Pregnancy's Best Kept Secrets

inkie

And when you have given birth after 28 hours of hard labour, and the word 'dignity' belongs to another language, the staff ask if it's ok if a student midwife can stick her hands inside you to check if 'everything is as it should be' and through the exhausted sweaty mess that you are, with legs akimbo, being english and polite you manage to mutter ' be my guest'

I am worried that people are being given vaginal examinations in the immediate post-natal period. There is no need for this to happen. In my 11 years as a qualified midwife i have never performed a vaginal examination on a newly delivered mum (or known for one to be performed on someone by any midwives or Drs)- that is so uncomfortable and so undignified. Everything that needs to be checked can be cheked by abdominal palpation and by having a look at the stitches. This is puzzling me as to why this should happen????

I remember my hubby irrigating my perineum to help it heal after a bad episiotomy which extended - I am remembering that pain right now! Also ended up with trush on my nipples with DD2 - how toe curling was the breastfeeding!!??

ooobedoo

When I went for my 6 week postnatal check up, the nurse at my surgery said 'right, undress the bottom half and pop up on the bed' I said I have had a c-section, do you really need to see?? she said 'right then, you must need to have a smear, I said nope, in date for that, if you just want to have a look ast my lady bits, just ask!!!!

Lillibet_2

inkie wrote:

I am worried that people are being given vaginal examinations in the immediate post-natal period. There is no need for this to happen. In my 11 years as a qualified midwife i have never performed a vaginal examination on a newly delivered mum (or known for one to be performed on someone by any midwives or Drs)- that is so uncomfortable and so undignified. Everything that needs to be checked can be cheked by abdominal palpation and by having a look at the stitches. This is puzzling me as to why this should happen????

I remember my hubby irrigating my perineum to help it heal after a bad episiotomy which extended - I am remembering that pain right now! Also ended up with trush on my nipples with DD2 - how toe curling was the breastfeeding!!??

Yep, I got nipple thrush too, 'cos Spud was born with oral thrush 'cos I had had vaginal thrush for most of the previous 9 months & I spent HUNDREDS on canestan cream 'cos my doctor flatly refused to prescribe it for me 'cos I was pregnant:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad: (whats the point of having free prescriptions for the duration then??) It was circular thrush by the time we'd both had it everywhere:rolleyes: Never thought that nipple thrush could have been the reason I found BF utter AGONY for 3 weeks:doh:

I have never had a single internal or check on my bits since they were stiched up? Must admit I was a bit suprised, don't they need to check at least the stiches? Oh well, 53 weeks on so I guess things have healed OK by now:rolleyes: (I never had a single internal check whilst pregnant until I was 4 cm dilated either)

And Charlotte, I got stuck in the bath too whilst around 7 months preggers, trying to ease a bad back. Fortuantely only had to wait about an hour for hubby to come home & had taken a book with me, but didn't get in the bath again without him lurking nearby:p


I love this thread, it's bringing back soooo many happy memories :T

Sarahsaver

Back to what the op said I bled like crazy after the last one (my 3rd)
In hospital the midwife said 'oh its normal' when me and all the bedclothes from my waist down were drenched.
2 weeks after when taking dd to nursery class, I felt a sinking feeling on the way back. Loads of blood ran down my leg.
I had some retained placenta and the doc said an infection too. 50 years ago I would have died :rolleyes:

They dont tell you your belly stays big for some time after.
They dont tell you you get hairy.
They dont tell you that many men are unable to hear a crying baby LOL.
They dont tell you that most of the things advertised for new babies are totally unnecessary;)

Brown_suga

I had my daughter at 18 and didn't know that your nipple has more than one hole, your boobies turn to sprinklers!!

alice's_mum

I got stuck in the bath too whilst around 7 months preggers, trying to ease a bad back. Fortuantely only had to wait about an hour for hubby to come home & had taken a book with me, but didn't get in the bath again without him lurking nearby

This made me and OH laugh, I sat in the bath at about 8 months and let the water run out so that I could stand up safely, had slipped slightly at some point and thought empty bath with child safety mat in better option for getting out. Found I couldn't move AND that water was coming from somewhere!!! When OH came in he laughed like mad as I had created a dam and all the bath was full of water behind me and none of it could get past!!!!!!! I was not impressed I can tell you.. But it still makes us laugh now, especially as now I can sit in the bath with DD next to me and have enough room, I must have been HUGE

iwanttosave_2

charlotte664 wrote:

Oh - I forgot - I do not bath whilst pregnant. I cannot get out.

During the first, I was 7 months, lovely long soak whilst hubby was at work, and had to stay there for 6 HOURS crying my eyes out until he got home, as I simply could not lift myself and bump up and out.

Adding insult, I told my midwife at ante-natal classes and she just laughed. Horrid cow she was though.

I now do not bathe.

Same happened to me

With the sciatica and SPD I was in constant pain, so I had devised a method of getting in the bath and I had my bath spa on to ease the pain (pregnant mums before your third trimester, dont do this :shhh:

I was lay there enjoying it, la de dah de dah. Come to get out and I just couldnt move, it was like someone was stabbing me in the pelvis. OH was at work, so I had to shout to wake DS up to go get me the phone and phone my mum to come get me out of the bath

Think we will have to get a shower installed for the next one :rotfl:

ooobedoo

I'm now scared to have a bath!!!!!!!! I might get wedged!:o

Janepig

I was interested to see Davina getting a bit a*sey with anyone mentioning the fact she was pregnant on Big Brother last night, because with my first I loved all the attention, but with my second I just wanted to slap everyone who thought it was okay to tell me I was looking huge, and got so fed up of telling everyone when he was due, and no I didn't know what it was (other than it being a baby of course) and my particular favourite was "when are you coming back to work?" before I'd even flaming left!!!!! :mad:

Jxx

iwanttosave_2

Janepig wrote:

I was interested to see Davina getting a bit a*sey with anyone mentioning the fact she was pregnant on Big Brother last night, because with my first I loved all the attention, but with my second I just wanted to slap everyone who thought it was okay to tell me I was looking huge, and got so fed up of telling everyone when he was due, and no I didn't know what it was (other than it being a baby of course) and my particular favourite was "when are you coming back to work?" before I'd even flaming left!!!!! :mad:

Jxx

And the other one "wow have you not dropped yet?!

Yeah, I just like carrying a small hippo under my shirt because its fun :mad: