I am 33 -1/2 weeks pregnant. Does anyone have any advice for me on how to prepare for labor, delivery and...?

Question

I was just wondering if anyone had some advice for a first time mom to be! I am really nervous about labor and deliver, and having a new baby. My husband and I couldnt be happier, but I am nervous about the whole thing. Any thoughts? Anything I could do now to prepare for anything? anything you wish you would have known, or did.

Answer 1

dont stress... i was a first time mom and im only 21 i was scared out of my mind! remember to breath and relax... if your having an epideral.. the mistake i made with it was I was in so much pain i forgot to push the button to release the drip of meds... so dont forget to push the button! haha... walk alot before you give birth it helps move the baby down for easier delivery.. just push as hard as you can and stay calm...a cup of ice and a cold towel on your head also helps!

Answer 2

Sleep and relax as much as possible before hand! Also, take a childbirth class - they'll teach you great positions for laboring and relaxing breathing techniques. Don't stress out too much - make sure you have plenty of diapers and wipes, and prewash any non-gender specific clothes so you have a decent amount ready for when your little one finally does arrive. Also, when making dinner, make portions larger than you and your husband will eat and freeze the unused portion so you don't have to worry about cooking immediately. The first few weeks will be tough, and a few days after your baby is born, you may find yourself feeling completely helpless and withdrawing a little bit, and crying over nothing. Know that this is perfectly normal because of the sudden drop in hormones. Obviously if you're severely depressed talk to your provider. Post partum depression is very common, but they have found lots of things that can help. If anyone offers to help out, take them up on it. Put them to work loading the dishwasher, throwing in a load of laundry, or making dinner for you. Your house will likely seem out of order for the first month or so, until you're able to estabilsh a routine, but remember that the appearance of your house is not what is important. You and your husband being the best new parents to this little one is. And try to pamper yourself a little bit - while you're still pregnant go for a prenatal massage, get your hair cut, or have your husband rub your feet. After the baby is born, treat yourself to a post-natal massage, soak in a hot tub, or have a relative watch the baby so you and hubby can have some alone time together. And take lots of pictures of your little one - you'll be amazed at how much they change even on a weekly basis. Good luck and congrats!

Answer 3

Well I felt very prepared after taking a childbirth class- and I knew going in that I would have an epidural. Overall I felt pretty prepared. If you're not taking a class, the breathing technique is really good to get acquainted with- with the deep and shallow breathing it really helps you to get your mind off the pain. It's reassuring to know that it's not constant pain that you'll be in, the contractions do let up, even if just for a minute at a time. If I had to do it over again, I would not have let my mom be in the room with us. I thought I would need her for support but it turned out to be kind of annoying (sorry Mom!) My husband and the nurses were more than enough.

Answer 4

First, try not to worry about the delivery. Yes its painful, but it's not "leg being sawed off" type of pain. It's "pain with a purpose" and it really honestly is different.

Second, someone suggested keeping an open mind. I couldn't agree more! Every single labour and delivery is different, and while we all have the perfect labour and delivery in our mind, sometimes baby has something else in mind. You could have a long labour like I had, or a short labour like my girlfriend (her first and she didn't even make it to the hospital!).

Third, pack your labour bag. It's a calming activity and quite frankly I felt a little more relaxed knowing that I was "ready" - even if I wasn't ready mentally. Chances are that you won't need it for a while, and between now and then you may repack it a few times. But it's a fun way to look forward to the excitement ahead!

And finally, try not to focus on the negative aspects of your labour. Perhaps I'm weird, but I enjoyed my labours. To me, they were an important part of my pregnancies. My first labour was long and difficult, but the second my baby was born I said "I could do this again!" My second labour was (relatively) short and quite painless, but when my baby was born i announced "I'm done". And to be honest that to this day, I don't think about the pain part. I think about my husband holding my hand, the babies, the nurses.. well, Ok.. I think about telling one nurse to F off.. but that's a different story... and ultimately the longer the labour, the greater the "war stories". Women LOVE to share their "war stories".

Good luck! You'll be great!

PS I'd like to add - take this time to start a journal if you haven't already. It's a calming exercise to express yourself on paper, and when your baby is much older it will be a delight to share with him or her what you were going through before they were born!!

Answer 5

Don't allow yourself to get psyched out. Don't walk in there brainwashed into believing it is going to be excruciating or that it is going to be hell. Labor wasn't that bad, I just focused on the baby and on what I had to do and I really didn't feel what I would call pain, it was more like REALLY intense diarrhea cramps. You don't have to be perfect, all parents make it up minute for minute day by day. You don't have to go in there with six years of lesson plans and the perfect phrase to greet the baby with. You don't have to have everything perfect, you will be a perfect mom if you remember that he/she will be most happy when you are relaxed and calm, even in the middle of catastrophe, if you can keep yourself calm, the baby will be fine. You may have your nursery perfectly arranged, and you may have all the best books sitting there waiting to be read, but at the end of the day, nothing beats sitting on the couch, cuddling. Blessings and best wishes.

Answer 6

Go to the doctor.
Go to birthing classes.
Read everything you can about the process, and about different child-rearing ideas.
Get on the same page as your husband.
Try to remember what kind of mother you wish you had had, and be that.
Be a warm, safe place to come home to.
Leave your adult problems out of conversations your child willl hear.
Teach your child to accept responsibility for her own mistakes and situations. Teach her good self-esteem and confidence.
Love your husband. Forgive your own mistakes, and let love-not indulgence-guide you.
Congrats. PS. I recommend only children or at most 2. It is HARD to do this right. Ya never know what life has in store for you.

Answer 7

Now lets think about this. It hurts. Everyone is different, some hurt alot, some hurt a little. Some just hurt. I was always told that once your hold your little baby in your arms, you seem to forget all about the hurt. i FOUND THAT TO BE ABSOLUTELY TRUE. Concentration is a key factor. I remember being very scared about the first one, but my father was in the emergency room with a light stroke, and my mother was about to have brain surgery. I thought about anything I could think of. Grass outside, sky blue, anything except that blessed event. I remember listening to another women having a baby and I followed her. She screamed, I screamed, she needed to push, I needed to push. Finally nurse came in and told me I would have to quiet down. So okay, I thought "shes a nurse, so I quieted down. Once I started to just relax and think of other things The baby came very quickly. Just remember, when that baby comes, it will tell you what to do. You will do just fine. Just remember, women have been having babies for centuries. No one is exactly as the other. GOOD LUCK AND GOD BLESS YOU

Answer 8

i'm going to tell you the honest truth, because i worried about the same thing. here it goes:

labor and delivery was just as fun and exciting as the rest of the pregnancy! when my contractions started, i slept right through them...they were so mild, i thought they were braxton hicks! in the hospital i laughed, joked, and watched television! my water breaking was a very light, weird feeling in the lower abdomen....kind of felt like two clicks....like when you crack your knuclkes to loosen your hands?

and i believe in an epidural, because though contractions are painful after your water break, an epidural made the entire experience PAINLESS....i was completely woke for my cesarian and my baby was a little fussy, but she still is (15 months) so i think that was just her personality showing through!

labor and delivery was just a fun as my first ultra-sound, or my baby shower...nothing to be worried, or fearful about! it'll be a breeze and your a women and already a mommy, so you'll know what to do when you need to do it!

i had a lot of people in the room with me for support...my mom because she's done this before...two nurses because they took care of me...my husband was a little less help than i thought, but i think it was because he was just as nervous as i was. remember to relax....sleep as much as you can, cause it can take a long time (i labored for about 15 hours! 7 after my water broke!) and you know, the uterus and lower abdomen didn't pain as bad as my back, so have someone rub your lower back for you, cause that's where the actual pain of contractions were for me...

it was fun! i'd do it again and again!

congrats and hope this helps!!

Answer 9

Try to relax, you dont want to be stressed out, Also be sure that you have everything you will need for the first few weeks after the baby arrives, you may want to purchase books on what to expect and advice on how to prepare for your little bundle of joy.

Answer 10

Dont stress about it, it will all be over sooner than you think. The only thing that I wish I would have done differently was having all the people in my room before I gave birth, I should have been resting rather than visiting. You will have plently of time after to visit but not really to rest, lol.
Good Luck