After giving birth to Mason there were so many things that made me think “I wish I would have known”. For Kyla I had a completely different experience and knew a lot more and felt much better about the whole idea of labor and delivery but there were still some things I didn’t know about. Why don’t people tell you these things!? Birth Amnesia?
So to give all my pregnant or want to be pregnant Mamas a little idea of what it’s really like during delivery and postpartum I polled my March Moms group and these are the things that came back time and time again about what they wish they would have known!
1) Eat well in the last couple weeks of pregnancy. At any moment you could go into labor and it could be your last meal! You will be starved after delivery and hospital food will not cut it unless they allow you access to every single part of the cafeteria and you’re allowed to eat ALL OF IT. Labor is hard work, Breastfeeding is hard work. By the time you get done with all of that and the fact that most hospitals don’t allow you to eat while you’re in labor you will be beyond hungry. Have your husband order a pizza as soon as that baby slides on out. You won’t regret it. Well, you might. Refer to #5.
2) Your bladder may never be the same. C-section? Vaginal Delivery? All Natural? Epidural? It doesn’t matter. Pregnancy is what does this to you ladies. Prepare to pee a little every time you cough, laugh or sneeze. Learn the word sniss.
3) You will probably poop during labor. Fear not! Good nurses and great midwifes will get that poop out of the way ASAP! I’ve warned you about pooping but have you ever heard of peeing while in labor? Yup. That happens! It happened to a friend in my March group, a nice high arc that went all over her OB. You’ve been warned!
4) The pain is not over once labor is over! While breastfeeding you will get what they call “After Pains” it gets worse after each child. I can attest to this first hand. I had no after pains with Mason but with Kyla after I delivered I expected to be pain free instead I was doubling over from the intense pain. For me it felt like extreme contractions! I was convinced another baby was trying to come out via my stomach.
5) Do NOT take a mirror, especially one like this to your lady bits after delivery. You will be scared for life and probably think something is seriously wrong and call your care provider in a frenzy. Don’t look at it! No good will come for that instead get a sitz bath and soak in it, freeze pads filled with witch hazel and use them but whatever you do DON’T LOOK AT IT.
6) After giving birth your hormones will be all kinds of messed up it will cause night sweats for many and also some not so pleasant BO. Were you one of those women who could forget to put deodorant on in the morning and not have it be that big of a deal? Not anymore sister. Not anymore.
7) And since we’ve already went there and talked about poop we might as well go even deeper into that pile. Pooping during labor is actually quite easy. It’s your first postpartum that’s the pain in the rear end. And I mean that literally. No one really talked to me about this and I didn’t understand the significance until I was 5 days postpartum and calling my doctor requesting another epidural for the pain in my rear!
So what can you do to make that first postpartum poop not so awful? Eat yogurt, prunes and greens to help keep things moving along and TAKE A STOOL SOFTNER. Why am I screaming that? Because it’s SO important, trust me okay? It helps take the stool softener!
So now you want to know what stool softener so you can add it to your hospital bag right? Good. You’ve been listening and I have an answer for that too!
DulcoEase® Pink™ prevents and relieves constipation, is stimulant free, provides comfortable relief and is the #1 OB/GYN recommended stool softener ingredient*, from the makers of #1 consumer preferred stool softener (chosen over Colace®)!
What’s the active ingredient and how does it work?
The active ingredient in DulcoEase® Pink™ is docusate sodium.
It works with your body by drawing water into the bowel, making the stool softer, and producing a bowel movement in 12 to 72 hours.
Before trying this or ANY product while pregnant or breastfeeding PLEASE consult your care provider.
Enjoy this coupon for $1.50 off DulcoEase® Pink™
That’s a lot to take in huh? Birth is super glamorous right?
It may not be glamorous but he’s another thing you can trust me on. It’s worth it. Every little bit of it is worth it!
*among stool softener ingredients
Every new mother’s toolkit should include DulcoEase® Pink™, the #1 OB/GYN recommended ingredient* for going #2. So if you are pregnant or breast feeding, ask your doctor if you should think Pink. Find savings on DulcoEase® Pink™ at www.MomsTalkDulcoEase.com!
*Among stool softener ingredients
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of DulcoEase® Pink™. The opinions and text are all mine.
