We had our 34-week check-up last Tuesday (technically a day early, but who's counting?), but I got side-tracked at work and forgot to update you all until now! No big news, really - she's still measuring right on target, she's still head-down, and I'm still feeling pretty good overall. My only complaint is that I've been sooooo tired again! It's like the fatigue of the first trimester decided to come back and haunt me. Yuck! Too bad I can't nap during the week, because I'm getting sick of waking up 1-2 times per night to visit the bathroom, and sick of getting winded from doing even the most minimal exertions (like walking up the stairs). Then last night I woke up at 4am and couldn't get back to sleep - eventually I just started reading around 6am, then got up with Mike around 8. Yuck! I know this is all just preparation for Baby, but does it really have to start this early?!
In other news, our third niece was born on Wednesday and we got to visit her after work yesterday. She is so cute! It's hard to believe we'll have a little one like that soon. We stopped at Buy Buy Baby to pick up a gift for little niece Annie, and neither Mike nor I could resist picking up a pair of tiny Carhartts for our baby. We're such suckers for cute little baby things, especially when it means that she and Mike can have matching outfits!
Speaking of cute little things, we finalized our cloth diaper stash today. (Thank you to everyone who gave us gift certificates to Peapods!) We should have enough to go full-time cloth as soon as she gets to be about 8 pounds. I'm really excited about this and hope it works as well as I'm envisioning it will!
Our to-do list is rapidly getting whittled away. We're coming down the home stretch!
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Monday, March 12, 2012
overspending on baby?
I recently stumbled across this infographic from Frugal Dad. Interesting stuff!
Source: frugaldad.com
Source: frugaldad.com
Sunday, March 11, 2012
childbirth class
Yesterday we had our big all-in-one, seven-hour, childbirth prep class! We met up with about 15 other couples (and 1 single woman whose husband had stayed at home! I felt so bad for her!) at the local, free-standing parenting center. It really stunk that it happened to be the first beautiful spring day of the year and we were stuck in a window-less classroom all day, but overall it was a good experience. Neither of us really learned that much, but that was actually a really good thing (especially for me!) since it was reassuring that we've been preparing well on our own. It also taught us that we're really on the same page as far as what we're hoping, planning, and preparing for with childbirth. And it gave us a chance to try out and talk about some specific relaxation exercises. (Mike now knows that I hate the "raindrop massage" technique, and I learned that I need to give him a non-verbal signal if something isn't relaxing to me.) So, although it wasn't anything early-shattering, it was a good experience overall.
One crazy thing was that we ran into a couple who were also on our hospital tour back in December. Remember how I thought I was by far the least pregnant one on the tour since I was barely showing? Well we learned yesterday that their due date is July 25. (A full three months after ours!) She looked exactly the same size as in December. And I felt incredibly guilt for thinking she was further along than me. Bodies are crazy things!
On a different note, I dragged Mike to Costco with me this morning (despite my earlier vows to never again go to Costco on the weekend - yes, I really needed help carrying the heavy packages!). As we were checking out, the nice cashier man stared at me for a little bit (not in a creepy way), and then said "Are you having a girl." Except he didn't say it as a question, but rather as a statement. Whoa. It made me worry less that the u/s tech might have been wrong.
Finally, I'm starting to think ahead (surprise, surprise) about post-baby classes. Anyone have thoughts about doing a New Mama class at the parenting center vs. doing an ECFE class through our school district? I want to learn more about baby development, but I also really want the opportunity to connect with other parents. I'd love to hear any pros/cons you can think of in either direction.
Hope you're all having a great weekend! I'm going to go out and enjoy the beautiful weather now :)
One crazy thing was that we ran into a couple who were also on our hospital tour back in December. Remember how I thought I was by far the least pregnant one on the tour since I was barely showing? Well we learned yesterday that their due date is July 25. (A full three months after ours!) She looked exactly the same size as in December. And I felt incredibly guilt for thinking she was further along than me. Bodies are crazy things!
On a different note, I dragged Mike to Costco with me this morning (despite my earlier vows to never again go to Costco on the weekend - yes, I really needed help carrying the heavy packages!). As we were checking out, the nice cashier man stared at me for a little bit (not in a creepy way), and then said "Are you having a girl." Except he didn't say it as a question, but rather as a statement. Whoa. It made me worry less that the u/s tech might have been wrong.
Finally, I'm starting to think ahead (surprise, surprise) about post-baby classes. Anyone have thoughts about doing a New Mama class at the parenting center vs. doing an ECFE class through our school district? I want to learn more about baby development, but I also really want the opportunity to connect with other parents. I'd love to hear any pros/cons you can think of in either direction.
Hope you're all having a great weekend! I'm going to go out and enjoy the beautiful weather now :)
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
random updates
1. I like having my toenails painted, but I haven't painted them for the past two years or so. First because I had read that the fumes might possibly interfere with conception, and then because I had read that the fumes might possibly affect early fetal brain development. Not being one to take chances, I went polish-less for quite some time. But last night I finally got the nerve up to paint them again (yay!), even though I can barely reach my feet at this point. It was quite the feat to get the polish on my feet (ha ha) - but I didn't do a terrible job, if I do say so myself! It so nice to have my familiar old polished toes back again.
2. As Mike oh-so-lovingly pointed out to me this evening, I'm now outgrowing maternity clothes. Great. This could be a long 7 (+/-2) more weeks!
(sorry I don't have a photo of my belly sticking out from under my shirt today. You'll just have to take my word for it, since I have now officially retired that shirt from my rotation of clothing. Even one of my clients said to me today, "I think your baby got a lot bigger in the last week." Sigh.)
3. Speaking of clothes, Baby has waaaaay more cute (tiny!) outfits to wear than I ever thought possible! Last weekend Mike finished washing them all in baby-safe detergent, then I began sorting them in their labeled sizes (newborn, 0-3 mo, 6 mo, etc.) only to discover that sizing is completely inconsistent from brand to brand! Did you know that a 3-mo Carter's is totally different from a 3-mo Old Navy is totally different from a 3-mo Gerber? Ugh! So, needing something pointless to worry about, I immediately latched on to the fear that we'd sort them all by their labels, but then when Baby got big enough to progress to the next size, many of them would be too small and she'd be unable to wear half the cute outfits she's gotten! I thus rapidly turned the clothes-sorting task into an exercise in perfectionism, arranging each item of clothing in order of size. Here's a photo of the project midway through, exhibiting the 15 or so different sizes that we have:
Mike did not think it was nearly as much "fun" as I did, but he very gamely helped me in order to keep the crazy neurotic side of me somewhat in check. Now instead of having neatly labeled baskets of clothing in Baby's closet, we have a hodge-podge of tiny, small, medium, and large sizes. We'll see how this goes...
Monday, March 5, 2012
tentative birth plans
Mike and I have been working on our "birth plan" for the past few weeks. We want to try for a "natural" birth if possible, but we also want the security of delivering in a hospital in case any medical emergencies arise. We've both been reading lots of books, with our favorites so far being Hypnobirthing (thanks, Mom!) and Natural Hospital Birth, and I've also been scouring the internet for helpful (not horrifying or sensationalistic!) information.
This blog post a nice seven-point summary of the latter book:
1. Plan it. Absolutely have a dream birth and write it all out if you want to. While so many well-meaning friends, docs, and childbirth educators tell women to “stay open” she says there’s still a place for being very clear about what you want.”To the call for flexibility I say, ‘Let the hospital be flexible!’” Her most important advice: “Make a birth plan, and get attached to it!” She says you don’t have to hand this long document over to everyone you encounter– the headlines will suffice– but for your own process, writing it down can help you.
2. Get a great birth team together. Think about who will be with you to support you in labor. You really want to have a midwife or doctor who supports your wishes. This might mean you need to switch care providers mid-pregnancy (don’t worry, they’ll have plenty of other patients), hiring a labor support doula and taking a childbirth class “Taking charge of creating a positive birth team is a vital step in preparation for a natural birth.”
3. Learn about what happens in labor and what it feels like. Her sections on this topic are outstanding. She describes different kinds of labor but throws in amazingly accurate descriptions of what a woman looks like and acts like (for the partners) and feels like (for the moms who’ve never given birth before). She writes about particularly challenging moments: the car to the hospital, triage, mid-active labor (at around 5-6 centimeters dilation) and transition.
4. Learn lots of coping strategies. Investigate all the ways you can cope without pain medication and practice a bunch of them with a partner beforehand. Gabriel gives a list of ways to help cope (she is a very big fan of getting in the water– a tub or shower) but also describes in detail how these things play out and help at various stages.
5. Wait an hour. When a medication or a medical procedure is proposed ask, “what if we wait an hour?” How this is answered will give you a lot of information. Sometimes you say, “What if we wait an hour” and the doctor says, “Oh, OK.” Now you know this is not an emergency but a suggestion.
6. Stay home in early labor. And while you’re at it? Ignore it! Ignore it until you can’t ignore it anymore.
7. Eat, cry or move. Often if a woman reaches a plateau in labor and it seems to slow down– often eating (for energy), crying (to release stress) or moving (to enable better positioning for the opening of pelvis/descent of baby and/or reducing pain) will likely help!
This blog post was also helpful for suggestions about incorporating home birth practices into the hospital setting:
1. Stay home in early labor.
In first births this is especially important. There’s no reason to rush off to the hospital at the very first sign of labor. Stay home until you’re in active labor (this starts when contractions are 3-5 minutes apart). And do what home birthers do. Dim the lights, keep random people away, get in the bath, get in the shower, moan, groan, get on all fours, rock back and forth, eat and drink lots of water or Gatorade.
2. Think of hospital procedures and medications as “back up” as opposed to essential.
Birth may be difficult or hard or downright painful but most often it works. We are designed to do this. And in the instances where something isn’t working out we have fantastic medical technology to back us up. Home births work on the assumption that, in low-risk pregnancies, all will be fine and in the case that something does come up, you can transfer to a hospital. You can get into the mind-set that hospital care is a “back up” even if you do know you’ll be going there for the actual birth. This can build your confidence both in normal labor and in medical technology. Both have their place.
3. Learn some other ways to cope with pain than the epidural.
If you’re giving birth at home you can’t get an epidural, so you’re forced to really educate yourself about other options for reliving pain in labor. Even if you know you want to get an epidural in labor, you might benefit from learning these other techniques– massage, changing positions, vocalizing, hypnosis, etc– as you may go through some portion of labor without pain medication for any number of reasons. In general, learning lots ways to cope helps build confidence.
4. Get a midwife.
In the US most babies born at home are delivered by home birth midwives. But midwives deliver in birthing centers and hospitals, too! And they are often covered by insurance. There are lots of myths about midwives circulating, but the fact is certified midwives are trained medical professionals who can prescribe tests, sonograms and medications. The only thing they are not trained to do is surgery. But we have doctors for that.
5. And/or a doula.
A doula provides continuous labor support, something not offered by hospital staff or obstetricians or even (some) midwives. This continuous support has been shown to reduce the chance of medical interventions including c-sections and even shorten the length of labor. Doulas are often used in home births as a primary source of comfort and support.
6. Labor in your tub and/or a hospital shower as much as possible.
Women giving birth at home often rent or buy a birthing tub to help with pain in labor. Being fully immersed in warm water can be as effective for coping with pain in labor as an intramuscular shot of narcotics. Birthing centers and a few hospitals have tubs for laboring, if not there will be a shower which is a good runner up.
7. Read about what normal birth is like.
Pick up one of Ina May Gaskin’s books or another book about how normal birth works, and read it. Gaskin’s enthusiasm for the female body can be infectious. It can give you just the reassurance you need.
8. Avoid people and websites and books and movies that make you feel overly anxious about birth *including movies that make you feel anxious about the hospital.
Reality television shows that feature dramatic medical emergencies and terrified pregnant teens get ratings but are they instructive or inspiring when you’re expecting? Maybe not. I’d also caution against watching documentaries or TV shows or reading birth books that highlight things that can go wrong in the hospital. It’s time to be skeptical, sure. But it’s also time to build confidence and minimize fear.
9. Focus on ways to make the hospital birth a more intimate experience.
Labor hormones tend to flow when mom feels safe and protected. Birth, it turns out, is kind of an intimate experience. So have people with you in labor who believe in you and who believe in birth (partners can read positive birth stories, too). Play gentle, repetitive music on headphones if you want to. Turn down the lights when you get into your labor and delivery room. Bring your own pillows. Go to the bathroom and just sit on the toilet for a while. Talk to your partner in advance about how he or she can support you and help buffer you from all the logistical hoo-hah of checking into the hospital and getting settled.
10. Eat and drink AND MOVE in labor.
Some hospitals still have an outdated policy about not eating and drinking in labor. Some don’t. Most hospital staff won’t care of you have sips of Gatorade or water in labor. They’ll also turn a blind eye to snacking. Home birthers tend to eat and drink through labor to help maintain hydration and much needed energy. And they tend to move around a lot. Just because there’s a bed in the middle of the hospital room doesn’t mean you have to lie down on your back. If you’re not being monitored, get up and move! Or squat. Or lean. Or kneel on the bed. All this helps labor progress and it can take the edge off the pain.
We have our all-in-one birth class this Saturday. (Two weeks after my parents took their grandparenting class. They are so much more prepared than we are!) We'll then have a few weeks to practice breathing/relaxation/visualization exercises, to prep our iPods with good music, to re-read the important parts of the above books, to remind myself that my body knows what to do, to pack our hospital bags, and to finalize our "birth plan." We're coming down the home stretch!
This blog post a nice seven-point summary of the latter book:
1. Plan it. Absolutely have a dream birth and write it all out if you want to. While so many well-meaning friends, docs, and childbirth educators tell women to “stay open” she says there’s still a place for being very clear about what you want.”To the call for flexibility I say, ‘Let the hospital be flexible!’” Her most important advice: “Make a birth plan, and get attached to it!” She says you don’t have to hand this long document over to everyone you encounter– the headlines will suffice– but for your own process, writing it down can help you.
2. Get a great birth team together. Think about who will be with you to support you in labor. You really want to have a midwife or doctor who supports your wishes. This might mean you need to switch care providers mid-pregnancy (don’t worry, they’ll have plenty of other patients), hiring a labor support doula and taking a childbirth class “Taking charge of creating a positive birth team is a vital step in preparation for a natural birth.”
3. Learn about what happens in labor and what it feels like. Her sections on this topic are outstanding. She describes different kinds of labor but throws in amazingly accurate descriptions of what a woman looks like and acts like (for the partners) and feels like (for the moms who’ve never given birth before). She writes about particularly challenging moments: the car to the hospital, triage, mid-active labor (at around 5-6 centimeters dilation) and transition.
4. Learn lots of coping strategies. Investigate all the ways you can cope without pain medication and practice a bunch of them with a partner beforehand. Gabriel gives a list of ways to help cope (she is a very big fan of getting in the water– a tub or shower) but also describes in detail how these things play out and help at various stages.
5. Wait an hour. When a medication or a medical procedure is proposed ask, “what if we wait an hour?” How this is answered will give you a lot of information. Sometimes you say, “What if we wait an hour” and the doctor says, “Oh, OK.” Now you know this is not an emergency but a suggestion.
6. Stay home in early labor. And while you’re at it? Ignore it! Ignore it until you can’t ignore it anymore.
7. Eat, cry or move. Often if a woman reaches a plateau in labor and it seems to slow down– often eating (for energy), crying (to release stress) or moving (to enable better positioning for the opening of pelvis/descent of baby and/or reducing pain) will likely help!
This blog post was also helpful for suggestions about incorporating home birth practices into the hospital setting:
1. Stay home in early labor.
In first births this is especially important. There’s no reason to rush off to the hospital at the very first sign of labor. Stay home until you’re in active labor (this starts when contractions are 3-5 minutes apart). And do what home birthers do. Dim the lights, keep random people away, get in the bath, get in the shower, moan, groan, get on all fours, rock back and forth, eat and drink lots of water or Gatorade.
2. Think of hospital procedures and medications as “back up” as opposed to essential.
Birth may be difficult or hard or downright painful but most often it works. We are designed to do this. And in the instances where something isn’t working out we have fantastic medical technology to back us up. Home births work on the assumption that, in low-risk pregnancies, all will be fine and in the case that something does come up, you can transfer to a hospital. You can get into the mind-set that hospital care is a “back up” even if you do know you’ll be going there for the actual birth. This can build your confidence both in normal labor and in medical technology. Both have their place.
3. Learn some other ways to cope with pain than the epidural.
If you’re giving birth at home you can’t get an epidural, so you’re forced to really educate yourself about other options for reliving pain in labor. Even if you know you want to get an epidural in labor, you might benefit from learning these other techniques– massage, changing positions, vocalizing, hypnosis, etc– as you may go through some portion of labor without pain medication for any number of reasons. In general, learning lots ways to cope helps build confidence.
4. Get a midwife.
In the US most babies born at home are delivered by home birth midwives. But midwives deliver in birthing centers and hospitals, too! And they are often covered by insurance. There are lots of myths about midwives circulating, but the fact is certified midwives are trained medical professionals who can prescribe tests, sonograms and medications. The only thing they are not trained to do is surgery. But we have doctors for that.
5. And/or a doula.
A doula provides continuous labor support, something not offered by hospital staff or obstetricians or even (some) midwives. This continuous support has been shown to reduce the chance of medical interventions including c-sections and even shorten the length of labor. Doulas are often used in home births as a primary source of comfort and support.
6. Labor in your tub and/or a hospital shower as much as possible.
Women giving birth at home often rent or buy a birthing tub to help with pain in labor. Being fully immersed in warm water can be as effective for coping with pain in labor as an intramuscular shot of narcotics. Birthing centers and a few hospitals have tubs for laboring, if not there will be a shower which is a good runner up.
7. Read about what normal birth is like.
Pick up one of Ina May Gaskin’s books or another book about how normal birth works, and read it. Gaskin’s enthusiasm for the female body can be infectious. It can give you just the reassurance you need.
8. Avoid people and websites and books and movies that make you feel overly anxious about birth *including movies that make you feel anxious about the hospital.
Reality television shows that feature dramatic medical emergencies and terrified pregnant teens get ratings but are they instructive or inspiring when you’re expecting? Maybe not. I’d also caution against watching documentaries or TV shows or reading birth books that highlight things that can go wrong in the hospital. It’s time to be skeptical, sure. But it’s also time to build confidence and minimize fear.
9. Focus on ways to make the hospital birth a more intimate experience.
Labor hormones tend to flow when mom feels safe and protected. Birth, it turns out, is kind of an intimate experience. So have people with you in labor who believe in you and who believe in birth (partners can read positive birth stories, too). Play gentle, repetitive music on headphones if you want to. Turn down the lights when you get into your labor and delivery room. Bring your own pillows. Go to the bathroom and just sit on the toilet for a while. Talk to your partner in advance about how he or she can support you and help buffer you from all the logistical hoo-hah of checking into the hospital and getting settled.
10. Eat and drink AND MOVE in labor.
Some hospitals still have an outdated policy about not eating and drinking in labor. Some don’t. Most hospital staff won’t care of you have sips of Gatorade or water in labor. They’ll also turn a blind eye to snacking. Home birthers tend to eat and drink through labor to help maintain hydration and much needed energy. And they tend to move around a lot. Just because there’s a bed in the middle of the hospital room doesn’t mean you have to lie down on your back. If you’re not being monitored, get up and move! Or squat. Or lean. Or kneel on the bed. All this helps labor progress and it can take the edge off the pain.
We have our all-in-one birth class this Saturday. (Two weeks after my parents took their grandparenting class. They are so much more prepared than we are!) We'll then have a few weeks to practice breathing/relaxation/visualization exercises, to prep our iPods with good music, to re-read the important parts of the above books, to remind myself that my body knows what to do, to pack our hospital bags, and to finalize our "birth plan." We're coming down the home stretch!
Sunday, March 4, 2012
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:
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:
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