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 was prepared for my body to feel like it was totally wrecked, but what I hadn't taken on board was quite how badly lack of sleep can affect the body.

When I heard about losing your mucus plug in labour I imagined a small neat thing falling out. No-one told me there might be gallons of the stuff. OK, maybe not gallons, but it seemed endless at the time.

I wish someone had warned me about giving birth early and having my hospital bag packed well in advance, going at 32 weeks was very scary... very scary indeed.

That random people come up to you in the street and touch you.
The stretch marks
Your baby weight and how hard it to lose it especially 3rd time round
Piles
Lack of pelvic floor and not being able to sneeze, cough, laugh without a bit of wee slipping out.
The afterbirth pains, after my 3rd baby they were so bad that I thought I was having another baby.
But it's all worth it!!

No one told me the pain after having a baby, i found that more painful than labour.

Heartburn - never experience this before !!!

I found that as my bump grew, going to the loo became more problematic. Trying to wipe my backside whilst twisting and turning, crouching and bending so that my tiny T-rex-like arms could reach was a nightmare!

How much your legs and feet hurt and what actually goes on down there once the baby is out!!!!

I was quite well prepared for pregnancy as I did a lot of research. I was surprised at how much breastfeeding hurt even though we were doing it right (all those people that say it doesnt hurt if you have a good latch are full of it). I was determined though so I overcame it and fed my two boys for over a year each.

I think the thing I was least prepared for was the change in me emotionally. I dont think anyone can prepare you for how much you will love your baby and how much you will do to protect them. The thing that terrified me the most (and still does), is the thought of something happening to me and them not knowing me or remembering me and me not being there for them.

that you get so much attention both in pregnancy and with a newborn. Suddenly everyone wants to know you and talk to you!!Never been so popular haha.

I was 6 cm when I got to the hospital and I couldn't stand up because the contractions were shooting pains up my bottom, nowhere else, the midwife said the baby was pressing against my bowel. I had to have 2 epidurals as the first one only numbed the left side

That there is the chance, if an emergency happens and things happen so quickly, that you could end up with your inlaws at the business end of the hospital bed! :o

I ended up really wide feet while pregnant and had to wear flip flops most of the time because all my shoes didn't fit, great while working for a law firm.... nobody dared say anything though in case my preggers hormones kicked in and I went on a rage!! My feet have been a nightmare to get shoes for ever since, all those lovely shoes I used to like are no longer an option, I feel like I have flippers instead of feet!

I didn't notice the impact on my body the first time around, but with DD2 I really suffered from sciatica and also ended up with completely numb heels! Thankfullly childbirth was much easier with DD2 and I was one of the lucky ones to never experience stretch marks (the flabby tum is here to stay though!)

I didn't realise that my gums would bleed in early pregnancy even though I brushed them morning/night as always. I also didn't realise I would start burping a lot in late pregnancy.

No one warns you about the after pains, it was like really bad period pains after my first baby, but with my second child it felt like my insides were being ripped out.

Just how bad cravings in pregnancy are.I waited for our local butchers to open at 9am so I could get some black pudding and could not even wait until I got out of the shop to eat it.I read lots of books about the birth but none of them mentioned the stinging sensation as the head is being born and just how long the cord is

Noone told me that I'd have a catheter after the birth due to having soooo much bruising i wouldn't feel the need to pee, or that sad catheter would remain in place for 2 days after going home. Having visitors with a bag of your own pee strapped to your leg is most unbecoming.

Your feet get bigger/wider. And stay that way.

That when all your body changes in pregnancy, that a result would be my hearing aids didn't fit any longer so needed interpreters in labour (used DP and friend, to double up as support).

That postnatal care is often appalling and was a night of neglect, despite terp's nest efforts.

That when my milk came in, my breasts would be so large I couldn't see my nipples at all, so had no chance of telling how the latch was. Most relieved when they deflated a bit!

How long you bleed for after :/

Nobody told me about hgow my body would feel afterwards. You hear about the pain of labour etc but nobody really prepares you for that first few days after the birth where you are sore down there and even walking around can be painful. There are things you can buy to make it easier but more information needs to be around about them.

The amount you bleed after giving birth and how hot the hospital would be.

No one warned me how horrendous constipation can be when you are pregnant!

Hair falling out! Absolutely horrifying