Morning, Noon & Night Sickness

a guest post by a close friend soon-to-be- Mama T

The first thing you learn is that ‘morning’ sickness is a total misnomer, it is all day sickness. Some women have it worse than others, and I had it pretty bad. I read one pregnancy book that said “welcome to the queasies” and I almost threw the book out the window. What I had was not “the queasies”, it was full out vomiting all day every day.

So I tried every remedy that I could find online, in books, advice from friends and family, doctors, etc. If it was out there, I tried it. So I wanted to share those remedies in case it will help another Mama-to-be, and mostly to let you know that you are not alone!

Personally I was unable to control the morning sickness with home remedies and ended up having to take Zofran due to dehydration (the other option for me was to be admitted to the hospital for IV fluids, so I chose the less invasive route). If you are unable to keep down any water or liquids then definitely contact your doctor right away, or if you have signs of dehydration (infrequent dark urination, loss of skin elasticity, dizziness/fainting, etc), as dehydration can be harmful to your baby or this could be a more serious form of morning sickness called Hyperemesis gravidarum.

I was very resistant to taking Zofran (generic name is Ondansetron), since though it seems many women are prescribed it for morning sickness, the FDA has issued a B rating, so it has not been adequately studied in humans but no side effects were found in animals studies (check out www.safefetus.com for ratings on any medications). My husband did some research and found that the NIH has done a study where they found no negative side effects from Zofran in pregnancy, which helped me to feel a little better about taking it.

Here is a list of things that I tried (yes, I tried them all!):

·           Take your pre-natal vitamins! No, this doesn’t help with morning sickness, but it very important for the baby, especially if you are vomiting up all your meals. If your vitamin is making your sickness worse, talk to your doctor about a different brand/type. Some women have trouble swallowing the pills and end up taking chewable vitamins.

·           When you wake up in the middle of the night between 2-4am, eat a snack. This will help with sickness in the morning time, because as my doctor explained morning sickness is paradoxical, meaning that the more empty your stomach, the more sick you feel.

·           Eat small meals often- eat every 1-2 hours, whatever you can keep down, this goes along with the point above- so that your stomach is never empty.

·           Try sucking on Preggie Pops or hard candies. I found these to relive some of the nausea (not the vomiting though). Regular lollipops and hard candies worked just as well for me, for some women gum works or ginger flavor hard candies.

·           Drink fluids 1/2 hour before or after a meal, but not with meals- this is SO much harder than it sounds!

·           Drink small amounts of fluids during the day to avoid dehydration- if you can’t drink water (like me), try gingerale or seltzer, whatever you are able to drink. And avoid diuretics like coffee or tea that will make you more dehydrated.

·           Try acupuncture. I know this is not for everyone, but I did find some relief from it. Make sure to do your research and find a professional with experience and training treating pregnant women.

·           Foods to try: soda crackers (saltines with or without salt), lemonade/lemons, gingerale or ginger cookies (anything with ginger in it), caffeine-free ginger tea, watermelon. Or basically just eat whatever doesn’t smell horrible. For me it ended up being applesauce, crackers, pasta, cantaloupe, graham crackers, plain bagels, plain yogurt and just plain carbs. “Some women find that carbohydrates are most appealing when they feel nauseated, but one small study found that high-protein foods were more likely to ease symptoms” From Baby Center- however I say eat whatever you can keep down!  Foods high in protein include: peanut butter on apple slices or celery; nuts; cheese; crackers; milk; cottage cheese; soy, and yogurt.

·           Foods to avoid: fatty foods, strong smelling foods, fried foods or spicy foods.

·           Eat soda crackers (or whatever you can stomach) 15 minutes before getting out of bed in the morning

·           Get out of bed slowly in the morning.

·           Aromatherapy- lemons, ginger, lavender, peppermint- were some of the smells recommended.

·           Try wearing Sea bands. You can find these in the pharmacy, they put pressure on your inner wrist in the area that is supposed to relieve sea-sickness, the same pressure points used for morning sickness.

·           Avoid foods and smells that increase nausea. Um yeah, for me that was basically everything.

·           Avoid warm places (feeling hot adds to nausea)

·           Exercise. Haha, I will not lie, I did not do much exercising. Although getting outside and taking a walk (in an area without strong smells) did seem to help.

·           Vitamin B6 taken as a combination with the antihistamine doxylamine. In the United States this combination can be recreated by using Vitamin B6 along with over-the-counter Unisom SleepTabs (Not SleepGels or SleepMelts). NOTE: I would not recommend trying this without consulting your doctor, my doctor did recommend it for me, he called it the “miracle pills” (although it didn’t work for me), but it must work for some women!

My doctor said the absolute most important thing is to stay hydrated, so he was not too concerned that I was throwing up all my meals, but more worried that I couldn’t tolerate liquids and became dehydrated. He explained that the baby feeds off the vitamins already in my body, so as long as I could keep down my pre-natal vitamin, food intake was not that important.

The good news is that for most women the symptoms resolve by the end of the first trimester (12-14 weeks). Usually symptoms peak at week 10, so you may have an end in sight! However, some of us unlucky ladies it continues on into the second trimester and for some poor women it continues throughout the entire pregnancy. Based on my internet research symptoms are often worse and persist longer for women carrying multiples.

Let the Point Counting Begin...Again!!!

As one of my New Year's resolutions I have decided to take better care of things in my life. Take better care of my house by keeping it cleaner and neater than usual. Take better care of our finances by keeping better track of our spending, and spending less in general. And most importantly taking better care of my body, which I haven't done in a long time now.

So last week I decided to start back on Weight Watchers. After months of binge eating and working out only once or twice a week, I got to the point that when I would look in the mirror and was disgusted by what I saw. One would think that that fact alone would prompt me to do something about it, but I kept eating, and kept making excuses about going to the gym.

Skinny (and braless) Mama J in 2004, with a DJ
I was convinced was Justin Timberlake
(the celeb love of my life) and my BFF. 

It wasn't until I was packing for Florida and I came across a photo (not photo on right, but I thought that one was priceless) of myself from a holiday party at my old office from 2004, that I really decided something needed to be done. I know exactly what I weighed then, as it was the skinniest I have ever been in my adult life...and it was 40 pounds lighter than I am now. I had a jawline! I didn't have to suck it in! My belly didn't jiggle! I wore belts! I was sitting on the floor of my closet with Marlo looking at the photo and I said "look baby, this is skinny Mommy. It looks like a different person right?" And the more I looked at this photo of this gorgeous skinny girl, in a size 10 jeans and Medium shirt with a slight hint of a flat tummy peaking out, the sadder I got, until the tears came and what I was looking at made me want to throw up.

Of course I then went to Florida where my mom, as usual, had stocked up on our favorite junk foods, and we were eating things out of gift baskets for a week. But on the 30th of December my body started to revolt. I got a stomach thing and was throwing up, and had the runs (I know gross but it happens to everyone!) for 24 hours. You know what it was? It was my body telling me "THAT IS ENOUGH FATTY!" It wasn't food poisoning, it wasn't a virus, it was my body revolting and giving me a sign that I have been abusing it for too long. And what a way to kick start a diet too :).

So now it has been 7 days of officially counting points again. And thus the 5th time in the last 7 years I have started on Weight Watchers. The first time was in 2003 and I lost 35 pounds, and when I started I was the heaviest I had ever been...until this time of course. And at the end I was that skinny girl you see in the photo above...but I realize that I will never be that skinny girl again. At that point in my life I was living with my girlfriends, going to dance class twice a week (one class was 4 hours long), working out before work every day, and worried about what my then-boyfriend thought about the way I looked. Now I take care of a 13 month old, am home in my house most of the day (surrounded by food), have a husband who loves me no matter what I look like, and basically live in "lounge wear" all day long.

Weaning

This is probably the least interesting topic on this board, but I swear it has promise! Part of your life is about to be returned to you! I was a happy breast-feeder for 13+ months, but I was very happy to be done. I was working full-time and I was more than happy to say good-bye to my pump. Here are some quick steps to an easy weaning experience.

• Take it slow. It took me about 2 1/2 months to go from breastfeeding/pumping six or so times to a day to being completely done. I was petrified about getting mastitis, so I gave my body plenty of time to adjust. I dropped one nursing session a week. If my body still felt full during the time of my dropped session, I'd wait an extra day or two (e.g., the nursing session I dropped was at 3 pm and my next session was at 6 pm, if I couldn't make it to 6 pm comfortably, I'd wait a few more days before dropping the next session).
• Shorten sessions before dropping. This is harder to do if you're actually nursing vs. pumping, but it still can work (consider feeding your child before you nurse and make sure there is a cup of milk ready when you pull them off). If you normally nurse or pump for 10 minutes, start by shortening the time nursing/pumping to 8 minutes. Drop 2 minutes each day until the session is only a minute or two. Depending on how long you typically nurse, it might take a week for you to get down to a minute or two. You can go ahead and start dropping a new session at the end of the week or stay as is for another week, giving your body extra time to adjust. I found I didn't need to shorten the sessions when I was still nursing/pumping 4 times a day, but once I was down to just 3 sessions, it felt more comfortable to shorten before I fully dropped it.
• Provide your baby with other entertainment. It's easiest to drop the mid-day sessions first, because typically you can distract your baby during that time - a fun activity, a special food, or even just a bottle of regular milk or formula. Just keep things moving and don't give them any indication that nursing is nearby - that is, keep your shirts on ladies.
  
• Feel free to keep nursing just one or two sessions for a while. If it's easy to nurse your child to sleep or you like the comfort of early morning nursing...do it. You can easily do those two sessions for months and wait until your child loses interest. When you're ready to drop these particularly snuggly sessions, be sure to be extra patient and provide lots of extra soothing. Even if your child is taking a sippy cup during the day, you may want to provide a bedtime bottle for a few extra weeks just to make the weaning process easier. I was able to transition without the use of a bottle...two days in a row we had late dinners out (shocking, I know) and my son fell asleep for the night on the way home. After that, we just gave him a sippy of milk at dinner and called it a day.
  
• Cabbage leaves and ice work. So do tight bras. Cabbage leaves in the freezer are even better. When you get to the point that you're ready to drop the final session, go as long as you can. When you feel really uncomfortable try to hand express some milk in the shower or pump for just a minute or two to relieve pressure. You may need to do this occasionally over the next few days to fully finish the process.
• Enjoy your energy. I felt a HUGE surge of energy in the days after I fully weaned. And I never gained any weight. I think if you take the process slow, your body adjust. I'm convinced that when I nurse, I store fat for the winter...at least that is what I tell myself.
  

Here is a sample schedule:

Week 1: Nurse/pump 6x a day
Week 2: Drop one day session cold turkey to get down to 5x a day.
Week 3: Drop one day session cold turkey to get down to 4x a day.
Week 4: Drop one day session cold turkey to get down to 3x a day.
Week 5: Shorten mid-day session by two minutes each day. At the end of the week you should be only nursing/pumping 2x a day.
Week 6: Continue nursing/pumping 2x a day. Begin using cabbage leaves and ice.
Week 7: Shorten one session by two minutes each day. At the end of the week you should be only nursing/pumping 1x a day. Continue with cabbage leaves.
Week 8: Continue nursing/pumping 1x a day.
Week 9: Shorten last session by a few minutes each day.
Week 10 and on: Pump ONLY when you feel uncomfortable.
When you're done: Celebrate. With a BIG drink. Burn nursing bras, pumps, etc. Cry at state of your boobs, but celebrate the fact that at least they are yours again.

More information here: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/weaning/

I just had a baby...16 months ago

by Mama R

I joined a gym.  I thought about joining the same gym for 11 months.  For 11 months, at least once a week I thought about the gym but never once did I step foot in it.  Today, wearing flip flops, with no ability to actually use it today, I joined.

Before I got pregnant, I was pretty active.  Never a skinny minnie, but fit.  I had nice muscle tone, albeit a little mush on my tush, but I was strong.  I was in shape (not the shape I was hoping for) but still a shape that did not scream, "chubby-wubby."  Back then, I balanced a very upwardly, aggressive career track, my relationship with my husband and my social schedule.  I had gone through times of more and of less working out.  Different work out phases, see Hot Yoga, Core Fusion, Running, Trainer at the Gym...see a little less mush.

When I got pregnant, I initially thought, I will be that girl in the gym with her belly.  I will be on the treadmill, I will have a trainer, I will just have a belly.  Then at week 5 I started getting sick, and didn't stop until my daughter was born.  I threw up 2/3 of the pregnancy, and by the time I stopped puking, I had heart burn and swelling that made it inconceivable for me to more than the occasional pre-natal yoga.

I thought, "It's winter, I'm pregnant."

Flash forward to post-baby, 16 months ago.  Post emergency C-section.  First off, I could barely get up out of bed let alone walk down stairs or walk a few blocks.  I lived in a walk up, so getting outside to walk was nearly out of the question for the first week or two.  But alas I don't think I can really use the c-section as my situation today.

Many women have claimed of "breast feeding melted off the weight" and "all I do is walk" and "I practically forget to eat." Let's address these claims as they relate to me.

First, let's get one thing straight, I have never forgotten to eat.  Ever.  I figured out crafty ways to feed myself, always.  Faster, yes.  At strange times yet.  Forget, no.

Second, yes, once I recovered, I did walk.  And walking did do more some good things, but it rained 75% of my maternity leave and when I returned to working full time, I did everything as quickly as possible to get from point A to point B.  Usually, that meant getting in the car.  A few times, I have committed and re-committed to walking or running, but it never lasts more than a few days or at most a month.

Lastly, yes, breastfeeding was wonderful.  Wonderful for my daughter, and some what helpful for me.  However, I used it as an excuse to feed myself as much as I pleased (see: forgetting to eat).  And I was also carrying around H size bombs.  No, that is not a typo, "H" as in A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H.  I could barely see my legs and my stomach past those gals and somewhere around 4 months of nursing, I was convinced, I would look better when I stopped b/c I must have been the type who's body held the weight.

So, today I joined a gym because I realized it has been almost 2 years since I have really committed to trying to make myself look any better.  After a depressing series of posts of friends on their family vacations with their own children, some near my daughters age, but MANY with much younger babies, I realized these women managed to get into some remarkable shape, and I couldn't really say, "I just had a baby," anymore.

Tomorrow, I am going to try to actually go to this new gym I've joined early in the morning...the infamous, "before the baby wakes up."  I hope that it is met with mild success, I am not hoping to come out of this new commitment with Giesle's body, I am just hoping I won't look as paunchy, run down and out of shape as I do right now.

For all the mama out there looking for support, know you are not alone.  There are tons of us out there looking for support, motivation, anything to help us not look like an older, more run down, less sparkling version of ourselves.

I hope to write you in a few weeks a little shinier.

Who is that woman that ate Mama J?

Somewhere along the lines I got signed up for Parenting (the early years) magazine. It isn't one of those magazines I am excited to receive (like Entertainment Weekly or the New Yorker) so I don't read it right away when it comes to our house. Damn do I wish I read this latest issue sooner.

Amongst the ads filled with beautiful babies and models posing as new moms I found an article entitled "Feel Better Naked." I thought maybe they would have some sort of newly discovered weight loss secret (I am always looking for the latest and greatest) so I got immediately excited to read. But then I glanced up at the subtitle: "So you're toting a few extra pounds and sagging in some places you weren't before. So what? Your body is still secy and incredible. Here's how to believe it!"

The article goes on saying that we shouldn't try to aim for post-baby bodies the likes of Heidi Klum or Victoria Beckham, as that is totally unrealistic for the normal woman. It basically says that after you have a baby, your body changes shape...which I have totally embraced.

What got me going was the fact that this article is basically saying (at least what I got out of it) that it is cool that you are fat after having a baby! Say goodbye to your old body! It actually tells you to go out and buy clothes in bigger sizes...to "embrace your shape" and "appreciate your assets." Oh where do I begin with this!!

When I look at myself in the mirror I am totally disgusted by my body. My boobs, that were always on the saggy side, are now like deflated balloons. My waist, which was always my smallest part of my body, is out of control and actually sticks out further than my boobs. My once plump behind is now out of control - and not in a good way. My "guns" are gone - and my arms now have cellulite? I didn't know that was possible! Every time before I get in the shower I will stand naked, holding my boobs where they should be, sucking in my stomach as much as I can, and popping out a leg to get some definition - and I see this small glimpse of the Mama J that was...

The Mama J that was once 30 pounds (see me at left in 2006, and last month in a wedding in 2010 - gross) lighter than I am now...the Mama J that worked out almost every day...that took much better care of herself...that cared what people thought about her...that actually turned heads in a good way when she went out with her friends and husband. Now, I look like the woman that ate Mama J.

And it is all my fault. It took me so long to get pregnant that I was so scared of losing the baby (also had a blood clot in the beginning of my pregnancy), so I stopped working out, save swimming twice a week if I was lucky, and started eating whatever I wanted. For the past 6 months of my babies life, I have probably worked out 5 times total. But now that is all changing thanks to the kick in the ass from this article.

I don't want to embrace this new body! It is like I am wearing a fat suit!! I can't find clothes that fit me, so I can't go buy new clothing to make me feel sexy! So I need to do something about it, and fast.

I am back to working out (at home with P90X tapes), and back on Weight Watchers points (hoping for the 30 pound loss that I had the first time I did WW). I have started my journey back towards the old Mama J...the fitter, sexier, healthier Mama J.

And why am I telling you all this? Well, I have said that I am going to start this journey probably 10 times in the last 6 months. I strongly feel that me admitting this to you all will actually get my brain and body in gear to put in the effort and work that is necessary to reach my goal.

There is no backing down now..my Mama's are watching!

Haikus to Amuse about Boobs (and other body parts)

Righty and lefty

What happened to you my friends?

Looking sad these days

Pancakes are for brunch

Not to be put in your bra

Pass the syrup please

Fun bags you say sir?

More like sad empty balloons

Thank God for push-up

Harry Potter scars

All over lower belly

Quidditch Anyone?

Elastic waist pants

You are my best frenemy

Should throw you in trash

Oh cottage cheese thighs

You went from lite to homestyle

I should hit the gym

Please share your own Haiku poems in the comments!!

Invasion of the Pre-Pregnancy Body Snatcher: A Wine-Induced Rant

I have always been a larger than average woman. Pre-pregnancy I would have considered my body to have an athletic-hourglass-shape. I have always worn clothes that were in the double digits size-wise. In high school (in Florida) I always wore shorts over my bikinis when in front of boys. My weight has always fluctuated: I gained about 20 pounds in college, lost it right after college when I joined my first gym, gained it back when I started seriously dating my husband, lost 35 pounds when I joined Weight Watchers and joined a dance company, and then gained about 20 of those pounds back over the next 5 years.

I have always worked out. When I was working downtown, I went to the gym 4-5 days a week before work. When I started working from home, I went 5 days a week (most weeks) first thing in the morning. Looking back I think I was in pretty good shape, but if you asked me then I would have said I was a fatty. And then I started trying to get pregnant in 2007...

First came the insulin pills to regulate my ovulation cycles (I have PCOS). It made me terribly sick to my stomach so I wasn't going to the gym as often...fast forward to 2008 when I started on fertility meds, which made me feel tired and lazy (could have all been in my head, and had something to do with the mild depression). Then the IUIs, which consisted of shooting myself with a needle every night, and resting for days around the actual procedure (I don't need to go to the gym...walking the dog 2 miles a day is the same as a spin class right?)...and then the time around the IVF where I didn't want to do anything physical (including walking the dog) for fear of messing with what was happening with my lady parts. Hello muffin top! Where did you come from?!

When I finally did get pregnant I was so scared that strenuous weight lifting and cardio would cause a miscarriage that I canceled my one gym membership and joined a gym that had a pool. In the beginning, when I still looked semi-decent in a bathing suit, I was swimming 3-4 days a week. And then around 7 months my swimming suit got too small for my giant belly and I pretty much gave up working out all together. Walking (I should say waddling) the pooch became strenuous enough on my whale of a body so that was all I was doing. And now I am not even doing that...

I also stopped tracking my weight when I tipped the scale 200 pounds, and let out an audible yelp at my 24 week appointment. From then on I looked skyward when my weight was taken.

Now, 6 weeks after giving birth, my body is unrecognizable. I have never had a flat tummy, but what I have now could be seen on any female contestant of the Biggest Loser. I still have the linea negra (the brown line on your tummy) -isn't that supposed to go away after birth??? And to my utter shock, I got stretch marks in the last few days of pregnancy. They were on the underside of my belly, which I couldn't see, but now they are front and center and totally disgusting. WTF baby??? How could you do this to me?!?

The other thing that is all funked up is my skin. My back is broken out all over, and I am getting zits in the oddest places...behind my ears?? HUH? My face has yet to feel the brunt of this zit-madness thank God.

I have always been a sweaty person, but for some reason now I feel like deodorant no longer covers my stank either (I hope my husband doesn't read this post :). I have tried three different kinds since having the baby and still I feel like I can smell myself come the afternoon. HOT.

My hair is another story...not on my head, but my face. They say that when you are pregnant your hair gets thicker because it isn't falling out as much. Well, why do I have a beard now? I should say, more of a beard than before I got pregnant as I am also a hairy person (I am laughing out loud as I type this...I should post a photo of myself so you don't think I am the bearded lady...I am not bad looking I swear!). I also feel like I have more hair under my arms than before, and even after shaving I still have darkness there. It is a mystery.

My boobs...where do I begin? They are gigantic, and saggy. And they hurt from all the pumping I am doing (I gave up breastfeeding and I am solely pumping right now). They are nothing but food-producing-udders for my daughter right now. Hands off hubby!

As for clothing, right now I am in no-mans land when it comes to my closet. My maternity clothing is too large, but my old clothes are still too small. So I am stuck wearing maternity jeans and constantly hiking them up so I don't look like a teenage boy from the late 90s. On a trip to the outlets today I had to purchase a larger than normal size of jeans so that I had one pair of pants that I could wear until I get my ass back in shape...

But will I ever be back in shape? I would take my pre-pregnancy-20-pounds-overweight-weight in a second right now. I think I would even give a toe to be able to fit into my normal jeans - maybe just the pinky toe. It is impossible for me to get back into the gym right now, so I have resorted to my Wii Fit and Wii Active - but even those I am having a hard time finding time to actually do.

When I was pregnant I thought my body would bounce back because everyone said that when you breastfeed/pump the weight just melts off. I so thought I would have all the time in the world to work out at home...the baby will be sleeping so much!

Everyone keeps telling me "You look great," but I just want to slap them. I know I am fat. I know I have a long way to go to get back to what I looked like before. I wish more people would say "have you had the baby yet?" and maybe I would have more motivation to get back in shape.

I wonder how much lipo costs... :)

"You're Pregnant? I thought you were just fat!"

There are a lot of odd things that happen to you when you are pregnant...and I don't just mean with your body (more on that in a later post). As I come upon the home stretch of my pregnancy, and I begin to waddle more than walk, I have noticed that people act much differently towards you when you have a bun in the oven. Not only are they much nicer to you, but I feel like I have even gotten special treatment as of late...

For example, when I went to purchase lunch while doing a trunk show at a fancy department store last week, not only was I given the employee discount (of 20%) I was given an extra 30% off my purchase of a delicious chicken salad sandwich. The gracious woman who rang me up just winked and said "I'll give you a little extra off too," and I beamed back at her as I lovingly rubbed my protruding belly. When I told the employees and fellow trunk show vendors they were astonished!

When in line at my local butchers yesterday I was asked by all three employees behind the counter what I wanted, when there were 3 people in line ahead of me! Of course I declined their prompt service, and told them I was in no hurry, and that there were 3 patient people waiting ahead of me...but in 4 years of going there that has never happened to me!

While in line at the register to purchase some large tupperware bins at Target last weekend, I noticed that one of the tops had a crack in it. I paid for my entire purchase and asked if I could run back and get a new lid - the cashier said "normally we would have you leave your purchases here, but you can go ahead and take your cart with you." After I exchanged the lid, I just bypassed the registers and walked out of the store. Now, I am a very honest person, but if I wasn't, I could have put anything I wanted in my carriage and walked out of the store without paying...Was this because I was pregnant? Or just because the cashier was an idiot...It could go either way :)

Doors are being held more often, chairs are being offered, I can take a golf cart when they aren't allowed on the course - I was even able to use the employee bathroom at the Gap the other day! WHAT? And all because I am pregnant. It is still amazing to me how pregnant women are looked upon as these heavenly beings. Yes, the fact that we grow inside another human still blows my mind (and creeps me out a bit) - but what makes a pregnant woman more important than a woman that decides not to have children? Shouldn't we be this nice to everyone all the time? Not that I am complaining at all - I am taking full advantage of all these positive happenings. And I know, I have a precious being growing inside of me, and need to take care of myself now more than ever - I just wish everyone was this nice to me all the time.

And then there was the group of Irish gents in front of my friend and I at last weeks PGA tour stop in Norton, MA. One went to light a cigarette in front of me and I said out loud "I can't stand here if he is going to smoke." He then drunkenly slurred, "Fine. I will stand behind you so you can't smell it." I then explained (although I thought it was rather obvious) that it didn't matter either way, I was pregnant and didn't want to inhale is cigarette smoke. He proceeded to yell at me "You're pregnant? I just thought you were fuggin' fat!" I wasn't sure whether to punch him or laugh - so I just blankly stared at him in shock. In a matter of seconds, he went from a shit-faced rude slob to a doting, overly-friendly man, who turned out to be the new father of twins. And then he tried to touch my belly - that was our queue to move to the next hole!

Your body: After Baby

"Pretty soon after you give birth (assuming you do not have a c-section), they will make you pee. Yes, in front of them. Although, at that point you don't even care. They have already seen it all! Plus it will be necessary for the nurses to help you into the bathroom because it is pretty hard just to sit up and get out of bed on your own, much less be able to walk yourself the three steps to the bathroom. And unless you want your husband to "help" you, just let the nurses in there! The one thing I was not prepared for, however, is the "inability" to control your bladder. Not that I peed in my pants or anything, but for those first couple weeks once you get to the bathroom and sit down, the pee just starts coming out...there was no "okay I'm going to start peeing now, okay now I'm going to stop," it just starts - and there was no ability to "stop" once it started! I guess when they tell you to do those kegel exercises, they aren't lying. Ha Ha! Totally not prepared for that though! Don't worry - you're not going to pee your pants or anything (atleast I didn't - I'm sure many ladies have though!) but this is one of those things that would have been nice to know beforehand!” - Mama P

“Make peace with the fact that you may not lose all the weight right away. I think I had this expectation that the birth itself would rid me of about half the weight pretty much right away (it didn't) - I still looked 9 months pregnant the day I left the hospital. Granted, I knew that you would still look "pregnant" but I thought I would look more like 5 or 6 months pregnant, not exactly the same as I looked when I came in there! It took about 4-5 days before I lost the majority of the "belly" but even then, I still had a lot of weight to lose. Just remember that it took 9 months to gain it all, so don't be surprised if it takes 9 months to lose it. Several of my friends who are all size 2 and looked adorable lost all of their "baby weight" like 4 days after going home and were back in their pre-pregnancy clothes like 2 weeks later. This is not normal.” - Mama P

“I will admit, I didn't get back to working out when I could have (6-8 weeks postpartum). I just wasn't feeling it. After a few months, I started again, but you are so tired all the time that is the last thing you want to do! I will say though, for the next baby, I will probably force myself to start working out earlier, just because it has been a lot harder to lose the baby weight than I thought. (not that I thought it would be easy, but it just hasn't come off the way I thought it would).” - Mama P