Tell INNOVO™ what no one warned you about pregnancy & childbirth. Win £300 Voucher. NOW CLOSED

[RebeccaEMumsnet]

In order to celebrate the launch of their alternative solution to pelvic floor strengthening – Innovotherapy – INNOVO™ want to hear the effects of pregnancy on your body that took you by surprise as nobody warned you about them.

Here’s what INNOVO™ have to say: '"Motherhood can be such a blessing and change your life in ways you never imagined, however it is filled with many shocks and surprises. Some good and some not so welcome, such as a those ‘little accidents’ that we all try and hide.
Unfortunately a weak pelvic floor and the resulting incontinence is often part and parcel of pregnancy however it doesn’t have to stay that way.
Innovotherapy is a non-invasive way to restore your pelvic floor, treating the primary cause of urinary leaks rather than just masking the symptoms. Using a hand held controller that is attached to a two part garment, Innovotherapy sends targeted impulses via conductive pads (attached to your upper thigh and buttocks) to safely and effectively activate the muscles of the pelvic floor. It is a proven technology which has been designed to optimally strengthen your pelvic floor allowing you to return to return the more important things in life, such as your little ones.”

You can read more about the product and advice on pelvic floor strengthening here.

So, what unexpected effects did pregnancy and giving birth have on your body? Did anyone tell you to expect urinary leaks after having a baby? Did you consider the importance of toning your pelvic floor? Were you surprised by any other physical effects that nobody warned you about?

INNOVO™ would also love to know about any unexpected positive effects of pregnancy and giving birth. Does parenthood make you feel like you can take on the world? Do you now feel like you are more focused on what matters most?

Whatever the unexpected effects of pregnancy and childbirth were for you, post your story below. Everyone who adds a comment will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 Love2Shop voucher.

Standard Insight T&Cs apply

No one warned me that my boobs would ache so much and that nipple creams were a must!

Nobody warned me that due to my hormones being all over the place i'd suffer with depression and psychosis. Being pregnant with twins sent me crazy! I always thought being pregnant would be a lovely special time, a few aches and pains etc but i never expected the big black hole i fell into. I only carried my boys for 31 weeks so they was a couple of months early. It broke my heart seeing them in the neonatal unit being so poorly but knowing that they both got through those tough few weeks helped lift the cloud that made my brain all foggy. Every time i feel down now, i just think about how lucky i am x

For me I definitely would have wanted somebody to tell me that there are certain things I don't have to go along with, particularly during childbirth. I was very young when I had my first and just complied with everything that the medical profession told me to do - in hindsight I would have really benefited from some more information on issues such as being induced, pain relief etc. I was definitely led to believe that certain decisions were not ones that I had any influence over - I now know that any decision that involves your body and your child is yours and yours alone!! Trust your instincts mummies.

No one tell me that it is a moment of life and death. After a hard delivery, I almost gone but so glad my mother helping me thru.
Unluckily for my best friend who passed away after giving birth. It is such a dangerous thing!

No one told me that the end of childbirth was remarkably like having bad diorreah! You know that feeling of needing to poop so bad, and then your body just takes over and pushes? That's the pushing stage of childbirth!

The metallic taste in my mouth I constantly felt I had some coins in my mouth. But otherwise I think I was quite prepaired and actually imagined it to be a lot worse. I loved beeing pregnant even with my twins and I was the size of a house by the time they where born at 38.5 weeks

That your feet get bigger! Who knew?

How gassy I would get! 😂

Twins! I really did go into shock when I was told I was expecting twins. I had never ever considered it a possibility and was only concerned about whether baby number two would be a boy or girl not one of each and numbers two and three! They are 9 years old now and I still can't believe it.

The bone-crushing tiredness of the 1st trimester!
Constant nausea (I thought it was only supposed to come in the morning and disappear after 12 weeks - ha ha it didn't!)
How utterly terrifying it is when it's not all going smoothly (having obstetric cholastasis and a prem baby).

Twins! I really did go into shock when I was told I was expecting twins. I had never ever considered it a possibility and was only concerned about whether baby number two would be a boy or girl not one of each and numbers two and three! They are 9 years old now and I still can't believe it.

Physically the leg cramps while pregnant were awful and unexpected while pregnant and now that I'm not - the flappy boobs and stomach!

the after birth pains after my second baby.I never hear people talking about this awful pain.

That when you breastfeed you sometimes leak milk when you hear a baby cry - any baby!

I never knew the strange shapes your belly makes & had no idea about the plug that comes away in labour, frightened my birthing partner to death 😆 I also never knew about the insomnia in latter part of pregnancy, just when you need sleep. Worth it all & more 💕

That once you'd given birth, you'd still look 5 months pregnant and wobble

The hi dog sense of smell! I knew I was pregnant even before it was too early for tests to tell because I could small EVERYTHING. I mean in a restaurant eating dinner, I could smell the Brasso that had obviously been used a few hours previous on a metal rail about 25 feet away. It made me run outside and wretch! Then there was the smell of the butcher's (from 10 feet away that made me sick), Chinese food, anywhere, and the smell of coffee.
In labour I had a horrid time as I had to have an epidural due to pre-eclampsia. The bloody think didn't work I had floppy mermaid legs but no pain relief because the midwives kept topping up the bag on the drip but failed to notice the catheter with needle delivering the drugs had come out!!
Ended up emergency c-section, lots of complications but man she was worth it. That's yhe next thing...
I'd never understood what my mum meant when she said the love I would feel for this tiny little thing would be overwhelming. Oh but it is. It's the closest I've ener come to absolute blissful happiness, despite my big veiny boobs and my complications. Amazement that I could love someone so much that I didn't know a thing about, other than that she was mine.

How resentful your husband gets .. they turn into children themselves

With my first I hadn't realised that in labour it is best to STAY OFF THE BED! :) I rectified that with my second and third!

The terrible insomnia

Nobody told me that:

You could vomit and heave so much from morning all day sickness that you could burst capillaries/blood vessels all around your eyes.

That after 4 months of constant nausea and vomiting, the mere mention of the word 'ginger' from well intentioned relatives and co-workers would be enough to send you into a homicidal rage. Seriously, have any of these people vomited back up stem ginger biscuits? If they had they wouldn't dream of suggesting it again.

That you end up looking like Dolly Parton the day your milk comes in, oh and the sheer heat that comes off them, blimey!

That the first 'passing of a stool' after childbirth is like passing an actual stool, a metal bar stool to be precise.

No one told me that I would be absolutely shattered and that 6 years later my energy levels would still not be normal

That morning sickness lasts all day.
That I would have carpel tunnel syndrome in the last trimester of both pregnancies.
That a c section leaves you with a "pouch" I can't shift.
Hot sweats for days after birth.
That my wedding ring wouldn't fit for a year post birth, despite loosing the baby weight.
All worth it though!

I did know about pelvic floor but wish I'd taken it a little more seriously!
Afterpains
The total ruination of my abdominal muscles- it literally feels like there's nothing there, although I'm only 6 weeks pp so hopefully there's a bit of room for improvement.

I suddenly was a mother, dc arrived 7 weeks early, quickly lost in a breast feeding cycle, sleep deprived, happy content, school was a great sleeper. Body changes, lost boobs, c section scar, hobbling about while it healed, lots of baby clothes, sort, iron, wash, repeat.. That was nearly 11 years ago, my oldest dc is as tall as me.