Don't listen to the Debbie Downer's/Negative Nancy's! GOOD LORD this is long.. sorry!

KRISTA555 · July 2010

I know people have had awful birth experiences/PP depression, milk supply issues, etc. I get that. But you always hear those stories, maybe because they are more interesting than the happy stories, I dunno.. but...I just wanted to encourage you guys.....

You all know that during pregnancy, everyone and their mother tells you "hehe sleep now!" or "you'd better get ready!" etc. etc, which is so annoying, because of course, you're not an idiot and you know that babies are hard work. Who doesn't know that babies keep you up at night?

But I wanted to counteract some of the negative, annoying comments you're hearing and tell you that you might get really lucky like we did!

I'm a first time mom, and my labor/delivery was fast and easy. I'm not gonna say it was totally comfortable, but it was WAY better than I was expecting. The Dr's and nurses were awesome, and I would honestly say that it was a pleasant experience. 10 days PP, and I am completely back to normal. I have zero pain, even though I had a 2nd degree tear. Heck even right after delivery, I was a little uncomfortable, but I would never say it was really painful.

LO has been a dream. She is so easy-going and contented. She has only kept us up all night 2 nights, and that was because of gas right after she was born. Now that we know how to treat it effectively, she sleeps great. Last night she slept for 5 hours, woke up and ate for 20 minutes, and then slept again for another 3 hours. I'm getting more sleep now than I did during pregnancy! Sleeping on my belly= yessss

Breastfeeding hasn't been as hard as I was expecting. It took about 3 days for she and I to get really good at latching her on, but now that we've developed our own technique, my nipples are not sore at all, and breastfeeding is basically painless. I went into it not really having any confidence, but now that LO is gaining weight and isn't fussy, I feel really good about it. If she's happy, I'm happy. (on a sidenote: My nipples hurt pretty bad those first 3 days.. but they are totally healed now... so don't give up if you have nipple pain. If you learn the proper latch, the pain goes away!)

DH and I are still able to go and do things. We do have to plan ahead more, of course, but you don't have to be trapped in the house. As long as you keep LO cool in this summer heat, in the shade, and are able to feed him/her while you're out, you can basically do whatever you want. I was really apprehensive about going out, but it's been much easier than I thought. That's what an udder cover is for.

My sex drive is completely back! I can't wait for the 6 weeks to be up!

DH and I are more in love with each other now than I can imagine. We're tired, yes, but we are so in love with our baby girl that being tired is ok. It's a happy tired.

Anyway, I just wanted to tell you not to worry about the people who want to comment on how tired you'll be, and how you'll never be free again, blah blah blah. I know some people have colicky babies, etc., and I understand the frustration there, but don't let them get you down. Having a baby is awesome, and there's no reason to worry ahead of time about having a bad experience. You never know, you might get really lucky and have everything go really smoothly!

GL to each of you and I can't wait to see your beautiful baby pics!

TeamReed · July 2010

SO nice to hear! Glad you all are doing so well!

lknudsen · July 2010

I think you're my new favourite person.

Thanks for the cheer!

Celtic Ember · July 2010

THANK YOU. And your LO is adorable, congratulations!

RitaT22 · July 2010

So great to hear such a positive story! Thanks!

CamFam · July 2010

I wish there was a "like" feature for this post, Facebook-style. Smile

Love this post! Thanks!

sschwege · July 2010

Thank you SO much for posting this! And congratulations, your baby is a doll!

rosewatermegs · July 2010

People are so quick to tell you all the bad stuff so this was nice to hear and it gives me confidence!

Thanks!!

MrsMommyQ · July 2010

This just made my night! Thanks and much continued happiness to you and your LO!!

etessler · July 2010

LOVE reading this -- thank you so much for sharing!

stankygroove · July 2010

This post is awesome!!! Thanks so much for taking the time to write all that. You just totally put my mind at ease and I read the entire post to my husband who wants me to tell you that he loves what you wrote and wants your address so he can send you flowers!

ckettenb · July 2010

Thanks for sharing!!

It's def good to hear positive stories!!

reneepruitt · July 2010

Yes thank you for sharing! I needed to hear that tonight!

greener_beaner · July 2010

Thanks for sharing your story! It's nice to hear just how great it can turn out especially this late in the game. Big Smile

Your daughter is adorable by the way!!

AGmomof3 · July 2010

Preach it sister! - lol

Just to add, I've had two wonderful, rather easy deliveries (hoping for a third) and fab. babies, one that even slept through the night at the hospital (yeah, well the nurses yelled at me for that - lol)! It can happen. I've been high risk for all my pregnancies and was delighted with healthy babies. I DID go in rather expecting the worst - at least the first time - and was SO pleasantly surprised.

Everyone will have bumps or hiccups, but you are so right, with a positive attitude and a willingness to roll with it, it can be absolutely wonderful!

Also, it is so true that even if the experience isn't EVERYTHING you hoped, you do forget most of it as soon as your LO is put into your arms.

Nickeyh · July 2010

Thanks for that! I think many of us needed to hear it!

edenrivers · July 2010

Thank you thank you for posting this, it made my day!

ougrad1 · July 2010

You do realize that you're in the easy phase now, right? Glad everything is going well for you.

hils210 · July 2010

This is a GREAT post! I had a very similar experience with my first baby and hoping for another one and this is so nice to read:) Congrats on your beautiful daughter!

rexandbrooke · July 2010

Thank you so much for this post!!! It's making me feel a lot more confident about this baby thing!!! And your little girl is absolutely adorable!!!

Yules · July 2010

Easy phase or not, us first timers need to hear more stories like this one. Yes

taratru · July 2010

I think that's a very sweet thing to share.

However, it's not all that common, so you are very lucky. Smile

monaclemere · July 2010

ougrad1:

You do realize that you're in the easy phase now, right? Glad everything is going well for you.

Some people just don't know when to quit!!!

Anyway...Thanks for posting such a positive experience! It's great to hear that things can go well and be enjoyable, instead of all the horror stories everyone likes to throw at you!

kasb · July 2010

Thank you so much for posting this! It has lifted my spirits!

seriouslysarah · July 2010

THANK YOU!!!!!!!

thatlauragirl · July 2010

Thanks for taking the time to post this - it's a breath of fresh air. And congrats on your little girl: she is just precious!!!

No Longer ERL · July 2010

She is adorable...Congrats! Thanks for taking time to post it is a breath of fresh air

ougrad1 · July 2010

monaclemere:
ougrad1:

You do realize that you're in the easy phase now, right? Glad everything is going well for you.

Some people just don't know when to quit!!!

Anyway...Thanks for posting such a positive experience! It's great to hear that things can go well and be enjoyable, instead of all the horror stories everyone likes to throw at you!

Please do share what you meant by this.

ariel06 · July 2010

Congrats on your beautiful little girl! As a 2nd time momma, I can definatly say I had some challenges in the beginning. But the thing I will remember this time around is to enjoy the little things. Time goes by way too fast. Enjoy it!

Skruffy · July 2010

taratru:
I think that's a very sweet thing to share.
However, it's not all that common, so you are very lucky.

My first thought was that she is on vicodin

heh. But seriously, very nice post and I'm sure it's comforting to many people

emmavenus77 · July 2010

Thank you for posting this!!! You LO is so freakin cute! I love that smile on her face and that bow is just darling

kamirae · July 2010

Thank you so much for sharing!

BullsBride2009 · July 2010

Thank you for such a refreshing post!

Your LO is absolutely adorable!! Congrats!

nikiz628 · July 2010

It's about time there was a positive person on here lol. It makes me feel so much better, even if it isn't a common thing! It's nice to hear that there is a chance that things could be smooth. My niece was a breeze for my sister...never had a bad night from the day they brought her home and I can only hope for a similar experience! Congratulations on your beautiful baby!!

June2007 · July 2010

ougrad1:
You do realize that you're in the easy phase now, right? Glad everything is going well for you.

LOL I was thinking the same thing! OP I hope things keep going so wonderfully!

heatheruby · July 2010

I don't usually post on the tri boards, but thank you for this! I think it really is a matter of perspective too. I mean having a positive attitude can go a long way with all of this stuff. Yeah... I know it's going to be hard, but sometimes I really do get sick of all the negative stories. Someone just give me hope! Thanks for doing that!

PubStar09 · July 2010

lknudsen:
I think you're my new favourite person.

Thanks for the cheer!

THIS!

I'm bookmarking this thread so if I get down on myself after labor, I'll come back and read this again.

lindseyjane03 · July 2010

Thank you for this amazing post! You are totally an uplifter! You baby is absolutely adorable! Gorgeous!

haleybeth81 · July 2010

I agree that everyone is different but I also think it's good to hear that it's not going to be easy. I kept hearing how I was doing something wrong b/c DD#1 was a fussy baby, I had PPD, and she was slow with her gross motor skills development. That said it's worth it no matter how hard it is.

haleybeth81 · July 2010

monaclemere:
ougrad1:

You do realize that you're in the easy phase now, right? Glad everything is going well for you.

Some people just don't know when to quit!!!

Anyway...Thanks for posting such a positive experience! It's great to hear that things can go well and be enjoyable, instead of all the horror stories everyone likes to throw at you!

Um you do realize she's right though. Most babies are still very sleepy the first week of life. That doesn't mean that her DD won't be a very easy baby (I hope so for everyone because it does help when you get sleep) but you really won't know until LO is a bit older. Also most people who tell you the bad stories are just telling you what happened to them. None of us said "Hey I want a really bad birth story so I can scare the crap out of the newbies or I want a kid that doesn't STTN till 14 mo". Most moms who are telling you the horror stories are just trying to give you a heads up because they might not have gotten one (some do it just to be mean but most are trying to help). Hopefully everyone gets the birth story they want, can bf/ff easily, and have an easy LO. If you don't then you at least know that you're not alone and there is someone who's been there before you and might have some tips.