Pregnancy's Best Kept Secrets

immoral_angeluk

*That's I'd bleed like I'd been murdered for 3 straight weeks afterwards
*That the placenta would be HUGE and ugly
*That babies first poo would look like tar and smell like pure death
*That however 'natural' and 'right' breastfeeding was.. that in fact it's not as easy to do as it's made out and I shouldn't have felt like a failure because I couldn't manage to feed her.
*That I'd scream like a woman possessed and make all sorts of noises I had no physical control over
*But.. it'd all be forgotten the very second that I saw my beautiful little girl in my arms..

Can't wait to do it all again in January!

Becles

[quote=immoral_angeluk*That_the_placenta_would_be_HUGE and ugly
[/quote]

That's just reminded me of something!

When I had my first baby, I was put in a small 4 bed ward as I had to stay in hospital for a couple of days.

Later that day, a lady was brought to go in the bed opposite. She'd had a terrible labour and lost a lot of blood, so they got her into bed and spent ages setting up drips with fluid, blood and other monitors to keep an eye on her. Someone had the placenta in a plastic bag, and it had been dumped on the table that goes over the bed and forgotten about.

She had to buzz and get the nurse to come and take it away, because it was making both her and me feel sick seeing it sitting there

Cullumpster

Another thing about your boobs that they don't tell you is that they start to resemble beef burgers !!!!I walked around for 9 mths with a big mac in each bra cup !!!:rotfl:

gelato_cat

Beef burgers?! How so?

Suze

Cullumpster wrote:

Another thing about your boobs that they don't tell you is that they start to resemble beef burgers !!!!I walked around for 9 mths with a big mac in each bra cup !!!:rotfl:

brazilia_2

wow im actually really scared now lol! so whats the best pain relief in labour??
ive got till april to read all your lovely experiences untill i have my own!

sarymclary

brazilia wrote:

wow im actually really scared now lol! so whats the best pain relief in labour??
ive got till april to read all your lovely experiences untill i have my own!

Surrogacy!!

Failing that, general anaesthesia.

And failing that, a full spinal block.

After that, there's generally going to be some pain. Actually, when I say some, consider passing a bowling ball out of a small orifice and you've got the idea, but the amazing thing is (and so many ladies on here have reiterated this point) you forget it the moment your baby is born.

There are option along the way. Your decision will depend upon how well you are near your delivery date, presentation of the baby (breech, posterior etc), blood pressure, etc. If you're OK, and baby's OK most mum's would recommend trying to stay mobile, use different positions during labour to ease the pain (I found kneeling facing the head of the bed, or sat on the edge of the bed with my feet on a chair great).

Have a realistic birthplan. Discuss pain relief with your midwife and at parentcraft classes. Join the NCT classes, as these are often a great source of info and support before and after birth.

I've not had an epidural, as my friends put me off with stories of dreadful backpain afterwards, and ones that didn't work quite right, however I opted for a spinal block for a section with baby No.3.
I had pethidine with baby No.1 which I hated. I felt totally out of control, but not without the pain. I can only liken it to that date rape drug where you're not able to move but aware of what's going on around you, but you're unable to open your eyes or speak. Very scary.
Only gas and air with babies No.2 and No.4, and that was just enough to take the edge off it, but still feeling in control and not at all out of it. Babies were much perkier after birth too, and latched on to feed within minutes of delivery.

Good luck, and remember, if it were really that bad would any of us have more than 1 child? Try to be realistic, expect it to be uncomfortable, painful whatever, but remember it really is a very natural thing, and the midwives are invariably wonderful, ecouraging and calm - even if you're not!

Good luck!!

Becles

brazilia wrote:

wow im actually really scared now lol! so whats the best pain relief in labour??
ive got till april to read all your lovely experiences untill i have my own!

It's a different type of pain to any that you've ever experience before!

Before I had my first, I was scared as I was the only serious pain I'd been through was appendicitis. I was in horrendous pain and was drugged up on morphine as there was a queue for theatre. It was a really negative experience and I imagined labour would be like that.

However, I'm not going to tell you it does hurt, as it it does hurt like hell. The difference being is for some reason your body understand that it's a constructive pain, and each pain is a step nearer to meeting your baby. If you focus on that last sentence, it's far better pain relief than drugs - mind over matter and all that!

I had pethedine with my first, but didn't like it as I was woozy and baby was quite sleepy when he was born. I had gas and air too.

With my second I just had the gas and air, but it made me vomit that time. I was close to delivery then, so no time for alternatives, so I had nothing at all. That baby was perkier and I breastfed him shortly after giving birth.

I managed to cope fine with the pain and it was nothing like having my appendix out.

Baby 3 is due in May, and I'm planning on just gas and air again.

Cullumpster

Suzey wrote:

Beef burgers?! How so?

Suze

Sorry i meant my nipples :rotfl:

alwaysonthego_2

Why did nobody tell me not to have gas and air when travelling in a ambulance at fast speed would make me throw up much to the discust of the two paramedics, midwife and hubby (I had cravings for garlic)

Why wasn't I told that when my milk came in that I would loose my centre of gravity and topple over (my boobs were like over riped melons) and that milk squirts out like a fountain if your mishevious its fun to squirt your partner

It stings like mad to have a wee even if you havent had stiches

You dont sleep for a couple of days, the midwife said it was the bodies instinct of ensuring the baby does not starve

Shamlay

Oh, what a laugh I've had reading this thread..... and how times have changed in some ways, but not in others!

I think my biggest shock was in the Dr Mirriam Stoppard book of Pregnancy & Childbirth (I'm talking the 1985 edition.... dunno if it's still around?), it said "on the third day after birth the milk comes in". That's it - end of subject.... what it failed to mention was that I'd wake up that morning to find my boobs started just below my chin, finished somewhere around my belly button and met up round the back.... and they were rock hard! Try latching a baby onto an over inflated balloon and you'll get an idea of the job in hand! And then to cap it all, once the baby was eventually latched on, (I swear she had razor blades in her mouth), the other breast came out in sympathy.... like niagra falls!