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 it could be so fast! I packed all sorts of snacks and games and magazines for labour, because I'd seen that on OBEM, but they stayed in the bag as DS was born in 6 hours!

the pain after - that after anyime of birth vaginal or c-section you would still be in pain and that you would feel you have ran 5 marathons

morning sickness is a cruel misnomer

Heartburn and insomnia throughout pregnancy.

Loss of strength to the rear post pregnancy! Luckily normal service has now resumed!

No one warned me about the after pains. I had them slightly with my first child but after my second, I felt like I was in labour again! And then when I told people they would say "oh yes, the after pains get worse with every child you have".

no one told me that you might get varicose veins on/in, umm, well your privates - there, said it!

also, my ribcage expanded to make room for my babies (i have a short torso too) and has never returned to its previous size! i thought it would based on what i'd read. maybe im justa n anomaly! im more boxy around the middle and im 3lbs away from pre DC1 weight.

You should be prepared for people to tell you how huge you are on a daily basis. Forewarned is forearmed!

Also, people will randomly pat/stroke your bump without an invitation. It's awkward and uncomfortable

I also think there needs to be more positive stories out there surrounding birth. When I was expecting my first daughter, I heard a million horror stories from other mums about their labours. I was in labour for 63 hours, had contractions brought on by syntocin (sp?) that came one after the other with no break, had a large baby and needed an episiotomy. The thing is, it really wasn't that bad. I thought it a walk in the park compared to what other mums had suggested. It's good to be informed of all the potential procedures and complications, but not to be told horror stories that frighten the bejeezus out of you. Women should stop doing this to other women. It's painful, tiring, emotional and stressful but it isn't half as bad as people make out.

I had never heard of SPD before I got pregnant and developed it at 7 months. I wish I had known and I wish there had been something I could do to protect myself. 5 years on ad I still have pain.

No one told me I would puke directly after giving birth

I wish I had been better prepared for my hair shedding after pregnancy. I actually thought something else was going on with my scalp because the amount I lost was a shock to me.

I wasn't prepared for the nausea to be a lot worse than actually throwing up.

I was surprised to hear/feel a "pop" just before my waters broke.

First pregnancy in 96, age 19! Didn't even know what pelvic floor was!! No one told me about piles ( suffered terribly) had no idea what stretch marks were.... Woke up one morning looking like my stomach had been attacked by a tiger!!!!! Afterward s post partum hair loss!! Thought I was going bald!!!! X

I wasn't prepared for my body to become public property for anyone to touch and comment on how big/small I was!
I started doing pelvic floor exercises before DC so I was prepared for that, its not what it used to be but is getting better. :)

That breastfeeding does not always make you loose weight. In fact, I've put on more weight post pregnancy than when I was pregnant!

I wish someone had told me not to stretch my legs in bed whilst pregnant! Every single time id get the most horrendous leg cramps known to man.
Oh and that I would involuntarily pee myself a little bit at a time throughout the day at the end of the third trimester. I knew about pelvic floor issues but being dc3 I think I was extra knackered down here

I wish I had been warned about the after. I had to have 3 salt baths a day for 2 months due to the doctor stitching me wrong would of loved to be warned before hand that you would get stitches. Also wasn't told how bad morning sickness could get it had to have my backside jabbed every day twice to try and stop me throwing up but still didn't work

You may never get your body back.
If they told me this in sex ed I think it would've be a deterrent, honestly.
I've had varicose veins, a belly overhang and stretched saggy breasts since I was 18. Nothing short of surgery is going to sort it out.
Also the lack of sleep is hard. Years of not being able to sleep through the night even though my lo's sleep through now.

I was asked by midwives "are you doing your pelvic floor exercises?" but not told how to do them effectively. From googling it I realise I should have done more "long holds". There are some good websites that go into detail but I didn't realise this until DC2. The midwives should point you towards a website (e.g NHS) for effective techniques.

Also I wasnt told to continue doing them after birth, well not until my six week check with the gp.

I got the shakes with my first labour (think it may have been shock), apparently it's normal.

Not so much birth, but I now have one breast significantly larger than the other from 3dc pretty much exclusively breastfeeding from one breast.

I knew about incontinence, but wasn't expecting it to affect me!!!

The wonderful effect is that despite the extra weight, sleep deprived look, I feel more body-confident than I ever have.

How the first trimester is like having a 24/7 hangover for 3-4 months.

How relentless having children is, especially in the early years. Totally worth it but the hardest, most tiring thing I have ever done.

That I might mistake the blessed, magical moment of feeling babies first movements with needing to fart.

No idea about giving birth very early (25 weeks) until it happened in my otherwise trouble free pregnancy. I wish I had read more about warning signs etc as I thought I had plenty of time still to catch up on pregnancy reading.

that after giving birth the first time (a relatively easy birth by the way), I would feel as if I'd been in a car accident and kept collapsing when I attempted to go to the loo alone. That I would need a catheter because I was so bruised I wasn't able to empty my bladder properly; that my days of bouncing on the trampoline were over - weak pelvic floor! That once you're on the 'patient' side of the fence, all those working on the postnatal ward have a licence to patronise you, not listen, not answer your questions. That (at least in my local hospital) whatever the posters say about breast feeding the midwives were only too delighted to get you to bottle feed as they like to be able to measure how much milk the baby is having, and they can't do that if you're breast feeding - I was on the ward for 3 days and heard every excuse - your baby's very big, you might not be able to feed her yourself, your baby's very small, you might need to top him up, your baby's very hungry, your baby isn't latching on properly ...

No one told me my stomach would resemble a blancmange after giving birth.

It honestly was the biggest surprise when I looked down and saw this jelly like mass that used to be my stomach. I'm not looking forward to seeing again in a week or so.

That I would have NO feeling in my pelvic floor the first couple of days after giving birth.
The single hair that would grow out of my nose first pregnancy.
The, ahem, intimate varicose veins of second pregnancy.

Nobody told me how much pain I would be in down there after birth, and how painful going to toilet would be !
How my pelvic floor wouldn't be what it once was
How my. Stomach would look and feel different
I was just generally surprised how different my body is even though deep down I new it would be