So now I’m a mother. And strangely (or perhaps not so) it feels completely natural; as though it’s always been this way. It’s amazing how quickly we can adapt to something that quite literally takes over every single aspect of our lives. I mean, I had a day last week – I think it was our second day at home – when I actually did nothing but feed her all day. E came home and not one dish or dirty piece of clothing had moved since 12 hours earlier. I hadn’t showered, hadn’t returned calls, and had even had to go to the toilet with her still attached. Thankfully I’m finally figuring this breastfeeding thing out now. Honestly, if someone had told me earlier just how painful those first few days could be I think I would have been as scared of that as I was of labour!
The Story Of Alyssa
My beautiful little girl arrived Friday week ago (the 6th), at 1.56 pm, with an incredibly hairy head and weighing 8 pounds 14 ounces. The birth? Not so much fun. I had the (oxytocin) pessary on Thursday night as a preparation to being induced Friday morning at 7. Induction definitely wasn’t in my birth plan, in fact I was fairly determined to do it completely natural unless absolutely forced to change plans. Of course I should have known things weren’t going to be so simple when I found out my due date was 5 days earlier than I thought. Mind you, I still think that was a clerical mix-up, but whatever. It is what it is now! Fortunately the full induction didn’t take place as I went into labour Friday at 3am. I thought it was just cramps at first and hopped in the bath, but by 4.30 I knew it was happening – and contractions were already 4 minutes apart. We got to hospital at 6am and within another half hour or so I was in agony. Apparently I could be heard groaning throughout the entire ward. The pessary speeds up the labour process (in theory!), well it did for me, so there was no gradual build up.
My doctor came to check on me at 8.30am and I was thinking I must be at least halfway. I was one cm dilated! Unbelievable. So he broke my waters after doing an internal (most excruciating thing I’ve ever survived), and she’d pooed inside me which is obviously not good. So then he decides that because I was in so much pain and not progressing, to put me on the oxytocin drip – in his words to speed it up, make the contractions come more often (they were already 1 or 2 min apart at this stage!), and to make it more painful. Awesome. He recommended the epidural, and I decided within about 15 minutes to have it, and did so at 10am. I was going to go for gas first, then maybe pethidine, but something told me I would end up still having the epi, so may as well just have only the one thing. I just didn’t see how I’d be able to make it, considering I thought I’d have so long ahead of me. The thing is, I never researched the epidural because I never thought I’d have it (pretty stupid, huh? – and very unlike me really) so I didn’t realise it would make me numb from the waist down, and not able to move! I also didn’t realise till I read it the next day that it stops the natural release of oxytocin for bonding. Luckily breastfeeding does release that as well. I probably wouldn’t have had it if I knew that (or that I wouldn’t be able to feel how to push properly!). She ended up coming 3 hours after that, at 1.56, and he used the vacuum. There’s a chance that had I avoided the epi I just wouldn’t have relaxed enough to dilate fully when I did, and a lengthy drawn out labour could well have resulted in a c-section, so although part of me regrets going down the drug path I’m also thankful that I have this gorgeous child who has arrived in full health and without my having to go through surgery or who knows what else. And thankfully (despite the vacuum) she doesn’t have any bruising, nor does she have a conehead! What’s more, when it did come time to push the epi had worn off a little and so I was able to focus on what I needed to do. Annoyingly I did still end up having an episiotimy (which the midwife saw fit to photograph, much to our horror in reviewing the camera later!)
And of course it was all worthwhile when I finally had her on my chest. So wonderful. And so very very surreal at first. I was completely overwhelmed by emotion when she came out; I couldn’t even get the words out of my mouth to make the official “it’s a girl” announcement.
Meanwhile 10 days has passed and I’ve been gradually figuring this whole thing out. As I said, in some ways it feels totally natural but at the same time every day is filled with new lessons and experiences, not to mention dozens of pooey nappies (why do they always let everything out right after you’ve changed a nappy???), and the gradual return of my breasts to something resembling human tissue and not a very badly botched lumpy DDD boob job!
And in the midst of it all I haven’t forgotten my promise to myself, which is to be pack in my ideal shape by mid February next year; approximately 12 weeks from now. There’ve been a few cautious gym and yoga visits so far, and my eating has been excellent – I totally get why everyone says breastfeeding causes weight loss, it’s because there’s now time left to eat! But more on all that another day. For now – welcome to Alyssa, and welcome officially to you to this blog. This is where it really begins!
Body plus baby? Easy!*
Kat
*(We hope)
Don’t forget to leave a comment before you go – if you’re reading from RSS or email you’ll have to enter the blog to do this. You can do that by clicking on the title of this piece. ‘Post a comment’ is at the article end, right under the ’share this’ and ‘related posts’ options.
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Alyssa Rose
So now I’m a mother. And strangely (or perhaps not so) it feels completely natural; as though it’s always been this way. It’s amazing how quickly we can adapt to something that quite literally takes over every single aspect of our lives. I mean, I had a day last week – I think it was our second day at home – when I actually did nothing but feed her all day. E came home and not one dish or dirty piece of clothing had moved since 12 hours earlier. I hadn’t showered, hadn’t returned calls, and had even had to go to the toilet with her still attached. Thankfully I’m finally figuring this breastfeeding thing out now. Honestly, if someone had told me earlier just how painful those first few days could be I think I would have been as scared of that as I was of labour!
The Story Of Alyssa
My beautiful little girl arrived Friday week ago (the 6th), at 1.56 pm, with an incredibly hairy head and weighing 8 pounds 14 ounces. The birth? Not so much fun. I had the (oxytocin) pessary on Thursday night as a preparation to being induced Friday morning at 7. Induction definitely wasn’t in my birth plan, in fact I was fairly determined to do it completely natural unless absolutely forced to change plans. Of course I should have known things weren’t going to be so simple when I found out my due date was 5 days earlier than I thought. Mind you, I still think that was a clerical mix-up, but whatever. It is what it is now! Fortunately the full induction didn’t take place as I went into labour Friday at 3am. I thought it was just cramps at first and hopped in the bath, but by 4.30 I knew it was happening – and contractions were already 4 minutes apart. We got to hospital at 6am and within another half hour or so I was in agony. Apparently I could be heard groaning throughout the entire ward. The pessary speeds up the labour process (in theory!), well it did for me, so there was no gradual build up.
My doctor came to check on me at 8.30am and I was thinking I must be at least halfway. I was one cm dilated! Unbelievable. So he broke my waters after doing an internal (most excruciating thing I’ve ever survived), and she’d pooed inside me which is obviously not good. So then he decides that because I was in so much pain and not progressing, to put me on the oxytocin drip – in his words to speed it up, make the contractions come more often (they were already 1 or 2 min apart at this stage!), and to make it more painful. Awesome. He recommended the epidural, and I decided within about 15 minutes to have it, and did so at 10am. I was going to go for gas first, then maybe pethidine, but something told me I would end up still having the epi, so may as well just have only the one thing. I just didn’t see how I’d be able to make it, considering I thought I’d have so long ahead of me. The thing is, I never researched the epidural because I never thought I’d have it (pretty stupid, huh? – and very unlike me really) so I didn’t realise it would make me numb from the waist down, and not able to move! I also didn’t realise till I read it the next day that it stops the natural release of oxytocin for bonding. Luckily breastfeeding does release that as well. I probably wouldn’t have had it if I knew that (or that I wouldn’t be able to feel how to push properly!). She ended up coming 3 hours after that, at 1.56, and he used the vacuum. There’s a chance that had I avoided the epi I just wouldn’t have relaxed enough to dilate fully when I did, and a lengthy drawn out labour could well have resulted in a c-section, so although part of me regrets going down the drug path I’m also thankful that I have this gorgeous child who has arrived in full health and without my having to go through surgery or who knows what else. And thankfully (despite the vacuum) she doesn’t have any bruising, nor does she have a conehead! What’s more, when it did come time to push the epi had worn off a little and so I was able to focus on what I needed to do. Annoyingly I did still end up having an episiotimy (which the midwife saw fit to photograph, much to our horror in reviewing the camera later!)
And of course it was all worthwhile when I finally had her on my chest. So wonderful. And so very very surreal at first. I was completely overwhelmed by emotion when she came out; I couldn’t even get the words out of my mouth to make the official “it’s a girl” announcement.
Meanwhile 10 days has passed and I’ve been gradually figuring this whole thing out. As I said, in some ways it feels totally natural but at the same time every day is filled with new lessons and experiences, not to mention dozens of pooey nappies (why do they always let everything out right after you’ve changed a nappy???), and the gradual return of my breasts to something resembling human tissue and not a very badly botched lumpy DDD boob job!
And in the midst of it all I haven’t forgotten my promise to myself, which is to be pack in my ideal shape by mid February next year; approximately 12 weeks from now. There’ve been a few cautious gym and yoga visits so far, and my eating has been excellent – I totally get why everyone says breastfeeding causes weight loss, it’s because there’s now time left to eat! But more on all that another day. For now – welcome to Alyssa, and welcome officially to you to this blog. This is where it really begins!
Body plus baby? Easy!*
Kat
*(We hope)
Don’t forget to leave a comment before you go – if you’re reading from RSS or email you’ll have to enter the blog to do this. You can do that by clicking on the title of this piece. ‘Post a comment’ is at the article end, right under the ’share this’ and ‘related posts’ options.
If you haven’t yet subscribed to this feed, what are you waiting for? Do it now. You can choose either email at the top right of this page, or by RSS in the URL bar.
If you enjoyed this article please forward to your friends and tweet it. Thank-you!
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