My humbling experience:
Women who exercise through the pregnancies are like 75% likely to give birth before their due date. My sister went early (actually late pre-term, 36W) & my mom, gma & MIL were all right around due-dates. I exercised a LOT during pregnancy so that combined with genetics, I figured there was NO WAY I'd make it to 41W, let alone even 40W.
Um, yeah, I made it to 41W4d & didn't even have an BH ctrx!!!!! I was starting to think my uterus didn't even work!
The worst part was that I kept working until 40W & was dumb enough to have told all my co-workers my exact due date. I didn't go back to work after I arrived on my due date. If one more person had said, "No baby yet?" or "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" I was going to lose my mind!!!!!!!!!!
Feeling betrayed by my body, terrified of induction, the comments were like pouring salt in my wound. I suspect it wouldn't have been so bad if I wasn't so convinced that I'd be earlier than average (so at least earlier than the 41W1D that is average for FTMs.)
Then there was BFing. I didn't have any close friend's who'd done it. My sister did, but supplemented & it had been 11 years ago at the time, so she barely remembered.
I took the class at my hospital (all 80 min of it!) and it seemed pretty simple & straightforward. I didn't even read much about it, just really stupidly assumed that class had me all set!! Well, I did make enough milk, DS drank enough milk & was more than adequately nourished, but I was ripped to shreds in the process. & in agonizing pain. Like, nipples on fire while being sliced up with razor blades pain like 24/7.
I kept going back to the LCs at my hospital again & again despite no help. & it wasn't until weeks & weeks down the road that I realized,
I don't think they were very helpful!
Women who exercise through the pregnancies are like 75% likely to give birth before their due date. My sister went early (actually late pre-term, 36W) & my mom, gma & MIL were all right around due-dates. I exercised a LOT during pregnancy so that combined with genetics, I figured there was NO WAY I'd make it to 41W, let alone even 40W.
Um, yeah, I made it to 41W4d & didn't even have an BH ctrx!!!!! I was starting to think my uterus didn't even work!
The worst part was that I kept working until 40W & was dumb enough to have told all my co-workers my exact due date. I didn't go back to work after I arrived on my due date. If one more person had said, "No baby yet?" or "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" I was going to lose my mind!!!!!!!!!!
Feeling betrayed by my body, terrified of induction, the comments were like pouring salt in my wound. I suspect it wouldn't have been so bad if I wasn't so convinced that I'd be earlier than average (so at least earlier than the 41W1D that is average for FTMs.)
Then there was BFing. I didn't have any close friend's who'd done it. My sister did, but supplemented & it had been 11 years ago at the time, so she barely remembered.
I took the class at my hospital (all 80 min of it!) and it seemed pretty simple & straightforward. I didn't even read much about it, just really stupidly assumed that class had me all set!! Well, I did make enough milk, DS drank enough milk & was more than adequately nourished, but I was ripped to shreds in the process. & in agonizing pain. Like, nipples on fire while being sliced up with razor blades pain like 24/7.
I kept going back to the LCs at my hospital again & again despite no help. & it wasn't until weeks & weeks down the road that I realized,
I don't think they were very helpful!
, she never left me. DH was amazing, the birth itself was healing after ds's.
Mamas , thank you for sharing. I know it is not easy to relive alot of this. To go back...
