About Labor:
- For me, contractions felt like stomach cramps
- Contractions really aren’t as bad as I envisioned, especially in the beginning
- Bouncing on an exercise ball is extremely helpful (wish I would’ve brought it to the hospital)
- Eating during a contraction is extremely uncomfortable
- Resting as much as possible is important
- Contractions in a car stuck in traffic are not fun
- There are moments of self-doubt
- Screaming “Get this baby out of me!” just might happen a few times
- Saying, “I don’t want to do this anymore,” might also happen
- Warm showers really do help the body to relax
About delivery:
- It’s weird and strange to feel a baby come out of you
- There is a “ring of fire” but you quickly forget about it
- What they say about pushing like you’re pooping is totally true
- Wait for the strong contractions to push and let them build first, don’t push on the weak ones
- The moment when they put the baby on your chest is the most exciting and scariest moment
- Delivering the placenta was actually really easy
About postpartum life:
- You get little to no sleep in the hospital
- Breastfeeding hurts at first and nurses will “help” you
- All your dignity and sense of shame went out the window when you gave birth
- A nurse will use a peri bottle to rinse you off after you go to the bathroom
- You’re not supposed to “push” when you go poop
- You’re also not supposed to wipe when you go to the bathroom
- The first night home is one of the hardest, especially when you’re running on little sleep
- You may have fleeting thoughts that make you feel like a horrible person
- Postpartum hormones are like a million times worse than pregnancy hormones; there is soooo much crying
- Being the person responsible for a new life is incredibly overwhelming
- It’s okay to not be okay
- Having visitors is nice, but also exhausting
- Sleeping when the baby sleeps isn’t very easy, but really important
- Day 3 is a day like no other, especially if it’s the day your milk comes in, baby may nurse every hour all day long
- You do whatever you can to get sleep the first few days, even if that means sleeping in the recliner while holding the baby
- Everything you thought you knew and thought you would do no longer matter, you do whatever you gotta do to survive
- Hearing your baby cry makes you wanna cry too
- Relaxing while nursing is so important! Use a chair with arms and put your feet up
- Mom guilt starts early
- The baby determines the schedule and how the days and nights are going to go
- Everytime you think you have your baby figured out, they change on you
- Holding a precious newborn is worth every moment
wonderful Jenn! You sharing is three-fold; helping those who are soon to be new moms; sharing honestly encourages new moms that they are not alone; reminds us ‘old’ moms of what it was like, because – hard as it is to believe – your memory fades…
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Thanks Antoinette!
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#17! totally!
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Ah, babies. I miss them, and I really, really don’t. You’ve pretty much nailed it here. Thanks for sharing it on my page.
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Thanks for taking the time to read my blog and comment.
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