‘There’s so much adrenalin’ (Picture: laurengiraldo)
Becoming a mum for the first time isn’t just physically taxing, but an emotional whirlwind as well.
It’s little wonder people have a decent amount of fear about the whole thing, what with the wealth of horror stories out there.
So when a new mum gets real about what it’s all like, we sit and give her our full attention
Influencer Lauren Giraldo has shared her unfiltered thoughts about the emotional highs and physical lows of her birth experience, and don’t worry, it’s far from being all doom and gloom.
Lauren took to social media to share her thoughts, along with a photo and short video showing what her postpartum body looked like the day after her baby was born.
She wrote: ‘Took this the day after I gave birth at the hospital. Those first couple days are such a whirlwind.
‘I didn’t sleep for like three days. There’s so much adrenalin before giving birth and after I just couldn’t stop staring at him.
‘It’s so cheesy and we’ve heard it 50 thousand times but truly nothing can prepare you for the amount of love you feel for your child…just wow.’
And as for the birth itself, she describes it as ‘a dream’.
‘I grew up only hearing delivery horror stories,’ she went on. ‘I faint every time I get my blood drawn, so I’ve heard “I wanna see how you do when you give birth” my whole life.
‘I made a choice to be as positive about it as humanly possible and put 110% effort into my mindset. I did all the things from TikTok… raspberry leaf tea, dates, labour prep tea, and stayed active.
‘I pushed for 30 minutes and had a truly beautiful experience. Midway [through], I literally told my doctor “This is the coolest thing I’ve ever done.”’
Lauren and her husband (Picture: henny)
‘I just couldn’t stop staring at him’ (Picture: laurengiraldo)
But after the birth has been a little bit more of a struggle for her body.
‘I tore a little,’ Lauren explained, ‘my doc said “teeny tiny” and “all internal” whatever that means, but I have a conspiracy theory she slightly downplayed, so I wouldn’t overthink.
‘The first pee is scary, you’re worried your stitches are gonna burn. I fainted on the toilet and the fabulous, fabulous nurses helped me out and were honestly God-sent.’
She also stressed that there’s ‘a lot of blood’ after you give birth, which she’s still squeamish about – but she just doesn’t look at it as much as she possibly can.
‘And if the first pee doesn’t sound scary enough the first poop is TERRIFYING,’ she wrote.
‘Luckily I didn’t have to for a couple days – let me know if this is TMI. After about a week of disposable adult diapers and huge maxi pads, I’ve graduated to granny panties and thin dainty period pads and I feel worlds better.’
(Picture: laurengiraldo)
‘As for my PP [postpartum] body, I’m so grateful for what it was able to just do’ (Picture: laurengiraldo)
The influencer, who’s credited with coming up with the 12-3-30 treadmill technique that involves setting the machine to a 12% incline, walking at 3 miles per hour and going for 30 minutes, said she’s got ‘no plans’ to work out any time soon.
She ended the post with: ‘I haven’t gone to my two-week follow-up where they check my stitches/healing. There I’ll get the tea and ask when I can [start], but honestly no rush.
‘I’ve been in heaven with my boy and I don’t want to leave [my baby’s] side for even a second. As for my PP [postpartum] body, I’m so grateful for what it was able to just do, and I have such a newfound respect and appreciation for it.’
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