The DieDie Blog

Let’s face it. We’ve all heard the crazy horror stories that practically every mother goes through while being pregnant. I’ve heard tales of 3 month early babies, excruciating back pain, inappropriately timed morning sickness, 30 + hours in labor, and just about everything in between. So I just want to say that I’m thankful that I turned out to have one of those rare normal pregnancies.

To all those women who told me their crazy stories I appreciate it, but you guys suck! This was my first pregnancy and while I know you were trying to help, scaring the crap out of an impending mother pumped full of hormones is not cool. After every story I’d look down at my round belly and whimper. Silently sending thoughts to my little one with pleas of “Please don’t hurt me!” I’d cringe at every sordid detail until I realized that I wasn’t going through any of that.

I’m going to go through a list of Scare Tactics vs DieDie Facts for my pregnancy.

Scare Tactic: Morning sickness will make it almost impossible for you to function.

DieDie’s Fact: I did not get morning sickness to the extent of praying to the Porcelain Goddess every morning. I did, however, feel nauseous at night resulting in some early bedtimes for me. That meant hitting the hay at 10pm rather than 12am. It also meant forgoing sex which was the biggest downer. The good news was that it didn’t last very long. I was done right on cue with 12 weeks, the normal time morning sickness wears off.

Scare Tactic: The extra baby weight will prevent you from doing a lot of activities.

DieDie’s Fact: One of the biggest compliments I kept receiving was how well I was holding up. I was still going on our walk breaks at work. We took them every day at 10am and 3pm with an occasional lunch walk thrown in. The mothers at work seemed amazed that I was able to do this and sited their own stories of being too tired to do anything except relax on the couch. Say what? I know I’ve gained a lot of weight before I was pregnant, but to just lay around when I was perfectly capable of walking somewhere or doing something seemed outlandish to me. I kept going on walks til about my 9th month. It was July and hot as hell outside which is what made it difficult for me to keep going.

Scare Tactic: Get ready for the most intense pain of your life! Labor for 30 + hours and beyond!

DieDie’s Fact: Hmm I’m on the fence with this one. I have a pretty high tolerance to pain. I don’t know what other women would consider intense pain. I do know that I started having contractions on Sunday July 19th at around 12pm in the afternoon. They were the confusing kind that were erratic and not falling into any particular rhythm. So as a newbie to this pregnancy business I dismissed them as false labor. They didn’t hurt and felt like mild menstrual cramps. The day wore on and they’d dissipate for a bit and then return. Still didn’t think anything of it until 1am when my water broke.

I’d like to say the contractions got worse. To an extent they did, but they weren’t unbearable by any means. I’m not sure if mine were just mild or if I’m just a super chick. I’d like to believe the latter. So after 24 hours of labor pains I shrugged and asked for the epidural. I figured we might as well hook that up in case things do get intense. I didn’t want to be in a situation where I’m in the pushing position and in dire need of medication only to be told it was too late. The epidural just so happened to be a good idea as you’ll see next.

Scare Tactics: Vaginal tearing with a big baby.

DieDie’s Fact: My baby was an 8 pounder and one of the worries of my doctor was she’d have to be delivered through a c-section if she got too big. That option had been given to me, but it was not something I wanted to go through. Everything was looking good for a vaginal birth though. So the fear of having my sensitive girl parts ripped open was a very real possibility to me. But it didn’t turn out that way. After many hours in labor my body decided to stop dilating. I was stalled out at 5 centimeters. The nurses even tried to give me a high dosage of Pitocen, a drug that induces dilation, but to no avail. After many more hours of waiting and still being stuck at 5 centimeters it was decided that a c-section was necessary. This was about 8pm on July 20th.

Scare Tactic: Having a c-section is scary stuff.

DieDie’s Fact: I agree with this one. Here’s where that epidural decision came in handy. In order to do the c-section they had to pump me full of drugs injected directly into my spine. This would help deaden the feeling to my lower body. The epidural was already in place so all they had to do was inject the drugs and we were good to go. Anxiety and fear were my buddies here as a c-section was the last thing I wanted. As scary as a vaginal birth sounded, a surgery where they cut me open seemed a hell of a lot worse. Thankfully, Dustin was with me the entire time. He kept me calm and it was over in less than 20 minutes. Easy peasy!

However, a c-section is no joke. They deaden the area where they are cutting, but you can still feel them tugging on your insides. There was no pain, but more of a perceived horror at knowing someone had you laid open for all to see. And Dustin did apparently see. Sorry babe. =(

After the surgery my meds began to wear off. I couldn’t hold my baby right away because this wave of intense pain began to emanate from where I’d been cut. I can only describe it as a burning sensation. So while I survived the labor pains I had to grit my teeth against this aggression. I summoned every ounce of my awesome pain dealing abilities and battled with the fire as my nurse kept pumping me full of medications. Morphine wasn’t working and it finally took a cocktail of drugs to quiet the beast. But I survived, I worked through it and my nurses took excellent care of me. After the pain was under control I was able to hold my little girl.

Scare Tactic: If you have a c-section your going to be on bed rest for a while.

DieDie’s Fact: I think both ways of delivery have their complications. Factors depending on your mental stubbornness and physical condition probably have more to do with it than just the surgery alone. Yes it sucked but I didn’t let it control my life. I had to take it easy as would anyone having gone through the birthing process. I was armed with pain killers and IB-Profen which after 9 months of only Tylenol was a blessing.

Getting around had it’s challenges. I had to slide off the couch and bed in a rather amusing snake like fashion as to avoid pulling my staples. At times I would be stubborn and refuse to take my pain killers muttering hostilities at them such as, “I don’t need no stinkin meds!” Only to crawl back 4 hours later with whimpering apologies because I had turned too fast and pulled my incision. I’m sure those who delivered via vaginal birth didn’t have to worry about those situations. But from reading various forums I can say I was back to having sex way sooner than those vaginal mommas. Score one for the c-section. Plus I also didn’t have to worry about a baby with a squished head. She was perfect when she came out. Score two!

That’s my review of the many fun things other mothers can tell you.

To sum it up I’m glad I had a normal birth. Sure I had some complications but nothing to really freak out about. I had a good support structure with my honey Dustin and managed to pull out of it without any trouble. To those that don’t have it as easy as I did, hang in there. Remember that in a few months you’ll have a pure bundle of joy to take away all the pain you went through. You know it’s worth it. But as your retelling your tale to a new expectant momma keep in mind that you might be scaring the crap out of her for no reason. It’s good to be prepared but chances are she’s probably already read everything she can get her hands on about the whole process. So be supportive and offer advice when it’s requested. Remember us gals can handle a hell of a lot more than we give ourselves credit for.