Things you wish you had of known first time round!

[MummytoLouie]

Pretty much what the title says...


1. The glow - some lucky women get this but the majority of us are tired, being sick, then swollen ankles etc.

2. After the baby is born!

3. Stitches!

4. Not being able to sit down for a week without wincing!

5. Screaming as you wee (if you have had stiches)

6. That first poo after you have given birth

7. Delivering the placenta.. giving birth all over again! This was worst then delivering the baby for me!



Anymore anyone can think of?? haha... x

 

[Shabby990]

Not being able to control my urine as I pushed so much so all ways do the perlvic floor muscles

X

 

[gypsy1981]

I wish I'd known about the bleeding afterwards and how much was normal. For some reason I hadn't expected to get any bleeding after a c section so was quite surprised when I did!

 

[AMAS86]

Oh gah the first poo is the worst for me LOL. After my first child I couldn't go and they won't let you leave (atleast my ob) until you poop. Well they pumped me with all kinds of meds for constipation. I eventually lied so I could leave. I got home and 1 day later I had the urge to go. OMG! I was so scared to push it out haha it felt like I was going to push my insides out of my vagina. Terrifying to me!!

 

[WelshOneEmma]

For me, everytime i contracted I lost fluid. It wasn't wee (at one point they checked my bladder and it was empty but i was still losing fluid) but it felt like i was peeing like a racehorse! I was mortified!!

 

[ajlj1126]

I wish I had known that getting an Epidural is not a cop out and that it doesn't make a difference how long you suffer, that's not the point. I made myself hold out for as long as I could (41 hours in labor) before getting one and I should have just saved myself the trouble!

I wish I didn't feel like I was being pushed towards an induction. I wish I had waited for labor to come naturally. I was only 40+5 when DH and my Dr talked me into it.

I wish I had gotten up to walk around more during labor. I was so terrified of the baby falling out in the hallway but man was my bum sore from sitting/laying so long!

 

[mammag]

1. There's no need to speed up that baby bump, trust me, it will come, and extra weight you put on turns into a pain in the butt later.
2. Get REST after you have baby and are still in the hospital with help. Don't be shy to tell people to get out because you need sleep. You don't want it all hitting you the moment you get home and you're all alone and clueless.

Those are my biggies.

 

[RaspberryK]

I agree with the lack of glow but I didn't experience the others.
I wish I'd have rested more and asked for help with chores.
Xx

 

[AMAS86]

Oh with my first child, she was with me every night in the hospital. I didn't get any sleep and didn't for 6 months after because she was colic. With my 3rd I let the nurses take care of her because the rest is important! ! After giving birth let the nurses do everything because once you get home there is no more sleeping, eating, just relaxing when you want. Take advantage of those nurses lol!!!

 

[fizzypop]

For me.... pregnancy is a million times harder than birth.

I was terrified of tearing and I did tear, really very badly, right through to my bottom... but had no pain and was healed within a week. And I didnt bleed much afterwards. it really isn't always that bad.

 

[Catmat]

For me, not to expect to have a baby by the due date. My first was 5 days late, my second was 10 days. So I am mentally preparing for 15 late, lol. I was really hoping I would be early last time and wasn't so it made the last few days unbearable.

My other thing I wish I could have told myself before my first is breastfeeding can be difficult. I didn't give up but I made myself crazy forcing the feedings! With my second it was a snap.

 

[Anana]

Pregnancy and labour is unique to everyone. Some people have bad experiences and others have really positive ones so listening to the horror story of your peers when you feel great is just as annoying as listening to that woman who loved being pregnant when you feel gross.

I wish I had known that the crazy hormones I felt in first trimester were normal and would go away by second tri.

 

[stephj25]

omg yes, the first poo was also the worst for me. I felt constipated but really needed to go. Managed to go but ended up with piles, then ended up with a fissure and going to the loo was absolute agony for weeks!!

 

[Angelbaby_01]

Please don't judge, but I had a c-section with my first and considered vbac with this one, but after reading some of these stories I am totally put off from that idea.

 

[LadyHutch]

Breastfeeding is wonderful, but if you have an inkling that you are getting post partum depression, DO NOT WAIT to get treatment in the martyred idea that breastfeeding is more important than getting medication. GO GET HELP ASAP. Formula + happy mommy is SO MUCH MORE important than breastfeeding + sick, sad, angry, crazy, hateful mommy. Don't let ANYONE shame you into continuing to breastfeed or for having PPD. GET HELP. I can't stress this enough.

Its ok to tell people to shut it and keep their opinions to themselves...whether its your birthplan, choice to get an epidural, choosing not to breastfeed, opting for a nanny, co sleeping or crib sleeping, anything. Nothing you do, have to do, or choose to do, is no one else's business, and does not make you less of a mother, no matter what anyone else thinks or says. Have a thick skin and be prepared to tell people politely to shut it.

Accept any and all help offered.

Don't be rigid about your plan...birth or otherwise. All pregnancies are different, and all births are different. If you set an expectation for yourself ("i'll never get HG.", "I'm not having any intervention", "I'm gonna EBF") and it isn't met, you will be disappointed. Don't have expectations, and then you will be pleasantly pleased with the outcome.

 

[Carlyp1990]

How hard breastfeeding can be! - it's made out to be natural but it's bloody hard at times... dd cluster fed for 2-3 hours at a time and it was so hard to do anything! That's the bit im dreading most about this one! Xx

 

[Angelbaby_01]

LadyHutch - I totally agree. I worried too much about what other people said and would think etc that I neglected my own needs in the end. I severe PND that was untreated for quite a while and I am so sad I missed out on DD in the end. Get help ASAP!!!!!

I will be much more relaxed with my parenting with this baby and would do so many things differently - things I wanted to do with DD in the first place and was told not to.

 

[stephj25]

I also agree with the breastfeeding. Before I started, I just thought it would be a case of putting boob in baby's mouth and that's that. Boy, was I wrong! First of all you have to try and get the latch right which can take a good few weeks for you and baby to get used to, then there's the engorgement - ouch! I know some other ladies which also suffer mastitis too which also sounds painful.
If any first time mums that plan to breastfeed read this, my advice would be to purchase some lanolin nipple cream (amazing) and some breast pads (you randomly leak in the early days) and set yourself goals week be week. I was fine once I made it to 6 weeks and everything just fell into place.