20 Things I didn't know about Pregnancy, Labor, & Breast Feeding

Round two has been very different than round one. I'm much less paranoid about many things and everything is going so much faster. I completely forgot about our gender check ultrasound until I got the email reminder for it the night before. With Milo I was counting down the days the second I found out I was pregnant...

My interest in all things birth related hasn't been different though; I just find it all so interesting! Below is a list of things I've learned through the hundreds (ok.... maybe tens) of books that I've read about pregnancy, labor, and breast feeding. Some I learned through experience first then further study, others I just read about and filed in the "that's fascinating" file ;)

1. Once pregnant the immune system shuts off so the white blood cells don't attack the growing baby. This means that not only will you have the first trimester symptoms, but you'll likely catch a cold, flu, and/or anything else that's going around.
2. Some women run warmer than normal once pregnant (98.9-99.5). It'll feel like you're running a fever and make for some sleepless nights as your body adjusts to its new temperature.
3. Some women don't know they're pregnant until they're done with the first trimester, and it's ok to hate those women.
4. Babies are coated in a waxy, white skin called vernix. It starts disintegrating around 38 weeks so some babies are born with a lot, some aren't. When a baby is hungry, they'll start rubbing their mouth with their hands. They're getting used to the taste and smell of the vernix because it tastes exactly the same as the mother's breast milk. It's natures perfect helping tool to get the baby ready to eat! (Some studies indicate that delaying the first bath will help the baby quickly learn to breastfeed as it delays washing off all the vernix.)
5. If you're experiencing heartburn, your baby may be growing hair. The same hormone responsible for hair growth also loosens the sphincters in your esophagus, which creates heartburn.
6. There are two types of contractions. One to "widen", and one to "push out". They feel very different and you have no control of either of them.
7. A chiropractor visit 6 weeks postpartum can help cure long-term back problems. There's just enough relaxin in the body to make for a really great adjustment, but it is leaving the body so the bones will "set" in place. Relaxin is the hormone responsible for loosening up joints to get the body ready for labor.
8. A chiropractor visit can also help turn a stubborn baby into the correct position!
9. Pregnant women are more susceptible to UTI's. Load up on Cranactin or D-Manoose to help prevent it.
10. Nitrazine strips can be used to test if the mom is leaking amniotic fluid, but they can be falsely positive if there is any presence of urine, semen, or blood with the sample.
11. Skin to skin contact between baby and mom helps regulate the baby's body temperature. The mom's skin can warm AND cool a baby. Dad's skin just warms them up.
12. Tongue-tied babies have a very hard time latching, which is bad news for them and mom.
13. Flat nipples make it hard to breastfeed. You'll quickly learn if you have them or not, but there are many tools available to help with that.
14. Many lactation consultants suggest not getting a nursing bra with an underwire before having your baby. The underwire could clog a milk duct when your milk comes in, and you really won't know your true size until a few weeks after that, once everything becomes more regular.
15. A true milk deficiency is apparently very rare. The amount of milk changes with the needs of the baby. Babies will secrete a growth hormone in their saliva a few weeks before a growth spurt. When nursing, the saliva reacts with the glands around the nipple which triggers a response in the milk ducts to produce more milk in preparation for the baby's growth spurt.
16. Milk supply naturally drops when a mom starts her period back up after having her baby. They require the same hormone, so milk production will take a small dip, then work back up as your body gets used to having more of that hormone to support both functions.
17. Placentas normally attach posteriorally (towards your spine) rather than anteriorally (towards your belly button). Both attachments are usually fine but you'll likely feel less of the baby's movements if it's attached anteriorally as the placenta is thicker at it's attachment point; there's more substance for the baby to "punch through". (Kyle also suggests looking up pictures of afterbirth so you're not freaked out at all - it's not a pretty picture)
18. One sign of pre-eclampsia is high blood pressure. At prenatal appointments you'll always have your blood pressure checked, in part to watch for any increases. While your blood pressure levels may still fall within normal ranges, if they are becoming high for your body, then that may still be a concern.
19. Lying on your back while in labor decreases the circumference of your pelvic opening by up to 30%, making it harder to push a baby out. Imagine a circle held upright, then tilted - the area decreases when it's tiled.
20. Nursing releases a lot of oxytocin which helps contract the uterus back down to its normal size after birth. You may feel "crampy" when nursing as a result.