I kid you not, peeing after baby was the single worst thing about postpartum recovery for me.
If you’ve come upon this post in a desperate search (painful urination postpartum perhaps?) well, I’m guessing it’s not all fun and games for you either. Postpartum recovery is hard in general, and sometimes it seems like peeing is the hardest.
I swore that when I was all recovered and back at blogging, I would write the helpful postpartum stuff I couldn’t find online anywhere while I was healing and googling.
Related: How to Heal Faster Postpartum
Related: The Complete Postpartum Care Kit Checklist
Googling things like how to pee postpartum without crying (or feeling like you’d rather give birth all over again), and how to pee after giving birth with stitches.
12 times per day.
Because you are drinking enough water to sink a ship. Because you are trying to make breast milk. Even though you don’t want to… because it will make you have to pee. And peeing makes you cry.
Let’s face it… the postpartum period is unlike anything else you’ve ever been through before. It is glorious and amazing – you finally have your baby and you are totally in love. And it is overwhelming. It is messy. You have open wounds. You feel like @#$%.
No? Just me?
(I didn’t have terrible awful damage either – I did get stitches two days after delivering when everything had already started to heal a bit, and I think that made it all a little worse.)
You’ve got your peri bottle, and you’re being a good girl and using it every time you pee – right? If you’re a lucky lady, the peri bottle alone might be enough to get you through those trips to the potty.
But that thing didn’t help me one bit and if anything it hurt worse than the peeing. I HATED that bottle. I used it – being sure to keep everything rinsed clean helps to prevent infection – but I HATED it.
Take heart- each day that goes by is a day closer to throwing the peri bottle in the garbage and taking pain-free-peeing for granted once again.
Even if this tip doesn’t help you out, at least I can commiserate with you on this, and it’s always good to know you’re not alone – right?
Related: 8 Things that Totally Shocked Me About Postpartum Recovery
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How to pee postpartum (with minimal pain)
I tried all. the. ways. to pee that I could think of. I even tried peeing in a bathtub with a few inches of water in it to TOTALLY water down the pee. Which didn’t help one bit. (If you’re judging me for how gross that is, you’re not in nearly enough pain to be reading about how to pee better after giving birth.)
(I know some women have had success using a spray like this to numb the area a little before peeing, but this stuff isn’t available in our area and I figured by the time Amazon delivered it to me, I would be mostly healed.)
It took me a few days to find the thing that did work – you can do this RIGHT NOW if you’re having a lot of pain while peeing after giving birth:
Sit a little further back on the toilet, and lean ALL THE WAY FORWARD (I seriously rested my forearms on the ground but if you aren’t that acrobatic, a low stool placed in front of you might be helpful ) – so your bum is up in the air and the pee is falling forward and down instead of running over your body.
If you’re still a little shaky from delivery, standing up in the bathtub so the pee falls STRAIGHT down works pretty good too.
Basically, don’t let the pee touch you.
You’d think this would be easy to come up with, but my brain was full and I’m just sharing in case yours is too. Maybe it was the drugs, but it took me DAYS of crying while I peed to finally give this a try. Or maybe it’s the fact that we generally don’t have to try to think of ways to prevent pee from touching us.
Either way, this made a huge difference for me!
And how long does it sting to pee after giving birth?
I know you’re wondering when this will end – so let me assure you, it does end. For me, after the birth of my first, it was terribly painful to pee postpartum for a full two weeks. (Sorry that’s not great news!) After the birth of my second, it only hurt to pee for two days or so.
(If it still hurts to pee 2 weeks postpartum, it’s a VERY good idea to bring it up with your doctor and have him check you out.)
So – unfortunately, “how long does it hurt to pee after giving birth?” is one of those questions with no real solid answer because all situations are different. It’s definitely something you should ask your dr, because it really is related to how much damage you sustain downstairs, and how fast you heal postpartum.
If you have tears or stitches, it will hurt for longer. (Again, you can try something like this before peeing to see if it helps!)
If the pain starts getting WORSE as time passes, (or if you’re still searching “hurts to pee two weeks postpartum”) I would go directly to the dr. It never hurts to have a checkup, and this could be a sign that infection is brewing.
The end.
(You’re welcome.)
Did you find peeing after birth painful? Do you have any other tips for dealing with the pain of peeing postpartum?
Update – over the past 5 years, this has been one of the MOST POPULAR posts on this site. There are thousands and thousands of women every single day who are struggling with peeing after birth and how to pee after giving birth with stitches.
It seems like postpartum stinging while peeing is NORMAL – even if they don’t tell us about it before hand! (Maybe we wouldn’t sign up for childbirth if they did LOL.)
Related: How to Take An Effective Postpartum Sitz Bath
Related: Remember Mommy, This Too, Shall Pass
You might also like: The 7 Things I Regret Missing Out On In Baby’s First Year
The struggle is real! I thought I had a solution finally peeing into a pad…but it stopped working for some reason. But after a week of screams and countless tears (never mind the aging that’s come with bawling!) I tried peeing standing up today. So far…so good. I wish I could say everyday it feels better…it doesn’t. T-5 days to 2 weeks and I don’t see an end in sight, so coping is all I can do. Next bathroom stop, the lean technique it is.
I hate feeling like I’m the only one going through this and Drs think I’m a wimp! Even friends with 3rd degree tearing just don’t get what I’m going through and did not have this pain. Oh to pee pain free again.
(And yes, peeing in a bathtub of water does not work!)
I hope the “lean technique” helped!! (lol good name for it!)
This is such a reality for me. I gave birth to my first baby on Oct 11, 2019. The doctor who delivered my baby was not the doctor who gave care to me throughout my pregnancy, he was just the doctor on call at the hospital to deliver. He delivered my baby safely and stitched my perineum, however, he did not stitch a tear I had under my labia that ran all the way to my midpoint.Therefore when I would urinate it was torture, my urine BURNED the tear. I went to the hospital and the doctor said that stitching the tear at that point would now do more harm than good because of it being open for days already, that it has to heal secondary. I decided to drink less and didn’t go to the bathroom as much because it was just too painful. This led to a UTI that was even worse than the burning I was first feeling, everything was intensified and I had blood in my urine. I made another trip to the hospital, and the doctor told me the normal range for bacteria when you have a UTI is a 1-2, I was at a 72. At one point, I had to sit in the bath tub full of cold water as well, just to be able to urinate a little better. I am now just starting to feel better and still recovering from the tear that I have. What works for (TMI) is to pee inside of a cup, honestly I would describe the pee to acid, that’s how it feels on the skin!! Also the nurse insisted to the doctor something was wrong after I gave birth and he unwillingly checked me and saw that he left blood clots in my stomach and then she told him again something still was not right because I was bleeding too much but he simply ignored her and said that I just had a baby, had he listened and re-evaluated me , he would have seen the tear.
OH my word, what a horror story! I hope you’re feeling better now… The things we go through for our babies!
THANK YOU!!! Who knew the answer to my peeing prayers would be found at 1am.
I had my third little one on Friday & it was by far the worse & most painful delivery yet.
Now, my John Wayne impression is nailed! Every wee has been so painful & too much bear ending in a lot of tears but this technique is a total game changer. What a relief & so simple 🙂 I don’t think I could drink any more water & have tried post perinatal spray, squeezing my partners hand, a bottle of warm water while peeing but none particularly helpful in reducing the painful sting. So thank you again, I am now peeing in much more peace. xx
SO Glad it helped Emma! There really is not much worse than peeing after giving birth :/
THANK YOU! I’m 5 days postpartum and I’ve been SOBBING for the last two hours over the excruciating Pain and all the associated frustration when my husband (desperately trying to help me) stumbled upon your advice! This is the first time I’ve been able to Fully empty my bladder in days and to pee without crying!! Thank you thank you for posting!!
I TOTALLY GET IT! So glad this helped!
WOW!! Getting mental pictures of mamas peeing in the bath tub all over the place! LOL This is hilarious but also great advice! This is “one of those things” that no one really warns you about… it’s just all of a sudden over and you feel like super woman…until you start considering what it’s going to look like to try to pee… then you just want to run away!
P.S. I loved that peri bottle! hahaha
hahah yes – this is totally not dinner conversation 😉
OMG, I could cry from relief. I’ve been peeing so uncomfortably for a week now and have tried different products to try to lessen the stinging. I was just starting to try to pee in different positions. Thank you so much for this tip. This has made my postpartum recovery that much more comfortable. Now hopefully my bowels will also feel less traumatized and I can be more regular again…
OOO I’m SO glad it helped!
I don’t know if you still read your comments but the post wasn’t terribly long ago… but I just want to say thank you for understanding. My daughter (1st and at this point in my mind ONLY child) was born on 1/1/20 so I’m not even 2 weeks postpartum yet looking for the answer to this “WHY THE $&@? DOES PEEING HURT SO MUCH???!!!” question. I have tried the leaning forward part with some success. My pee apparently defies gravity and travels upward to my stitches still sometimes. It doesn’t help that I’m torn on the side of my lady bits rather than the back… (though I’m counting my blessings of how much that would hurt using the potty for either peeing or bowel movements). After everything having gone wrong this delivery, burning pee is the icing on the cake to make me never want to have another kid again… not to be a downer. I hope the burning stops soon because yes it makes me cry every day so far. I can say I’ve more success not only leaning forward when I pee but doing it in the shower with hot water coming down at the same time keeps my anti gravity pee from traveling upwards. The warm water just soothes me too. Hope that suggestion helps someone suffering. Good luck to all. I’m going to go cry and lay down while my stitches hurt from sitting too… 😩
AAGGhh yes- tears in awkward locations make this tip less helpful, unfortunately! I promise – it DOES get better!!
I say this with tears in my eye, Thank you so much! I did not know how I was going survive the vag torching pain day after day. Now I can drink my water with confidence and pee without fear. You are a true blessing!!
I have to admit I did LOL at “vag torching pain” – but I know it’s not funny! So glad this helped you!
I stumbled on this page earlier tonight. I am recovering from an episiotomy after birth early this week. I am probably on my worst day right now, this tip about leaning over to pee really helped!! Thanks.
I am only in my first trimester with my first, but if the problem is with stitches and healing tears, then could you slather one of the antibacterial gels on the affected area and that way there is a barrier?
Unfortunately, I can’t do this due to the excruciating hemorrhoids I also got from birth, but I did find peeing in a cup works wonders! You can put the cup close enough it doesn’t go anywhere else—lifesaver (or tear saver really). I’ve been crying for a couple days now and this has been the only relief. I hope it helps someone else.
I found this article so helpful, I’m 6 days postpartum, and first time mommy. I would honestly sit on the toilet for like 15 minutes scared to death to pee because Id be afraid of the pain that came along with peeing. Honestly so grateful for this tip, no longer afraid to pee.
Honestly, I was searching all over the place for more info. I feel like all they did was hand me a bottle for cleaning and say no toilet paper. I went to bed in tears when I was home. This blog saved me, I was at the point wondering if the bath tub would help or if this was just how it was. Thank you for writing this & I vow to pass on the knowledge.
This is wonderful and truly does work. Thank you 🙏🏻 at the hospital I could not make myself pee so I stood up and peed and it’s the only way i could go the first couple of times. Now I’m home and have been in tears for a couple days, miserable. I just attempted the leaning forward trick and .. just thank you. This is a life saver for any woman after delivery!
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! THIS HELPS A TON!!! YAY
Ugh I can see why this would be a good idea for perineal tearing… all my tearing and stitches are literally unavoidable no matter what position I’m in for some reason, I tore my labia and on 3 other areas but not the perineal
(whoopie!!) I have to pee in the tub and I’m so glad that I’m not the only one lol and correct it still doesn’t work, but what helps is if I pee facing the drain, as close to it as I can manage and then simultaneously pee and scoot backwards at the same time. So far the least painful way to pee. Smh.
I just wanted to say thank you!!! I have been really suffering with the postpartum burning and would never of thought to change position like this…..complete life saver!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
I am SOOO GLAD this helped!
Wish I had seen this Article sooner. At the Hospital they told me to spray myself with cold water AFTER peeing. The doctor who gave me a few stitches also said I got a little ‘road rash’ on the sides so lean forward when I pee.
At the hospital I was still numb enough I was like “This hurts, but not as bad as I thought.” Cue going home and EVERYHING WAS ON FIRE! It took me 5 days to figure out to Spray WHILE peeing. And another few times to figure out lukewarm water was nicer.
For me, the leaning didn’t work – I did pee in the shower. Also, I wore adult diapers cause I found out quickly that for the first week I had no control of my bladder. Gosh, standing in the kitchen in front of my partner as I just felt the liquid rush out. I was super scared – But I have my control again. No one warned me of possible incontinence! I could pee in the hospital just fine with the epidural so when we got home everything was like why is this happening?
To be fair, the women in my life who have given birth (Parents, in-laws, and my oldest sister) all had C-sections.
THANK YOU! MAY GOD BLESS YOU! I’m seriously so incredibly grateful for this post because I was 10 days post normal delivery with episiotomy stitches and 9 days certifiably driven insane every time I had to use the toilet.
NO ONE talks about this, and EVERYONE says it’s unavoidable and will pass. I tried your tip and guess what? IT IS AVOIDABLE XD
On a serious note tho, this was affecting my poor daughter. I would try to drink and eat less, or atleast unconsciously my bladder would not empty itself more than once a day and in little amount. The mind has a powerful effect on the body. She’s been so gassy and uncomfortable because of me because My milk has decreased in amount too! =|
But now hopefully I can change all of that! So from the bottom of my heart, thank you very much~ And good luck to all new moms out there! It’s a struggle that won’t end, but it’s so worth it every time you see that sweet little face =)
I am going to try this I am in excruciating pain when I pee it stings so bad. I tried the same thing in a little tub filled with water it burned tried it all. I thought something was wrong with me. I’m on pills for a UTI but just starting. I am so scared to pee I’ve been holding it in forever
I have shared this with so many Mamas… This SAVED me and I feel the need to share it with any and every pregnant mama-to-be.
THANK YOU for toubleshooting and finding a solution- from one now painless pee-er. 🙂