The Sh*t your friends don't tell you about birth…But I'm keepin' it real!

Hope you all enjoyed reading Croix's birth story …but it's not all Glitz and Glamour! 

Well. Let me first start off by saying that giving birth was nothing that I was expecting. NOTHING. No one prepared me enough for what I went through..during or after. I love my son with every single ounce of me and would do it all over again in a heartbeat for him. ...But, here's the truth.

The top _5_ TRUTHFUL things you need to about giving birth:

1. Epidural. First and foremost: The Epidural DOES NOT hurt. I repeat DOES NOT. I am a pansy when it comes to needles. I am 28 years old and I still cry when I get poked with a needle. The Epidural was a cinch. All you feel is a little bit of pressure…not the sting from a normal shot. You have nothing to fear with the Epidural. Trust me. (Oh and please don't be 'THAT GIRL' that tries to go "all natural" but then ends up getting the Edpidural. If you are not a Saint or a freak of nature…get the damn thing. Don't kid yourself. Why go through all of that pain if it's not necessary?

2. Contractions. Contractions are a DOOZY. They are not "period like cramps" like all my friends told me. Honestly, I can't even compare this feeling to anything else on earth because it is so unreal…so unbearable. God bless you if you are the woman who gave birth without any pain medication. I'd love to hug you and then high five you or possible take you out to dinner to celebrate. When you start to feel your first contraction (and trust me---you'll feel it!!!)  call your Doctor, lie to them, and tell them that they are coming 1 minute apart so that you can get your butt to the hospital for the pain meds!! WARNING- having contractions was the most excruciating pain I have EVER went through.

3. Stitches. Bless your heart if you have to get any stitches. I had to. The healing period is ridiculous, uncomfortable, and almost unbearable at times. Stitches are never fun and DEFINITELY not fun when they are down below (just imagine that, would ya?) What an awful place to have stitches. For almost two weeks you repeat this process in the bathroom: Pee, squirt yourself with a water bottle, go through half a roll of TP to wipe away junk that is flowing out, change pad, spray vagina with numbing/itching spray, fill pad with witch hazel (ice pack), and then repeat about 12 times a day (no lie---just keepin' it real for you). The little "squirt bottle" is heaven sent. It will become your best friend. You will know what I'm talking about when the time comes.

4. The week after birth: I can't even explain this on a level that you will understand. If you have to get stitches- Lord help you during the first week. You know the people who walk out of the hospital just like they did when they walked in?…. yep, that doesn't happen. They are faking it. You are sore and by sore, I mean in SERIOUS pain. The ride home in the car….yeah, not a pleasant one.  Pray you don't have to go over any speed bumps. You get to walk around like an old lady with your back hunched over because that seems to relive the pain just a bit. You have to have your husband help you off the couch, get out of the car, and get into and out of bed... especially if you have the baby in your hands. As the days go on the pain get less and less. Your stomach is mushy. You look in the mirror every second you possibly can to check to see if it's going down (and it does- slowly). Make sure you buy 85 boxes of pads, if you don't…you'll be sorry. Your stretch marks are FULL BLOWN VISIBLE. No more belly blocking the view of those bad boys. However, when you hold that tiny little human being in your arms all of this the pain goes away because you are reminded of why you feel this way. It's whole heartedly worth every ounce of pain that you are feeling.  …but you are DEFINITELY feeling it!!!!

5. It's extremely hard to hold your bladder when you laugh & sneeze. Please don't tell anyone but I have peed puddles on the floor 3 times since I've had the baby. Once when we were in the hospital. John was changing Croix and he peed all OVER John.  I laughed so hard and could not stop the flow. It was embarrassing explaining that to the nurse.  Once when we put Croix in his Halloween outfit. John and I laughed so hard. Croix was so confused and his face was priceless. And Once when my Mom and I were trying to put a beanie on Croix's head. When you do anything out of the ordinary to this little guy he makes the funniest faces!!! So funny, that you pee yourself. Oh and the sneezing thing- I googled that and it's completely normal to have a little bit of pee come out in your panties. HAHA.


And here is something for your viewing pleasure:

Aimee Junnila Photography.

You just died at that cuteness, didn't you??

Thank you all for staying up with my blog. I'm not doing it as much as I would like. It's hard to break away from my precious baby boy! Look at that face!! I love spending every waking second with him. Up next, a WHOLE LOTTA photos of baby Croix. Including his cute Halloween outfit and Newborn Photos. God, I love him so much. How did I live without him?

Love,
Cas