Preparing for motherhood is a whirl of nerves, hopes, and high expectations. However, there are a lot of things books, documentaries, and other resources do not quite prepare mothers for. 5 mothers share with us what 9 months of pregnancy did not prepare them for.
Fati
I experienced uterine contraction backache, sore nipples, lack of sleep, depression, baby crying for no reason, etc
Shade
The possibility of losing your child due to a stillbirth at 37 weeks. That’s what 9 months of pregnancy didn’t prepare me for. The grief is so total and final. Then you start to see babies everywhere you go.
Ann
Motherhood is tougher than I expected. All my attention and that of my husband is on the baby. No one told me I’d feel the pain from breastfeeding in my skull nor did they mention the injuries one sustains trying to breastfeed. Plus, learning to cope with the stress of balancing my business and being a mom. I was gunning for 4 children but that number has reduced to 2.
Folu
I was excited when I had my baby girl since I’ve always wanted a girl as my first but the problems started with having a C-section. This made breastfeeding extremely difficult as I wasn’t lactating because I couldn’t eat. When my breast finally cooperated, it was water that came out and my baby is a foodie. I got sore on my breast and my mother-in-law told me they won’t go away unless I breastfeed my baby. All the books I read didn’t prepare me for this. My baby cries a lot, sometimes, I find myself crying with her. I think I was on the verge of postpartum depression.
Fortune
My baby stayed past his due date and I had to be induced for labour. I was ready for the pain but not the quantity. I don’t know about vaginal birth, but I know about C-section. Every time you hear a mom talking about CS, you think it’s the easy way out, but they never say how they spend more days in the hospital, you don’t eat until you fart, which can take days. I had to use a device to pass urine, I was heavily dependent on pain relief for weeks, I had to take injections, bear the fever, and still breastfeed. Also, the separation process is so hard. Being away from my baby for almost 8-9 hours makes me anxious, I am just lucky to have trustworthy people watching him for me.
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