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Originally Posted by Thalia  Another thing I forgot: it may be hard to pee immediately afterwards, even though you may really want to.
Some advice I got here which worked:
Have peppermint essential oil with you at the birth. When you go to pee the first time, put a few drops of oil into the toilet water. Drink some orange juice, and then sit on the toilet and let the vapors from the oil help your muscles relax.
The first time I tried this it didn't work (that was the time I almost fainted), but I tried again a little later and it really helped.
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I used a peri-bottle. Fill with warm water, spray at the urethra area and 'relax'. The warm liquid 'tricked' my body into thinking it was peeing, so it did. I was cathetered during labor and it felt like I had had a dagger up there! Like a really bad UTI for a week. UGH.
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Originally Posted by smeisnotapirate Nobody told me:
* post-c-section, you feel like your insides are going to fall out every time you move. I had a towel wrapped around my belly just to move from the bed to a chair.
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OMG, yes, this! What is worse is that after the c/s, because I had to be put under general anesthesia, I had to blow into a lung thing to 'strengthen' my lungs. No one told me about holding a pillow to my belly while doing this. I thought my stitches would come out and all my insides would be on the floor! Coughing hurt, walking felt like everything was going to tear, forget laughing! If I have another c/s or birth naturally, I am totally investing in some belly binding this time.
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Originally Posted by MaterPrimaePuellae Hah, yes! The first morning that I woke up soaked w/ urine (thankfully, hers), sweat, and breastmilk (I leaked so much that I totally soaked through the lansinoh disposable pads overnight), I thought, " huh, I guess I'm officially a mother now." 
Finally, I just want to add my voice to the others recommending stool softeners (or fiber or something). I was sore after labor, but that was nothing compared to how horrible I felt after one particularly awful bowel movement a week or so PP. The pain from that (I don't know if I actually had a fissure, or if it reopened an internal laceration from labor, or what) lasted about 6 weeks, and I didn't feel totally "safe" pooping for months. Ugh. |
Yea, I said that when I didn't get the diaper on my EBF newborn fast enough once and got sprayed with poop. Now, I'm not even phased by poop.
As for the pooping, I was so happy when I went! All the gas and poop build up is AWFUL. I felt like my insides were going to explode, I felt so backed up. First time in my life where I didn't care who I farted near. It was either fart or die.
*after pains are the dickens. Ds was in NICU after being born, so as soon as I was able, I was pumping 2hrs round the clock. I'd time it so that my 'meds' would come right after pumping.
*morphine is USELESS against c/s pain management. For me, anyways. I had to beg for ibuprofen. Oh, sweet sweet ibuprofen, may your inventor be blessed with a million blessings.
*That your milk will come in when it comes in AND that it's unmistakeable. Mine took 5 days to come in. I was losing hope. Until I woke up from a nap and felt like I had a 25lb weight on my chest and like I was walking on the sun.
*That let down makes me itchy. Gah.
*REST. REST. REST. Seriously, REST. This time around, I'm freezing tons of food and me, the new baby and ds will be lounging in bed for at least a week. Sleep, bf, change diape, repeat.
*That it's okay for dh to take over consoling a colicky newborn if it means 4 hours of sleep. Had I listened to this I wouldn't have been re-hospitalized at 2 weeks PP. I just needed to rest.
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