Just had my third baby in May. (You can read about that adventure here.) Needless to say, I have had, I think, a wide variety of different birthing experiences. From being induced early because of high blood pressure with my first, "Sunny-Side-Up" with my second, to not even making it out of the house with my third. The one major kind of birth I did not experience, thankfully because I've had enough surgeries, was a c-section.
I know this doesn't make me an expert on the subject, but I feel like I have some advice for new moms pregnant with their first child.
1. Sleep now, while you can!
I know this piece of advice is practically shoved down first-time moms throats, but it is a good one. With three kids now, I don't get more than 5 hours of sleep at night, and that is only if I'm lucky. One or more is usually up and not wanting to sleep. I also understand that once your pregnancy gets down to the end it is almost impossible to sleep because of being so big and uncomfortable. Insomnia seems to be the boss with a lot of pregnant women, I know I was no exception. If you can, try to catch a catnap or two during the day or week. The more sleep and rest you get the better for when you are in labor and can't sleep or rest! Don't worry about the dishes or laundry getting done, have the hubby or your significant other do them for a change. Let go of the control so you can get some rest.
2. Drink plenty of fluids
Another piece of advice that I hated because you already have to pee every 5 seconds, this will only make it worse! But trust me on this, you do not want to be dehydrated while pregnant. All kinds of bad things happen. And don't drink a lot of soda or caffeine (it only makes dehydration worse). They are tasty at the time, but your body may not like you later for it. Water is good for you and baby, just have to keep reminding yourself that you are water boarding yourself for the baby.
3. Don't over do it!
As a new mom, the excitement of setting up the nursery, washing all of the baby laundry, and sometimes even painting and remodeling the nursery can all be attributed to "nesting". This is all good for you as long as you don't try to do everything in one weekend. If you do it could come back to bite you in the ass later in the form of pre-term labor or just really bad Braxton Hicks contractions. Let other people help you! And don't do what I did with my second pregnancy and move twice! Although we didn't have a choice at the time, I sure wish I had asked for more help at the time. I hurt so bad for a week after each move. Don't be like me! If you have family or friends that have offered to help clean or set-up the nursery with you, don't hesitate to cash in on it!
4. Freezer meals=Life savers!
Who really wants to cook right after they have had a baby? Not me! I tried to prepare ahead of time, things that I could throw into the crock pot or oven really easily and that would still be really healthy and tasty for the whole family. I was lucky with my last two pregnancies that I had my mom and grandmother down from Oregon to help out so I didn't have to do too much cooking or cleaning while they were here. It helped a lot and they made sure the fridge and freezer were stocked with foods we could just throw in the microwave or oven and reheat for a quick meal. When you are in the trenches with a newborn, cooking and eating take a back seat and it's hard to get up the energy to even take a shower, let alone cook a meal for your family. So do yourself a favor and prepare some food now so you won't be starving later on.
5. Relax
The last piece of advice is to just relax. Your body knows what it's doing most of the time when it comes to pregnancy and labor so don't stress too much. Sometimes nature takes over and you don't have to worry about anything except trying to get to the hospital on time. When the contractions do start, don't fight them. The pain sucks, but try to keep in mind why you are in pain, and the prize that will await you when you are done pushing. So when you are having a contraction try to breathe deeply and slowly and relax, don't tense up. This advice really helped me with my last birth, maybe a little too well, but everything worked out for the best so no big deal.
That's it. That's my advice. It's not much, but as a new pregnant mommies are bombarded by advice all day long, so I figured I would keep my list short and to the point. Hopefully it helped, or at least gave you some ideas on how to deal with first time pregnancy, or even your second or third! I know I constantly read articles throughout all of my pregnancies and it is fun to see the different ideas other people have. Just remember, that every person is different and so is every pregnancy. What works for one may not work for another, but having extra ideas is a great start.
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