next day each time, and to walk around every day (clutching my stitches/staples!). Had a week in hospital the first time, and 5 days the second.
Took it easy for a few days at first, but then just had to get on with it.

In hospital for 5 days with my 3. With 1st my dad dropped me off, husband at work no paternity leave in 70's. Put the baby in the pram which I had bumped down 2 flights of stairs, and walked 3 miles to my granny's as she hadn't got to see her yet. 3 miles back and cooked dinner for husband. 2nd same outcome, my dad dropped me off after picking up my 15month old. 3rd home from hospital baby in the pram and walked 2 miles to supermarket for weekly shop and back to work in a week, no paid maternity leave then

Jane, i was thinking the same.

They simply wouldn't allow us to lie in bed after our babies were born. They terrified us with the dreaded 'white leg' if we didn't move around enough. Having said that, we were in the maternity unit for ten days after the first baby and minimum four days (but you could have a week) after subsequent births. Nowadays, unless you are post operative or baby is ill, they hustle you out within 24 hours. It's scandalous!

My mum stayed for a week after my second and third.

All my pregnancies were problematical. With eldest pre-term DD, I met her the day after birth, having given birth in a maternity clinic in Paris. I was kept in for 8 days as I was a blender.

DS was also prem, and I was expecting twins, one of the babies had died in mid term. I was already in hospital, and hadn't realised that I was in labour until I needed to push. Kept in for 6 days because of bleeding.

DD, decided to make an appearance rather quickly too. I did tell the midwife that I needed to push, but she said I didn't and went for lunch, so I gave birth alone I didn't deliver the after birth so had the fun of an emergency removal (ouch), and a nasty tear. Stayed in for 5 days due to bleeding.

Delivery at 5 am, waited for morning ambulance crew to start their shift and back home at 8 am. Changing nappy a few hours later. No other children, so no problem

On the day I returned home after a cesarean I was loading the dishwasher, hoovering & cleaning the house.. Next day I was back on the school run

First baby in 1978. High forceps, badly managed leaving permanent damage. Lots of stitches. Insisted 24 hours in hospital was enough but I should have stayed in longer. My lovely mum looked after me but my husband took a few days off work, too. Midwife suggested I drink lots of stout. 2nd and 3rd babies quick last stages of labour due to aforementioned damage. Stayed in a week each time but up and about in the ward and straight back to normal at home. Both times my mum or mother in law helped. After 3rd baby, my husband had to go away for 3 weeks so I was glad of the help. I tried to do too much after the 2nd baby ( we'd just moved into an old house) and my milk dried up.

In hospital for 7 days with my first as I started haemorrhaging on the day I should have come home, I passed out in the bathroom, banging my head on the sink as I fell down. When I came home I was on antibiotics for an infection where I'd had stitches (forceps delivery) and shortly after that developed mastitis, my daughter was probably about 8-9 weeks before I 'bounced' back

When I started working as a community midwife, many years ago, I visited a woman I hadn't met before. Her baby was three weeks old. She asked me if she could get dressed today and go downstairs. I was baffled. She said that her mother had told her that she must stay in bed for six weeks!!! After three weeks of it, she had had enough.

Got chucked out of the maternity ward on the afternoon of the day I gave birth. They were shutting the ward “because it was Friday”.

I was pretty much up and raring to go a few days after.

But not forgetting Meaghan probably doesn’t have to do the shopping, housework and perhaps even the cooking. I’d be pretty up and back to normal if I was in her shoes

2 weeks each pregnancy 1972 and ‘75. Had c- sections for both the 2nd pregnancy produced twins and there was a complication with an infected wound when the stitches came out. After the 1st birth I was stapled together not pleasant when the time came to remove them! Mums were left to get a good nights sleep while the nursing staff fed the babies during the night. There were always bottles of Guinness in the fridge for breastfeeding mums to help themselves. Hard to believe nowadays isn’t it?! We used to have daily exercises and mums that gave birth naturally had to sleep on their stomachs for a certain period of time.

Had my first baby in 1980 aged 16. Fast but traumatic birth (induced) forceps and large episiotomy. Anaesthetic injected too close to back passage so couldn’t control it for several days, very sore and felt like I’d been hit by a truck. I was resident in a community school for ‘unmarried mothers’ so was allowed out of hospital the next day but we had lying in rooms where we stayed until our babies were ten days old. When we went down to the dining hall for breakfast on the eleventh day all eyes were on how fat or slim we looked. Some things never change.
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12 hours with my first....6 hours with my second. No help-so No choice!

I had a rocky marriage so I knew when I went home it would be full on ..we parted when my daughter was 3 months but I had her at 11pm and went home in the morning to help move us to a new place in a new city that I did not want to move to. My then husband changed jobs constantly and I could not set down any roots so had no help. I don't recall having any problems with doing everything though and carried boxes etc. I sometimes imagine how different it was for some women but Megan Markel has it a way I can never even comprehend!

Had my 1st child, a daughter at 6.40 and was at a wedding at 2pm...

1947. After complications was in hospital two weeks. 1949 easy birth but had to stay compulsory ten days even though perfectly well.
In those days husbands were not able to be present at births. Told to go off to work.

I had my only child in the 90s. Natural but difficult birth so was in hospital 48 hours. In bed 24 hours of that because I refused a blood transfusion and was wobbly.
The day I got home i insisted on going food shopping with my brother, silly mistake. I collapsed in the supermarket and spent the next two days in bed.

I had cesareans for my three. As soon as I was home (at 5 days back then) I just got on with life. Was not supposed to lift anything heavier than my babies though until 6 week checkup. Definitely no laying in bed resting

In Denmark since the 1970s only those who suffer complications of some kind or who give bith to a baby with serious health issues have stayed in hospital for longer than 24 hours, if indeed as long.

Things may be different in the USA or whereever it is this bairn was born, but here it would certainly be cause for remark if a new mother wasn't out and about eleven days after giving birth.

I gather the silly season is upon us, if this is all newspapers can find to write about!

I had 4 c sections in 5 years and had about 2-3 ‘days off‘ after each one. Everyone’s different.

10 days with the first but I shared a ward with 7 mothers, one of whom was a well known writer/actor with an even better known actor partner. Every evening was champagne time, not shared with the rest of us but we were having fun eavesdropping and working out who their dolled up visitors were.
My tipple by the way was a nightly Guinness brought in by my husband and yes I was breastfeeding?. The nurses were fine with it.

Up and about after child three. I work in a nursery and the mothers come to pick their other kids up after giving birth maybe one two days?

Had my daughter in 83 after a long labour. Had to stay in hospital for 2 days as she had jaundice. Husband took two weeks off work but wasn't a great deal of help and kept complaining he was bored!