This post is sponsored by Evivo, but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.
Alright Y’all today it’s GOING DOWN. Like all the way down, you know… there… We’re going to get SUPER REAL and talk about some pretty… well… not pretty things like childbirth, postpartum life, breastfeeding and your baby’s gut health. But we got this, because we’re moms and we are tough as nails!
Being a mom is SCARY. Like REALLY REALLY FREAKIN’ SCARY YALL. If you’re a mom you are probably shaking your head right now going “girl I know” and if you’re not, I honestly can’t even explain it to you. It’s like the weight of the actual, entire world is on your shoulders, and at the same time that entire little, tiny, squishy little world is depending on you, and you are terrified of letting it down. So today I want to talk about the 3 Things I Wish I Hadn’t Been Afraid of While Giving Birth.
3 Things I Wish I Hadn’t Been Afraid of While Giving Birth
1. My Husband
Was anyone else absolutely terrified that their husband was going to faint, or barf while he was watching you give birth?! The first time around I was! (haha! Boy was I WRONG!) You have to understand, we were SO YOUNG when we became parents. I was only 19, and my husband was only 22 when our son was born. I mean we hadn’t even been married a single year yet when our son entered the world. So you can understand my concerns, thinking “oh my gosh, I have no idea how he is going to be in this situation. Blood, guts, weird liquids, poop. Is he going to faint? He’s probably going to barf.” I just could NOT get those thoughts out of my head once I went into labor for some reason!
Turns out I was the one who not only barfed, but fainted too. And after 12 hours of labor, and even pushing, but ultimately having to have an emergency C-Section, he is the one who was cool as a cucumber, I was a mess to say the least. He was so excited to see our son be born he didn’t even stand on my side of the C-Section curtain (y’all know, the blue one they put so you can’t see anything.) I could hear him from the other side “That’s so cool! Honey they are gonna take him out! His arm is out!” To this day he still LOVES to tell people about all the blood and literal guts he got to see during my C-Sections.
So really, I had nothing to worry about, but I spent a lot of energy and time I could have spent worrying about myself or something else worrying about him. For no reason at all!
2. Poop
Poop. Yep, POOP. I was so afraid I was going to poop while I was pushing. It’s so embarrassing and such a “taboo” topic, but I really was afraid that I’d poop on the birthing table! But I wish I hadn’t been so worried about it, because I recently learned that pooping while giving birth actually has a purpose. Yep, you read that right! Our bodies know what they are doing ok, y’all! Hear me out, babies are born with a sterile gut, BUT we NEED bacteria in our gut to process and digest our food. Here’s where the poop comes in, it contains a beneficial bacteria called B. infantis, and the thing about B. infantis – it’s only made in the colon. The B. infantis bacteria is in charge of keeping the gut healthy, and healthy guts link back to healthy metabolism and immune function, which are paramount to a newborns health more so than any other age. But due to modern medicine, the rise in C-Sections (like I had!) and also like me our obsessions with making sure we DON’T poop during childbirth, only ONE in ten newborns here in the US have the important B. infantis bacteria. The lack of this beneficial bacteria today may be why the number of children with colic, eczema, allergies, asthma and diabetes is on the rise. I know my kids don’t have the B. infantis bacteria, they were both C-Section babies.
So when I was told about Evivo Breastmilk Probiotics, a probiotic specifically for young ones that contains activated B. infantis bacteria, I knew I HAD to give it a try! The components of breastmilk make it the perfect nourishment for the B. infantis bacteria (remember bacteria are alive and need to “eat”) which is perfect because to give your baby the Evivo, all you have to do is mix together a little breastmilk and a little packet of Evivo and that’s it! Evivo not only contains B. infantis to improve babies gut health but it also helps to balance out the bad bacteria and stabilize your little ones gut microbiome. The benefits of the best probiotics for babies are something that will set them up for LIFE guys, not just while they take it.
3. My Delivery Method
Even though I’ve had two kids, I was still afraid of giving birth both times. The first time around it was a big fear of the unknown, but also of things going “wrong”, or me not being able to stick to my “birth plan.” And ya know what, that exact thing happened, some of my fears came to life and I couldn’t stop them. One of the things I was afraid of (having to have a C-Section) happened. But looking back now, that C-Section was life saving for my child, but the fear that surrounded C-Sections for me was immense. I wish that I hadn’t been so afraid because in the end all the fear I had didn’t help at all, it just made me more exhausted and my memories foggy.
So when I became pregnant a second time, I talked extensively with my birthing team on what “method” of delivery we should try to pursue. Over 6 months we switched between different options, and as my pregnancy progressed, I started to be in more and more pain, and it became evident that my uterus was suffering. So we decided to do an elective C-Section. This choice was terrifying to me, not because of the risks of surgery. But because my fear of what I knew people would say, and they did. After I had my son people for some reason had an opinion on HOW I’d had him. And their opinions made me feel like shit. There’s really no sugar coating it, and that was how people felt about an EMERGENCY, can you imagine the comments I got after CHOOSING to have another C-Section. Unfortunately I was right to be afraid of those nasty comments, but I do wish I had had the confidence and strength to not let them bother me!
So to all you mama’s out there, y’all are total BA Rockstars! And to all your mama’s to be, take a second to relax, and I hope that your fears fade away as your little ones come earth side!
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As someone who is getting ready to enter into that next stage of life, I really appreciate this article. Thanks so much for sharing!
This was super interesting to read, you had the right to be afraid but gladly everything went for the best and your baby is adorable
Great post! It is crazy how our bodies know what to do! Pooping scared me when I was pregnant with my first. Good to know that it is actually a good thing to have happen 🙂
Thank you for sharing a very real insight to childbirth. Have to say I’m pretty happy not having experienced it.
I lovelovelove how honest you are – and I had NO idea about that with pooping! Ha!
I think a lot of it is fear of the unknown! You’ll be a pro if you decide to have another!
Oh my gosh this post is ah-maz-ing! Seriously, I hung on your every word in this post and was hooked as soon as I read the title! I’m slightly terrified of child birth, and loved reading about each of these things because these are all things I worried about. Thank you!!
It is TRUELY all worth it! But I’m so glad that you could read some real low down childbirth info that will help you prep!
Great tips! I agree less worry more being in the moment! And I’ll definitely be looking into those probiotics! Thanks!
Thanks for reading and I hope you find a new favorite probiotic!
I have baby fever so bad, but I have allllll the fears so I love that you wrote about this!! I love that you brought up poop, too lol. My mother in law is a labor and delivery nurse and she always tells me “Most mama’s poop during delivery, but if she has a good nurse, she’ll never know.” I love hearing about some of her stories, but I swear she also has some terrible stories and I’ve had to beg her to only tell me the good stuff until I’ve finally experienced myself one day. Haha
I’ve heard that too! I was SO SICK the day I went into labor with my son and I don’t remember saying this (but my husband and mom, AND sister in law were in the room with me and all swear that I did) but apparently I told the Dr. “sorry if I shit everywhere!” HOW EMBARRASSING! Good thing I don’t remember huh!?
Your second thing is pretty darn funny. I was totally shocked by this when I was giving birth the first time. Poop is a natural thing to happen but I was mortified.
It is TOTALLY embarrassing but TOTALLY natural! I really wish they would talk about it more during prenatal care!
Labor is an intense and scary thing – don’t beat yourself up about it. I’m sure you would do it all again! 😉
Hi. You have really put it all out there. This is so totally great for mothers embarking on this scary journey. Well done. My husband was such a trooper during my first 3 day long labor.. It was horrible for me and horrid for the last 15 hours when he was standing right next to me.. Men often suprirse you
That’s one thing I was never afraid of — pooping! LOL
I love how honest and real you are!! I’m not a mom yet but these are all things I’m terrified about!! Thanks for sharing your experiences!