Mother’s Day: From ‘mum guilt’ to breastfeeding, women from the … – Tatler Taiwan

Ive only been a mother for 11 days so far so I havent quite gone through all the trials and tribulations of motherhood. My journey through pregnancy was very smooth, apart from some carpel tunnel-like symptoms, so there werent any surprises until the actual birthing part. I think a lot of mothers downplay the pain factor and all the gruesome and gory details. Childbirth is so unglamorous! I opted for an elective C-section and it came as such a surprise to me when I had three nurses pushing down on me to squeeze the baby out through the incision, which the doctor didnt make large enough because she underestimated the size of his head. I felt like I was being resuscitated from below the rib cage down. It gave me a lot of bruising but otherwise the whole procedure was quick and efficient.

The next day was the absolute worst though when they take out your catheter (also didnt know about this partclearly I was very naive and unprepared!) and make you take your first wee. The pain is excruciating pain, it feels like someone just Samurai-sliced your belly. I had some visitors at the time and had to make everyone leave the room as they wheeled in a portable chair with a bedpan, even though the bathroom was just a few steps away. Mortifying.

I also didnt realise theres a thing called lochia (postpartum bleeding) which lasts for about a month after birth, or however long it takes for your uterus to contract back to normal. People dont really share the behind-the-scenes on social media, so I never quite pictured myself sitting in diapers in the middle of the night with my breasts out, listening to the whirring sound of my pump, whilst the cats looked on in amusement.

Engorged breasts and breastfeeding itself is another story and there are constantly surprises. Most mothers I know hated it and so many still get mastitis [inflammation of the breast tissue]. You learn as you go but theres definitely not enough education on the subject.

I have such a newfound appreciation for what the human body is capable of. All the pain in the world is worth it and you would do it over and over again, to see and hold your baby.

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Mother's Day: From 'mum guilt' to breastfeeding, women from the ... - Tatler Taiwan