There’s a lot of stuff I didn’t know about pregnancy and even more that I didn’t know about what would happen to me after giving birth, both physically and emotionally. As usual, a lot of what I experienced seemed super normal to other mom’s that had gone through the same. Here are a few things I wish I’d known could happen…
I couldn’t sit down for two weeks. Now, of course I knew that my vagina would be going through major trauma.. But I definitely underestimated it! I had a vaginal birth. To prevent tearing, the doctor performed an episiotomy - which means she snipped the little piece of skin at the bottom opening of my vajay. A stitched snip is apparently better than a jagged tear.. But did I mention I couldn’t sit for two weeks? I kept ice packs in my undies for hours.
My blood pressure went through the roof. Towards the end of my pregnancy, I experienced high blood pressure. I didn’t have preeclampsia, but my BP was consistently increasing. I was told that it would go back to normal as soon as the baby was born. It did.. And then a week later, I woke up with swollen hands and feet, a massive headache, and BP that measured 151/105 (not good, y’all!). When I arrived at the hospital, they nonchalantly said, “Oh, yeah.. That could happen.” Why they didn’t tell me to look out for the blood pressure spike..? The world may never know.
My milk never fully came in. There’s so many reasons why this could happen. For me, I had a number of factors working against me.
- I have flat nipples, which makes it incredibly difficult for baby to latch (thus triggering the milk to flow as needed) and incredibly painful for mommy to endure.
- My breasts don’t have “enough” milk glands, which I didn’t even know was possible until my lactation consultant clued me in.
- Stress, sleeplessness, loss of appetite - all of these things affect your milk supply.
My period totally changed. I’d heard rumors that the first period after giving birth was monstrous. I’m talking soaking through pads every hour. I was shook. #Beware! Luckily, mine was actually much lighter.. But also totally off schedule. Almost 10mo post-partum and I still have no idea when my period is coming or going.
Speaking of periods, tampons no longer “fit” me. Well, this was only for maybe two months after my first period. No matter what size tampon I tried to use, it would always fall down as soon as I stood up.. And God, we all know how uncomfortable an out-of-place tampon is. Now, before you start.. I hold the world’s record for number of Kegels done during and after pregnancy. I have no idea why tampons stopped working for me, but they did.. And apparently it’s a “thing”. Google it!
My hair fell out and totally changed texture. This one I knew was a possibility, but since my hair didn’t get much thicker during pregnancy, I figured I was safe! Definitely not. My hair fell out in clumps and I ended up with thin spots and annoying new growth around my temples. The texture of my hair also changed drastically.. so much so that I cut it all off a few months ago. (Don’t worry, I LOVE my new cut!)
My emotions still run rampant. Pregnancy hormones made me cry every single day for 25 weeks. The body takes a while to readjust after giving birth, so I expected to be a rollercoaster of emotions for a while. But, I’ve noticed that I’m just overall so soft nowadays. I’m talking, I’ll even cry during Moana’s theme song because it’s so inspirational.. yeah, that bad.
I officially know what “not giving a FUCK” feels like. I’ve always been equal parts rational and emotional, but it’s always been tough for me not to care at all about most things. After having a kid, whenever I find myself in stressful situations.. I find myself literally saying, either out loud or to myself, “I have the cutest, sweetest baby at home.. I honestly do not give a fuck about (insert whatever is happening)”. And honestly, it’s the best feeling in the world. #FREEDOM