Things no-one tells you when you're pregnant!

[Emsie00]

Hi All,

When I was expecting I read all the usual books but still found myself thinking afterwards - why did no-one tell me that? I was talking to some friends who could all name a couple of things that they wish they had been told about, some were funny and some were really useful.

Here's a few of them;

1. If you want to breastfeed but cant for some reason the hospital gives you 3 options to choose from which are all free of charge whilst you are in. A) SMA formula B) Cow & Gate Formula C)Donated Breast Milk from another mother. You get to choose which you would like. I had naturally assumed that I would be able to feed my daughter so was completely unprepared to have to make this decision, especially after 19 hours of labour! So do your research beforehand and take your own if you dont like their options.

1. If you have to have an episiotomy don't be surprised if dr/midwife uses a pair of scissors. It took my husband weeks to get over what he had seen!!

1. I thought the suggestion of packing an Eye Mask in my labour bag was ridiculous, so never bought one. My daughter had to have phototherapy for 48 hours and I would have done anything to have had one to block out the blue light at night! There are also always lights on in the ward so it really does help to get you a better nights sleep.

Please add to this thread - With any luck it might help first time mum's to be

My tummy's never been the same I thought i'd be at the gym at every opportunity getting back into shape.... ha ha .. will someone please make hipsters go out of fashion.. and big pants and high waists come back in

I could hear my midwife ordering pizza while i was trying to rest after the ordeal, just to make it worse she left a light on in the ward that shone in my cubicle. I'd been given an epidural AFTER giving birth naturally so they could make the internal repair so i couldn't get up and turn it off. They hadn't even helped me wash i was still in my blood stained nightie and paralysled!

4 months on, my tummy still looks massive, you do not lose weight breast feeding as you just feel eight times as hungry. I can seriously eat 6-8 big meals a day easily.

noone tells you eating too much chocolate can keep your baby awake all night, because of the caffeine. That is hard to take.

also for 9 months I didnt get any stretchmarks. Then after the birth I had loads. that was another unwelcome treat.

buy lansinoh lanolin gel rub for your nipples, it is absolutely fantastic. stock up, because if the chemist runs out while you are breast feeding...not good.

i was so hungry after my op that I ate an entire pack of dried apricots.

Then I had the runs.

So not funny with stitches and a two minute waddle to the nearest loo in hospital.

one more......in hospital, guaranteed after your baby finally goes to sleep, the next one down starts screaming and wakes it up. over and over and over and over.....

one more......in hospital, guaranteed after your baby finally goes to sleep, the next one down starts screaming and wakes it up. over and over and over and over.....

oh how we can look back and laugh now.. ahhh ha ha

if i have another one i'm definitely having it at home ..

If you are having a planned c-section make sure you shave your bits yourself, otherwise the nurses will just do a dry shave - mega ouch!

Shaving youself when you can't see over the top of your belly is mighty tricky

You could treat yourself to a brazilian at the salon

good grief I have to have C section next time as a third degree tear/epis mean nothing else is coming down my fanjo...

Do you have to shave it all off or just the front bit?

God I wish I'd read all this before I had mine

baby I mean not brazilian

I'd have had an enema too ..

andme. I felt so cheated because it wasonly after the really shit things happened that my friwends/mum would say, 'yes, i remember that...' I would have preferred to know then I could have mentally prepared!

after a bit I didnt care about the poop shooting out.

All I wanted was a bowl of spaghetti, apparrently!

Just the front, where the scar line will be. I know it is hard to try and see what you are doing over the top of the bump but it is worth it! Failing which ask your dh/dp to help.

I also forgot to take my toenail varnish off. No probs...until I was wheeled down for surgery. You have to do your toenails before you get too big to take the polish off!!

Don't forget the paper knickers!

I didnt want the paper ones so I just bought cheap ones from Tesco and threw them away ...much more comfy. I also gave birth in a massive pink mans shirt, bargain at £4 you can button up or down to feed etc. I threw that away after the birth...in fact, the hospital was so mucky I even threw my slippers away...

wear flip-flops you can shower in them so you dont have to stand on the bloodstained bathroom floors

We live on a farm (not ours, rent from a working estate) and the the cows were calving at the time, ooo you have no idea how much I empathised with them especially when they were wondering round with huge udders before milking, i nearly milked them myself to give them some relief poor devils. The barn is by my kitchen window and they do look poorly for ages afterwards, that was my first incling it wasn't going to be easy.

silly me, I thought I was going to bounce dd out on my birthing ball..........................
.............................................
..........what a joke I wasnt allowed to get out of bed.

Poor cows

I wish i'd thought that one through as they were horrid and it was like wearing a nappy, really demeaning. It would have been a better idea than the lavender mist to spray during labour ...

That you can puke after an epidural - I would never have had one otherwise. I would rather have pain that puke .....and that when the baby kicks towards the end of pregnancy it REALLY DOES HURT.

Wouldn't have changed a thing though, would still have had both my kids