What to expect AFTER your baby is born

Lifestyle Parenting, Household Affairs and Cuisine corner
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Re: What to expect AFTER your baby is born

I had epidurals and catheters both times. But normal deliveries. I know you had one too. QUOTE=WendyDarling;10102671]Yup and it happened with both of my kids. Different hospitals too. They had a bucket thing in the toilet and the nurse checked how much pee was in there LOL!!!

Could it be because of the epidural? I had a catether put in after I got my epi. So maybe because of that? I’ll actually make sure to ask if it happens again this time.
[/QUOTE]

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Re: What to expect AFTER your baby is born

Yup, they measured my urine this time.

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Re: What to expect AFTER your baby is born

Ok so I finally got a chance to ask hubby about this. Just like another poster mentioned earlier, measuring the urine in the “hat” (that’s really what the bucket thing is called in hospitals) is very routine not only after delivery but also after surgeries. They check urine amount to make sure your bladder is working properly. They wanted to do it after my surgery but being the stubborn biatch I can be, I flat out refused so they did a bladder scan after 8 hours or so to see if I was having urine retention issue….(which btw at first I was….so the catheter had to go back in. :teary1:).

Generally someone needs to help you walk initially (including helping you walk to the bathroom) b/c you’re at risk of falling (due to anesthetic, pain whatever). That someone does not have to be the nurse….can be husband, another female family member whoever. However, if you feel steady enough to walk inside the bathroom yourself, there is no reason for the nurse (or anyone else) to come inside with you. Hubby told me plenty of their patients (in the OB unit and regular surgery patients) are walked to the bathroom & if they request it and its deemed safe, they go inside the bathroom on their own while the nurse waits outside.

I remember when I was in the hospital few months ago after severe blood loss and then a 2nd time after my surgery……a nurse or my husband would help me walk to the bathroom. But given my severe privacy/control issues….once we got to the door, I would simply grab the IV stand and tell them firmly “Thank you for helping me…I can take it from here”. No one argued with me lol. :@:

There is no reason for the nurse to stand there and actually watch you pee.

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Re: What to expect AFTER your baby is born

^ Having said that, I just want to add that by the time you are done giving birth, all shame has gone out the window lol after all the internal exams, people traipsing in and out to look at your bits, the positions you find yourself in whilst delivering, the exhaustion from possible surgery at the end etc. … Being watched while peeing is small beans :confused:

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Re: What to expect AFTER your baby is born

^ yep this… After my first emergency c section I had no idea what to expect.. It’s painful, my first visit to the bathroom required two people to get me off the bed, nurse accompanied me inside.. I was soooo out due to drugs that I didn’t even think about “modesty” for a second.. With my second one, I knew what to expect but I still needed help for the first trip to bathroom since they took out my catheter before I could stand up on my own.. My spinal wasn’t fully gone at that time!

I was very proud of myself for being able to take a shower on my own the second day after birth but I have to say I felt dizzy and had to push the call for nurse button.. Again, it’s mostly because drugs are still in your body and the strong painkillers make you dizzy for a few days. I used to apologize to the nurse for things she had to do for me while she reassured me she had done it million times and it was her job to help me and make my recovery comfortable… Needless to say I got her cupcakes :smiley:

Most things have been covered already.. Just take it easy.. Don’t be a super woman.. You will be on your own sooner or later so no need to push away the help you can get with household, with kids, with food…anything is a blessing.

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Re: What to expect AFTER your baby is born

Ditto! I don’t know about others but I just felt very supportive knowing that I have help if I needed it. I am very thankful to the nursing staff who helped me with bathroom needs.

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Re: What to expect AFTER your baby is born

being VERY VERY ANGRY at anyone and everyone, except fellow recent mommies.

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Listen to your body and instincts. If you feel something is not right with you or the baby then get it checked out! Same the other way round, people will give you lots of ‘advice’ and will try to convince you something’s wrong with the baby- weight too low/high etc. DONT listen to them! You know your baby best!

Take stool softener after birth because it will hurt trying to go. I had a natural birth with no complications, no stitches etc, but it still hurt downstairs!

Take an empty sports bottle with you so you can pour water while you pee because the pee will sting! The water will dilute the pee and help.

Enjoy every minute you get with your new baby because you will never get that time back. Don’t waste it worrying about the hoovering.

Take help from anyone and everyone. Like everyone has said, don’t be super woman.

The first couple of weeks you will be a huuuuge bag of emotions. Happy/sad/low/in love-every emotion you can think of. It is OK to feel low and happy in the same hour. It is OK to cry.

Definatly get out of the house for fresh air everyday. Have friends come round to see you when your feeling up to it.

Last but not least- remember everything is just a phase! If your baby dosent sleep/has wind/won’t feed don’t worry because it is a phase and it will pass.

Good luck newbies!

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Re: What to expect AFTER your baby is born

The post partum period was horrible made bearable only by the absolutely adorable baby. When the milk came in day 3 for me it was horrid. There was so much weight at front I started getting a backache. Ask for as much help as possible with breast feeding. I was in agony and all the midwives kept saying perfect latch blah blah. I kept asking as I knew it shouldn’t be painful. Finally saw a lactation consultant who taught me how to hold the baby properly and fixed the latch. Also breast pads are a must.

Aldo agree about the stool softener. I got constipation. Not nice at all. Now I am taking ispaghol 3 times a day.

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And dnt feel guilty about how you feed your baby. My baby was very tiny when born. And was gaining wondrfuly on bf. But since she was smaller than most babies people kept trying to get me to supplement with formula.the part was happy with her weight gain so I refused to supplement. You will get so much well meaning advice. Trust your instincts.

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Re: What to expect AFTER your baby is born

so i have two healthy baby boys 9 (mashAllah) that i had with c sections( Usa) i have a little list of things that no one ever told me

  • in the beginning i was very ashamed of even the ultrasound.. my legs would shake.. by the delivery time i couldnt even think about it any more.. if any one has that problem in the beginning.. get rid of it sooner than later.. u will Have to ..
    *with my second c sec, i was given iv antibiotics and becoz of that i wasnt able to c my baby for a day, which effected y bf.. insist on seeing and feeding ur baby asap.
    TWO major things..
  • the biggest mistake i made with my first c sec was to sit around and feel all like " take it easy" and " its a major surgery and all".. the biggest mistake ever.. i dont advise u to start running but u have to start moving asap.. ( i started second day with the second one).. the recovery is MUCH harder if u keep resting and laying around.. take small walks.. do little things, try to push thru a little.. with my first c sec, it took around 8 months for the pains to subside.. this time it was a week and a half.. So PLEASE do ur self a favor and move around a little
    *u dont need to eat extra fatty things after u give birth, acc to research right after birth ur stomach and uterus want to get back to their earlier position the fastest and fill in the emtpy space.. eat things that would get digested and hence help u loose the stomach, fatty things will only go and SIT there.. what u really need is calcium and iron.. milk and apples do that. do ur self a favor and use the first three months.. losing that stomach gets really hard later
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Re: What to expect AFTER your baby is born

^ a balanced diet is good- not just milk and apples, yeah? :slight_smile:

And I second moving around! Walk a bit everyday in hospital and when you get home. Take it slow but don’t be immobile entirely.

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Re: What to expect AFTER your baby is born

AWESOME tips guys!!! Thanks so much for sharing!!!

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That’s common with us desis…some ppl started saying even within one week post delivery that my baby is not getting her stomach full ..should be switched to formula …although i didnt have any bf problem Allah ka shukar…trust ur instinct is the best advice…

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Oh wow. I regret all the times I’ve annoyed my mother.

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^^ I know… And I am very glad it was my mother that I annoyed not MIL.