Silly Questions Thread (ask a STM+) 4/20

bluejeanbabi05

AKA ask a STM+, take two. 

The other thread was buried and pretty long. I don't want anyone to feel like they can't ask their burning question because they don't want to wade through that thread! (I do hope nothing is actually burning.)

edited the title because we probably don't want actual random questions, lol.

bluejeanbabi05

Aaaaand I'll go and ask my stupid question.

Is your uterus always right in the midline of your body? Should it be right under my belly button? Because I feel it on my left side, which is also where I hear LO's hb, but I'm second guessing myself. 

tyannej

They found my LO's HB a little to the right, I think everyone is different. I've also been told that my uterus was harder to find pre pregnancy. I mean they have no issues now of course but I'm interested to see other replies on this! 

beezeee

@bluejeanbabi05 I have no idea but I noticed this morning that my uterus was more prominent on the right today. I'm pretty sure the uterus is in the middle, but baby could be off to one side of the uterus.

bluejeanbabi05

@beezeemarie that could be it! It feels lumpier on my left than my right.

eta to fix tag

joforyoga

bluejeanbabi05 said:

Aaaaand I'll go and ask my stupid question.

Is your uterus always right in the midline of your body? Should it be right under my belly button? Because I feel it on my left side, which is also where I hear LO's hb, but I'm second guessing myself. 

I don't know if it's alwaysnin the center but I know it's not always under your belly button. When you are not pregnant it's super low down below your pubic bone and only starts to rise up as it expands with pregnancy.

ForwardnBackward

@bluejeanbabi05 I'm sure it can tilt certain ways but it's probably more or less centered.  Definitely the baby location can make it more pronouced and lopsided.

ForwardnBackward

Silly question because I can't remember myself.  There comes a time when sleeping flat on your back isn't recommended because the baby and uterus can rest of the big blood vessels (lower aorta maybe?) And compromise blood flow or something I can't remember exactly.  I think it was only when we really start to bump... maybe after 20ish weeks? Anyone recall?

acnd08

SOMEBODY please tell me how bad your lady business is after pushing one of these little creatures out! I have seen some gnarly, messed up "situations" at work and it terrifies me. Ones I thought we probably needed to pray over and bless before leaving the room! 

ForwardnBackward

@acnd08 I didn't really look at it post partum... but it felt pretty awful for a couple weeks and that first bowel movement was so scary

sdarling2010

@bluejeanbabi05 at my last midwife appointment she said the uterus is about 2-3 fingertips below the belly button. Sometimes it feels like it's right under it though. It's probably a general thing and different for everyone. 

tyannej

@acnd08 I'm there with you, I've never seen one post partum but I'm afraid of what happens to it.

shan24

@ForwardnBackward I was *just* wondering it myself!  I can't remember for the life of me!

@acnd08 I probably had the gnarliest of gnarly lady bits after. I didn't look then, but they went back to normal soon enough!

TallMomma29

I had tears and stitches with my first, and never looked because I was worried about being scarred for life at the sight of my frakenvagina but everything went back to norma fairly quickly!  Then with the second baby (way bigger) I didn't even tear.... still feels normal!  

JessDG

Thanks for starting another one of these!  Am I allowed to use regular sunscreen and bug spray?  Was planning on asking the doc Monday but I forgot.  Anything with the chemicals that are bad to have?

dumbledoredies

@ForwardnBackward Please tell me why the first bowel movement was terrifying. Not because I'm a creep but because I'm genuinely interested. Were you afraid everything was going to fall out?

monstera13

Has anyone had trouble keeping their prenatal vitamins down? I took them successfully for the first few months (and while TTC) but lately I vomit every time. It doesn't matter if I take them with a meal, or right before bed. It'll wake me up in the night needing to puke. Any suggestions? 

JessDG

@jessirh.  Mine are gummies.   They are delicious.  I look forward to eating them haha. 

beezeee

@dumbledoredies because everything down there is so raw and sore, causing it to be super painful. Also, you may have hemorrhoids from pushing baby out. And you're not really supposed to push it out, you just kind of have to wait for it to fall out.

In my experience, the anticipation of the first bowel movement was way worse than it actually was, though.

monstera13

@JessDG Oh I didn't know there were gummies! I'll have to check those out. Thanks 

dajocl

@dumbledoredies It's bad because it's almost like you're having a poop baby.

@ForwardnBackward Yes, 20 weeks. I'm dreading the day. Ha. 

dajocl

@jessirh The only issue with the gummies ones is that they don't typically (I don't know if any that do) have iron, so that can be an issue for some people. I took them my whole first pregnancy and never had any iron issues but I know people who did. 

dumbledoredies

@beezeemarie @dajocl I don't want to have a poop baby. It's raw? And sore? I can't do this anymore

dajocl

@dumbledoredies Just take all the stool softeners that they give you. They will save your life. And drink sooooo much water. Those are your only chance. You can totally do it, you just may want to cry and little bit, and that's totally okay. Haha

TallMomma29

Yes, the anticipation is way worse than the actual pooping.  Since I had tearing and didn't take it easy the first few nights at home I was in a lot of pain for about a week.  It was really hard to work up the willpower to just try to sit on the toilet at all.  I finally pooped for the first time on Day 6 (technically early morning Day 7) and woke my husband up at 3am to tell him and he gave me a high five.     

dumbledoredies

You didn't poop for a week? That sounds horrifying. 

So I'll make sure I take all the stool softeners and down a bunch of water. But between this and being afraid of pooping while actually giving birth I think I'm more terrified of all the poop then I am of actually pushing a baby out of my vagina. Logic.

dajocl

@dumbledoredies The baby hurts sooooo much worse. But then it's like you've torn your body up with the baby and then you have to poop and it's like pouring salt on a wound. And keep taking the stool softeners when you leave, I was given a prescription for them, I don't know if that's standard but it should be. I tried to stop taking them a few days in and immediately regretted it and started taking them again. Just remember to get dermoplast in the hospital too, they should give you one or two spray cans of it. Life changer. 

dumbledoredies

@dajocl What is dermoplast?

dajocl

@dumbledoredies Numbing spray for all the pain in the lady bits. 

VLillyV

@JessDG i think we're supposed to avoid a chemical in sunscreen called oxybenzone because it causes low birth weight and some other issues?  Don't know about bug spray though!

bluejeanbabi05

@jessdg coming from someone living in Zika Central, my OB has assured me that bug sprays are more than ok!

acnd08

Dermaplast, Tucks Pads, Epifoam, a healing ceremony, and a deal with the devil and I *might* poop. *Might*. 

monstera13

dumbledoredies said:

You didn't poop for a week? That sounds horrifying. 

So I'll make sure I take all the stool softeners and down a bunch of water. But between this and being afraid of pooping while actually giving birth I think I'm more terrified of all the poop then I am of actually pushing a baby out of my vagina. Logic.

This. This is me exactly. I'm not afraid of the birth but I have stupid fears about pooping during it, and what happens after 

nbcarlson

ForwardnBackward said:

@acnd08 I didn't really look at it post partum... but it felt pretty awful for a couple weeks and that first bowel movement was so scary

Yes! I had a c-section so the pain meds made it so much worse. I'm going to ask my dr if I can start taking stool softners before I go in. I doubt it though because you can never take anything before a surgery

acnd08

Let me calm your fears about the pooping during delivery - we don't care. We just wipe it away and I don't think the majority of women even know. I mean I do have some stories, but nobody would really appreciate me telling those! Just know most people, if they do it, it's very little and it's wiped away before most even know it ever happened. 

beezeee

@dumbledoredies @jessirh trust me, you will not care one bit about pooping during labor when the time comes, and you probably won't even know if it happens. 3 years later, and I have no clue whether I did or not.

TallMomma29

I totally pooped during my first labor.  I was so worried about that before labor, and then in the moment I snort laughed about it.  Like OF COURSE I would spray poop while trying to push. This is why I don't get all the talk about having a "beautiful birth experience."   There is nothing beautiful about it.  It's also kind of awesome in spite of all the grossness, and of course getting a baby at the end is AMAZING, but there is a lot of gross involved.  In the moment it's somehow not as horrifying as it seems in the abstract though!  I think bc the excitement of getting to see your baby cancels out some of the "OMG WHAT IS HAPPENING??"

carries2018

Sunscreen. Bug spray. I use it all. 

Back sleeping anxiety is already setting in and when I lay on my back I can feel my uterus crushing my spine. So I quit that. But I'm a stomach sleeper I don't wanna get too big for that. 

Can only speak to post csection poop. Whilst you are not raw. You feel like with every SLIGHT push your stitches are going to pop and your guts will spill out. 

jasmuin

Dermoplast is a must!  I would ask for an extra can before you leave the hospital. You can buy it at Walgreens but there are a few different types so you have to be careful. I accidentally grabbed the wrong kind for my sister...i just grabbed the same color can the hospital had given her... well it was for burns and actually was really painful when she used it. I felt so bad! 

wittyacronym

@ForwardnBackward: back sleeping is completely individualized. I'm a stomach/side sleeper typically but when I asked my OB she said when you can't sleep on your back you will know. I felt short of breath and very in uncomfortable. And it wasn't until my 3rd Tri. But everyone is different. 

shan24

I agree with the others about the stool softeners and the water. I had a 4th degree tear (so my bum was compromised) and the anticipation of the poop was much, much worse than the actual poop itself.