What They Don't Tell You About Being Pregnant v.4.

Oh, there will be aftermath. 

Holy crap I wish I knew that there were things that you needed to know about life/body after baby. Not just the typical 'you'll need to take it slow and your body may be a little weird' advice. I'm talking feet swelling to the size of Shrek's to becoming a drama queen of epic proportions. Let's break this down a little further. 

1. The Tears- When Dean was born he had to stay in the hospital a few days longer than I did. I was warned while carrying him that women could be a little emotional while pregnant but no one warned me of how your feelings magnify within mere moments of having your baby. Sure, people told me I could be depressed and to call someone or a help line if I had depressing thoughts of hurting myself or the baby but what they didn't prep me for is how to understand your feelings when you're told you can't see or hold your baby for 24 hrs after birth (I swear the birth story is coming) or how you'll cry and want to curse everyone out when they dispatch you to go home and your babe has to stay. It get's better. Eventually you will get to bring your baby home but then you may find yourself crying on the toilet while looking at pictures of him in the hospital while he sleeps in the other room. I don't think I cried as much in the last four years as I did in the five days or so of our hospital experience. So. Many. Feelings. 

2. Walking on Clouds- A.k.a big fluffy swollen feet. This one came as a shock to me as I didn't have much swelling or tremendous growth in general while pregnant. I bought a pair of flats in a size eight as opposed to my usual seven so that they were comfy through the work day but that was about it. So when I looked down after a day of walking around the hospital and taking care of Dean while he was in the nursery and my feet were swollen into the shape of my shoes I was a little puzzled. Turns out it's completely normal and takes a few days to shake. I am happy to report Shrek now has his feet back. 

3. College Body - So this one was a pleasant surprise and I've debated about even mentioning it. After having Dean, I'm guessing I have breastfeeding to thank and not gaining a lot during pregnancy (not intentionally, read here), I am down to a weight I haven't seen since I was in college. I'm not going to lie, this was pretty amazing and it feels good to get into jeans that haven't fit in so long or that I bought hoping I'd fit them one day (why do we women do this?!). The hard part, keeping the weight off now that I don't have acid reflux to keep me from eating everything in sight. The reason I slipped this one in the post was not to brag but to tell you that you don't always have to expect the worse when it comes to your post baby body!

4. Gun Shy- I saved this one for last because well, it's a little TMI. If you are lucky enough (or unlucky, I guess however you choose to see it) to need stitches after baby is born due to tearing you will be scared to do anything other than pee for a while. Everything is sore (hey- you just had a baby come out of there) and every move you make that exerts any kind of effort feels like you are going to rip at the seams, literally. I won't tell you how long it was before I felt free to go again but it was a while and things do go back to normal. I promise!

This series was one of my favorites to write while pregnant! I think I may continue as things come to mind or as other friends start expecting. If you have had a little one and want to share something no one ever told you on the blog just let me know and I'll create a post to share we. We've gotta help each other out!