Walk me through delivery and immediate postpartum
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Anonymous
1. My water never broke on its own with either pregnancy. I was told to call when contractions were strong enough to interrupt a sentence for more than an hour. With my second, I was induced at 41 weeks. 2. My first one was born in a birth center. When we arrived, we were settled into our room. I don't remember a ton about it, I was in pretty active labor by the time we got there. When I was induced with my second, I got an epidural at 6cm. I was trying to go without because it was not difficult for me the first time, but pitocin contractions are different. 3. Long phone charger cord. Good pillow. Chapstick. 4. With first one, no one told me I had to stop having snacks. I wasn't interested in food during labor though. With my second, I had dinner the night before I was induced and then nothing until after she was born later that evening, but that was mostly because I wasn't interested in food. 5. My second was born at Sibley and I never saw a LC despite asking. I ended up with a cracked nipple from poor positioning, but I saw the Breastfeeding Center people after getting home and they helped. I highly recommend them for basically everything. 6. Hospital let us take pretty much whatever we wanted associated with the baby herself. We came home with some diapers and the blanket and hat, but I don't think we brought much else. I already had Depends at home based on my first birth and was pretty keen to just get out of there. 7. Pelvic floor damage is not exclusive to vaginal delivery. Pregnancy itself is very hard on pelvic floor. Pelvic floor therapy SHOULD be part of routine postpartum care but isn't. If you can afford it and need it, go for it! Ditto postpartum therapy, though you might find a group more useful than an individual therapist since so much of the emotional adjustment is related to normalizing our own experiences and one person is less equipped to do that than 10 women all going through the same stuff at the same time. 8. I took no classes before. Neither did my husband. I preferred to get my information from reading and talking to my doctors. My husband is kind of freaked out by bodies in general and basically said that the less he knew about it, the better he'd be able to support me, and he was right about that! |
Anonymous
| At my 37 week appointment the doc was like, you are in labor go to l and d triage. I had no idea! So in the last few weeks be prepared in terms of your go bag and car seat bc I definitely was not. |
Anonymous
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I'll add --
-the thing I needed the most practical help with was figuring out how to work the damn car seat. Get an experienced parent or a professional to show you. -postpartum bleeding (literally) stinks; there's a weird smell for a while. -there is ZERO shame in asking the nurse to take the baby to the nursery so you can sleep (if the hospital has one -- even the "baby friendly" ones usually do, it's just not advertised). I wish I had. |
Anonymous
Good luck OP! Ask all the questions you want. It's good to be as prepared as you can. I was amazed (shocked) at how hard it was to take care of an infant. They don't sleep/eat/poop well sometime and it can feel like you are failing as a mom (hormones.) |
Anonymous
| Love that you asking all these questions. |
Anonymous
You need to get help with the carseat or commit to putting aside a few hours to read read the stupid manual along with the portion of your car manual that talks about car seats, preferably way before you are heavily pregnant because bending in half fiddling with the f**king carseat with a huge belly is not fun. |
Anonymous
OP here. Thank you! Oh gosh, I haven't even gotten to the newborn/infant question stage yet. Learning to try and give grace and not impose restrictions on myself - seems to be a lesson here and on the blogs. |
Anonymous
Op here. Thank you! Re: all the carseat posters - I have heard so many things about the carseat. Wrapping my head around infant w/ stroller versus convertible w/ no stroller, whether to order it now or put on registry, and then sounds like deal with the install. Yeesh. Thank you for the further insight on that piece (and the fact that I should ask to bring it up to the delivery room!). |
Anonymous
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- How long after water breaking did you go to the hospital? By mistake really, I went to work. I had been given a suppository for a vaginal infection and the gushing, I thought it was the suppository (6 weeks early). So probably 10 hrs after water broke I was at the hospital. They said they would not allow labor to go more than 24 hrs after water breaks. C section.
I came with nothing in particular. You'll want the obvious - cell phone & charger, something to wear home. Didn't breast feed. There are some of us that don't and it's ok. |
Anonymous
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- How long after water breaking did you go to the hospital? Or, how long did you labor at home?
My water broke only with #3. Your doctor will give your guidelines on timing contractions & when to go to the hospital. - What happens when you get there? Immediate epidural if you chose a medicated birth? You can choose when to get an epidural. My contractions were strong enough that I wanted an epidural asap. It took some time for an anesthesiologist to be available. I was also able to push a button to control the level of the epidural. My suggestion is to keep it low enough that you can feel the contractions. For my first, the epidural got so strong that I couldn't feel the pushing, which made that stage really hard to deal with. - What unusual items did you bring with you that were a life saver? I'll second a PP's suggestion for sugary beverages. I had lemonade & fruit punch. Also, lots of drinks & fortifying snacks for after the birth. I ate the hospital dinner AND take-out dinner AND was still snacking all night (nuts, crackers, cookies, etc.). I've never felt hungrier in my life. Otherwise, pack light: chargers, devices, something for you & baby to wear home. - At what point do you have to stop with snacks and start with ice chips? I ate snacks while laboring with #1 and that was a huge mistake. I vomited and felt terrible. Sugary beverages only the next time. Even if you don't usually drink that sort of thing, you will want the easy energy. - Was the lactation consultant at the hospital enough? Was a follow-up lactation consultant useful? Was the LC in addition to a doula or was this a combo pack? I got the help I needed in the hospital. You might want to research LCs in your area ahead of time so you can call them if you need additional help. - What did your hospital give you? Diapers, underwear etc. Take the huge pads, disposable undies, and a squirt peri bottle home. You'll appreciate them. - How many had night nurse/doula help at home? Pros/cons? I didn't. It was tiring but I just wanted time with my baby and immediate family. I definitely wouldn't have wanted someone else around. For me, even extended family felt more intrusive than helpful in the early days. - Pelvic floor therapy? Yes/no/recs. What is the equivalent for a C-section? I would just follow up as needed in your postnatal check-ups. Know that you can get help if you needed. You do not need to suffer with issues that might come up. There are many options for physical therapy and other interventions. - Post-partum therapy? Is this a specialist? Again, follow up as needed with your obgyn in postnatal check-ups. Please don't hesitate to ask for help. If you have a history of mental health challenges, please make a plan ahead of time. - What classes did you take before? What is there for DHs that is helpful? I took a basic childcare class and a childbirth class. The childbirth class was sort of harmful honestly. It was very crunchy and I was not prepared for the possibility of an emergency c-section. I felt guilty about needing a c-section, rather than simply informed about this life-saving possibility. - local parent groups? baby and me classes? I loved baby & me yoga and barre classes. I would also add that a huge thing to prepare for is the inevitability of surprises. There are so many different ways the birth can unfold and your new baby will be its own unpredictable little human. It is impossible to prepare perfectly and there will be things you can't control. So when there are twists and complications, don't feel guilty. Seek the help you need and be kind to yourself. Your best may not always feel good enough to you, and that's ok. |
Anonymous
| Take a class. Preferably one that is somehow associated with the hospital where you’ll be delivering. But mechanics of labor and delivery (e.g. when your water breaks) varies widely. |
Anonymous
PP. I've had a couple. The Chicco Keyfit is great. The base is easy to install, the seat pops out, and it will probably fit your baby to 12 months+. It also installs easily (without the base) into a taxi. |
Anonymous
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Anonymous
WE USED THE INFANT SEAT FOR 6 MOS. IT'S A PAIN IN THE ASS. I WOULD JUST GET A CONVERTIBLE AND USE A BABY CARRIER UNTIL YOUR BABY CAN SIT UP IN AN UMBRELLA STORY. OBVS DIFFERENT STORY IF YOU HAVE $$$$$ |
Anonymous
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