Ohhh, I didn't even think about that...

In that last month of pregnancy, while I was so busy making sure Norah Kate had everything she needed after delivery: stocked nursery, basinet with diapers and wipes in our room, packed and organized diaper bag, baby essentials, I didn't even think about what I might need for after delivery.  Thank goodness for a life-saving email I got from The Bump., otherwise I might have been totally unprepared!  For those of you who are preggo, make sure you join this website.  It is free and they will give you updates on your baby as it grows, and they also send you emails with good articles.  Well this email was about "What happens down there...after delivery."  The lightbulb went off, ohhhhh my, I didn't even think about that!

Here is your warning:  those of the male species you may want to just skip this post all together, those of you who are weak in the stomach, skip on, but those of you who are pregnant for the first time... you might just find this helpful.

Now I know you are thinking, ew, is she really writing about this?  Yep, because I had no idea what to expect.  Yeah, I had my postpartum clinicals in nursing school, but come on, we all know how we getting shorted a good clinical experience at school.  My postpartum clinicals consisted of taking vital signs, fetching water, we "watched" a fundus get massaged, and I got to help a lady up to the bathroom, yay me :)  Because of my career, my friends being nurses, and a good bit of family being in healthcare, bowel habits, symptoms and side effects are nothing short of a dinner conversation.

Below are things that I found very helpful after a third degree tear and an almost 9lb baby:


Pads:  plenty of them, whichever brand you prefer (Kotex, Always, etc.)  You won't be able to use tampons, so get over it.

Witch hazel pads (TUCKS pads):  you can find them at your local supermarket or drug store.  Witch hazel is used for inflammation and stinging.  They are good to wipe with and just to leave on  your pad.

Advil:  I was fortunate not to have to take anything any stronger.  You will be sore.  I hurt all over.  I felt like I had just done the hardest workout of my life (thinking back, I really did).  My neck hurt, back hurt, legs hurt...  The first night we came home, I sat down on the dining room chair and thought I was going to jump out of my skin!  Nothing but soft, comfy surfaces for a while please!

Cotton, full coverage panties:  Go ahead and go to Walmart and purchase some cheap panties that cover you up!  The last thing  you are going to want is a ruined pair of Victoria's Secret panties.  Same goes for your pajamas.  I mean, if you are okay with the fact that a pair of $50 pjs might get ruined, then go ahead... don't say I didn't warn ya.

Ask for extras when you leave the hospital.  I got them to send me home with an extra thing of everything.  Pads, epifoam, and Dermaplast spray.  The epifoam and Dermaplast along with the TUCKS pads made everything feel so much better "down there."  The last thing I wanted was to send poor Matt out in search of these things, so I wanted to make sure I had enough!

Also, you know how you laugh at your mom when she is running in the house, "I gotta pee!"  Go ahead and laugh now, just wait until you have one of your own!  I was really concerned at first, I thought I was going to have to purchase some Depends!  When I had to go, there was no holding it!  My OB told me that was very common after childbirth, especially big babies.  Go ahead and plan on doing your Kegels!!

Go ahead and get you  a stool softener (Colace), and ask for them in the hospital.  You will want that first #2 to be as easy as possible after all that.

If you can, arrange for help!  I had so much help after I had Norah Kate.  Thankfully.  I am very close with my family and my in-laws.  It seemed like every day for a week someone was here, either to help do the laundry, dishes, hold the baby so I could get a shower, cook or bring supper.  It was amazing.  Little things like that were life-savers, greatly appreciated.  If it's offered don't turn it down, if it's not offered ask for it :)

Anyhow, I know you probably think I am crazy now, but I hope this helps for you first time preggos out there.  I was not even thinking about what I would need after the baby got here.  I wasn't expecting things to be so, um, well, brutal.