re: 'I WISH I WOULD HAVE KNOWN'...Advice for pregnancy & birth

Quoting T-UNiT:“ I'm still pregnant...but I already wish I had known that people would be fighting over who gets to be ... [snip!] ... in there a long time ago. Now my mother & his mother are butting heads about it & I don't wanna hurt anyone's feelings!”

I say don't tell anyone when you're in labor, just tell them when the baby's already born;^)

this thread is great, keep em commin.

bump!!!!!!!!!!

bump again.. 

Wow a lot of this really helped me thanks ^^

Quoting Callie [Lillian's Mommy]:“ Would you rather give your baby a bottle of formula so that the poor child is full...or have them drinking ... [snip!] ... have told me thatMylie will kick me in the ribs,in the bladder,and every other place that you just don't want them to lol.”

I am so thankful that I never had problems with nursing like that! My babies were contstantly on my boobs or what seems like forever...lol But Thank god I never bled. I did get sore from time to time, mostly when they were sleep eating, cause they would stop eating and kinda suck funny and latch wrong, So i would just slide my pinky in thier cheek and pop em off. There is two times that I rememeber being really sore. Once was from a crappy breastpump that was like sticking my nipple into a vaccumm. hose..lol And the other time was when My daughter and I got thrush( her mouth, my nipples) ugg, that was uncomfarable.

I wish I would have known that (in my case) The the epi does not take all the pain away but most and it slowed down dilation..and that if you need to get cut down there it feels like a paper cut in your private area.
I also wish i would have known about the pain in the butt underware things the hospital gives you to hold on that thick Pad...A piece of advise..get a pair of tight shorts or bicycle shorts to wear to keep your big ol pad in place. I was bleeding all over my sheets..and one more I wish I would have known how painful engorgment really was I seriously walked around the house with no shirt for a week .

Quoting ciaobella:“ I wish I would have known that (in my case) The the epi does not take all the pain away but most and ... [snip!] ... more I wish I would have known how painful engorgment really was I seriously walked around the house with no shirt for a week .”

One more thing I wish I would have known How much I missed my baby moving in my belly would be after he was born!!

Quoting Baby Love:“ Isn't that the strangest thing watching your belly move? Still freaks me out, but definitely worth having on video. That's a good one -You are really pregnant for 10 months. Men have no idea!”

I know and my husband argues with me that ur not even thought it can be proven on a calender but hey what do u expect he's a man and they all think they know it all. lol

Quoting jackieliz:“ I dont tell people how many months I am, when they ask I give them weeks. They look a little confused, but I'm finally tired of answering strangers questions. Maybe I'm just a little moody.”

yeah it makes me a little mad when i tell people how many weeks i am and then they say ur weeks are off. how the hell would they know especially since u cant pinpoint when ovulation occurs. I think it bothers me so much because i got pregnant as soon as my hubby got back from deployment. so once we started telling people n the asked how far i was i'd tell them and they say that cant be right cuz ur husband hasnt be home that long. so i say do u have a degree in ob/gyn? if ur not then how can u tell me my weeks are off u are not my doctor.

Quoting EmmaGrace:“ Nurse more often. The baby will get more colostrum, and your milk will come in faster.”

Agree agree agree!! The colostrum and milk works in your body like supply in demand. My daughter never fully latched on right, so I had breast infections and plugged milk ducts left and right. Plus my daughter had colic and was born in the summer with no air conditioning. By my 4th month, I was exausted and my body was a mess and stopped making milk...so we did have to switch to formula. Which was actually fine with me, since I was going to go back to work and I was tired from all I had been through with the nursing and with the colic I never bonded the way most mom's bond through nursing. However, Breastfeeding in general makes me uncomfortable and I have a huge issue with acceptance in it. I was formula fed and never exposed to nursing mom's. And the way I was raised, breasts were always a sexual thing...never a thing for babies. So nursing is already hard on me to begin with. However, I am pro nursing and thank God I have my husband who is so supportive and won't even let me entertain the idea of formula feeding. He has to constantly remind me that it's not about me, it's about baby and what is best for her. And having a baby is a sacrifice, but this is one of those things that you have to do for your baby because it is simply better for them. However, I am getting a breast pump to make things easier on myself if I encounter anything like I did the last time.

This is a great topic BTW-it's been 4 yrs since my daughter was born and I remember things so clearly...like the first awful BM. OUCH, that hurt. And the blood clots, the annoying bleeding and still being in pain after giving birth and waddling around.

This is a great forum. I am still pregnant and really dont know what to expect but this is really helpful Thanx ladies

Ooh, I thought of a few others. I wish I would have known

1) it's totally possibly to bruise your tailbone when pushing baby out. I had no idea I had done it because of the epidural. There is nothing you can do about the pain, and nothing that will ever heal it. 4 yrs later, it still hurts occasionally.

2) If you get the epidural, if you have a fear of needles, ask hubby or whoever is in the room with you and tell the anastegologist you DO NOT want to see the needle. Because of that, I didn't feel a thing because I had no idea when he was going to do it and hubby distracted me the whole time.

3) You may burst little blood vessels in your face after you deliver. If you see the little reddish purply dots...you know you pushed really hard.

4) if you don't like one of your nurses make hubby demand a new one. I had one that was a little to rude and I couldn't handle her so I got rid of her.

5) if your delivery is going good it's okay to talk in between pushes and laugh and ask what everyone see's. And its neat to touch your baby's head in the process of pushing her out or asking for a mirror.

6) It's okay if you need a break from baby once he/she is born in order for you to get to sleep. Just have the nurse return baby to you when they need to be fed.

7) if you plan on nursing...make sure all nurses know you do not want baby given forumla while away from you.

  It's okay to have a meal sign up sheet. My church does one for every family in our church for two weeks after having a baby. It makes it so much easier.

9) The First BM will hurt. Just try and relax your way through it...it will all pass and work out. I suggest start drinking citracel and using benefiber a few weeks before your due so your body can get on a routine and it won't be so bad when you get home.

10) Chances are you will poop while delivering. Its nothing they haven't seen before and I actually ended up laughing and apologizing for it. It's embarrassing, but your pushing out a baby the size of a watermelon out...it's okay.

11)the baby monitor belts they make you wear around your tummy when your in labor are uncomfortable and itchy...oh well

12) Make sure you bring a vase from home. People will bring flowers and the hospital doesn't have vases. Just bring a plastic one.

13) After you have baby, you will be tired. You are not expected 2 days later to clean, make dinner, or laundry. Your hubby, boyfriend or family is there for that reason...You just gave birth. Rest and relax or you might get PPD-and that sucks!!!

14) Also, if you are comfortable having some family stay with you, it's okay. It does not make you a weak person to need help. My MIL will stay with us for a few days. And my mom thinks that makes me weak, but I'm not super mom and I don't pretend to be. I know I need help.

15) For those first time moms-it will be a shock the first time you feel your stomach without baby in there. The skin is loose and flabby...it will tighten up...just give it time

16) You may swell after having an EPI.

17) You will bleed for a good few weeks after having baby. It's normal.

1  Also, I found this helpful, it is impossible for you to force a schedule onto a newborn. They are the ones who will dictate a schedule. Just go with it and love and cuddle your baby. They grow so fast, it's unreal so enjoy it

19) Make sure you and hubby take as much maternity time as you can- you will need it. My hubs gets 8 weeks now and I am thrilled about it!!!

20) This is the most important one of all, You all will be fantastic mom's and you all will have perfect babies, and you should be commended and applauded for bringing life into our world. It is the best gift you will ever recieve and it's the gift that never stops giving because your babies will never stop growing and loving and learning!! Take your time, it's a learning period for all mom's whether we've had 10 kids or this is the first. Every child is different and trust your instinct. It is never wrong.

God Bless!!!

Quoting T-UNiT:“ I'm still pregnant...but I already wish I had known that people would be fighting over who gets to be ... [snip!] ... in there a long time ago. Now my mother & his mother are butting heads about it & I don't wanna hurt anyone's feelings!”

IF this is your first child just explain that you want your mother in there because after all she is YOUR MOTHER. And then nexttime your MIL can be in the delivery room. That is tradition in my family, The mom-to-be's mom comes in the delivery room for the first child and the MIL can go in for the 2nd child. If I could have it my way though, I would only want my mother in there for all my kids!, hehe, I have MIL problems...

I wish I had known what the nurses were going to be like. I decided to breastfeed my son and he latched on right away! I was so happy, but the nurses kept trying to show me different techniques and stuff and they were practically shoving him on my boob and they were so rough! I didnt like it at all because Lucas would eat and latch on very easily, so I didnt see the point in the nurses upsetting me for nothing!