finding balance

I've been working very hard during this pregnancy to find balance, particularly between having some knowledge about things in my control that I want to take reasonable precautions on vs. things that are out of my control that I know I need to let go of worrying about. As a result, I've skimmed (not thoroughly read) about a million different books and blogs, hoping to gain some basic knowledge but then to stop myself from freaking out unnecessarily. Basically, I just want to have a sense of where I'd need to go for further information, should the need arise.

But sometimes I make a mistake and read too much. It's like I can't turn my eyes off. This was one of those blog posts that I should have stopped reading after the first paragraph or so. If you dare to read the full text, you might have the same reaction as I did: WTF have I gotten myself into?!?!?

Excuse me while I go try to find my happy place...




Exit Care (by Pregnant Chicken)

A few of you have asked me to put a list together of tips on how to care for the good china after giving birth.
So thanks to your suggestions, and what I found online, here's the glorious list on how to get your tender bits back in order.

Here they are:
• ice wrapped in a washcloth
• use a squirt bottle filled with water to rinse while you pee
• hold a clean pad firmly against the wound and press upward while you poo to help relieve any pressure
• wear boy shorts to hold a cold pad close
• take both ibuprofen and acetaminophen to address any inflamation and pain
• sitz baths - this is when you sit in a little bit of warm water to get more blood flow to the affected area. Plus, it just feels good. You can get inserts that fit into your toilet seat.
• hair dryer set on cool to dry off any areas where you don't want to shake a towel over – this applies to c-sections as well
• condoms filled with water and frozen to a slushy consistency held against the scary sections (it's not like you'll be using them for anything else so it's worth a shot)
• mix calendula oil with the water in your peri bottle to help speed healing
• calendula oil and/or arnica in water, soak a maxi pad in it, then freeze it for a glorious padsicles
• use the Boppy you bought for your baby or nursing, to sit on for the first few days
• Dermoplast spray – sprayed directly on all that ails you, or on a pad then applied
• open one end of a diaper, put ice in it, then put it in the mesh underwear - when the ice melts the diaper absorbs the water so you are not all soggy
• placing Tucks pads or pads soaked in witch hazel (you can place two overlapping for more coverage) on a maxi pad to help soothe the area.
• depends underwear if you don't like the netted underwear and pads the hospital gives you
• frozen maxi pads that were soaked in Witch Hazel then put in a cooler to take to the hospital
• stool softeners and/or prune juice for both c-sections and vaginal births to keep the pushing to a minimum
• vitamin E oil and/ or neosporin on c-section incisions
• wearing a maternity/belly band to give a little support after a c-section
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Do you know of any others or are you just backing away from the computer saying, "what the hell have I gotten myself into?!"?
Hey, you may get lucky and not have any use for any of this stuff like my asshole friend, Megan.
Personally, I think it's the anticipation of pain that's the worse part – when else do we have up to 35 weeks to think about how much something may hurt? Seriously, if it was that horrible no one would have more than one child. Even if you do need some of this stuff, it's pretty short lived and you have a new baby to keep your mind off the mess, so don't worry about it too much.
There, there, you'll be shiny and new again before you know it. (hair stroke and shushing) Just like this: