|
Is anyone else concerned with how they're going to look during and after delivery? I've been thinking about this and then I feel guilty because who the hell cares what you look like when you're pushing a squalling baby through your vag. But I have a plan to make sure my legs and other areas are shaved (my friend said they shave you down there themselves with a cheap razor if you don't do it yourself), makeup done, pedicure done and nails painted. Also, if possible, hair looking nice. Am I being stupid?
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2011 01:36
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 19, 2024 02:34 |
|
|
Nobody shaved my vulva during labor. If you want to look nice, go for it. I didn't care, but a friend of mine did, and she put on makeup for pictures and visitors. I did get a pedicure reasonably close to when I had Cecilia, but that was more for the relaxation while being super uncomfortable than for the pretty toes (though that was nice, too).
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2011 02:03
|
|
|
I don't know what kind of birth you're planning to have but mine was easy as gently caress and the room was like 68°F in January and I sweated my rear end off not to mention being covered in all manner of fluids. No one demanded to shave my labia with a Bic either. Edit because that came off really bitchy: If you want to get dolled up because it will make you feel good, go for it, but if it's stressing you out don't worry about that stuff. Twatty Seahag fucked around with this message at 02:09 on Oct 12, 2011 |
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2011 02:05
|
|
|
I'm not planning on giving birth in a tub, but the hospital has a jacuzzi to relax in so I'm planning on being in my swimming suit and relaxing in hot water for as long as possible. I also bought this on an impulse buy. Also, it's completely understandable if you want to look good. Not only for the staff but for pictures. My dad took pictures of my mom (not anything gross) and those pictures will be around for a long time so that is making me want to look nice, though I'm just aiming for a french braid.
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2011 03:02
|
|
|
Tesla Insanely Coil posted:I'm not planning on giving birth in a tub, but the hospital has a jacuzzi to relax in so I'm planning on being in my swimming suit and relaxing in hot water for as long as possible. Yeah, it's mostly the pictures I know people are going to be taking. I don't like taking pictures to begin with, I will absolutely hate it when I'm post labor. I figured I might was well try to look my best considering the situation.
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2011 04:03
|
|
|
I had my sister bring me my makeup kit and I did my makeup right before they broke my water after 30 hours of labor. I had my son an hour later. In the pictures taken during the hour before I started pushing, I look tired but good. However, I still look a ragged ridiculous mess in the pictures taken after he was born, and I only pushed for like 15-20 minutes. Nonetheless, I'll probably do it again if given the opportunity for the next one, I always feel better when I'm somewhat put together.
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2011 04:32
|
|
|
If you want your hair to be pretty and aren't planning on getting an epidural I'd say don't braid it before labor. I have really long hair and did twin braids to keep it out of the way even though I usually bun it. It got really messed up during labor (probably mostly during the time I was lying in bed waiting for the doctor to get there so I could push) and the frizzy awful looking hair bugs me in my pictures. I look tired, who cares- I just had a baby. I'm in a hospital gown- whatever. The hair bothers me, I think, because it was so preventable. I should have known better. A bun would be uncomfortable lying down but could do two on the side of the head and it's easier to take down and brush out than a braid.
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2011 04:33
|
|
|
I've made sure my husband knows that there will be no pictures of me until after I've had a chance to clean up/shower. Pictures of the baby are a-ok as soon as kiddo is born provided I am not also in the shot, but no momma and baby or just momma pics until I say it's okay.
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2011 04:40
|
|
|
Crazy Old Clarice posted:tl,dr: I am throwing myself a pity party because I have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Whatup GD buddy. I remember feeling very angry about getting GD and then sad because omnomnom I love carbs and dieting is a real pain in the rear end and I was supposed to be able to eat food because I was pregnant dammit. This passed after a few weeks, maybe less, and it just became the new normal. My nurse educator said I was supposed to eat 30 carbs for breakfast, but anything more than 15 or 20 always spiked my sugar like crazy in the morning. I ate a lot of eggs and bacon and cheese. I used to eat small portions of fruit as my snacks because I only tested after meals, so I wouldnt see if I had a spike after the fruit and feel guilty. Never more than a few times a week, and I never overdid it with way too much fruit, just a reasonable portion. If you're a fan of pasta, see if your grocery store has barilla plus brand. It has added protein and I found that I never had any problems eating it and having a normal BG reading at dinnertime. Bonus of the GD diet: I only gained 11 lbs my whole pregnancy because my weight gain stalled for several weeks after I started on the diet. The doctor told me that it was nothing to worry about as long as my belly was growing. And it certainly was. If you're on the Facebook group (linked in the first post of this thread, I think), my name is Leslie if you want to talk more. There are a few ladies with full-time diabetes that were really helpful to me too. Post-birth, my BG was totally normal. I had lovely hospital pancakes for breakfast and they tasted so good after months without any. And my doula brought me a fancy cupcake because I mentioned during labor that I couldn't wait to eat cake and frosting again.
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2011 05:06
|
|
|
.
A SPECIAL UNICORN fucked around with this message at 04:43 on Feb 15, 2019 |
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2011 14:08
|
|
|
Lazenca posted:You might regret not wanting new mum and baby shots. Yeah you don't look great, but you just had a BABY! No-one expects you to be looking at your best. I treasure all my post-birth photos with both kids, despite looking like a wreck in them. Me too, I look at them probably once a month and they are my favorite pictures ever.
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2011 14:15
|
|
|
Seriously, worrying about hair and makeup is ridiculous. You will have a baby and you only get one shot at genuine, unstaged "I just had a baby" pictures. Just take the drat pictures, you guys, if only for yourself.
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2011 14:36
|
|
|
Bodnoirbabe posted:But I have a plan to make sure my legs and other areas are shaved (my friend said they shave you down there themselves with a cheap razor if you don't do it yourself), This is really outdated information. They don't shave people anymore. Thirty years ago they did but now they don't care.
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2011 14:37
|
|
|
I've never felt my mood to be really affected by the weather or seasons, but for the last two days it's been kind of gray and ugly outside and I've been super morose. Is this something that pregnancy has affected for anyone else? (Maybe it's just coincidence--the last two days I have also started leaking tiny pin-droplets of colostrum so maybe I'm just being slammed with hormones?)
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2011 15:02
|
|
|
Hair and makeup after birth: There are only a couple of times in my life I have ever seen my mom without her makeup and contacts on and her hair perfectly styled into place--she always woke up way before us kids did so she was already all made up by the time we were up in the mornings and everything. However, there's one picture of her in the hospital looking totally exhausted, huge 80's circle glasses on, hair a complete tangled mess, and she's grinning into the camera while holding an hour-old me. I think it's an awesome picture. Personally I can't be assed to put on makeup most mornings before work; I highly doubt that in labor it'll be at the front of my mind.Crazy Old Clarice posted:tl,dr: I am throwing myself a pity party because I have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes. I had prediabetes prior to getting pregnant, so I went low-carb then and have mostly kept it up through my entire pregnancy. It's really not bad at all once you get used to it--honestly, I'd say this is the best time to splurge on whatever meat, veggies, and (low-sugar) dairy you LOVE and think of it as a sort of treat  . It doesn't have to be expensive, either; I have a friend who complains that all he can afford for dinner are deli chicken strips from Safeway that cost $7.99/lb. I tell him that for $5.99/lb he can pick up a package of sirloin steaks and have a way tastier, healthier dinner. Super pregnancy bonus: No anemia, thanks to all the iron in the protein I've been eating! And my blood sugars leveled out to normal, too. Berries are a good low-sugar fruit to snack on, too. I know that the strawberry/blackberry/raspberry season is past, but you can pop frozen ones into some Greek yogurt for breakfast or whatever. Cranberries are in season now too and I've been making homemade cranberry sauce using Splenda instead of sugar. If you want recipes or meal ideas or anything, feel free to PM me.
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2011 16:08
|
|
|
So, I FINALLY stopped working at 32 weeks and the last day of work was a doozy. I know I overdid it, and had a pretty sore back for a few days. But, I pretty much convinced myself I kick rear end at being pregnant, I am awesome, construction woman working till 8 months hear me roar, etc. Then, yesterday, I cleaned the bathroom. A tiny little bathroom, and the effort from slightly bending to clean the toilet made my back start up again. (I have had a bad-ish back since I was 19 and I injured it in the military, no preterm labor worries here!) I injured myself cleaning the toilet. I feel like a freaking invalid, and I'm really taking this a lot harder than I thought I would. I actually started crying trying to explain it to my husband, and I'm disgusted with myself whenever it hurts when I try to move. I can't even do the dishes today, and I'm not quite sure how to convince myself everything is ok with sitting on my butt all day. EDIT: Ok, I got better. My back still hurts some, but I've taken it easy today and still actually gotten some things done, and got some more sleep so I'm not such a whiny child. Amykinz fucked around with this message at 22:58 on Oct 12, 2011 |
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2011 16:21
|
|
|
dreamcatcherkwe posted:This is really outdated information. They don't shave people anymore. Thirty years ago they did but now they don't care. They shaved me, but that was once I was going in for a C-section. It was nice, too, since I hadn't really seen that area in months and I had been neglectful trimming it. And I have no immediate post-baby pictures, as they whisked the kid away after the C-section. I did get to see him briefly and there's a photo of me post-seeing the baby for the first time, but the cuddle shots didn't come until a few hours later.
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2011 17:35
|
|
|
Please tell me about getting a new eyeglass prescription while pregnant. Is it really that much of an issue? How many appointments do you have to go to? How much do eyes change post-pregnancy?
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2011 05:05
|
|
|
Birth pictures. We have none. My husband took them, I have no idea what I looked like but I know Liam looked amazing. Then he went home and put them on the computer and deleted them from the camera. He didn't upload them anywhere and he didn't back them up, because he was in a hurry to get back to the hospital. At some point in the next 3 days, the hard drive basically completely imploded and we lost everything, totally unrecoverable. I would kill for those pictures, because Liam ended up being in NICU for 29 days, I don't have another picture of anyone HOLDING him until he was more than a week old because he was just too loving sick and weak. gently caress how you look, take the pictures. Just thinking about how we don't have them, the documentation of those precious 5 minutes when it was just me and my husband and Liam and no one else in the whole world, before Liam became a patient and I became a visitor, it breaks my heart that we don't have them.
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2011 05:26
|
|
|
Fionnoula posted:gently caress how you look, take the pictures. I don't really care for such strong words, because women want different things and that's okay. There are zero photos of my mom in the hospital during or after any of her three births, but there is no regret. The way she tells the stories, I can vividly see the scenes as they played out, and I can tell that my mom still remembers the births as if they were all yesterday. To us, the memory and the storytelling is enough. I don't see any benefit to trying to guilt trip someone who just wants a few minutes to freshen up before taking a picture. I have no idea what I'll look like after I deliver, or if I'll have a chance to hold my baby right away (heaven forbid there be complications that separate us at first), but one thing I do know is that I won't regret taking a moment to clean up before letting the paparazzi in.
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2011 05:42
|
|
|
vanessa posted:I don't really care for such strong words ...Then why are you on the SA forums of all places? What could possibly be wrong with taking the pictures and just not showing them to anyone, if you're so absolutely insecure with yourself (and self-centered to boot--the birth is not realllly about you) that no one is allowed to see you in the happiest moment of your life without eyeliner on? I have video and pictures of my daughter being born, and I look fat as hell with a pale face and blonde eyebrows and eyelashes, my cheeks and eyes red as can be because I'm sobbing with joy and holding my infant daughter. It's the happiest picture of me, and I'm glad I didn't take time to do my makeup and hair and make a Facebook duckface while holding the baby up. chachu fucked around with this message at 06:18 on Oct 13, 2011 |
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2011 06:13
|
|
|
vanessa posted:I don't really care for such strong words, because women want different things and that's okay. I don't know if this is weak enough for you and your delicate sensibilities, because women want different things but sometimes women and people in general think they know everything about what they want for their birth and when they get there the plan ends up turning into a pile of paper cranes and flying out a window when poo poo Happens, but you're gonna care more than you think if (and truly, whateveryoubelieve forbid) something sucky happens and your kid gets whisked off to NICU and you dont get to see or hold him again until he is a week or three old. It happens. So in the itty bitty and hopefully not chance that it did happen would you really choose vanity over not having his or her first photo be of he or she in an incubator and all that? Its real easy to be pregnant and feel dainty and I am a vain, vain, vain bastard, but I would really rethink this. Charlie was born at 36 weeks and I got to hold him for not ten seconds before they whisked him over to the isolette and fussed over him for quite a bit. I took a makeup bag to the hospital with me. I took my loving silk pajamas. I get that you care how you look but really? Really? Also if you ask your mom if she COULD have pictures in addition to the memory, would she, and she might (I dont know her) say yes.
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2011 06:18
|
|
|
vanessa posted:I don't see any benefit to trying to guilt trip someone who just wants a few minutes to freshen up before taking a picture. I have no idea what I'll look like after I deliver, or if I'll have a chance to hold my baby right away (heaven forbid there be complications that separate us at first), but one thing I do know is that I won't regret taking a moment to clean up before letting the paparazzi in. I don't think it's about a guilt trip; I think it's that, to many women who have actually gone through labor, this position sounds unbelievably stupid. So Fionnoula is describing an excellent reason for not, e.g., making sure that you aren't wearing a tacky hospital gown so that you instead poo poo yourself wearing a Pretty Pusher--if that's the most important thing to you when you've just met your child, then something is loving wrong with you.
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2011 06:29
|
|
|
I have every intention to let people take pictures immediatly after birth, that's why I was thinking of doing everything I could BEFORE the birth takes place. But to not want pictures after because you might look sweaty and a bit mussed? You're so vain, I bet you think this post is about you.
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2011 06:55
|
|
|
.
A SPECIAL UNICORN fucked around with this message at 04:43 on Feb 15, 2019 |
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2011 08:01
|
|
|
Just as a little sidenote. You might not have time for makeup. My son was born 45 minutes after my waters broke. 15 minutes after I walked into the hospital. No time for any painkillers or an epidural. I have exactly one picture that we managed to take before they took him down to the nicu and it is one of my most prized possesions. My daughter loves her little album that we made with pictures from her birth. Make up is going to be the least of your worries, why stress about it. You are never ever going to be able to take the pictures of your baby as it is born again, that special moment is not something you can recreate.
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2011 09:50
|
|
|
My husband and I plan on bringing the camera with us, but since it's just going to be him and me in there I think it would be unfair to expect him to stand back and take pictures. It's nice to have photos for later and all, but sometimes you gotta just put down the camera and experience it instead. I do, however, want to trim myself up a bit down there before I go into labor, but it's kind of hard with this huge belly in the way. =/
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2011 11:37
|
|
|
Lyz posted:My husband and I plan on bringing the camera with us, but since it's just going to be him and me in there I think it would be unfair to expect him to stand back and take pictures. It's nice to have photos for later and all, but sometimes you gotta just put down the camera and experience it instead. I got one of those Schick razors with the electric trimmer, it was awesome. It's impossible to cut yourself with it so you can do it without being able to see. Or enlist your husband!
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2011 13:32
|
|
|
Gumby Orgy posted:Please tell me about getting a new eyeglass prescription while pregnant. Is it really that much of an issue? How many appointments do you have to go to? How much do eyes change post-pregnancy? I have some pretty awful eyes and I've noticed minimal change in my vision. I've been a wearer of glasses and contacts for almost 20 years now so I have a pretty good frame of reference before being pregnant. I have been sticking to glasses more the last 6 months just out of laziness, but I have worn my contacts without a problem. I heard that your eyes can be a little more dry with contacts but I didn't really have that. My prescription may have changed ever so slightly but not enough to warrant a trip to the optometrist for a new one. Everyone is different though, I might be a freak of nature or I may not have had the eye changing thing hit me yet, but I find it doubtful as I am rapidly approaching popping this child out.
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2011 13:57
|
|
|
Why not take some right-away pictures, then freshen up and take some more if you want (like with family or whatever)? I won't be putting makeup on before the birth, that seems... impractical. I wouldn't put on makeup for any physically intense activity I expected to be engaged in for 12 straight hours. No makeup looks better than raccoon eyes. Is anyone else keeping the actual birth private? I think I'd lose my mind if there were a bunch of people there watching as I deliver my kid, and can't imagine why anyone would want that. That's one of the reasons I chose a birth center over a hospital, though (I'm lucky enough to have that choice). People say you end up not caring, but I dont know about that. I think I'll have an easier time if I feel "safe" and have some privacy in a more comfortable setting. eta - I have abysmally bad vision, too, but have noticed no changes in it during pregnancy.
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2011 14:06
|
|
|
Gumby Orgy posted:Please tell me about getting a new eyeglass prescription while pregnant. Is it really that much of an issue? How many appointments do you have to go to? How much do eyes change post-pregnancy? I would like to know more about this too--I desperately need new, unscratched lenses but am worried that my eyes will warp up and make the lenses useless after the birth. (And the stupid doctor won't make them just give me new lenses that fit in my existing frames unless I have a whole new eye exam  )
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2011 14:20
|
|
|
Re: eyes- just go to the doctor. But keep your old prescription and if your eyes go back to normal post pregnancy (mine didn't) get a cheap pair of glasses online. The Young Marge- it was just me and my husband for my labor and birth. I have no regrets about that. IF I were to have anyone else there, I would have wanted my older sister. Seeing as she was 37 weeks pregnant when I went into labor and had her baby 2 days after I had mine, that wasn't possible. My first picture with Calvin was when he was 20 minutes old and is a cell phone picture. He's cleaned up and swaddled at that point. I wish I had the slimy pictures but we didn't have our cameras in the room and didn't think about using the cell phone when it was all happening.
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2011 14:59
|
|
|
The Young Marge posted:Is anyone else keeping the actual birth private? I think I'd lose my mind if there were a bunch of people there watching as I deliver my kid, and can't imagine why anyone would want that. That's one of the reasons I chose a birth center over a hospital, though (I'm lucky enough to have that choice). People say you end up not caring, but I dont know about that. I think I'll have an easier time if I feel "safe" and have some privacy in a more comfortable setting. Yeah, we were just me and my husband (and the midwives of course). I think you should do what you want, it's your choice and no one has any right to get upset over it. It's a personal choice (but also a cultural one; to me the thought of other family members being present seemed about as natural as having them there during the conception, haha). Edit: the vision thing - I've used glasses and contacts for 15 years and there was no change during the pregnancy. Edit two: not all hospitals have tons and tons of people there when you deliver, I think it varies. A birth center sounds nice though
bilabial trill fucked around with this message at 15:26 on Oct 13, 2011 |
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2011 15:23
|
|
|
What's standard in the US for how many people in the room when you deliver? It was my partenr and I and 2 midwives when I had Connor and that seemed like pretty much all you need - is it standard to have more over there or are people talking about having no medical people at the birth? I don't have any pictures of me and the baby immediately after birth, earliest one is of Connor taken on my mobile when he is about 3 hours old. It's not something that bothers me at all but then I'm not that fussed about photos anyway.
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2011 15:47
|
|
|
hookerbot 5000 posted:What's standard in the US for how many people in the room when you deliver? It was my partenr and I and 2 midwives when I had Connor and that seemed like pretty much all you need - is it standard to have more over there or are people talking about having no medical people at the birth? I don't think there really is a standard. You can have whomever you want, barring a medical team doesn't need extra space for complications. I had 3 people in the room (husband, close friend, grandmother) during the labor/birth. I also had a large room that had a dining area attached. I was more than happy to share my experience with them. Medically I had one nurse that would check up on me from time to time, the doctor that would come in occasionally, and when she was born about 3 nurses that helped work on her to clean her up since she pooped all over herself and to work faster to measure/weigh her so she could get back to me. So at one given time there were probably around 8 people in the room - medical and personal. I will say that when she was born, there was only one other person in the labor ward so that probably made a huge difference. They were all about seeing a new baby and helping attend 
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2011 16:03
|
|
|
If this isn't cool I will edit it out--I don't want to  in this thread--but if anyone would like to see what we preggos in Mississippi are having to deal with right now, forums user That drat Satyr has made a thread about the "personhood amendment" we get to vote on next month, o joy.
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2011 20:04
|
|
|
I was in a hospital because I was induced. I started out with two people and a backup midwife, then my regular midwife swapped in. I had an epidural and so had various anaesthetists in and out. I know there were a few obstetricians in and out too, but I wouldn't be able to tell you how many. As for how many people were in the room when the baby was actually born, I have no idea. By that stage I was so tired I really wasn't paying attention and did not care. There may have been some doctors and midwives who cleaned the baby up (I did get to hold her first!) while I got stitched up. But yeah, if you're at a birthing centre it'll probably be different (barring any complications). Man, that just made me remember how out of my mind with exhaustion I was during labour. Although it lasted 17 hours it feels like a huge blur and there is a lot I don't really remember. Glad I have pictures even if I did look like a sweaty mess. I may or may not have put on light makeup the morning of my induction (I honestly cannot remember), but after the intense physical exertion of pushing for an hour, it all melted off and I looked terrible anyway. Those first raw, unedited pictures of me meeting my baby are special though, and it's really nice to have them. You don't have to share them if you're vain about it.
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2011 20:11
|
|
|
hookerbot 5000 posted:What's standard in the US for how many people in the room when you deliver? It was my partenr and I and 2 midwives when I had Connor and that seemed like pretty much all you need - is it standard to have more over there or are people talking about having no medical people at the birth?
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2011 20:32
|
|
|
The Young Marge posted:Is anyone else keeping the actual birth private? I think I'd lose my mind if there were a bunch of people there watching as I deliver my kid, and can't imagine why anyone would want that. That's one of the reasons I chose a birth center over a hospital, though (I'm lucky enough to have that choice). People say you end up not caring, but I dont know about that. I think I'll have an easier time if I feel "safe" and have some privacy in a more comfortable setting. It's going to be my husband, my mom, and my best friend. My best friends job is going to be to text and keep track of people so we don't have the fiasco that was my sisters labor and my mom because I'm a big baby.
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2011 20:51
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 19, 2024 02:34 |
|
|
Not sure how many doctors and other various hospital staff were in & out during my labor, but as far as my personal visitors, I only wanted my husband in the room for the delivery itself. My parents and in-laws were at the hospital and came in to see me while we waited and such, but once it got time to push, I didn't want all these drat people around. Once she was born they were welcome to come back in. I fully plan on doing the same with this baby.
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2011 21:06
|
|
