8 Days and Counting, Last minute advice...

[TiffB831]

To those of you who have had a child before or have had their first child recently, what is some advice you would give to a first time mom getting ready to experience labor for the first time?  I've got 8 days to go.  I'm due September 10th, although it could be anytime before or after that day (of course it's just an estimate).  Anything at all that will help?  What to expect when my water breaks?  Should I stay home from now on to avoid embarrassment of my water breaking in Wal-Mart or something? (Lol) Or just a funny story of what happened to you when your water broke, (i.e. in a store, on the toilet, in the shower)?  Anything... Thanks ladies!!!

[TiffB831]

Thanks.  I appreciate it!!! :)

[KTowne]

I definitely agree, clean your house now.. because when baby is here you're going to be overwhelmed. I had to really tell myself, dishes can wait, cleaning the house can wait, baby is main focus and everything else will fall in to place, also stock up on groceries, meals, etc. For labor, always focus on breathing, relax your body during contractions and let your natural endorphins take over, it helps SO much. And whenever you think you feel like you can't do it, think of the second you'll hold your baby for the first time, it goes so quickly, and it's truly a very precious moment, as painful as labor is, enjoy it, it's very few times in your life you'll be able to experience that kind of moment. Good luck hun, and congratulations on your LO!

[TiffB831]

Yeah, true.  Thanks again...

[JaidennsMommi]

Yeaa well i had a long labor, was home for about 20 hrs before went to the doctor to be checked and from there went strait to the hospital...was there for 13 hrs before my son was born...i was progressing very good til they had me restricted to the bed and on monitors...i jus took very long to dialate from there...pushed 3 times and he was out tho!!!
Every pregnancy is different tho so since u live 40 mins frm hospital id say dnt wait til its hurts to breath ta go! Because u never kno if there kight be traffic depending on time it is! I live about 40 mins frm hospital too!

[TiffB831]

That's true.  I thought about staying home as long as possible.  It is my first baby though, I know it's not going to happen instantly, but I am worried because I'm 40 minutes from the hospital and I don't want to wait too long, or have my driver in a panic.  I need everyone as calm as possible.  I thought about the eating, too though.  I've been making sure I stay pretty full from day to day simply because I don't know when I'm going in and I don't want to be starving on my way to the hospital. That's good advice though.  I'm sure when I get home with her for the first time, I'll either be staring at her saying "I can't believe you're mine" or we'll both just be sleeping all day...lol....Thanks so much...

[TiffB831]

Lol!! Thanks... that's funny... "Don't sit on the toilet or the baby will fall out!" Classic...

[TiffB831]

HaHa.. That's true... Thank you!!

[TiffB831]

Thank you so much.  I live with my mom right now.  So, dishes are always done. That's a plus and I do my laundry every Friday.  That's good advice though.  Glad I'm already in the habit of keeping clothes washed.  That's something I didn't really think about either.  Thanks.

[JaidennsMommi]

I know every labor and delivery is different but something i will be doing this time around is waiting at home longer to go to the hospital...because at home u can eat and be comfortable in your own bed, and at the hospital i could hardly turn in the bed to get comfortable had monitors all on me that woyld go off, plus i had back labor so it suckeddd!!!
I agree with the comment of leaving the house clean and dishes washed because honestly when u get home thats gona be the last thing u feel like doing!

[babywhalen2]

Dont worry or stress about your water breaking in public. Mine broke at the bowling alley when my husband and i were out with friends. Lol it turned into a funny story we all laigh about. We got a lot of offers to take us to the hospital and everyone was so excited for us. When i went to the restroom to try and clean up a bit, even had one old lady shrieking, " dont sit on the toilet, the babywill fall out !" Haha 36 hrs later, my son was born. Only advice i would give, is have a birth plan, but mentally be prepared to go with the flow. Labor is mostly unpredictable...so just roll with whatever and youll save yourself a lot of unecessary stress.

[breccans_mommy]

Agreed^^^^^^ EPIDURAL!!!!  LIFE SAVER!!!!!! And sleep, sleep as much as you can and relax because every aspect of your life is about to change and a good nights sleep and your independence is the last thing your gonna get once baby arrives.... Don't try to induce labor at home, it only works if baby is ready and if baby is ready there's no need to do any of that sh$) anyways cuz he's coming regardless

[Kate037]

Eat not watch*

[Kate037]

My first piece of.advice has nothing  to do at all with labor, and that's make sure your dishes are always cleaned and your laundry is done. I left for the hospital with a sink full of dishes and a load in the wash expecting to be back the next day and because of some complications we ended up being there a total of four days, by the time I got home my laundry  stunk to high heaven and the dishes were growing mold. So that's something to think about. As for the labor itself, breath! It makes all the difference in the world if you breath through the contractions. Maybe play some music you like to calm you down. I highly recommend the epidural for pain relief. I was in labor for 30 hours before I got the epi and it made all the difference. I went from a crying frustrated mess to laughing and joking around with my hubby and mom. You really don't feel any contractions and it makes the whole experience much more enjoyable. Don't be afraid to be vocal about what you want or need, the nurses are there to help you. They likely won't let you watch but some nurses will let you have mints or hard candies, but really depending on how you are progressing you won't even be thinking of food.

[Sammiegirl28]

Bump