After Birth Questions

[Kim1989]

So labor should be in the near future... (hopefully they will tell me im dialated or effaced AT LEAST tomrrow) and i have a few questions about after labor.

+ When does the brown pregnancy spots disappear? i have them on my boobs and the doctor said thats what it was and its totally normal. they look so ugly tho.

+ When does the Linea nigra Fade?

+ I was told that your not supposed to take baths after birth (both c and vaginal) so if thats true when can i return to taking them?

+ At my child birthing class the teacher mentioned that labor is very hard. and is a time that most people want to be a bond just between the mother, father, and baby. and the teacher mentioned that we might not want every person in our phone to come visit at the hospital. have you women found that you didnt want the whole world visiting? like too much going on? and the last thing you wanted was everyone comming to the hospital? i really dont want people to be hurt or something. i dont kno how im going to feel.

+ I read that many visitors arent advised during the first few weeks of birth because the babys emune systems are still very fragile and even tho people should wash their hands, they stil may carry illnesses. should i not have people really around the baby for the first few weeks of birth? i dont kno if people washing their hands will be enough

[JoyRenee]

I actually wanted to show off my babies when I had them and was disappointed when only family showed up! You get B-O-R-E-D sitting in that hospital because baby just sleeps. About 90% of the time you are just sitting in that bed. The other 10% is being poked and prodded by a nurse. They come and check your bleeding, your blood pressure, and temp (as well as baby's) and they do it AROUND THE CLOCK!

So anyway, having those visitors was fun.

As for germs, if someone has a runny nose, cough, etc. DON'T let them touch baby or even breath on them. I didn't hold a friend's baby at the hospital when I had a runny nose and it did NOT offend me. Also, WASH HANDS! Don't feel like a jerk for insisting people wash their hands.

I took my newborn to a Bible study when she was 6 or 7 days old. It was fine!

Also, if baby starts sneezing, don't worry! They sneeze to clear out their nasal passages and the amniotic fluid/phlegm. It is not because they are sick.

Baths are fine if you do not mind that you are bleeding.

[Michele, Katy, TX]

I agree w/ sfritz.  I myself have 5 kids.  I always suffer from post partum depression.  I have to take medication, so I am not good right after I have a baby.  I cry uncontrolably and don't want people around.  All of my friends and family know this by now.  It's hard for my husband because he has a very large family, but with each one, he has gotten much better and supportive.  I don't usually let anyone visit for about 2 weeks.  My mom and dad usually come to the hospital to see me and the baby, but they are only there briefly.  I also breastfeed, so people have to be considerate of that.  I'm not one to breastfeed in front of just anyone (meaning males).  I know it is natural, but the only male I allow to see my chest is my husband. (LOL)  Your friends/family should understand.  It is about you, your baby, & your spouse.  It is a crazy time so I agree with your teacher about maybe not wanting too many people to be around for a while.  That's how it is with me at least.  If you do have visitors, I do suggest that they don't stay long.  Hopefully they will be considerate enough to know that.

As far as the spots on your breast...I didn't get them but it probably won't take long for them to go away.

The line down the stomach....It can take up to a year for it to go away completely.  It takes a while with me.  But, it will continue to fade become less noticable as time goes on.

Baths for vaginal delivery is okay.  Infact, they may actually have you take a sitz bath while you are there.  I have had all mine vaginally but I do believe that with a C section you have to wait a bit due to the stiches.  If you needed stitches vaginally, they will be the kind that dissolve so that won't matter.

I wish you the best of luck w/ your delivery.  I also wish you a very healthy little one!

Take Care.

[sfritz]

it is very exhausting. I had a great birth experience with my daughter (my nurses and docs were great!) I think if anyone gets upset because you don't feel up to having visitors the moment they are there (and they did not call ahead of time) they are being very selfish. This is about you, your spouse, and your beautiful baby!!

[Kim1989]

alright thanks. yeah i mean i love my friends but im EASILY annoyed and i think that too many people will come and im about to just let a few ppl kno. but not really tell people to come. cuz i know i will be so tired and i kno it will be a new experience and i have the nurses and doctors there to answer any questions i have.

[sfritz]

Im not sure about the first two but as for the baths for vaginal they wanted me to take whirlpool baths at the hospital and said baths at home are great. After my SIL c-sec she was not able to take a bath for a while. As for people coming to visit, oh boy, I did not put restrictions on my first and regretted it.  I had people coming in at all different times and could not get any rest during the day. This time I am going to give the hospital an "approved" list and ask them to call my room and check before any others are let in. If they dont call first and I am resting, to bad. I had a lot of visitors right after the baby was born and made sure no one touched her without washing their hands. She was fine but that will also depend on the babys health.  
Another thing about visitors, I am letting everyone know before hand they need to call and check with me before they come to the hospital. If they don't and I am not up to having vistors at the moment, they were already prewarned and can not be upset.  I hope this helps some. Good luck and Congrats!!!