Things nobody told me...

So i wanted to share some of the things I went through during the pregnancy, delivery and after that i feel nobody really told me about or i knew but didn't really believe till it happened. Feel free to comment with things I am missing or you weren't told about.

Pregnancy-
     Everything changes. your body, hair, hearing, sweating, ear wax, nails, congestion, tastes.. i know i had read about it but i didn't really know until i went through it that so many things can change. I felt like i came out of being pregnant a different person.
    Doctors appointments are very short and really just a way for them to listen to the baby's heartbeat, check your urine for protein and give you a chance to ask questions. I was usually in the waiting room longer than in with the doctor.
Delivery-
    For me the shot of fentanyl into my IV only lasted about 10 minutes. The Doctors told me it would last up to an hour or 2. This also happened when they gave me a double dose during my epidural to try and relax me.
   My epidural went badly because i was scared and had complications it took 45 minutes. this isn;t normal but i would recommend if you are wanting one do it before your contactions are very close together. Mine were every 2 minutes which made it hard to relax.
    If you get an epidural try to avoid a boost right before you start pushing. This will help you feel the pushes as well as make it so you can stand sooner after you deliver. you have to get up and pee twice before they will take out your IV.
   You want to bring a pillow or 2 if your husband is staying the night. The ones at the hospital are terrible. Also I would bring a box of good tissue. The hospital ones were very thin and small which with all the crying we did we had to have my dad bring us better stuff.
   Bring food. Having some snacks for anyone else that is staying with you during labor or overnight is a good idea. Also these snacks can help supplement the hospital food. I didn't eat for over 24 hours because of the way everything started so I was starving after i delivered. I would say most women are starving after they deliver and the hospital usually feeds you right away for me it just wasn't enough.
     If you have a loss like I did know that many of the nurses and hospital staff are not very experienced with this situation. we had a two people say things to us that was very difficult. We complained about the one nurse we had and i was able to get a better nurse. So don't be afraid to speak up if you feel you are being treated badly.

After Delivery-
      I purchased many different types of pads with different absorbancies and all of them long because it helps protect your underwear.
     I would recommend reading up on what really happens after you deliver. Since i gave birth so early I hadn't even read up about any of it and had no idea really what to expect. My best description is like 3 times worse than the worst period I've ever had. It was only like that for a week or so though.
    Rubbing alcohol helps clean off the resudue from the tape they use to attatch your IV, epidural and catheter. Mike had to help me get it all off my back and leg.
    When it came to lactation I felt like nobody could really tell me what was going to happen until i saw the lactation consultant at the hospital. They told me to wear tight bras and to not touch or run hot water over my chest. This seemed to work for me because i never had any bad swelling or let down of milk. I did think about letting my milk come in and then donating it to the mothers milk bank but I wasn't there emotionally yet. If i had to do it over again i think i would do it.
     I was given prescriptions for 600mg motrin and Norco. I only used them when i needed it and after the first week I didn't use them at all. The norco helped me sleep at night when i was having bad cramps but it does make you constipated so i really recommend stool softeners after you deliver and as long as you are taking pain meds.