When I was pregnant I read everything I could about labour, birth and life with a newborn, but there were so many things left out by the books, the internet and the midwives that I just didn't know about. So I decided to come up with a list of things to expect that are not openly spoken about.
1. I had absolutely no idea that for days after birth you just smell really bad. I have no idea why- I think it must be to do with all the hormone levels settling but I just smelled no matter how much I showered or used roll on antiperspirant.
2. You will feel like your tummy is a sack of potatoes after popping that baby out for quite a few days. Your womb still need to shrink down and allow your organs to go back to their normal position and your stomach muscles are still stretched. I never though about how my tummy would feel after giving birth but there you go a sack of potatoes.
3. I never ever though about how things would be down there after a natural delivery. It was quite a shock when I went for my first post birth wee to be greeted by a very swollen and bruised lady area. It makes complete sense considering the pressure giving birth has on that area but I just had no idea that it would be so very swollen. It does go down eventually though so no need to worry that it would look like that forever.
4. Whether you breastfeed or not you will wake up one morning several days after your baby is born with rock solid, Pamela Andersonesk breasts. My milk came in around day 4/5 and my boobs were so full and heavy. I had to get in the shower and massage off the excess milk before Ailsa could feed from me as she struggled to latch on when they were so full. Luckily they settled down after a while once my milk regulated.
5. The most amazing part about post birth I found was the tea and toast. It was so refreshing, James was cuddling Ailsa and I got to enjoy a wonderful cup of tea full of sugar to replenish all my lost energy and some yummy buttery toast- although I love tea and toast at any time.
6. The exhaustion after birth is unreal but the last thing I wanted to do was sleep. Even though I had been up almost 24 hours I think I got about 3 hours sleep the night Ailsa was born. I just wanted to stare at her beautiful little face but hubby made me sleep even if it was just for a little while.
7. You will sweat an awful lot in the days after birth and this really goes hand in hand with number 1. I remember waking up covered in sweat and leaked milk in that first week or so. Some days it was so bad the sheets had to be changed and I would have several showers a day just to make me feel better.
8. The baby blues are real and you will feel so emotional and cry over the smallest of things. The baby blues are so so intense. I was so worried that Ailsa would die and it would be all my fault and I would just cry when looking at her sometimes. The feelings lasted around a week and although completely normal if you are worried about anything or PND please speak to your midwife or health visitor.
9. Around 30 minutes after Ailsa was born I started shaking uncontrollably all over. I had no idea what was going on but my midwife assured me that it was completely normal and not to worry.
10. You will feel a ridiculous amount of love for the little life you have created. Honestly there is no love like the love you have for your child. I obviously knew I would love Ailsa but that feeling when you meet your baby for the first time is completely overwhelming but also the best feeling you could ever have.
There you have the top 10 things I didn't know about life post birth. Is there anything you could add to the list?
Labels: baby, birth, labour, newborn
