What I’ve Learned: Labor & Delivery

Posted at March 17, 2011 // Baby Ringl, Pregnancy

I’m a little sad to say that this is the close to my “What I’ve Learned” series. Thanks for hanging in there and reading over the past 40′ish weeks of the pregnancy.

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  1. The last two weeks of pregnancy felt as long the previous 8 1/2 months. How 2 weeks could feel that long I’ll never understand.
  2. I was lucky enough not to get swollen during the last few weeks. However, I was told that I looked like I’d be in labor any day with a follow up of how I had “pregnancy face”.  Helpful Tip: don’t tell that to a pregnant woman. K? Ok, good!!
  3. When they finally brought Sarah to me I was shaking bad from the medications and was too nervous to hold her. My nurse told me if you bite your tongue you won’t shake. It worked & I FINALLY got to hold my baby. Delivery nurses are amazing!
  4. Having a lot of visitors at the hospital was great, but I had no idea just how tired I’d be. Plus, trying to coordinate and work around a feeding schedule was really difficult. I looked forward to and loved any and all private moments I got with our girl.
  5. I gained a total of 40 pounds over the pregnancy. When we left the hospital I had lost around 15 pounds. That was encouraging news.
  6. While ‘on her way out’ the Doctor announced “we’ve got a head full of hair”! I’ve never been so excited about a baby having hair as I was at that moment. I was extra excited because I so want Sarah to have her daddy’s dark thick locks.
  7. I have an awesome new-mom trick… I can fall asleep within 15 seconds. Sometimes I blink & it turns into a “mini nap”.
  8. When you check into the hospital be sure to check your IV-Stand and make sure it rolls smoothly. Otherwise you may get stuck with the one I got and when you try to roll/push it you know you got one like the ghetto cart people leave in the aisle at Walmart.
  9. I didn’t want to send Sarah to the nursery, even at night, because I wanted to stare at her and watch her sleep. Do yourself a favor and let them take her, even if just for a few hours, otherwise you won’t get any sleep then, or for the next 2+ weeks.
  10. Eat on your way to the hospital, even if you are in heavy intense labor. Otherwise you are stuck with ice chips from the moment you check-in until the baby arrives. By the time I got to eat it had been over 32 hours since my last meal.
  11. I have gotten a major case of ‘pregnancy brain’. It took me over a week from Sarah’s birth to check my phone voicemail, and I don’t think I remember a single one of them. Trying to keep track of feeding times, wet diapers, when I last ate, and what day it is, is next to impossible.
  12. I wish I had enjoyed the leisureliness of a simple shower the past few months. Now I’m lucky if I can grab a shower in 2-3 days time, and when I do I am rushing and listening to see if I hear Sarah getting upset. And bubble baths… I can only dream of the day that that will happen again.
  13. Because I was sure we were going to have a chunker of a baby I packed normal 0-6 month outfits for the hospital. Be sure you pack a premie outfit, just in case. Nothing I had packed fit Sarah, and still only about 4 outfits do.
  14. Last, a shout out to my amazing husband. He has been my rock throughout all of this and he continues to amaze me with his compassion and love for me, and now for Sarah as well. I’ve never seen a man look so handsome as when I watch Stephen with our daughter. God is good friends, and my patient and comedic husband still continues to surprise me with his endless love and growing heart. I have never been happier.

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This is what new moms do:  Stay home and stare at our new additions doing absolutely nothing…

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