It's not all bad though, guys! You get a squishy newborn to snuggle and you don't have to get up off the couch! Not sure what I'm going to do this time around with a needy toddler..
So true @schaze. I was a miserable pregnant person. Nothing was wrong with me or my pregnancy, I just hated it. And was sure that I was a one and done. But I decided to do it again... and on purpose this time. I'll likely still hate being pregnant but that kid that came from it is pretty awesome so it'll be worth being miserable and all the oozing for a few weeks. haha
@livingoffpbjs it's not that bad. You'll be uncomfortable and maybe in pain. But you'll be so sleep deprived and distracted you won't notice that much Honestly the thing I found the worst was the intense sweating
We all decided to do it again, so it must not have been that bad! I loved being pregnant last time, I loved my labor and delivery, and only wished that I wouldn't have gotten the epidural. I don't plan to this time.
The first PP poop is the thing I am most frightened of, but everything else was really manageable!
ETA: I may be a special snowflake on this thought though.
I don't know if I'm just a sissy or what, but I bough so much stuff for PP (got all my ideas from Pinterest) and I hated most of it. The blue Dermaplast that everyone seemed to love, ya that made me cry and burned so bad. I had a VB with only two tiny stitches, but I was pathetic with the pain lol. At least my wonderful son was worth it!
My must haves were: - Depends (At least for the first week or so). I was constantly leaking something. I had a hard time controlling my bladder after birth so I would sometimes leak a bit of pee on my way to the bathroom for about the first week (which felt really great on the stitches). I decided I didn't need Depends but before I even left the hospital I begged DH to run out and buy me some. I was either filling the huge hospital pads with blood or pee every 45 minutes and it was getting all over the bed and my clothes. Not fun. Depends. Just do it. - Peri bottle. Steal them from the hospital! This is a life saver. Peeing was torture for me and this helped a little. Fill will warm water (not too hot because that hurts too) -Ice packs for in your underwear, heating pad for your stomach as it contracts and goes back to normal size. Breast feeding always triggered my contractions so the heating pad helped a bit. -Tucks -And I'm not sure what it was but the hospital gave me this foam numbing stuff that I sprayed on my pads and stuff before putting it on and that also was great. Hope to figure out what it is before I give birth.
Haha, sorry for scaring you, @livingoffpbjs! It's honestly not that bad. A little sore. A little gross. But totally manageable, and worth it (obviously!). And I agree that you'll be so sleep deprived that it's not even that noticeable!
@livingoffpbjs I'm at STM and that's my reaction too. Best GIF ever.
Yes, that's fantastic and exactly me the first time around.
I second snacks! I was SO hungry those first few weeks. Always grabbing snacks in the middle of the night when I got up. And thirsty. The water cup with the lid and bendy straw that I took home from the hospital was perfect for keeping by the bed.
Me-37, DH-38
Married in 2006, TTC #1 since Jan 2012
Baby Boy born June 1, 2015
He settles her in her home as a happy mother of children, praise the Lord! (Psalms 113:9)
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understand, will guard your heart and mind in Jesus Christ (Philippians 4:7)
I just wanted to add that having depends on hand came in handy for me before delivery because my water broke at home. It kept me from having to sit on a towel and walk into the hospital all disgusting. (Once your water breaks it doesn't really stop, at least for me).
Also don't be afraid of the pain and gross. For me DH had to remind me to take the Motrin because I was too focused on the tiny baby I was amazed with. 100% worth it.
1. Take all the mesh underwear you are given at the hospital! They are seriously the most comfortable
2. Take your stool softener, seriously!
3. Sweats, comfy leggings, pajama tops that button, robes, nursing camisoles, comfy slippers. I personally dressed in layers because one minute I'd be freezing and then sweating the next.
4. A nice, big water bottle that you can easily open while nursing.
5. Snacks, a lot of them. If you breastfeed, you start to get hangry really quick and sometimes you just don't have a chance to eat.
6. Pads: my favorite are the always radiance pads. They're foam inside and they're super light but absorb seriously so much!
7. A comfortable nursing pillow. Even if you don't breastfeed, I found it useful for bottle feeding DD
8. belly bandit. It helped provide my core some support after my c section. Without it, I felt like a rag doll. I didn't realize how much I actually use my core until post baby!
Love the gifs! Totally sum up my reaction. I was telling DH what to expect and he took it better than me. He was like okay so we'll stock up and be prepared. Glad to hear that the fatigue will make me not realize it all.....and the distracting cute baby. This is why babies are so cute.
These posts are bringing back memories of those early days, yikes!
I second all the recommendations so far.
I personally will bring a nipple shield with me to the hospital. I know they say it's a band aid and shouldn't be necessary, but if you are having issues with a painful latch, it only takes a few times BFing before your nipples are destroyed. The shield can at least help save them until you resolve the latching issue with the help of a pro.
On that note, it's good to have numbers on hand for resources you may need, such as a good lactation consultant. The hospital has them but they came the 2nd day I was there, and my nipples were already destroyed so she couldn't help me, I had to pump and bottle feed until they healed. I had to contact an LC after I was home. You need their help immediately so having their number ready will reduce stress.
I'll just add that my PP period was awful, esp those first 2 weeks or so, but I think it was bc I was not mentally prepared. I had the easiest pregnancy and a terrible time PP (vaginal birth with a looong induction and episiotomy). Besides the BFing pain and struggles, and all the soreness and bleeding, I'd also pee all over our carpet (not leaking, I mean no control whatsoever) and I didn't have depends yet, and I'd just break down crying.
As physically painful as it all sounds, it is a short time and your body heals. Hopefully just reading these posts will help FTMs to adjust their expectations!
Nothing to add but wanted to say: for all the FTMs, take note here! There is great information on this thread, albeit overwhelming. I definitely wish I had this much knowledge the first time around! Luckily our hospital was equipped with much of this, but had I known anything about anything I would have brought my own (specifically Tucks and Dermoplast--lifesavers for me!). And so glad to have you ladies as a resource; even as a STM I need reminding and also learned some things here that I never knew!
I think it might be worth noting, especially for 1st time mom's, that some people do NOT leak breast milk. And if you don't leak, nothing is necessarily wrong with you or your supply, everyone is different. I have breast fed 5 babies with out any supplementation, and have never used a breast pad, or a cabbage leaf, or a frozen whatever you ladies are talking about, or leaked thru a shirt. So you may not need those items either.
For self care afterwards the hospital usually supplies you with moist pads (the hospitals are better than the name brand IMO), mesh panties, airplane hanger pads, and the Dermaplast spray. Everything they give you is yours to keep, they also have diapers for the baby during your stay, so you don't need to pack those.
I have never heard of the depends thing before, but they may be more comfortable than the airplane hanger pads if you move around a lot. I think I'm going to try those for once i get home.
Oh, and the bleeding can last up to 6 weeks, but not everyone has it last that long, if you are breast feeding and massaging your uterus it goes much faster.
Re: Postpartum Supplies - Recommendations and Advice
I use Hypnobabies! http://www.hypnobabies-store.com/link.cgi?affiliateID=472
J18 December Siggy Challenge: Christmas Movies!
EDD: 1/6/2018
Eva Jane: 7/23/2014
J18 December Siggy Challenge: Christmas Movies
Honestly the thing I found the worst was the intense sweating
The first PP poop is the thing I am most frightened of, but everything else was really manageable!
ETA: I may be a special snowflake on this thought though.
My must haves were:
- Depends (At least for the first week or so). I was constantly leaking something. I had a hard time controlling my bladder after birth so I would sometimes leak a bit of pee on my way to the bathroom for about the first week (which felt really great on the stitches). I decided I didn't need Depends but before I even left the hospital I begged DH to run out and buy me some. I was either filling the huge hospital pads with blood or pee every 45 minutes and it was getting all over the bed and my clothes. Not fun. Depends. Just do it.
- Peri bottle. Steal them from the hospital! This is a life saver. Peeing was torture for me and this helped a little. Fill will warm water (not too hot because that hurts too)
-Ice packs for in your underwear, heating pad for your stomach as it contracts and goes back to normal size. Breast feeding always triggered my contractions so the heating pad helped a bit.
-Tucks
-And I'm not sure what it was but the hospital gave me this foam numbing stuff that I sprayed on my pads and stuff before putting it on and that also was great. Hope to figure out what it is before I give birth.
Anyone have a recommendation for a really good mattress protector? I just bought a new mattress.
J18 December Siggy Challenge: Christmas Movies
I second snacks! I was SO hungry those first few weeks. Always grabbing snacks in the middle of the night when I got up. And thirsty. The water cup with the lid and bendy straw that I took home from the hospital was perfect for keeping by the bed.
Also don't be afraid of the pain and gross. For me DH had to remind me to take the Motrin because I was too focused on the tiny baby I was amazed with. 100% worth it.
1. Take all the mesh underwear you are given at the hospital! They are seriously the most comfortable
2. Take your stool softener, seriously!
3. Sweats, comfy leggings, pajama tops that button, robes, nursing camisoles, comfy slippers. I personally dressed in layers because one minute I'd be freezing and then sweating the next.
4. A nice, big water bottle that you can easily open while nursing.
5. Snacks, a lot of them. If you breastfeed, you start to get hangry really quick and sometimes you just don't have a chance to eat.
6. Pads: my favorite are the always radiance pads. They're foam inside and they're super light but absorb seriously so much!
7. A comfortable nursing pillow. Even if you don't breastfeed, I found it useful for bottle feeding DD
8. belly bandit. It helped provide my core some support after my c section. Without it, I felt like a rag doll. I didn't realize how much I actually use my core until post baby!
I second all the recommendations so far.
I personally will bring a nipple shield with me to the hospital. I know they say it's a band aid and shouldn't be necessary, but if you are having issues with a painful latch, it only takes a few times BFing before your nipples are destroyed. The shield can at least help save them until you resolve the latching issue with the help of a pro.
On that note, it's good to have numbers on hand for resources you may need, such as a good lactation consultant. The hospital has them but they came the 2nd day I was there, and my nipples were already destroyed so she couldn't help me, I had to pump and bottle feed until they healed. I had to contact an LC after I was home. You need their help immediately so having their number ready will reduce stress.
I'll just add that my PP period was awful, esp those first 2 weeks or so, but I think it was bc I was not mentally prepared. I had the easiest pregnancy and a terrible time PP (vaginal birth with a looong induction and episiotomy). Besides the BFing pain and struggles, and all the soreness and bleeding, I'd also pee all over our carpet (not leaking, I mean no control whatsoever) and I didn't have depends yet, and I'd just break down crying.
As physically painful as it all sounds, it is a short time and your body heals. Hopefully just reading these posts will help FTMs to adjust their expectations!
For self care afterwards the hospital usually supplies you with moist pads (the hospitals are better than the name brand IMO), mesh panties, airplane hanger pads, and the Dermaplast spray. Everything they give you is yours to keep, they also have diapers for the baby during your stay, so you don't need to pack those.
I have never heard of the depends thing before, but they may be more comfortable than the airplane hanger pads if you move around a lot. I think I'm going to try those for once i get home.
Oh, and the bleeding can last up to 6 weeks, but not everyone has it last that long, if you are breast feeding and massaging your uterus it goes much faster.
older siblings: ds 16 dd 14 ds 13 dd 11 dd 7