9 Things No One Tells A First Time Mom
1. Due dates are not definite – Having a finish line of sorts to work towards is good for you. It helps you to feel like there’s a deadline when your discomfort will come to an end. In truth however, only 5 percent of women give birth on their due dates. Basically, don’t be too surprised if the delivery date comes and your babe is not here yet.
2. An epidural will NOT make you completely numb – An epidural is a pain management technique that is used to decrease the pain that you’ll experience in your lower body during delivery. Despite that, you might still feel a significant amount of contraction pain.
3. You can’t eat or drink with an epidural – Some hospitals will permit you to chew on flavored ice chips during delivery, but if you haven’t had food before getting the epidural, hunger will be a serious issue.
4. It isn’t over after the baby comes out – After delivering your babe, you will still have to so some more pushing in order to get your placenta out. Luckily, this is usually quite quick and painless.
5. You’ll leave the hospital wearing mesh undies – The bleeding that started during delivery is unlikely to stop when delivery is concluded, and could extend for up to 6 weeks postpartum. Most hospitals will provide you with mesh underwear to be worn with thick ‘surf board’ pads. Some moms prefer to simply wear adult-sized diapers though.
6. Your baby’s head shape will change – If your delivery is vaginal, your baby’s skull will have to compress as it squeezes through the birth canal. It will not resume its round shape immediately and may remain cone-shaped for several days. If an intervention, such as the use of a vacuum or forceps was required during the birth, the effects will be worse.
7. You’ll be given a massage; a/k/a a uterine massage, a very painful one – your doctor or midwife will want to minimize the bleeding as much as possible, and to do that, your nurse will massage your stomach at regular intervals to make sure that your uterus is shrinking back to its pre-pregnancy size. Unlike other massages you have gotten, this one will be very painful. Be prepared for PAIN!
8. Your babe might be very hairy – In some cases, newly-born baby hair is compared to monkeys. That is due to the fact that some babies are born with an abundance amount of hair, not just on their heads, but on their arms, shoulders and even back. After time it will eventually fade or become light as your babe changes color and adapts.
9. Babies can look like they’re coated in cottage cheese, called vernix caseosa that protects your babes skin in the womb.– babes born before 40 weeks are likely to have a sticky, white substance covering them.