10 Things I Wish I Would Have Known About Labor

Hey Sistas! So, today I am talking to you guys about 1o things I wish I would have known about labor. There are a lot of things I didn’t know and still don’t but these are some things that I think might help me a little more with this little one.

1. It’s all about your doctor.

When I was pregnant with my first son, I didn’t really understand the impact a doctor made until after labor. I wish I would have found the perfect doctor for me and knew more about them with my first. For example their percentage of doing c-sections or if that was more of a last resort kind of thing for them. This time with my second I have gone to 3 different doctors before I found the one I have now and I absolutely love my doctor now. He is perfect for my own situation and I am glad I switched all those times.

2. Be mentally and emotionally prepared for things to go wrong.

The first time I was pregnant everyone told me that labor would be such a breeze for me because I had just finished with my collegiate athlete career and I was in pretty good shape. I believed them but let me tell you that was not how it went down. I had a really traumatizing labor that I wasn’t mentally and emotional prepared for. This second time around I am preparing myself just in case things don’t go as planned.

3. Water breaking may be a waterfall.

I have heard that when your water breaks it is not like the movies, it dosen’t go everywhere. But mine totally did! We were at a baseball game and mine broke like a waterfall. I thought once it broke that water would stop coming but oh no, water kept on coming periodically as we were trying to get to the hospital so be prepared just in case that happens to you.

4. Speak up in the hospital.

Speak up for what you are wanting in the hospital. You can write a birth plan as well so people know. But stick up for the things that are really important to you. Of course your doctors and nurses have professional knowledge but if you don’t want your baby having a pacifier make sure that they don’t. If you don’t want them fed formula, make sure that they understand what you are wanting.

5. Pacifiers in the hospital.

So, I have been reading up on this and I learned something that I didn’t know with my first. I read that it is best to not give your baby a pacifier right from the beginning because it can decrease your milk supply. My first son was a super skinny baby and I have been wanting to fatten this one up if he needs it. I read that if you don’t give them a pacifier right away that your baby tends to gain more weight because instead of sucking on his paci he sucks on you and in return eats more. So I am going to try that for this baby and we will see how it works.

6. Postpartum corsets.

Okay, I wish someone would have told me that these things existed! Now I know that there are things that help put your tummy back together and there are even certain ones for c-sections. I wish I would have had one of these after my c-section. I luckily was able to get back to my body pretty quickly but now with my second I have heard it’s a bit harder to get your body back and I am glad I have one lined up to use and I am super excited about it!

7. Your not crazy for having anxiety.

After I was done delivering my first baby I automatically had this extreme anxiety. I was always stressed and sometimes I felt like a crazy person. But after talking to several moms I realized that this is totally normal. I felt so much better knowing that I wasn’t the only one feeling so stressed out all the time. So just know that you’re not alone!

8. Pump once in the morning right after first feeding.

For this baby I want to make sure that I establish a good milk supply right from the bat. I have also learned with my first that it is a lot less stressful to have breast milk stored and ready to go if you ever need it. So, I read up about it and learned that it is best to pump in the mornings right after the first feeding. During the night is when you produce most because usually you have a little longer stretch in between feeding. I know that this won’t work for everyone and that everyone is different but it is something that I am going to try out and we’ll see if it works for me and my baby.

9. Effect of the lack of sleep.

So, I knew that I wasn’t going to get a lot of sleep. Everyone told me that and I was preparing myself for that. But what I didn’t realize is the toll it took on me without having sleep or when I did sleep it was not soundly. Any kind of peep and I was up and alert. It was really hard and sometimes I felt like a completely different person. I have been tired before, with my volleyball schedule and college class schedule I was super busy and sometimes didn’t get much sleep but this was different. It’s even hard to explain but I have had to learn to cope with being tired a lot because as a mom that sleep dosen’t ever go back to how it was.

10. It’s okay to have concerns.

Now that I am on my second baby I am no where near an expert but I have realized that it is okay to have concerns and to express it to people and your doctors. Even if it is about yourself and not about your baby. I think expressing yourself and getting as much information about what ever is concerning you is the best thing.

I still have a lot to learn and still sometimes think that I have no idea what I am doing but I am going to try to do the things I have listed and see how they work for my family and I.