Did you have a baby in July 2011? Isn't it hard to believe your baby is a Toddler now? Join other Moms of July 2011 Toddlers here and share all the joy you're experiencing with your little one. Ask Moms of same-age kids for advice and ideas and brag on your toddler's accomplishments!
I agree that the pitocin labor is very hard, I was convinced to have my son all natural and succeeded, but it hurt. This go round, I told my Dr. if I have to be induced I want the epidural, but if I go naturally, i will try again without. We shall see! Good Luck! OH, and did you know it is normal to poop while in labor...everything is forced out, but the nurses usually wipe and toss before anyone notices...
I know it's not for everyone, but an epidural really does take all of the pain away! I felt nothing and had the baby in no time... I was even induced (which is another controversial topic) Baby is perfect!
I can give lots of advice on both natural and c-section births as I have had both... I loved being pregnant and I loved my natural bith, the c-section not so much, but I have lots of tips if anyone has specfic questions, feel free to email me directly.
Natural Birth... things they don't warn you about... the smell of birth, it is something you aren't expecting, I wouldn't say it is bad, it is just nothing you have smelled before. If you can't get into the bath tub which is EXCELLENT for helping with contractions, then hot water pounded on your back in the shower will make you almost forget you are having them... I was in labor for 41 hours, and finally someone told me about this.. I wish I had had it for the first 20 hours, it may not have taken as long. Walking doesn't always help you progress... trust me, it may, but it doesn't always, the shower helps you relax... Be flexible... you know that plan that you have put in place... well at the last hour, it is ok to change your mind... have the drugs, give in to the pacifier, let them sleep in the nursery for an hour... a happy mom is a happy baby. Yes you might go #2 on the table... and it aweful because you know it happens, but you really don't care.... There may be LOTS of people there... some people have this image that it will be you and the doctor and your significant other... nope... With the changing of the shift... i probably saw 50 people in my room. I think 7 -10 camw in when my son's heart beat decreased suddenly, to make sure he was ok... just pinching the cord. Don't be afraid to try different positions for birthing... moving around helps loosen you up, take the advice of the doctor. An epidural takes away the pain.. but you still have a ton of pressure, which kindof hurts too, but not a way that is unbearable. At the end, when you are crowning, they call it the burning ring of fire.... for a reason!!! It is the part you don't forget.... all else, you do. When that baby comes, and you see it and you hold it in your arms, you do not know they are stitching you up or really even the after birth part... just you and baby. A love so intense a rush of happiness and love and tears... who cares about all else. PS... Walk immediately!, Speeds up recovery time, and helps shrink the belly.
C-section- Sucks.. I just had one 5 weeks ago, people who say things like "it wasn't bad.. and I loved mine" totally forgot what it was like r have nothing else to compare it with. Mine went smoothly, I was up and walking almost immediately, and had little pain... but the process was aweful.... It was frieky the way people can talk to you, and you know things are going on, but can not see them.... They say there will be some pressure as the push to get the baby out... whatever! It feels as thought the doctor is standing on your chest. I had trouble breathing because the anethesia hits your diaphram a bit and I felt panicky. You are unable to do what you want afterwards, I was told not to pick up my 2 year old until week 6... whatever, I didn't get past 2 weeks... The belly is aweful, completely numb, and now looks like I have a dunlap.. where my belly dun lap over my pubic area like a canopy.... looking forward to ridding myself of that... didn't have that after my first. Tell the doctor is it is not your last baby and if you wish to vbac.. mine double stiched so it was stronger and could take the trama of vbac.
As for baby.. every baby is different... my son loved a hat and swaddling and never took to a pacifier... my daughter hats swaddling, and a hat and requires a pacifier to calm her down. There is a website and movie called the 5 S's that helped us out..
The Happiest Baby On The Block Method for Calming Colic
ABOUT DR. KARP'S METHOD
Dr. Karp believes that babies, especially in their first few months of life, can experience "fourth trimester" issues. Babies can have a difficult time getting used to the huge amount of stimuli present in life outside of Mom's body. Their reaction to all of this is to cry and cry.
The Happiest Baby On The Block method formulated by Dr. Harvey Karp, addresses these issues by helping you learn how to effectively recreate the environment of the womb, outside of Mom's body. Once you have learned the steps, you will be able to alleviate some, if not all, of your baby's colic symptoms.
The 5 S's
There are 5 components to this method which, when used together, work amazingly well to calm your crying baby and in many cases help your baby go to sleep with no fuss.
Using cross-cultural techniques combined with his own research, Dr. Karp has developed the "five S's system". Some babies will need all five, others just a few to help induce what he calls the "calming reflex."
Swaddling - Tight swaddling provides the continuous touching and support the fetus experienced while still in Mom's womb.
Side/stomach position - You place your baby, while holding her, either on her left side to assist in digestion, or on her stomach to provide reassuring support. Once your baby is happily asleep, you can safely put her in her crib, on her back.
Shushing Sounds - These sounds imitate the continual whooshing sound made by the blood flowing through arteries near the womb. This white noise can be in the form of a vacuum cleaner, a hair dryer, a fan and so on. The good news is that you can easily save the motors on your household appliances and get a white noise CD which can be played over and over again with no worries.
Swinging - Newborns are used to the swinging motions that were present when they were still in Mom's womb. Every step mom took, every movement caused a swinging motion for your baby. After your baby is born, this calming motion, which was so comforting and familiar, is abruptly taken away. Your baby misses the motion and has a difficult time getting used to it not being there. "It's disorienting and unnatural," says Karp. Rocking, car rides, and other swinging movements all can help.
Sucking - "Sucking has its effects deep within the nervous system," notes Karp, "and triggers the calming reflex and releases natural chemicals within the brain." This "S" can be accomplished with breast, bottle, pacifier or even a finger.
Breastfeeders... if you get engorged.. use thermacare heat wraps (shoulder ones) on your boobs, it is like a constant hot shower... I had bruising on my breast the first time because I became so engorged my husband and I had to squeeze my boobs so hard I had finger prints bruised into them, one day I called the lacation specialist and she said to take hot wet towels and wrap them around my boobs. after drenching my entire front and the towels having to be redrenched ever few minutes, I thought to myslef there must be a better solution to this... and there is... thermacare heat wraps!
Momma to a 3year old beauty queen. Due with #2 in November. When i was 7 months pregnant with my little girl, I had moments of panic. Oh my god i don't want to go into labor! i was terrified because of the "war stories" of other women. They said it goes on forever and you always go past your due date. I had stated I did not want an epideral and started to panic thinking I wouldn't make it 2 hrs. with out begging for medication......Anyhow, I went 3 weeks early and was in labor for 4 hours. Pushing her out was a breeze! Contractions are no fun but, if you stay calm and recognize that a contraction lasts for about 30 seconds and you have time in between to breath. I did NOT have an epidural and am quite confident in labor/delivery of #2. JUST STAY CALM! millions of women have done it before you and come back to do it again!
Hi, i am due the same day with a little girl! My third child. I have a 6 yr old girl, a 21 mnth old boy and now another girl. I would have to say the thing no one told me is how many nurses and hospital delivery people are in your room. It's kinda bothersome. Really though, just be calm, most women i think tend to overplay how bad it is. It is not that bad. Of course you will feel a little pain, but breathing really does work. And a focal point, like a spot on the wall or ceiling is great too. Exspect hemmoroids afterwards for a while. And you will bleed for 2-4 weeks. You will think the pads the hospital gives you are way too much like a diaper, and you will want to buy smaller ones when you leave, but trust me buy the longest, widest ones you can! If you are breastfeeding, you will not sleep for the first few weeks, it is the hardest part of being a new mom. But worth it and it will get easier. Have alot of throw in the oven or microwave meals ready, you will need them. The sink is the best place to bathe baby, its easier to hold on to her and you dont have to bend over as far. Check the water with your elbow. Put the bassinet as close to your bed as possiable, chances are you'll end up sleeping with your hand on her to make sure she's breathing; new mom fear. Other than all that just listen to what your instinct tells you. Remain calm and you will be fine.
My biggest piece of advice (which is what my mom told me) is DON'T go to the hospital right when your water breaks. That's really just the starting point and it can take a looong time for baby to come after that. With me, my mucus plug dropped a week before I gave birth--that is usually a huge sign that baby is on his/her way. And my water started leaking--that's right didn't break, but was leaking--two days before I went to the hospital. I didn't even know I was in labor because I had back labor and the contractions don't come at regular intervals. The epidural did a big nothing for my pain, it was the first drug which starts with an 'r' that was my miracle. Expect to throw up, eat and drink on the way to the hospital because once you're there its ice chips which don't do a thing for you. And go to the bathroom as often as you can to avoid an even grosser mess during. Giving birth is not a pretty picture, it's a surgurical procedure your body is programmed to do. You're going to be in pain and relieving that has more to do with movement than breathing. Before you're pushing get up and walk around, if screaming makes you feel better, scream! Western civilization has made giving birth into this rote procedure and it's not, it's natural, which is rarely if ever by the book. Every pregnancy is different, every birth is different, and every woman is different, so stretch your back and walk around and relieve your pain with whatever works best for you.
The next couple of days may be exhausting, painful, and stressful. Not because of the housework, which I figured, hey I just had the equivalent to a surgical procedure, someone else can clean house! But because breastfeeding is not a natural process, it's a learned behavior. I had a 4 week early baby and at that age they haven't yet been programmed on how to suckle at the breast, that comes in at 37/38 weeks. Not to mention that my breasts were never a nice normal b/c cup, but was a g before I ever got pregnant. Having a feeding apparatus bigger than the baby you're trying to feed doesn't really work very well, especially when neither of you know what you're doing. Don't be afraid to bottle feed. Work on pumping breast milk if you can--get a good pump, not a cheapo one, and go to wic for formula.
For the following days, tho it's gross to discuss, you're going to be having the period of your life. Nine months of blood and muscle tissue don't all come out with the afterbirth and all that stomach pushing they do in the hospital. Get overnight TENA pads, some long ice packs, and a pain free spray from walgreens, and be prepared to be sore down south for a while.
You're may want to go out and buy all the last minute things you probably didn't even realize you forgot, but don't. Let somebody else do it. Your body needs rest, peace, and that little bundle. Sleep when you can, accept it when you're up at two in the morning and everyone else is asleep and you can't help but stare at the baby, it's ok. They eat at 2-2.5 hour intervals. So napping every other time with them is alright, just don't be up and around trying to get a million things done until you feel like you've got a handle on things.
Mommyhood is hard work, and while it's worth it, it's still hard work. Ask for help, accept offers to babysit--even if you're just going to stay in your room to sleep--and enjoy it. They never stop being amazing, and staring for hours while they try to lift their heads is not a silly behavior, it's your reward.
Hi there. First of all congrats! Having a baby is the greatest thing you will every do in your life. It's amazing. I am a mom of a 9 month old boy and love every minute of it. Some advice that I have for labor is do whatever makes you comfortable.Also don't be afraid to ask the nurses for anything no matter how stupid it may sound. That is what they are there for. Also take into great consideration an epideral. I was totally against it when I was thinking about my labor plan but I am so glad I got one. As for motherhood and preparing for it. Read "What to expect when expecting" it will answer any questions you may have or are just wondering about. Also if a birthing class is available it wouldn't hurt to take it. You learn a lot of information and can ask questions and not feel stupid. Also you get a lot of resources to help you before and after the birth. Hope everything goes well for you.
I wish someone had told me that bearing down and pushing could mean pushing out more than just your baby! Now I know why women took enemas just before giving birth in the old days. Embarassing! The nurse had to keep changing the mat I was lying on...my husband was watching...the whole thing was just embarassing. It only happened with my second child, but if I ever have a third I will definitely make sure to have a mild enema at the onset of labor. Good Luck!
hi moms-to-be. i'm the mom of a 17month old and expecting no.2
labour: i took a labour course and discovered alternative positions to give birth. these are not options freely given at the hospital but should you ask them, they are available (you can ask for a bar that hangs over your bed, it helps to push- some prefer to gove birth on an incline and others on all 4s.)
tears and the pain of sitting: after the epidural wore off, is when i felt the pain of my tear which was only 2 stiches. but i was in pain for a while and had to get my hubby to get me a donought to sit on
coming home: breastfeeding madness!!!! i have an overflow of milk and i only read what happens if you don't have enough. i was sore, leaking. i had to get warm pads to put on my breast to release the pressure. the warm pads helped and are quicker then a shower.
overall: you forget everything whenever you see your baby. it's such a miracle, take time to enjoy every moment :)
Hi, I'm mom to a 2 year-old (5/2/2009). She is my little angel, and motherhood is by far the best thing that's ever happened to me (even on those cranky, want to pull my hair out day). My husband and I took a hypnobirthing class and I did LOTS of research on alternative ways to "control" pain because I did not want drugs. Needless to say, everything went great! I do not feel like it was a horrifically painful experience. Was it super comfortable? No. But it was definitely bearable. My best piece of advice...learn about different laboring positions. I found that, when I was on my back, the pain sensation that came with each contraction increased dramatically. If I was sitting up, it was much less intense. Also, warm water can help to relax your body and make the contractions less noticeable. Having a birthing ball totally saved me in the delivery room, though.
Once you get home, I highly recommend babywearing. Get some sort of carrier that is okay for baby's hips (my daughter had hip dysplasia, so this was especially important for us), and wear that baby. My daughter was so content just to sleep on someone (usually me) all the time those first four to six weeks. She did sleep at night in the pack-n-play or her crib, but during the day, always asleep on a person. If only I had known about babywearing at the beginning, I wouldn't have sat around all day long.
The last key piece of advice (this is a second-hand secret from another mom)...Always Infinity pads are a LIFESAVER during that first week post-partum. You are still losing lots of fluid, and those pads absorb some ridiculous amount.
