Labor Surprises!

Prior to giving birth, I read a lot, talked to friends and family, watched videos of women giving birth, took the tour at my hospital and more.  I did everything I thought I could to prepare for my birth experience.  And yet, there were things that still surprised me.  Here are a few unexpected things that happened to me:

1. Having your water break isn't always a cut and dry experience - Okay, so it is never a "dry" experience but with me it was also a bit confusing.  I woke up at 2:30 AM to pee and when I stood up: gush.  It was early in the morning and I was half asleep and I wasn't quite sure that my bladder hadn't just let go.  Okay, I was pretty sure it wasn't urine but not 100% sure.  The most interesting thing was when I got to the hospital, they were not sure either! They do a little litmus type test and it was inconclusive! They did two more tests on me and they all came back inconclusive.  No idea why. Eventually, I was admitted because as I was laying there in the hospital bed the doctor could see the water flowing out of me.  
2. Labor can be boring - I feel guilty even writing this but it is true.  My labor experience was long and parts of it were just not that exciting.  After the initial excitement of believing our baby was on the way...hubby and I experienced several hours of down time.  I tested positive for Strep B so I had to stay at the hospital after my water broke for regular antibiotics and and IV.   I was having contractions but could barely feel them and they were very irregular. So we walked, I used the labor ball, drank water, walked some more, used the breast pump and did everything I could think of to get this baby on her way. Eventually we decided to use pitocin to get things moving and things got more exciting from then on, but there were many hours of just nothing.
3. You are not in labor yet -Okay so I just said that labor can be boring.  But technically, I wasn't actually in labor yet.  Just because your water breaks doesn't mean you are in labor. Even when my contractions started getting painful, really painful one of the nurses said I still wasn't "in labor".  This was one of those frustrating moments because I really felt like I was working hard to bring this child into the world and to hear that I wasn't in labor was rather disheartening. It didn't mean she wasn't on her way, just that we didn't meet the technical requirements for labor.  *sigh*
4. Hot flashes - When the baby finally moved into position and it was time to push I had the worst hot flashes ever!  My mother would soak towels with icy cold water and throw them on my back and the relief only lasted about 30 seconds. She said a normal person would have screamed.  I just sighed. This didn't end until I went in for the c-section.  
5. Epidurals don't always work - Listen carefully when the anesthesiologist tells you all the things that can happen with an epidural including the fact that it may not work.  Mine worked early on but I had to have it boosted twice. During the pushing phase I wanted to be able to move around anyway so I finally just gave up on the epidural. 
6. Not pushing, when your body wants to push, is painful - After three hours of pushing, the decision was made to have a c-section, and it was time to stop pushing.  I had to wait about 30 minutes before the brought me to the operating room.  The contractions during that time were the worst I had. 
7. C-section guilt - Laying flat on the table I felt so many emotions.  The primary one was guilt for having a c-section.  I sobbed and apologized to my unborn baby while the doctors and nurses worked.  I felt like I failed her by not having a vaginal birth.  Of course I know this is beyond ridiculous but at the time it was awful. Once she was born and they laid my beautiful girl down on my neck, I didn't care about anything except that she was safe and healthy. But the guilt was something I would eventually have to deal with and let go of. 
8. C- Section and vacuum use - I thought having a c-section was just a matter of opening me up and taking her out, but sometimes things are more complicated.  My daughter was wedged in the birth canal with her head facing back over her shoulder.  I couldn't feel anything but I could tell how hard they were working to free her from my body.  My husband kept a poker face the whole time but told me afterwards that it was terrifying to watch.   I could hear the panic in the doctors voice when she asked for the vacuum. Finally my daughter was born but those few moments were scary.
9. Water weight - Some women have feet that swell during pregnancy.  I was lucky and this didn't happen to me.  But after being in the hospital for two and a half days hooked up to an IV with fluids I had a LOT of water weight.  My whole body was swollen but my feel were the worst.  It lasted for about two weeks postpartum. 

Every woman and child have their own birth story.  I went to the hospital at 4:00 on a Friday morning, and she was born by c-section on Sunday morning.  I went through every possible emotion in those hours from excitement and nervousness, to fear, anxiety and guilt.  It is true what they all say, in the end, when they put that baby in your arms, it is ALL worth it! 

I am new to blogging, and new to motherhood.  Please share your feedback. I would love to hear if you had surprises similar to mine or totally different. 

Nine SIMPLE Tips to Help Keep You Sane During Pregnancy!

Don't get me wrong, I LOVED being pregnant.  But it wasn't all unicorns and rainbows.  Here are nine simple tips that made my pregnancy experience easier!

1. Pinterest.com - Information is KEY to staying sane during pregnancy.  Pinterest may claim to be a social networking site, but for me it was my own pregnancy search engine!  Any question you have about pregnancy, from deciding if you need a flu shot, to how to tell if your baby is really kicking, can be answered here.  Do a search, check out some pins and read some blogs. I also created my own boards filled with ideas for decorating the nursery, parenting tips and more.  As a side note, I love blogs but I found message boards to be very negative.  I am sure that are many that are not, but early on in my pregnancy I decided to avoid them after reading many rude, ignorant and misinformed comments.  If you know of a positive message board related to pregnancy please share. It was the many blogs I read that made me decide to create my own blog. 
2. Pregnancy pillow - Someone told me once that being pregnant is as exhausting for your body as climbing up and down a mountain every day.  I don't know if that is true or how big of a mountain we are talking about, but one thing is certain, being pregnant is exhausting AND sleep is essential.  Pregnancy pillows are designed to provide support for aching legs, back and bellies.  There are many different brands and styles.  I recommend finding one that allows for a variety of positions because your body changes and wants different things during different trimesters.  I used mine to combat back pain and sometimes used it propped up behind me so that I wouldn't sleep on my back (a pregnancy no-no). I also suggest that you get one with a removable cover.  This is the one I used: preggle.  Get as much sleep as you can and don't feel bad when you go to bed at 7:00.  
3. Water cup - The average human body is 50 - 65% water.  It just goes to show that if you are growing an extra person, you are going to need to stay hydrated.  Many books and blogs link dehydration during pregnancy to morning sickness and headaches.  I don't know if there is any truth to that...but I made a point to stay hydrated.  The easiest way I found to do this was to have designated water cups to help me keep track of my water consumption. I had one that held two cups of water and one that held four.  By keeping track of how often I filled them during the day I made sure to consume at least 8 to 10 cups of water per day.  
4. Pregnancy Apps - "This week your baby is the size of an onion!" There are lots of free pregnancy apps out there.  I used two of them regularly and found them to be fun and helpful.  I downloaded many but ended up sticking with two of them.  Babycenter (recommended by my OBGYN for providing credible information) and BabyBump Pregnancy Free. They were both free on my phone and kindle and gave weekly and daily updates.  
5. Prenatal appointments - This may seem obvious but you would be surprised at how many people skip prenatal appointments. Pregnancy impacts every part of your body, from the hair on our legs, to the obvious belly bump so you are going to have questions and concerns. Find a medical professional that you trust and be sure to go to your appointments.  Being pregnant for the first time, and also being over 35, I was really worried that something might go wrong with the pregnancy.  It was SO helpful to hear positive feedback with every visit that things were progressing well and to get all my questions answered.  There is nothing like hearing that little heartbeat! Many doctors will even let you record the sound on your phone. 
6. Crackers: I was one of the fortunate ones who didn't have too much morning sickness during pregnancy.  In my first trimester I had a periods of nausea at all times of the day, but only became physically ill once.  I learned that keeping water and crackers handy helped battle the nausea and often I would feel better within a few minutes.  In my third trimester, the nausea came back again anytime I went more than 2 hours without eating.  I started carrying little bags of soup crackers around in my purse and my car so that I wouldn't be caught without them.  For you it might be crackers, or an apple or whatever.  Just find something that works and don't leave home without it.
7. Bathroom breaks: It is true what they say about pregnancy - eventually your bladder will turn against you.  The trick here is to go to the bathroom before you do anything: before going to bed, before going shopping, before you sit down to eat dinner.  Anytime a bathroom might not be handy (or sanitary) try to be proactive and go ahead of time.  You will still have times when you need to make a run for it, but if you make this a practice from the get-go you can avoid doing the pee-pee dance in front of your boss at the next staff meeting. 
8. Yoga: The average woman gains 20-30 pounds during pregnancy. My sister gained over 60 pounds when she got pregnant with her second child.  I was terrified that this could happen to me so I wanted to be active but I didn't exactly start out if the best shape.  Yoga worked for me because it was something I could without much fuss and it was safe for all three trimesters.  On nights when I was too tired to do the whole session I could at least sit down and do a few poses before bed and it made such a difference in how I felt. I rotated different workouts but the one I like the best was Prenatal Yoga You can stream it for free if you have Amazon Prime.
9. Journal: At thirty-five, I had almost given up on being pregnant.  Once it finally happened, I felt the need to document the experience, knowing it might never happen again.  I bought The Ultimate Pregnancy Journal as a way to savor my experiences.  It was a fun way to record memories and on those really challenging days I could look back and see how far I had progressed. 

Okay, so those were my 9 simple tips.  I would really like to hear your thoughts.  What helped to keep you sane while you were pregnant?