When I was pregnant with my first child, my mom told me a few things that she said would never show up in any book. I thought she was crazy, because there are so many books, and “What to Expect When Your Expecting” talks about everything….or so I thought. My mom told me things that I had never heard or read before, so I’m happy to share a few of these tidbits of information with you.
When you watch a show or movie and someone goes into labor, they almost always have their water break and then go to the hospital. This is no where near how things actually happen. You may be having contractions for hours before your water actually breaks, if it breaks at all. With two of my children I had to have my water broken at the hospital. In the movies there is one little gush of water and that is it. Guess what? Not the truth! The water keeps going…and going…and going. With my first child, my water broke and I stood in the bathtub for hours before I had to go the hospital….and the drive to the hospital was the longest drive ever, because every contraction caused more water. Very gross. My grandmother had told me to get some bladder control pads to wear if my water broke, I thought she was crazy, but I’m SO glad I had them otherwise I would have been a mess after the 20 minute drive. Not something I was expecting, but something I tell every one of my friends when they have their first child. Also, just because your water breaks does not mean you have to go to the hospital right then. Although you should call your doctor to tell them what is going on, if your contractions are not consistent and close together, chances are you will be staying at home for awhile. Get something to eat while you are waiting, you never know how long you’ll be in labor and once you get to the hospital they won’t let you eat!
Labor is just labor…and everyone is different, every pregnancy is different. My first son was easy, my water broke, no contractions, 10 hours from the time my water broke to the time he was born. It was very easy. My daughter was stubborn and I had to be induced. This isn’t as bad as I thought. I had a babysitter lined up for my son and everything was planned. When my youngest was born, I had been in pre-term labor for months. I had contractions since I was five months along. My contractions had been bad enough that I went to hospital, thinking they would send me home again. After they checked me, they said I was dilated to 8 and had to be put in a room right away. He was born in no time. You just never know how your labor will be.
The next day is something that I was luckily ready for, because my mom warned me. Books will tell you to expect a baby bump still after the baby is born, but they don’t tell you that the skin that is there will be a goopy, mushy mess. My stomach reminded me of a bowl of Jell-O that had been stirred. It was mushy and lumpy. It makes sense because that big baby was in there and of course the skin can’t go back to “normal” right away. Lots of new mommies don’t know about this and it freaks them out. Just bring some of your maternity clothes to go home in, you’ll want the big tummy and comfortable feel. Please don’t think you’ll leave the hospital in some cute pre-pregnancy sized clothes you have had pushed to the back of the closet. It will take you some time before those will fit you again.
Those are a few of my findings through my three pregnancies, the things you aren’t expecting that really would have freaked me out….if I hadn’t been warned. Don’t ever rely on what you see on television!
