I found it reassuring during my pregnancy to discuss with other more experienced mothers my fears, questions, and expectations. I decided when I started this blog, that it would be interesting to regularly get other mothers stories. This being my first interview blog I’m sure will still leave many questions and room for development. Feel free to leave comments on how I can better these discussion, or what other questions could be beneficial for soon to be moms.
Momma: “How many children have you had?”
Jen: “Three.”
Momma: “Did you have a doctor or midwife and what was your reasoning behind this decision?”
Jen: “I had an OB-Gyn with my first child. At that time I didn’t really know that midwives were an option. When I got pregnant with my second twelve years later, I knew more and had midwives for my second two children. I wanted a more holistic approach with providers who knew me and provided longer appointments and were more involved. While my OB-Gyn was great, I knew a midwife would provide me with more natural options, and I was hoping to deliver at the midwifery, though that didn’t happen.”
Momma: “Did you feel like your pregnancies were easy or hard?”
Jen: “All my pregnancies were really easy. I joke that my body was made to be pregnant.”
Momma: “Did you have any morning sickness, swelling, or cravings?”
Jen: “I only threw up once during my first pregnancy and never had any morning sickness with the younger two. Swelling was natural towards the end but nothing of concern. With my first pregnancy I craved raspberry sherbert and lemonade. With my second it was magic bars from Barry’s Deli on campus here in Oregon. With my third, I didn’t really have any specific, ongoing cravings.
Momma: “Did you have any complications?”
Jen: “None.”
Momma: “Who else was in the room when you delivered?”
Jen: “Both my first child’s dad and my second two children’s dad were in the room for their respective births. I had people pop in and out while I was in labor, but during birth I had no one else. My oldest thought she would be in with me when I was giving birth to the kids, but she couldn’t handle it so she waited outside.”
Momma: “Did you get an epidural or go natural and what was your reasoning behind the decision?”
Jen: “With my first I had an intrathecal – a one time injection in the spine that is often referred to as a “walking epidural”. It took the edge off for about two hours, but by the time it came to push it had worn off. With the littles I had no pain meds. All the kids were induced with pitocin.”
Momma: “How prepared did you feel?”
Jen: “I felt pretty prepared, but I don’t think you can ever feel fully prepared because there are so many unknowns.”
Momma: “Did you know the gender of the baby ahead of time?”
Jen: “Yep!”
Momma: “Did you have a name chosen?”
Jen: “With the girls, yes. My son’s name was a last minute decision when I was being induced.”
Momma: “How did you feel in those first moments of meeting your baby?”
Jen: “Exhausted.” she laughs.
Momma: “Did your feelings change throughout the day, week, and so on?”
Jen: “Oh yes, I became obsessed with them, so so in love. Ridiculously in love. And that feeling happened within the first hour after the placenta was out and I was able to breathe.”
Momma: “Did you breastfeed, formula, or a mix?”
Jen: “I breastfed all three. My first was a mix of formula and breast milk when I went back to work when she was 12 weeks. My second I breastfed and pumped. My son was exclusively breastfed because I was a stay at home mom.”
Momma: “How was your experience breastfeeding?”
Jen: “I loved it.”
Momma: “Did you find breastfeeding easy or hard?”
Jen: “I found it easy. I didn’t have trouble with latching or anything. I know my experience is rare and try not to share it too often because I don’t want people to think it will be that way. The only hard part was when my milk came in because I became so engorged, and the shock of the uterine contractions when they fed as my uterus went back to it’s regular size.”
Momma: “Did you experience any postpartum depression?”
Jen: “No.”
Momma: “How was your first weeks at home with your baby?”
Jen: “With all of them, it was wonderful.”
Momma: “Was it harder, easier, or exactly what you thought it might be?”
Jen: “I didn’t really have any expectations of how it would be. I was just blissed out with all of them though.”
Momma: “Did you experience any colic?”
Jen: “No.”
Momma: “That’s great! Did you have an early scares with your children?”
Jen: “No.”
Momma: “Looking back at your pregnancies and birth’s, is there anything you would do differently?”
Jen: ”I would get the freaking epidural. There is no brownie points or gold stars for going natural. And having been induced my contractions were ROUGH. I would definitely get the epidural.”