[lanie4]

Originally Posted by momof4lopez

Wow, I think everyone summed it up, but just a hint of advice BEFORE you have the baby, enjoy your freedom. Freedom to jump in the car at midnight for a snack run, just for a walk, gas station, whatever...........From the point of delivery, you will never make these choices without having to account for "who will watch the baby". I wish I would of taken more walks, and just enjoyed that freedom of only making a decision for myself!

Ditto this too! Go see all the movies you want to see. Go shopping. Eat out.

And now this will probably come out weird because of course a baby undeniably changes your life forever and I just said to do whatever you want before the baby comes. But looking back after having more kids, one newborn is EASY. Newborns sleep A LOT. You really CAN go out to lunch, go shopping, do all sorts of stuff with a newborn. You just pack the baby up and off you go. (I know that some babies are difficult. But I've had three, and each of them ALONE wasn't hard. In retrospect.)

What others have said about "down there" is so true. You might have stitches (episiotomy), you will be swollen, you'll be bleeding, and very tender. You can't use tampons for weeks. You will have these massive pads to wear and you'll feel fat and sloppy. And when you use the bathroom, you have to delicately pat yourself dry and spray yourself with Dermoblast. It's really... whatever the total opposite of glamorous is.

Take all the samples the hospital gives you. Take the mesh panties from the hospital.

And breastfeeding... it does hurt at first.

I think I'm going to wear depends to bed! LOL I'm serious!

[lanie4]

Originally Posted by ameriguat

I think I'm going to wear depends to bed! LOL I'm serious!

Some people will tell you that Depends work better than regular pads!! Ugh and this is awful too but I took some of those pads home from the hospital-- the large sheet type things with blue waterproof backing that they put under you-- I put some of those under me in bed after we got home.

Oh and I wish someone had told me how fixated I'd be on watching baby shows after I had my baby so I could compare my delivery with all the ones on tv.

You could always try puppy pads...LOL I used that when I had surgery.

I'm addicted to baby shows now!

[**NikkiNik**]

Originally Posted by lanie4

Some people will tell you that Depends work better than regular pads!! Ugh and this is awful too but I took some of those pads home from the hospital-- the large sheet type things with blue waterproof backing that they put under you-- I put some of those under me in bed after we got home.

Oh and I wish someone had told me how fixated I'd be on watching baby shows after I had my baby so I could compare my delivery with all the ones on tv.

I'm already addicted to the baby shows. A baby story, bringing home baby, Birth Day.

I watched then like clock work on. 9-11- them 2-4 , lol

[C&J's Mom]

As unglamorous as they are, take the mesh panties and the huge diaper looking pads from the hospital when you leave. I wish I would have had more of them!!

And I completely agree with Lori about enjoying your freedom. I really miss the impulsiveness of leaving the house in the middle of night for something fun. I remember after our DS was born the first time that my in laws took him for the weekend, we were laying in bed watching tv on a Saturday night about midnight and a commericial for Taco Bell came on. We jumped out of bed and drove to TB. It was so much fun!

Don't let anyone make you feel guilty for wanting time to yourself. After being home with baby for a month and hardly leaving the house (whooping cough outbreak when he was born) I needed to get out. I was feeling depressed, ugly, bored and it drove me crazy that my DH was leaving for work and going about a normal life and I was "stuck" (as I felt) at home. One weekend he took that baby and went to his parents house for an afternoon. I showered, did my hair, and put on makeup for the first time since he was born and went out shopping by myself. It just felt so good to look good and get out of the house. It really helped my mood a lot!

But in the end, it's all worth it and you realize that you wouldn't change any of it for the world!

[The Jenny]

nobody told me how much sterilizing I would do (I pumped and then bottle feed) you have to sterilize everything all the time!!!

[TXErinC]

I wish someone told me how nasty the plug was.

I wish someone told me it was OKAY!!! Okay to worry, okay to bleed, okay for the umbilical cord to bleed a bit, OKAY for the house to get dirty. I worried So much.

I also wish someone had given me this book. Amazon.com: Momfidence!: An Oreo Never Killed Anybody and Other Secrets of Happier Parenting (9780307337429): Paula Spencer: Books

Erin,

That looks like a great book! I'm going to get it!

[chillaxinbabe]

Put someone in charge of standing up for you in the hospital. Someone who isn't trying to pass a human being out of their body.

My uncle was great about saying "Yes she wants that, no she doesn't want that, why are so many of you in here?" while I just kind of laid there. And he was good at exlpaining to me, in human words, what was going on. Being on the young side some doctors dissmissed my wants, he was good about making sure they didn't.

[~~~Sue~~~]

I had 4 epi's and two worked and two didnt.. my last baby was born within two hrs of getting to the hospital with no meds at all... he was my easy one and I recover pretty well with all but my 1st one and his was a nightmare.

What they say about if your baby sleeps you should sleep is so true!
You will know most of the answers and your dr does not know everything you need to be an advacate for your child and your beliefs... have a plan but be flexible with labor and things like that!