I had such a rough time being pregnant. My 7 year relationship was falling apart, my body was changing, I felt trapped, my bro in law suffered a life changing injury, I was scared, I didn't feel maternal & I just didn't know what to expect...
I had watched One Born Every Minute countless of times, planning my birth, planning my child's leaving outfit etc. I felt like I knew it all. Boy was I wrong! I think the after math of birth isn't spoken about enough, as a first time Mum I felt completely lost.
I didn't know that after birth (from the moment you get up from your bed) you would still bleed for up to 6 weeks where the placenta has come away from the womb, it's called Lochia and I remember looking at the midwife exhausted and deflated.
Nobody told me that my vagina was going to be as swollen as a giraffe's foot for the next few days and that walking would just unbearable. I'd been so uncomfortable for so many months and it seemed like I was never going to feel like myself again.
Nobody told me that it was okay to not cry when you laid eyes on your baby for the first time, I felt incapable of being a Mother because I didn't feel that wave of emotion, I questioned myself straight away "How will I love this baby? What if I never get that maternal feeling?"
Nobody told my that having stitches meant that every time I went to the bathroom (for the next couple of weeks) I would have to take a container filled with warm water to pour over myself to soothe the burning and the pain. I was constantly scared to pee.
Nobody told me that I could potential pee myself with no warning due to my muscles and everything repositioning itself to where it was before. Bladder control? What did that mean because it was non existent to me.
Nobody told me that I would still be hormonal, my partner thought I would just 'get back to normal' and so did I tbh, we were constantly battling each other for no real reason and I was emotionally drained.
Nobody told me the strain it would put on my relationship, I had romanticised the first few weeks in my head, that first perfect family picture, that newborn photo shoot, that feeling of me & him falling even more so in love with one another and being closer & stronger than ever
Be*
Nobody told me that my skin would lose its elasticity, that my belly would be jiggly and that it would take a week or so for my baby bump to disappear. I didn't remember seeing that in the media, I saw flat bellys 3 days postpartum.
Nobody told me that I would experience cramps and afterbirth pains that felt like contractions so I would be stuck at home with this intolerable discomfort, unable to be out and about as I thought I would be.
There needs to be more information provided to first time Mums, especially regarding post natal depression. We need to make Mums-to-be realise that no question is a stupid question and that there are people there to support them with the correct guidance.
Over all I wasn't aware of a lot of things, I felt lost & lonely experiencing & discovering all these new things, I wish I was made aware of more ❤️
My intention isn't to scare u! It's to just be honest! It's worth it once u look at ur baby but it also makes you extremely reluctant to even consider another pregnancy! I think if everyone had a sort of idea of what to expect (I know every1 is diff) it wouldn't be such a shock
So the other night as I was typing away, I didn't think anything of the thread, I was just being honest about my experience & I was following off the discussion on #TheReceiptsPodcast and then boom, I was flooded with responses and now this!!😩❤️👇🏽
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