I am at 32 weeks right now and . Here are my questions-
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[li]My baby is already getting pretty big (5 pounds at last appointment 2 weeks ago).What are the chances of my first baby coming early?[/li][li]What advice would you offer for getting through labor (hopefully) drug-free?[/li][li]How long did it take you to “get back” to a normal size (most people have said about a year)?[/li][/list=1]
Any other future mommas can feel free to ask their questions too!
IIRC, first babies don’t tend to be early. Also, growth isn’t equal across the whole span.
Have you considered a doula (labor coach)? It really helped me the first time to have someone experienced who wasn’t a nurse and so didn’t have to stick to the hospital’s agenda. They’re trained in all sorts of techniques to help you get through and they can also be a great help for your husband/SO, if that is an issue.
Yeah, about a year. If you have a pretty normal weight gain, surprisingly little of it is actually fat. However, your body changes a lot and it takes time to snap back.
I can offer my $.02 for the last two questions:
I did it both ways. The first one high as a kite on demerol and the second one au natural. I’d highly recommend the drug free way. I just felt more in control. Lamaze breathing techniques are all about focusing your attention on something other than the pain. Remember that and you’ll be doing fine. Also, my SIL employed an accupuncturist for her last two and was very pleased with the resultant lack of pain compared with the first two. Pain free and drug free. What a nice combination. She was at a birthing center for this. I don’t know if a regular hospital would do it.
I was back to normal size in 3 months. I breastfed which causes the uterus to contract and helps it regain its shape faster and I worked out every single day from 6 weeks on. Just worked out with an exercise show on TV and rode my stationary bike. Nothing amazing but I was back in my pre-pregnancy clothes in 3 months. This was after my 2nd and I was 26 years old at the time. YMMV.
Congratulations. Good luck.
For #2: I agree with the doula idea.
Also, learn as much about the birth process as you can. I found it helped to know what my body was doing, and why.
Showers and baths really help with pain and just overall well-being. I spent a LOT of time in the shower at the hospital.
In the end I had to have a lot of interventions, but these things worked until I threw in the towel.
For #3) For me, it’s been 3 1/2 years and I’m still fat. But then that has more to do with me than anything else. I know people who are back to normal really quick, and others who had to go by the “give yoursef 18 months to take it off” guideline.
Congrats!
And welcome to the most paranoid time of your life filled with lots of “what ifs”.
What is important is **Ask your Doctor **
Sorry, that was an incohesive rant, but well, you are entitled to ignore it.
Breathing, for me, helped considerably. for some, I know this is crap, but between my pre-kid life of sports, sports and tomboyism and yoga, breathing totally helped me ( fer sure) focus and divert my attention. Then I got an epidural and it made a nice experience that was tolerable simply outstanding. No, really, i enjoyed childbirth greatly and would do it again in a heart beat.
The tits have gone south too.
YMMV.
OTOH, I have never been healthier in my life and in great shape mentally.
Do you know what you are having? Have you picked out names?
Can we, your closest internet imaginary friends, name your child for you. ( It’s loads of fun!) Ezekial Juan Gerhart Smith get over here!
I’ve read first babies tend to come late rather than early (mine did).
I didn’t have a doula but, the breathing techniques I learned in Lamaze helped. Having said that, I’ll tell you that I chose to have an epidural the second time around and I do not regret it for a moment. Of course, one has to get through quite a bit of labor before one is given an epidural so the breathing still helps.
I was within 10 pounds of my pre-pregnancy weight at my 6-week checkup after my first pregnancy and had lost all of it (plus 5 more pounds) after three months. The hips were a little broader, though.
Now the second pregnancy was a different story altogether. 
Not a mom…but was the birth coach for the mrs.
To answer #2, may I suggest two or three books?
First, the Sears Pregnancy and Sears Birth books by Dr William Sears are a great overview of the birth process, written from the perspective of someone who favors “intervention free” childbirth. He (and his wife) outline the rationale behind the variety of choices in delivery…but do have an obvious (and stated) bias away from epidurals et al.
We preferred the Bradley method over Lamaze. However, we found many proponents of Bradley (and some of the books) to be…ummm… “anti” medical establishment in a sort of strident way. However, it’s worth a look to take a gander at “Husband Coached Childbirth” if you prefer the Bradley method.
We didn’t have a doula, but did go with a Certified Nurse Midwife (this is her)
…very pleased with the experience. It’s hard to imagine going drug free without either a doula or a midwife.
As a very general rule of thumb…Lamaze is focused on external “distraction” techniques…Bradley is focused on internal awareness and adjustment techniques. Obviously both make use of breathing techniques.
My first (and only) was nearly 2 weeks late, and 8.5#. My labor started then stopped so I had to be induced since my water had already broken. When I got the pitocin, I also got Demerol - enough to take the edge off. My kid was, and is, fine. I don’t regret not going drug free. In fact, I was grateful for the pain relief.
I’d taken the LaMaze classes, but new dad and I pretty much forgot everything. The only thing I remember was when my Dr said “OK, relax”’ and I said “No” and squeezed the baby out. I heard later that he almost missed catching her. What the heck did he know - I wanted the kid OUT!!!
Good luck to you, and don’t listen to horror stories.
Well, I’ve done it with an epidural, and totally naturally, and if I had it to do over again, I’d go totally natural every time.
It was amazing how much better I felt after the natural birth than I did after the epidural birth.
If you really want to go without medication, I would highly recomend a doula. I would also check into midwives and alternative birthing centers, as well.
I’ve had 3 drug-free births. I’d recommend Bradley classes (see http://www.bradleybirth.com/). Their whole focus is how to give birth without pictocin, epidurals, or other interventions.
My daughter came early. 37 weeks, 2 days. Don’t count on it. (My bloodpressure was high and I was carrying a lot of water, see below).
I asked for an epidermal walking in, so no advice. But since I almost didn’t get it (got through most of transition without it, and only got it because labor nurse #2 was covering for labor nurse #1 who didn’t check my cervix for five hours! Big no no when patient asks for consent forms when getting checked in, asks for cervix check, and OB has asked for check), I’ll give some advice anyway. A GOOD labor coach. When inept delivery nurse #1 actually tried to talk me through contractions, it was a piece of cake. I’d get a good doula, if I were ever going to try it. (I’m on record with Shirley though).
I was six pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight leaving the hospital. And returned to work two months later, still breastfeeding, in my old pants - the old old pants, the size eights I hadn’t been able to wear in years. Breastfeeding was the best diet I’ve ever been on. Ate anything I wanted, all the time, and lost weight. I hear that like my early first baby, this is not something others should count on.
On the weight issue, my experience with breastfeeding was exactly the opposite of Dangerosa’s. I didn’t begin losing weight until I quit nursing at 2-1/2 years. That’s when it came off naturally. I’m really bad about exercising and I didn’t do anything different, but the howling hunger I had all the time left me when nursing ended! So my appetite returned to normal and eventually, I regained my normal weight. (5’ 9" and 145 lbs. now).
I offer another strong caution against drugs for childbirth. Many births may go OK with epidurals and other interventions, but interventions are a slippery slope. One leads to another to another to another. Childbirth may not be easy but it is natural and CAN be managed. I had two terrible epidurals and know of what I speak.
The pain is there to open the cerevix. It is necessary and means all is going according to plan. It’s not torture. Attending Bradley classes can prepare you for what happens during the labor process. You can learn to do what you want, not what is most convenient for the hospital – which is flat on your back and your legs in the air. NOT the best position for giving birth.
For labor, walk around a lot and moan during the contractions. That Lamaze stuff didn’t help me a bit, but moaning did. (Up to a point, anyway. Baby G was stuck fast, and had to come out the surgical way. 10lbs.+ and sunny-side up!) Don’t be too surprised if things don’t turn out the way you hoped.
Nursing was the best diet ever for me. I ate like a normal person (this is apparently OK as long as you aren’t already slim, but don’t take my word for it) and lost 25 lbs. off my pre-pregnancy weight by the time she was weaned at 10 mos. My stomach muscles seem to be permanently messed up, though. I can’t seem to get them back no matter how many crunches I do…
Another pregnancy question: I’ve had problems with dizzy spells this time, starting at around 15-16 weeks (am now 19 weeks). Nurse said to eat protein for breakfast, so I do, and am no longer getting fainting-dizzy, but I still get periods where I suddenly feel very tired and my heart starts pounding. What is that? Should I worry about it, or do I just have to accept it?
Thanks for all your tips and advice. I relaly don’t find the “horror stories” especially horrifying. I *know * it will hurt, so I am just going with that.
Tha onely problem I have with epidurals is I know three women who have had problems, one who went in with the idea “no problem, I’ll just get an epidural”, and then had a reaaaalllly long labor and it wore off. She was so unprepared for what becam a drug-free birth she nearly had a major breakdown. I am not discounting the possibility of drugs, I’d just prefer not to.
I was an early baby, and small, at 5lbs. My DH however was 9.9lbs and 21 inches long. YIKES! I have the gestational diabetes test tomorrow, so we’ll see how that turns out.
I am 26 yrs old, and have gained a total of 31 pounds. If there is something I can do to keep the baby’s weight down to a more manageable level I’m all for it.
My mom is going to be there, and a close friend of mine as well as my hubby. I am taking a pre-natal class that includes training on self-hypnosis. I hope it helps.
Shirley Ujest - We have picked out names, sorry. Darby Sheridan for a girl and Cole Robert Wayne for a boy.
genie I would ask your doctor about that, I have had a lot of dizzy spells and occasional racing heartbeat, but sort of considered it par for the course.
The important thing to remember is that a zillion things can happen during labor, so keep an open mind. And don’t let anyone talk you into or out of anything, including me. You have to do what is right for you.
I got very lucky with Aaron. I had to be induced, because I’m group B strep positive, and was low on amniotic fluid. My OB couldn’t rule out a leak, so I had to go to the hospital for antibiotics and induction. Labor lasted less than six hours from the time the Pitocin drip was started, and I was able to go drug-free for most of it. In fact, an effective epidural was established maybe 30 minutes before I delivered. (I’d been stuck twice before that. The first was a bad stick, and the second only worked on half my body.) Basically, I asked for pain relief when I started to feel myself getting worn down.
I attended a childbirth class before delivery, watched every program I could find (thank God for Discovery Health!), and read some of the better books. I second Sears’ Birth Book. It really helped put my mind at ease. I also recommend Pregnancy for Dummies because it has great information for the father.
I will also suggest to keep a good line of communication with your OB and your labor nurses. This is vital. Also, make sure your husband/labor coach knows what you want in case you can’t communicate yourself.
Good luck!
Robin
Since lots of useful answers have been posted, I guess I’ll chime in.
Zero. Despite what the books and doctors may have told you, first pregnancies typically last fifteen to eighteen months, longer if the weather is unusually warm.
Find a drug-free way to render yourself unconscious. A sharp blow to the head in just the right spot can render you comatose from the beginning of contractions until after the baby has entered medical school, which most experienced parents consider ideal.
This typically happens about ten years after you are buried, but it may take longer if your grave is in a region of subarctic or arctic climate.
Hope this helped!
I’m cmkeller’s wife. (Just so you know a woman is answering this.) I’ve had 4 healthy pregnancies, all drug-free. As most people said most first babies are late, however, mine was 5 days early. I had no warning to this since my pregnancy was normal and healthy. I don’t think size has much to do with when the baby comes. Just start psychologically prepping yourself 2 weeks before your due date.
Try to go drug free if you can handle it. Just keep telling yourself that the pain can’t last much longer. Lamaze breathing is important, not just to ease the pain, but also to give your mind something to think about other than the pain. Also, my husband was with me the whole time talking to me about anything and everything EXCEPT the labor. At first the subjects he spoke about actually did take my mind off the pain. As the pain got worse my screaming at him to shut up is what made me temporarily not feel the pain. Whatever works!
About losing the weight- by 6 weeks I was pretty much fitting into most of my clothes and by 3 months I weighed 1 pound less than my pre-pregnancy weight. The key is to eat what you need to keep you and your baby healthy but don’t stuff yourself. Also, to lose the “baby fat”, the loose skin, you’ll have to excercise. I did sit-ups. 20 every day for about 2 weeks. But make sure not to start excersizing until you have your postpartum checkup and your doctor okays it.
Hang in there and good luck!
Another thing that might help your decision making process is to create a “Birth Plan”. I actually prefer the notion of “birth preferences”…because “birth plan” sounds like you have total control over the upcoming events…when of course, you don’t.
Anywho…sitting down and articulating your wants/needs may help to focus your thinking.
FWIW, we used the BirthPlan.com web site…which has built in templates that made it real easy to check off our preferences.
2.I’ve had two kids. The first one was with Stadol and an epidural. I pushed for 3.5 hours, felt out of control and had a slow recovery – it took me about a month to feel like myself again.
Second birth was drug free and went wonderfully. Yeah, it hurt, but it was a pain with a purpose – not like slamming your hand in a car door or something. I did visualization and deep breathing, as well as instinctive pushing – with the first birth, I had counted pushing and I couldn’t get into the rhythm. Pushed for about 15 minutes second time around.
Recovery was also much faster the second time around!
I had a birth plan the second time around and it really helped. I’d be happy to email you a copy if you would like to see it.
I will give you my 2cents though you probably won’t want it.
If you are really after a pain free birth, you should not go to the hospital. You should find a good midwife and stay at home, or go to a birth center. At the hospital, most times the nurses and doctors do not know how to handle a laboring woman. If you feel you *must *go to the hospital then I strongly urge you to get a doula.
I had my first in the hospital with an epidural, the second in the hospital with one shot of stadol, the third at a birth center au natural, and the fourth at home in the water.
I will say some women do need to go to the hospital for their births. These are the high risk women. I am not a “home/natural birth nazi”, and I do believe every woman has the right to choose her own way to birth. I am just offering my opinion of a way to get a natural birth.
Melissa