Yes, Peeing After Birth Sucks, but It Doesn't Have To!

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Have you heard horror stories from other moms about how much it hurts, burns, and itches to pee after giving birth?!

Well, you’re in the right place to learn how you can make your first few pees after having a baby not sting so much!

I’ve had two babies. Both delivered vaginally. The first time, I was terribly unprepared on how to use the bathroom.

My sweet nurse, bless her heart, was trying to guide me as she was also managing other patients, and had to step away as soon as she got me seated to pee. Well, I had to go so bad that I didn’t wait and it hurt SO SO bad.

Compared to birth it was a piece of cake, but nobody wants to feel their down there burning after they just birthed out a baby, I mean wasn’t that more than enough?!

Anyways, when my 2nd rolled around I was prepared. I had all the best products and angles to help me pee so I wouldn’t have to feel that horrible sting and burn ever again.

And because you’re reading this post, you’re going to learn exactly how to have a pleasantly pleasant pee after your baby’s delivery too!

Peeing After Giving Birth —Why Oh Why Does It Hurt So Much?!

When you give birth vaginally, a lot is going on down there.

Those sensitive vaginal muscles and tissues are stretched, sore, and weak.

Maybe you had a tear or two while delivering and depending on which degree you had can also impact how painful your pee is after giving birth.

First-degree tear = The least severe involving ONLY the perineal skin; may or may not need stitching.

Second-degree tear = Typically needs stitches, involving the perineal skin and muscle.

Third-degree tear = More severe involving the skin and extending into the anal sphincter muscle; typically needs stitching and sometimes repair under anesthesia. More likely to have side effects while healing and much more painful.

Fourth-degree tear = Most severe out of all the tears as it extends all the way through the anal sphincter and rectal mucosa. Almost always involves surgical repair and takes longer to heal. Very uncomfortable.

Depending on if or what kind of tear(s) you have or simply that your tissues are just plain sore — it’s not uncommon to feel some burning when you take your first pee.

How to Pee Postpartum?

Alright, let’s dive right into my TOP 3 tips on how you can pee postpartum without all the burning and discomfort!

Ready for the first (and BEST) tip?

It’s ALL about the angles!

Hear me out. Your vaginal area is going to be sore, swollen, and pretty uncomfortable after birth.

So instead of sitting all the flat and back on the toilet when you pee, angle yourself so that you’re leaning forward!

Now, if you’re fresh into the recovery room, you’ll want to ask your nurse to help you for stability in case you’re still shaky or weak. We do not need you falling over and getting hurt.

Lean forward and then let gravity be your best friend!

You can also spray yourself with some Blue Dermoplast BEFORE you pee to give a little numbing action down there, but I didn’t find it helps all too much.

Using it after was helpful though!

Perineal herbs and sprays are amazing!

As mentioned above, you can use perineal sprays such as Dermoplast Blue or for a more natural spray check out Earth Mama’s Perineal Spray.

Both of these sprays work wonders to calm, soothe, and relax your down there so it doesn’t feel so irritated all day long.

Some mamas like to spray before and after, I personally prefer just after, but give them both a try to find what works best for you!

Upgrade your peri bottle

Most likely your hospital will send you home with a peri bottle that looks like this.

Although you can totally make due (I did with my first), there are newer ones out there like this that make it WAY easier to use.

In fact because of the new ease of use design, I found it worked better too!

One of the best ways to use them is to fill them up with warm water mixed with a little bit of witch hazel. Shake it all up and then rinse away!

When you mix in the witch hazel it really does a better job of soothing and taking away that burning sensation much quicker, for me at least.

Facts to Know About Peeing After Birth

Now that you know my top tips to make peeing after birth less painful, let’s talk about a few common questions I’ve seen moms asking in various forums and on social media to one another!

How Long Does it Hurt to Pee After Birth?

There is no one size all for anything related to pregnancy, birth, or postpartum.

That being said, I experienced the burning pain to pee after birth for about 5-6 days before it slowly went away (this is with 2 – 2nd degree tears and 1 – 2nd degree episiotomy).

If you didn’t have much tearing or complications and you’re feeling discomfort after the first week, I would contact your doctor or midwife to let them know so you can be checked out.

How Long Does it Hurt to Sit After Birth?

Sitting is very similar to peeing after birth, however it may take a bit longer depending on what complications (if any) you had.

Sitting can be painful for a multitude of reasons, but mostly boils down to your vaginal area being sore, swollen, and sensitive.

The best tip I have (that helped me) was to use a SITZ bath after going pee.

You can purchase a little travel-style SITZ bath here and get some soothing SITZ herbs to mix in for an ultra-calming effect.

However, a few other reasons you could be experiencing soreness to sit include:

Vaginal tearing

Stitches/Sutures in place

Pelvic Organ Prolapse

Hemorrhoids

If you find you’re experiencing lots of pain or discomfort while sitting after birth, let your doctor know so they can help you determine why.

Why does it smell down there after birth? Is it my pee?

The good news — nope. Your pee doesn’t stink!

Well maybe it does, but that’s not the smell you’re probably referring too.

That strong odor down there you smell after birth is due to Lochia.

Lochia is a specific vaginal discharge present after you give birth to your baby.

The initial days (3-4) after birth tend to be a dark red discharge which lightens up in color and frequency over the next few days to weeks.

And yes, it has a very distinct, stinky odor, but I promise it does go away.

Peeing after birth SUCKS! But it doesn’t have to, here’s a recap:

Peeing after birth can be painful for a variety of reasons, typically because of swollen, sore, and irritated tissues (including tears or episiotomies).

The BEST way to minimize pain or burning when you go pee after giving birth is to lean forward and let gravity do the work for you (so your urine doesn’t even touch the sensitive areas of your skin).

Fortunately, the burning and discomfort eventually go away, but in the meantime be sure to use the tips above in this post to help minimize it.

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