Pregnancy Q&A - part 3.

   Today I would like to answer final list of questions that many pregnant women may have. I hope you find this informative.

Q - What do contractions feel like?
A - Oh, the age old question. All first time moms want to know what it feels like. If you have had a child before you know exactly what these little buggers feel like, but describing them to someone else is very difficult. First of all, let's talk about the different kinds of contractions, namely Braxton Hicks contractions and real labor contractions. Braxton Hicks contractions are "practice" contractions that help your body prepare for labor. If you are first time mom you might start feeling them somewhere between the end of second trimester and late third trimester. If you had children before then they will come much earlier. This time around I started getting them around 13 weeks! They only came sporadically, but I was a little concerned how early they started. So what do they feel like? The best way that I can describe them is that they feel kind of like having pulled a stomach muscle. The stomach gets tight and you can mostly feel them at the top of your uterus. They are not painful and generally you don't need to stop doing anything while they are happening. They will get a bit more frequent and more intense as your pregnancy progresses.

   The second type of contractions are the ones that you will feel as you go into labor. These are much more intense and they will make you stop what you're doing to breathe through them. I heard them described as bad menstrual cramps, but I don't necessarily think that this is correct. I would describe them as combination of 2 things. First they feel kind of like "loosing your stomach" on a roller coaster ride. And second they feel like a calf cramp except in your stomach. If you put these two sensations together with a "pulling" feeling that starts down low in your uterus and tightens you stomach muscles very tight, then I think that this is how I could describe labor pains. They do intensify as labor progresses and eventually you need all you energy to breathe through them.

Q - When can I start feeling my baby move?
A - This is one of the joys of pregnancy that no TV show or movie can prepare you for. If this is your first time being pregnant then you can expect to start feeling little flutters around half way point of your pregnancy. If you have been pregnant before then you already know what it feels like and you will get to feel them much sooner. So what does it feel like? In the early months the baby's movements will feel like someone gently caressing the inside of your stomach, or little bubbles floating to the top, or tiny butterfly flapping it's wings on the inside of your stomach. It's really hard to recognize those early "flutters" unless you have felt them before. After 20th week those little "flutters" become more pronounced. Eventually they turn to big kicks and punches to your internal organs that you don't quite appreciate from your own child. For some reason, babies in utero prefer kicking and punching your bladder to anything else. It's not much fun when you have to go and use a washroom and someone is playing soccer ball with your oversensitive bladder.

Q - What do I need to pack for the hospital?
A - There are numerous books and website that give you a long list of all the things that might be "helpful" at the hospital. With Funky Monkey, I think that I might have combined all of them since we brought enough items in our bags to fill 2 large duffle bags. We later laughed at the fact that it took 2 bags full to bring all the items we "needed" to make our stay at the hospital more comfortable. But the truth was that most of this stuff is really useless. I remember my lists having things like books to read (as if you were going on vacation), soothing sound machine (our video of Funky Monkey's birth has sounds of crickets in the background!), Tennis balls rolled into a sock (supposedly for massage of my back), and heating pad for placing on my back. I think that we also ended up bringing our exercise ball with us. All this "necessary" junk took Daddy 2 trips to bring in from the car into the hospital room and then it took him 2 trips to bring back down. Let me be the first one to tell you that you don't need all of it.
Here is a better list of what to pack to the hospital:
You should pack 2 small overnight bags, one for the baby once it's born and one for your stay at the hospital. In baby's bag you should bring couple of sleepers for baby to wear at the hospital, infant sized diapers, a "going home" outfit for the baby. receiving blanket or two, hat, and socks or booties. And don't forget a car seat and a blanket to cover the baby in it.
In your bag you should have a pair of socks (in case your feet get cold), a night gown or long t-shirt if you don't like hospital gowns (the hospital will provide you with hospital gowns if you want to wear them), few snacks and water bottle (mostly for your partner since you're too busy laboring to eat anything, but water is really important), swim wear for the partner (if your hospital has a birth pool and you want your partner to join you), something to cover up with - like a robe or long sweater (if you are going to be walking the hallways), toiletries (for having a shower after birth), nightgown for sleeping in, change of clothes for you and partner (including one going home outfit for you), couple of nursing bras, maxi type sanitary pads (the heavy ones, for postpartum bleeding - you can not use tampons because of risk of infections), and few pairs of underwear. Also don't forget your list of people to call and share your news with,  copy of your birth plan, and cameras (video and photo!). You can always add more things but chances are that they will return home unused.

Q - How do you know if your water broke?
A - The lovely thing about pregnancy that no one ever tells you is that you will be wondering for about 6-7 months whether you are leaking amniotic fluid or if you are just peeing yourself. The combination of pregnancy hormones, pressure on your bladder from growing uterus, and relaxation of muscles in your body can have the lovely effect of allowing you to leak urine every time you laugh or sneeze. Since it's a very foreign thing for most of us adults to pee ourselves, you might start to question if it's amniotic fluid leaking. Chances are that it's just urine, but if you are not sure you can get your doctor to test it with a test strip. Another way to differentiate between the two is that urine has a strong ammonia smell and amniotic fluid has a "sweet" smell to it. But that is not fool-proof. Most of the time a woman's water breaks in nothing like they show you in the movies. My water broke with Girly Monkey and Little Monkey and I can tell you that you'll know when it's the read deal. You'll feel a pop and then your will notice fluid leaking. In very few circumstances it's a big gush of water that comes out, because in most cases the baby's head will act like a stopper. As you walk, stand up, and do any activity you will feel the fluid dripping out. Once again, if you think that your water broke ask to be tested.

Q - What are some of the things that I have to do before the baby arrives?
A - Every family will have their own list of things they want to do before the baby arrives. But here is a short list of things that you should do:

• Decide on where the baby will sleep and get furniture (like bassinet, crib, change table)
• If your baby will have it's own room then think about decorating the nursery
• Make a birth plan
• Shop for a car seat (you can't bring the baby home from hospital without one), and get it installed in your car.
• If you are having a boy decide whether you will get him circumcised or not (each family has to decide that for themselves, but I read that it can cost about 300 to 500 dollars, so be prepared to pay that)
• Shop for baby essentials (like swings, bouncy seats, clothes, receiving blankets)
• Decide whether you are going to breastfeed or bottle feed. If you are bottle-feeding then think about buying all the supplies. If you are breastfeeding then you might still want to buy couple of bottles and a breast pump for the times when someone else will feed the baby.
• Decide if you are going to use cloth diapers or disposables. Buy the supplies for diapering the baby
• Talk about your parenting methods and styles with your partner. It's a good conversation to have before you have to deal with a crying baby and everyone is a little stressed.
• Talk about finances and decide whether you'll be staying home with the baby or if you are returning to work.
• Get a chance to have one last "alone" dinner before the baby arrives. It's very important that you don't complexly loose yourselves in being a mom and dad and forget that you are still husband and wife.

I hope that you found this helpful. Having a baby is an exciting time in your life but it can also be very stressful. So don't forget to rest and relax and enjoy the journey to parenthood.