Pregnancy's Best Kept Secrets

loopy_lass

ahhhh now its all making more sense..... so i wasnt that far out on my ponderings then....

thanks loops

sarymclary

It's taken me 2 days to read this thread thru' from start to finish, but I thought I'd chuck in my twopenneth since I've had 2 spontaneous births, 1 induction and 1 CS (I liked the variety)!

Things I didn't know about pregnancy/becoming a mum:

1. That a dark brown line would appear on your belly and take months to go.
2. That the veins on your body start to resemble a roadmap of Europe.
3. That you can measure as much round as you are tall when full-term.
4. That pethidine makes you fall asleep between contractions, and renders you unable to speak for 3 hours. Very frustrating and frightening.
5. That gas and air may feel like 8 whiskeys to your husband, but during labour it only just takes the edge off.
6. Thrush is nigh on impossible to get rid of during pregnancy once you've got it, no matter how much canesten you throw at it; at least you get it free on prescription.
7. That the Pregaday iron tablets can make you have the trots, and not make you constipated like all your friends were. I discovered Spatone liquid, but had to buy it myself as not available on prescription.
8. That they tip you sideways on the table in the operating theatre while the CS is done. That the automatic bloodpressure cuff really hurts. Your hormones can make you think your DH looks really fanciable in green theatre scrubs, and you ask the staff if we can take them home! Hormones!
9. That the midwives can be really rough with you when 'helping' you get the baby latched on.
10. That hospital wards are noisy places, where you don't get much sleep - especially if the lady in the next bed snores all night, and so loud that she can't even hear her own baby cry.
11. Cracked nipples. Ouch! Camillosan does the trick, also rubbing breastmilk over the nipple after each feed, and it generally means the baby hasn't got enough of the nipple in the mouth when feeding. Tease baby with it so that they open mouth really wide, then shove as much in as you can!
12. Colic makes you think your baby is dying each night between 7-11pm for months on end.
13. That I wouldn't sleep the night through again for 4 years.
14. That my appetite would return with gusto immediately after the birth, and I'd eat anything and everything thereafter.
15. That you can fire breastmilk across a room - should you feel the need!
16. Hospital food is awful; take a stock of food.
17. Use the bidet as a toilet in the hospital, so that it doesn't sting when you pee. The MW will tell you not to, but we all did.
18. That as the baby's head crowns it stings at the top of your bits (near your most senstive part, if ya know what I mean).
19. That you can really miss your bump.
20. That you still get 'phantom' baby kicks years after being pregnant (wind?)
21. That babies can get hiccups almost non-stop for months while you're pregnant.
22. That babies don't just kick, but they do aerobics against the mattress at 3am, starjumps on your pelvic bones and ribs, and sommersault so much that you have to have a caesarean because of it!

Plus points:
I also had orgasms in my sleep (still do - lucky me!)
No appetite in pregnancy apart from NEEDING vegetable soup (DS1), pear drops (DS2), oranges (DS3), more oranges & crunching polos (DS4), but I was 2 stone lighter after the birth (however see pt.14 above).
Breastfeeding is a fantastic experience, but it takes perseverence. I miss it so much!
That a baby is pretty much the only contraception you need because as soon as DH comes near you baby wakes up. When I was asked in the hospital about contraception, I told her I had 2 housebricks warming in the oven at home to use on DH. They both raised their eyebrows at that one!
That falling in love with your newborn is like being hit by a truck; no one had prepared me for that bit. I am still amazed that I made him, and him, and him and him!

Children are gifts to treasure, and despite having a couple of teenagers who test my patience relentlessly, the only worthwhile job I've really had is being a mum. Nothing else could ever come close. That said, it's also the hardest day's work I've done too.

For all you expectant mums out there - I'm green with envy.

ooobedoo

I had a detailed scan today, I saw my daughter yawn....awwwwww, she was also playing with her foot

loopy_lass

ooobedoo wrote:

I had a detailed scan today, I saw my daughter yawn....awwwwww, she was also playing with her foot

AWWwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

so cute


loops

finc

sarymclary wrote:

No appetite in pregnancy apart from NEEDING vegetable soup (DS1), pear drops (DS2), oranges (DS3), more oranges & crunching polos (DS4), but I was 2 stone lighter after the birth (however see pt.14 above).

OMG I craved oranges when pregnant with my son. I must have eaten 8 a day for about 4 months. I couldn't get enough of them :eek:

Cravings are supposed to mean you're lacking in something or other and it's your body's way of telling you. Wonder what oranges mean (def not vitamin C with the amount I ate)

abijanzo

Oh My Gosh!
I've just found out I'm pregnant again and read the first page of this thread! BAD MOVE LOL. I aonly had my first DD less than 2 yrs ago and I'd forgoten some of that stuff already...blocked it out no doubt. I have after pains to look forward to then now - oh joy!
One thing I know for sure is that epidurals are sent from heaven and had I not already been married I would have proposed to my aneasthatist on the spot!

ooobedoo

What am I lacking when I 'just like a nice slice of cake' 'OOOOH MAN I LOVE THE CAKE':j :j :j :j :j

Christmasshopper

ooobedoo wrote:

erm....is 6 months pregnant a normal time for milk starting to come through...I think I am going to have to start wearing breastpads soon.....I'm only 26 weeks!!!!!

This happened to me and I bought washable breast pads to save money. Several weeks later my washing machine started to flood all over the floor. The washing machine engineer found a mangled breast pad stuck somewhere in the workings of the washing machine. It cost me £60 for the call-out fee.

clairehi

loopy_lass wrote:

<<< sits wondering if they have these kinds of carryings on in third world countries >>> little uns seem to know what they are supposed to do once born & find the milk....

wonder what the difference is.........


MMmmm perhaps i should get out more instead of pondering strange things ....


loops

Loops, not all babies are born with the instinct to suck. premature babies often arent. my first baby, who was full term, would not latch on immediately after birth and then slept almost continually for 2 days (difficult labour). we kept waking him up to feed but had great difficulty in interesting him in latching on. it took at least 4 days before he would feed succesfully from both sides. BF him until 12 months old.

second baby popped out, looked around the room for an hour and then latched on first time, fed for 45 mins no problem! He was BF until 9 months old when the milk supply could not longer keep up.

ooobedoo

All I have now is the mental image of that fake breast in meet the f**kers....