First time (pregnant) mom

You got this, trust your gut! You will be bombarded with advice and opinions for the next months and years but filter what fits for your family and feels right and ignore the rest. And most of all cherish every minute it's tough but magical

@Flo thank you!

Don’t stress urself about delivery. I was nervous and anxious and thought it was gonna hurt but I got the epidural and it was a breeze. I felt absolutely nothing. As for postpartum give ur self time to heal and don’t push urself too hard. Parenting, the NB stages can be hard but remember it will get better

Talk with your partner NOW about how you both handle stress, sleep deprivation, family boundaries. Those WILL be tested when baby comes. It’s better to have those conversations before you’re both possibly overwhelmed and exhausted. Also remember that every baby is different. And so is every momma. Follow your instincts- they are rarely wrong. Also remember you have a right to say NO to anything your doctor/midwife suggests. You are the boss- not them.

@Jody thank you!

@Claire thank you too!

Down to Birth podcast

1/2 Please don’t stress yourself out with delivery as I was the same and it was the best feeling ever remember you have pain relief so don’t be shy to ask! Don’t take growth scans seriously as I was told my baby was going to weigh 9lb 10oz she came out 5lb 12.5oz 🤣 Don’t overload on baby clothes I got everything first size she wore them for 2 weeks and she was in 0-3 so get a few different sizes even tiny baby as you don’t know how big your baby will be!! If you buy a pram check the sizing of your doors!! Front door and back as when I got my pram we started Reno and I refused to set the pram up (not for bad luck or anything) purely for the reason we were Reno after we had finished I set my pram up and it didn’t go through the front and the back door (now we have to fold the pram take the carry cot off get the base out of the door unfold it then put the carry cot on and it is a massive faf on) after youve had the baby please dont listen tp people who tell you "your spoiling

2/2 “your spoiling your baby by picking them up all the time” “let them cry it out for a few seconds they need to learn to self soothe” “give them water of they are constipated” Please any worries or questions message me 💖💖

Before delivery: sat down with your partner and discuss everything from post delivery stress, sleep deprivation and cooking. He needs to understand that you need him on the boat. And you also need to understand that he will be also tired 😁even from sleeping whole night. Then I would definitely recommend to freeze lots of cooked food if you don’t have anybody to help because first weeks will be busy. Delivery- don’t stress about it too much. You will be surprise what your body can do. Trust me. After delivery- definitely trust your gut. You will know your baby the best. Always question even the doctors. And just enjoy every minute of it because it goes fast. x

Surrender to the contractions, focus on breathing and don’t let them break your water (it’s a pain barrier).

1. There will be days where your baby doesnt move dont panic drink cold water if they don’t move for more then like a day or 2 you can go to the hospital with a maternity ward and theyll let you check their heartbeat and 10/10 your baby will kick box you 2. Dont buy a pregnancy pillow there expensive just make yourself a cacoon off thick blankets and shape them 3. You can drink a cup of coffee just don’t drink it all at once sips through the day 4. They probably won’t let you have anyone if you get an epidural if that’s the case play whatever music calms you down nurses won’t hold your hand sadly. 5. EAT BEFORE GOING TO GIVE BIRTH. If your water breaks you should have time. If you’re having CONTRACTIONS start speeding with that cheeseburger. They will not feed you I went in when my water broke and wasnt fed for 17 hours. Theyll give you water and sometimes sprite but they don’t want to deal with you possibly throwing up so they don’t let you when your there.

@Karolyn you may mean well but please don’t give out potentially dangerous advice - if your baby’s movements are reduced never mind stopped then you absolutely should not wait a day or 2 before getting seen in triage. You don’t wait until the next day at all.

@nina I went in every single time my baby didnt move. Every single time the nurses told me ‘wait a day sometimes theres days your baby sleeps all day’ thats why I said drink cold water before going in. Theres gonna be days where the lil one just doesn’t feel like stretching.

@Karolyn why wouldn’t they let someone in the room w u if u have an epidural? I’ve never heard of that before

@Karolyn that’s really dangerous they would say that to you, babies do sleep a lot and have quiet days but we’re constantly told that we should still always get checked just in case. I’ve just seen you’re in the us and I’m from the uk so that might be why we have different experiences.

@Jody I gave birth last year and the hospital i was in was going by COVID restrictions still. Many in California and democratic states still do. I was only allowed 2 people during birth and 0 for the epidural. My husband was pissed outside the room.

@nina I went in 4 seperate times. Each time they did help me and let me hear my baby but they tell you to drink cold water before coming in so the baby will move. Your charged here each time so if your insurance sucks your paying thousands to hear a heartbeat of your sleeping baby. If your high risk they don’t tell you that theyll just bring you in.

@Nina it’s comepletely different here. EVERYTHING here is charged. Also something I learned when checking on my baby those times, when you go check on your baby here, Theres 9/10 a reason. During those 4 times several other women had to go get C sections so in the US if your checking Theres usually a reason.

@Karolyn honestly that’s crazy and so sad you have to second guess yourself before going in or you’ll be landed with a huge bill. We are really lucky that we have free healthcare (we pay taxes towards it) & are encouraged to report any changes during pregnancy that differ from our normal.

@Nina yea it’s terrifying. I had a miscarriage at 17 but had my baby at 23 and the nurses were still were like ‘ok I know that happend but…’ They still check you out and they still care it’s just you can tell their more worried about how you’ll pay the bill rather anything else. In my entire 9 months i likes 2 nurses.

I’m in my last days of pregnancy and honestly if you’re working full time now take that leave when you can lol I waited til I was 37 weeks and was so exhausted my body hurt so much and I over did it for sure. I see you’re 16 weeks idk if you had/have morning sickness but crackers plain yogurt and ginger ale and 7up were literally my life until I was 21 weeks lol I’d also say a belly band is a freaking life saver if you’re more on the active side and even working a desk job it greatly helps your back. Momcozy is great I love mine so much! My hips are also absolutely destroyed from sleeping on my side without a pillow so I’d also recommend that 😂 Drink helllllllla water cause the risk or UTI’s are higher in pregnancy and just be careful with your area. I used honey pot wipes a lot because I was scared of getting a UTI and bought a big ass water bottle for work lol I also find myself more at ease with labor the closer it comes and I’m actually really excited about delivery 🥰 Goodluck!!