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

I had carpal tunnel which I had never heard of I was in agony with that and never got any sleep. I was also surprised with the amount of hair that I lost after I gave birth

For me it was that nobody warned me about having a child! I concentrated so much on pregnancy and worried about childbirth that I hadn't actually, in all honestlty, given a lot of thought about having a little person! That and lack of sleep. Lack of sleep is a killer.

The pain during childbirth- I always just kinda assumed it would be in my stomach area, right?
Well... no. For me, it felt like I was taking a massive dump- I'm sorry if this is TMI but it was a real shock to me. I was expecting pressure and pain in the bump area, but instead I was sh*tting a fridge-freezer.

I would want all new mums to be aware of this as a possibility coz I totally wasn't prepared for it!

And on to something a bit nicer... I was naïve before Sprog was born, in that I really thought I knew what love was. I was so, so wrong. I had known love, of course, but truly nothing as all-consuming, wonderful and at the same time terrifying. It's beyond words and I could never have believed I was capable of such intense feeling. Amazing stuff :D

Could I also add- after childbirth, the most intimate parts of me felt like a mangled train wreck; after an episiotomy and tear I had more stitches than the Bayeux tapestry. I had very raw looking stretch marks, saggy bits, lumpy bits and leaky bits. Whilst I knew it was all worth it, it was still difficult to deal with these changes and I couldn't help but feel that physically, I was a mess and would never be 'right' again.
Things do improve, I promise. Try not to worry about it too much and give yourself a decent amount of time to heal and recover.
It will get better in time, just go with it and don't panic xxx

That strangers can just butt in with their own advice at any time

The ripping that happens during childbirth

No one told me how scary scans are! And that all might not be ok xxx

My large episiotomy stitches got infected and opened within a few days. No one told me that could happen and that I'd then be left with a deformed vag and achey scar tissue. I knew I could have problems with pelvic floor but I'm sad that it happened despite doing my exercises 😟

The only unexpected effect on my body was itchy legs. All other things I was prepared for, including the need to do pelvic floor exercises.

No one told me that some women me included can get facial pigmentation. This wasn't very nice as i look like someone had been throwing teabags at my face and it have left splat marks. I wish this was mentioned more as it does happen and mine has never fully disappeared.

How tired I was going to feel - and how it affected my skin!

Nobody warned me that sometimes things go wrong when giving birth - it never even entered my head that I may need a caesarean, I honestly thought gas and air then I'd push a baby out! Turns out I had a 10 pounder who was breech and in distress so I needed a c-section and had to be knocked out. I then developed an infection afterwards and was very poorly for 2 weeks.

It didn't put me off though as I had another child 3 years later - this time as a planned c-section which was so much better.

That the first wee you do after giving birth really really REALLY stings!!

i actually had a very easy pregnancy , no stretch marks morning sickness nothing, also an easy baby, i got off lightly

Stretch marks! I still have them 15 years later! I am kinda proud of them they gave me a wonderful child, we call them tickle marks , where she was tickling me from inside.

The amount you bleed after the birth and for how long it lasts. Was a massive shock to me and was obviously very unwelcome!

The fact that C-Secrions aren't as rare as everyone makes out...especially when you also find out (again, after the event) that you are in one of the worst hospitals in the country for maternity care and they have an abnormally high rate of C-Sections! I wish I had done more homework on them, so having to use a little plastic ladder to pull myself up in bed wouldn't have been such a shock!

No one warned me I would need to leave my modesty at the door and pick it up on the way out! lol
That libido left the country for quite some time!
That I would kill to protect my new baby, & that I felt I had done something really wonderful producing it (as if nobody else ever had done the same.)

That you could struggle to go for a poo for months

Nobody ever warned me that not only would I have a baby bump, but that my entire body would swell especially my ankles to the point of no longer blooming rather I was blubbering along :) but equally no one told me I wouldn't care less as I was so absorbered with motherly love that it didn't matter :)

Your episiotomy could split open again, and not heal for 12 weeks you could have hypermesis and people would make you think it was "just morning sickness" I URGE all pregnant women who are still being sick after 3 months or being sick 3+ times away to get it checked out! I ended up on medicine because of idiots telling me to just eat some ginger and it would go away

Don't listen to your HV most of the time, none of them sing off of the same page

Nobody told me about the afterpains I would have after giving birth to my second baby. The pain was worse than my contractions

How large it can feel down there!!

How hard it is to roll over in bed!!

How slow I would end up walking!!

And how many toilet trips you need in such a short space of time sometimes

That people suddenly think your body is public property and anyone can touch your bump without so much as a by your leave!

That my boobs would get so big on day 3 that my baby could not latch on, to use Terrys nappies (I did and he had ulcerated burnt skin!) and no one told me how to deal with colic and no sleep for 3 months.