There are no stupid questions

[honda13]

One thing I really enjoyed on my previous BMB was the stupid questions thread.  This is a place to ask whatever may be weighing on your mind.  Do I really need xyz?  What's breastfeeding like?  What is a c section like?  Will I really poop on the table?  Is the Glucose test really that bad?  Ask away and you will get lots of input from BTDT moms.

[honda13]

There has to be something your wondering about. Don't be shy

[marshian]

Okay, I'll play. I was trying to think of something more relevant to first tri, but came up with nothing.

1. Glucose Test - How gross is it really? I've heard nightmare tales about an orange drink. Read somewhere you might be able to request a non-flavored version and it might go down easier?

2. How bad do you really feel the first 24 hours after a vaginal birth? After a c-section? How about the first week? Two weeks? I know birth is rough on your body and of course a c-section is major surgery, it just seems everyone I know who has given birth looks pretty good when I've seen them in the first two weeks. Is it just adrenaline and the good hormones?

[lulu783]

Nov 14, 2016 10:09:56 GMT -5 marshian said:

Okay, I'll play. I was trying to think of something more relevant to first tri, but came up with nothing.

1. Glucose Test - How gross is it really? I've heard nightmare tales about an orange drink. Read somewhere you might be able to request a non-flavored version and it might go down easier?

2. How bad do you really feel the first 24 hours after a vaginal birth? After a c-section? How about the first week? Two weeks? I know birth is rough on your body and of course a c-section is major surgery, it just seems everyone I know who has given birth looks pretty good when I've seen them in the first two weeks. Is it just adrenaline and the good hormones?

1. I had the orange flavor and I actually thought it was really good. Like a melted ice pop, or one of those old school 'barrel' drinks? What bothered me the most was the coming down from the sugar rush. I felt drunk and then hungover. I wish I took the rest of the day off to go home and sleep.

2. I had a vaginal birth and 9lb 4oz baby and a 4th degree tear. Now, I had an epi so take everything I say with a grain of salt - It honestly was not bad at all. The entire experience. Before I got the epi was different story. But both birth and recovery were not that bad for me. Load up on the peri bottles and tucks pads!

[teachermomtobe]

How do you keep your lady part maintained when a belly gets in the way? I refuse to wax but keep it well maintained with shaving and am worried for when I can't see it any more.

[honda13]

Nov 14, 2016 10:16:36 GMT -5 teachermomtobe said:

How do you keep your lady part maintained when a belly gets in the way? I refuse to wax but keep it well maintained with shaving and am worried for when I can't see it any more.

TMI, but my husband did it for me.  Same for a lot of ladies I know.

[marshian]

Nov 14, 2016 10:16:36 GMT -5 teachermomtobe said:

How do you keep your lady part maintained when a belly gets in the way? I refuse to wax but keep it well maintained with shaving and am worried for when I can't see it any more.

+1. My hair seems to be growing at an insane rate and is tough to keep up with it now. 

[marshian]

Nov 14, 2016 10:26:48 GMT -5 honda13 said:

Nov 14, 2016 10:16:36 GMT -5 teachermomtobe said:

How do you keep your lady part maintained when a belly gets in the way? I refuse to wax but keep it well maintained with shaving and am worried for when I can't see it any more.

TMI, but my husband did it for me.  Same for a lot of ladies I know.

Love my H, but he cuts his face on a regular basis. Don't want him near me with a razor!

[mreve]

Nov 14, 2016 10:09:56 GMT -5 marshian said:

Okay, I'll play. I was trying to think of something more relevant to first tri, but came up with nothing.

1. Glucose Test - How gross is it really? I've heard nightmare tales about an orange drink. Read somewhere you might be able to request a non-flavored version and it might go down easier?

2. How bad do you really feel the first 24 hours after a vaginal birth? After a c-section? How about the first week? Two weeks? I know birth is rough on your body and of course a c-section is major surgery, it just seems everyone I know who has given birth looks pretty good when I've seen them in the first two weeks. Is it just adrenaline and the good hormones?

1. It wasn't good, or something I'd willing drink, but I didn't think it was nearly as bad as it's often made out to be.

2. I delivered vaginally with no meds and had a second degree tear. It was brutal. My H had to help me walk to the bathroom for the first 24 hours. I couldn't go down the stairs in my house for over a week and shuffled around when I was walking. One day I realized it had been two weeks and I was in the middle of a 1.5 mile walk and couldn't believe how "normal" I felt already. I have also seen people who look amazing and are out and about shortly after birth and I can't figure out how they're doing it.

[mreve]

Nov 14, 2016 10:16:36 GMT -5 teachermomtobe said:

How do you keep your lady part maintained when a belly gets in the way? I refuse to wax but keep it well maintained with shaving and am worried for when I can't see it any more.

I just tried to keep it trimmed and did it by feel. I have no idea how successful I was!

[lulu783]

Nov 14, 2016 10:16:36 GMT -5 teachermomtobe said:

How do you keep your lady part maintained when a belly gets in the way? I refuse to wax but keep it well maintained with shaving and am worried for when I can't see it any more.

I gave up, LOL. 

[honda13]

Nov 14, 2016 10:09:56 GMT -5 marshian said:

Okay, I'll play. I was trying to think of something more relevant to first tri, but came up with nothing.

1. Glucose Test - How gross is it really? I've heard nightmare tales about an orange drink. Read somewhere you might be able to request a non-flavored version and it might go down easier?

2. How bad do you really feel the first 24 hours after a vaginal birth? After a c-section? How about the first week? Two weeks? I know birth is rough on your body and of course a c-section is major surgery, it just seems everyone I know who has given birth looks pretty good when I've seen them in the first two weeks. Is it just adrenaline and the good hormones?

1.  I had no problems.  It was a weird orange flavor, but not as horrible as everyone made it sound.
2.  I had a c-section and I am opting for a repeat c-section.  My best advice is to get up and move asap.  It hurts, but the sooner you "rip off the band aid" the better your recovery.  I walked the halls asap and did so every few hours to keep moving.  I had nurses come in and say, "uh you had a c-section".  I'm not going to lie it hurt, and finding a good nursing position was a bit difficult but you figure it out.  Getting up and down was the worst pain, but once you got moving it was bearable.  I was also team take the drugs (post op).  If I tried to tough it out and I regretted it.  DO NOT try to do everything yourself though.  Take the help.  If you overdo it you are going to feel it.

[honda13]

Nov 14, 2016 10:27:47 GMT -5 marshian said:

Nov 14, 2016 10:26:48 GMT -5 honda13 said:

TMI, but my husband did it for me.  Same for a lot of ladies I know.

Love my H, but he cuts his face on a regular basis. Don't want him near me with a razor!

He used one of those trimmers.  So it was super smooth, but he didn't cut me lol.

[teachermomtobe]

Nov 14, 2016 10:26:48 GMT -5 honda13 said:

Nov 14, 2016 10:16:36 GMT -5 teachermomtobe said:

How do you keep your lady part maintained when a belly gets in the way? I refuse to wax but keep it well maintained with shaving and am worried for when I can't see it any more.

TMI, but my husband did it for me.  Same for a lot of ladies I know.

Funny you say that. I mentioned it to DH and his first response was he'd do it. I asked it he would trust me to shave him and if not then I don't know that I trust him to shave me lol. Guess we'll see how desperate I get.

[honda13]

Oh and about the orange drink marshian think of it like a shot. Just knock it back and be done with it. I'm sure we have all had worse.

[teachermomtobe]

I know an appendectomy and c-section are not the same but I had an open appendectomy in March and found recovery really wasn't bad and moving helped a lot. It sounds like a c-section is similar?

[honda13]

Nov 14, 2016 10:33:49 GMT -5 teachermomtobe said:

Nov 14, 2016 10:26:48 GMT -5 honda13 said:

TMI, but my husband did it for me.  Same for a lot of ladies I know.

Funny you say that. I mentioned it to DH and his first response was he'd do it. I asked it he would trust me to shave him and if not then I don't know that I trust him to shave me lol. Guess we'll see how desperate I get.

MH offered when I was pregnant because it was getting to be a pain.

[honda13]

Nov 14, 2016 10:36:19 GMT -5 teachermomtobe said:

I know an appendectomy and c-section are not the same but I had an open appendectomy in March and found recovery really wasn't bad and moving helped a lot. It sounds like a c-section is similar?

I had my gallbladder removed and I found it very similar.  Actually, I was relieved by how similar they were since I 'recognized' the type of pain.

[marshian]

Another one: I hate needles. Really hate them. My veins are small, deep, and at weird angles (according to all the phlebotomists I've seen). I ALWAYS feel the needle. I've had an IV a couple times (for a CT scan and for an MRI) and I was told I shouldn't feel it but I always do and it makes me queasy and anxious. I'm extremely tempted to ask my midwife to not keep an IV in me, even a hep-lock, unless they are actively giving me something. If I need antibiotics for GBS, I want them to give them and then pull the needle back out. From what I've read it's preferred to keep one in you in case you need something urgently. Is this crazy? In the throes of labor am I going to actually not care about the needle?

[lulu783]

Nov 14, 2016 10:40:19 GMT -5 marshian said:

Another one: I hate needles. Really hate them. My veins are small, deep, and at weird angles (according to all the phlebotomists I've seen). I ALWAYS feel the needle. I've had an IV a couple times (for a CT scan and for an MRI) and I was told I shouldn't feel it but I always do and it makes me queasy and anxious. I'm extremely tempted to ask my midwife to not keep an IV in me, even a hep-lock, unless they are actively giving me something. If I need antibiotics for GBS, I want them to give them and then pull the needle back out. From what I've read it's preferred to keep one in you in case you need something urgently. Is this crazy? In the throes of labor am I going to actually not care about the needle?

Probably won't care. Although I remember being super annoyed at the blood pressure cuff (it would always seem to go off during a contraction), so might be worth having the conversation and see what she thinks.

[honda13]

marshian, I think it will depend on how things go down honestly. I've heard of women in natural labor that were able to request minimal intervention such as monitoring, iv, etc. As long as it was going fine and no risks. Now I had to be induced, so I didn't get a choice on a lot of things. When you are in the middle of contractions you won't really care about a needle.

[marshian]

To follow up my needle question, if you had or were planning on a natural labor with minimal interventions, what preparation actually helped? Any specific labor methods, exercises, breathing?

[mreve]

marshian I also hate needles but got better at them during my pregnancy because there were a bunch. However when I was pushing and they started bringing over the iv I panicked because I really didn't want it on top of everything else. DS finally started making progress on the next push and I never got the iv and was so relieved. It felt stupid to care at that moment but I definitely did.

[violetrose]

Nov 14, 2016 10:09:56 GMT -5 marshian said:

Okay, I'll play. I was trying to think of something more relevant to first tri, but came up with nothing.

1. Glucose Test - How gross is it really? I've heard nightmare tales about an orange drink. Read somewhere you might be able to request a non-flavored version and it might go down easier?

2. How bad do you really feel the first 24 hours after a vaginal birth? After a c-section? How about the first week? Two weeks? I know birth is rough on your body and of course a c-section is major surgery, it just seems everyone I know who has given birth looks pretty good when I've seen them in the first two weeks. Is it just adrenaline and the good hormones?

1. I didn't think it was that bad. I just hated the waiting part and being hungry. 

2. After DD, I was a hot mess.  No epidural and 3rd degree tear.  The lady bits were slow to heal and I had to take tons of pain meds and clean the area frequently.  It didn't completely heal until about 8 weeks postpartum.  However, I was on a baby high and drunk in love with her.  Her birth was pretty dramatic and long so I think that had to do with the recovery.  With DS everything was completely different.  He was a quick and easy delivery.  I had the epidural which was AMAZING.  I honestly didn't feel a thing during labor/delivery.  I still had a 1st degree tear but I healed much faster and felt 100% normal after about a week.  I think it all depends on the person and how their delivery goes.  

[violetrose]

Nov 14, 2016 10:40:19 GMT -5 marshian said:

Another one: I hate needles. Really hate them. My veins are small, deep, and at weird angles (according to all the phlebotomists I've seen). I ALWAYS feel the needle. I've had an IV a couple times (for a CT scan and for an MRI) and I was told I shouldn't feel it but I always do and it makes me queasy and anxious. I'm extremely tempted to ask my midwife to not keep an IV in me, even a hep-lock, unless they are actively giving me something. If I need antibiotics for GBS, I want them to give them and then pull the needle back out. From what I've read it's preferred to keep one in you in case you need something urgently. Is this crazy? In the throes of labor am I going to actually not care about the needle?

I've always hated needles too and could feel them, like you said.  Honestly though, during labor it was the last thing on my mind and the least annoying/painful thing.  There's so much going on that an IV didn't even bother me.

[honda13]

Nov 14, 2016 10:46:15 GMT -5 marshian said:

To follow up my needle question, if you had or were planning on a natural labor with minimal interventions, what preparation actually helped? Any specific labor methods, exercises, breathing?

Not me personally, but I know women who swear by hypnobirthing and acupuncture.

[starsandshamrocks123]

Nov 14, 2016 10:40:19 GMT -5 marshian said:

Another one: I hate needles. Really hate them. My veins are small, deep, and at weird angles (according to all the phlebotomists I've seen). I ALWAYS feel the needle. I've had an IV a couple times (for a CT scan and for an MRI) and I was told I shouldn't feel it but I always do and it makes me queasy and anxious. I'm extremely tempted to ask my midwife to not keep an IV in me, even a hep-lock, unless they are actively giving me something. If I need antibiotics for GBS, I want them to give them and then pull the needle back out. From what I've read it's preferred to keep one in you in case you need something urgently. Is this crazy? In the throes of labor am I going to actually not care about the needle?

I remember being particularly bothered by the IV in my hand. It bugged me the entire time because they put it in my right hand and I hated using the bathroom with it, etc. I was GBS+ so no way around it. I was so happy to get that thing out

[mreve]

Nov 14, 2016 10:46:15 GMT -5 marshian said:

To follow up my needle question, if you had or were planning on a natural labor with minimal interventions, what preparation actually helped? Any specific labor methods, exercises, breathing?

I did not have a birth plan or do any specific preparation apart from researching and reading birth stories. I had no opposition to meds, but wanted as few interventions as possible and thought I'd see how things went. As it turned out my labour progressed very quickly and by the time they checked me at the hospital I was fully dilated and ready to push and it was too late for anything.

For me labour wasn't awful, but pushing was so I think I'll look for better coping mechanisms for that this time around. They did teach us some breathing and visualization techniques in prenatal class that I didn't find particularly helpful, but maybe other people do.

[agm04]

Nov 14, 2016 10:09:56 GMT -5 marshian said:

Okay, I'll play. I was trying to think of something more relevant to first tri, but came up with nothing.

1. Glucose Test - How gross is it really? I've heard nightmare tales about an orange drink. Read somewhere you might be able to request a non-flavored version and it might go down easier?

2. How bad do you really feel the first 24 hours after a vaginal birth? After a c-section? How about the first week? Two weeks? I know birth is rough on your body and of course a c-section is major surgery, it just seems everyone I know who has given birth looks pretty good when I've seen them in the first two weeks. Is it just adrenaline and the good hormones?

1. the one hour test isn't fun but whatever.  the 3 hour made me feel awful.  i agree with honda13 - just chug it and be done.

2. i had a vaginal birth (breech baby with no meds, 2nd degree tear) and the first 24 hours weren't bad at all.  i was still in the hospital and had someone bringing me meds and food around the clock, and the hospital bed was SO helpful with getting into a good nursing or just a comfortable position.  i was pretty miserable about a week in.  sooooo itchy, in a lot of pain (TAKE YOUR MEDS ON SCHEDULE), and in constant fear of pooping.  lol.  but once i started to heal, it happened fast.  i think the lack of sleep and a regular eating schedule makes it harder to recover.

[agm04]

Nov 14, 2016 10:46:15 GMT -5 marshian said:

To follow up my needle question, if you had or were planning on a natural labor with minimal interventions, what preparation actually helped? Any specific labor methods, exercises, breathing?

DH and I took Bradley classes.  It was a huge commitment (12 weeks of classes), but so worth it for us.  It really helped to get us on the same page.  Especially when DD turned breech, DH understood why I wanted to fight for a trial of labor and was very supportive.  Very helpful in terms of understanding what to expect, too - I think we would have been scared out of our minds otherwise.  It's just so hard to know what's normal the first time around.  Having a doula helped with that too.

Regarding your needle question - it depends on your midwives I think.  I had a hep-lock (and did end up getting fluids bc I was getting dehydrated), and once it was in it was fine.  They had to stick me SEVEN TIMES to get it in (thanks to the fact that I wasn't well hydrated).  I was annoyed, but it wasn't my top concern at the time.  There's no way either of my doctors would have gone along with no IV and no hep-lock, but that may not be the case for you.  There were things I cared about a lot more, so I let it go.