New to Pregnancy

newlife, I sent you a Private Message! Just click on "Private Messages" in the upper right hand corner of your screen!

pregnancy, labor, giving birth are all different experiences for all women. in my experience it was the most profound moment of my life. you may discover that you know more than you think. trust in yourself, your body and your ability to give birth. there are many good books and resources out there-the Sears books are excellent. I would also recommend "Birthing from Within".
Congrats and embrace this time

How do you know when your water breaks?
~ you just know. there is a very pronounced rush of fluid through your vagina. for me, i not only felt the gush but also a sort of snapping sensation right around my cervix, which i'm guessing was the rupture of the membranes.

After all of the pushing ,when the baby finally comes out then what? Does anything else come out?
~ generally the baby is placed on your belly if you haven't caught him or her yourself. if you deliver in a hospital it's standard practice for the cord to be clamped then cut while you wait to deliver the placenta, but honestly there's no evidence that there's any reason to do this. either way, the cord is either cut immediately or it's not. then you deliver the placenta, usually within about 10 minutes. in a hospital, they tend to rush it (and i've heard midwives rush it too). there's really no hurry, as long as your'e not bleeding profusely. it's very soft and squishy and doesn't hurt at all, but may feel kind of strange coming out. then you begin postpartum bleeding.

Is there a noticable difference in your stomach after the baby comes out?
~ yes: flatter and squishier, and more floppy. it's easier to breathe and you don't have to pee every 5 minutes :LOL ...

You definitely need to get some books. I think "The Pregnancy Book" by Dr. Sears is a great reference. It explains every stage of pregnancy and birth, and discusses things like breastfeeding, which medications are safe to take, etc.

I would stay far away from "What to Expect When You're Expecting," unless you'd like to feel obsessive, neurotic, and guilty your whole pregnancy.

Same here - I was 17 when my youngest was born If you need help with anything, LMK!

For learning about birth, I read everything I could get my hands on. My mom still had books from her old La Leche League library around the house, so I had plenty of good stuff to read. I would think the Dr. Sears Pregnancy Book would be a pretty good place to start. Maybe The Miracle of Life (if your local public library has videos, see if they have the Miracle of Life Nova episode - it's fascinating!), because it has actual photos of the fetal development stages - I like to use this one with my kids, because we can find pictures of babies at the same stage of development as our is. A good childbirth book will always detail the process of birth first thing, because knowing what will probably happen is the first step to overcoming fear of the process. Maybe try a Bradley Method book, or a hypnobirthing book? And last, I would definitely read a basic breastfeeding book while pregnant - something like The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding or So That's What They're For (which is really easy to read, incidentally.)

Hee hee, I wouldn't even bother reading WHAT TO EXPECT....it is full of wrong information. I would just return it and get something better, like the books the other people suggested. Anything by Dr. Sears is a good bet.

And like another person said, you're off to a great start! MDC is really wonderful. All the mamas are really kind and people love to help each other. I'm sure you will have a great pregnancy and birth.