BALDING WITH STRETCH MARKS

WARNING: It is strongly recommended that women who have NOT had children be cautioned and move on to the next post. May not be appropriate for all audiences.

Well I know I just started this blog, but I feel I need to write something to help all you new and old mommies to know YOU'RE NOT ALONE! I just had my baby boy 10 months ago and being that there were six years between my last baby and this pregnancy, I have to say there were many things that I did not remember about pregnancy, labor and delivery, and after birth. I know every pregnancy and experience is usually different and it definitely was for me this time around! Pregnancy is wonderful and beautiful and some women carry with such grace and cuteness.....unfortunately that's not me! As soon as I take that pregnancy test somehow my brain tells my body to start packing on the weight and so I immediately have to start unpacking the prego clothes! At least maternity clothes have started becoming more attractive! I remember with my oldest who is now almost 13, it was like I was expected to become a knitted frumpy grandma in order to become a mother. Most of the clothes I had were waist-less smocks with patterns that belonged on a bedspread. With this pregnancy I already had the stretch marks from my previous pregnancies so that was nothing new, my sciatic pain was tolerable, but 6 months into my pregnancy I developed this horrible condition called Symphysis Pubic Disfunction or SPD. It's when your bones separate due to the weight of the baby. These bones are not normally supposed to separate therefore causing excruciating pain no matter what you do. Sit, stand, lay down, it feels like you have just been kicked and then stabbed in the pubic bone. Thankfully it didn't last long, and I was on to high blood pressure and regular visits to the hospital so I could be monitored while my other children climbed the walls and asked repeatedly when we could go home. And then came the baby......my beautiful baby boy! The moment when you know you would go through anything and everything just to hold this sweet baby in your arms. And this is why God made them so cute....so you can forget about the torture you just endured and fall in love with your miracle! 

The overwhelming feeling that you are now superwoman and can conquer the world will usually follow, but my advise REST! Just take a minute! You have the rest of your child's life to do things for him or her so just let other people do things for you and take time to recuperate. I didn't do this with my previous pregnancies and I know for many of us, it's just not an option. Life still goes on and things have to get done, but all your daily tasks will still be there FOREVER, so enjoy your baby and your family! Now on to next unpleasantry, how could I possibly forget the Hemorrhoids? I didn't have these after my three daughters, but leave it to me to make sure I experienced every single unpleasant experience some time during and after pregnancy. They tell you to make Witch Hazel pads, freeze them and put them on the area to relieve pain and swelling. And even though I think they did work to some degree, all I have to say is just go buy medicated cream. You don't have to act like a hero on this one! You just had a baby and other things are still healing. Now is NOT the time to get All Natural! Go get the cream so you don't bite someones head off or worse, go into complete crying convulsions. On to the next item......BALDING! So, I'm not sure if it's supposed to be a character building experience or what? It's not enough that you feel all stretched out everywhere, your hormones are all whacked out, your boobs are sore, you're counting down the days you can stop wearing the granny panties and put away the pads that feel more like a diaper, and you aren't sure if you should stay wearing your large comfy maternity clothed or try to go stuff yourself back into your pre-pregnancy wardrobe, now my hair started falling out. I guess my hair was supposedly better during pregnancy? It started about 4 weeks postpartum......my hair falling out by the clumps! I thought I had started noticing changes in how thick my hair looked on top of my head when I looked in the mirror and thought that maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me . I was wearing my hair up on top of my head most of the time, but the first time I freaked out and thought I needed immediate physician care was while having a nice long hot shower. If you're a mom, you know we don't get many of these moments of relaxation uninterrupted any more!I wet my hair and ran my fingers through it and as I pulled my hand away from my head, I realized the hair was still on my hand. Half of the hair on my head must have fallen out during that next month. Thanks to a frightful Google search, I was able to calm myself down and I tried to convince myself that I would not in fact go completely bald, but that this trial might in fact continue for up to A YEAR!!!!! One website recommended investing into a few cute hats or maybe some headbands............ Ahhhhhh! Well gratefully I am here to tell you that I am now sporting a nice new growth of baby hairs all over my head and am hopeful that some day my long hair and baby hair just may meet and be the same length again. All of this aside.....I have to say something so cliche'....I WOULDN'T CHANGE A THING! Life is all about learning and change and rising to the occasion, and for me I see my beautiful God given children and none of these things matter any more! My kidos are healthy and happy (most of the time) and maybe we as women live through all of these things, good and bad, so that we can offer a kind word to another women going through the same things or even our daughters some day. Every day is a gift and I am so honored to be a mommy! If you are experiencing any of these things, rest assure you are not alone! Try to stay positive and know this is only a phase.You'll get through it! I PROMISE! It is SO worth it!