The Joey Pouch

It's what I call my post pregnancy weight. It's like a box on the front of where my tummy ought to be. On the bottom, it's like a ziploc bag full of cottage cheese.
These photos are 17mo after my beautiful daughter was born.
And according to the Wii Fit, about 20lbs overweight.
The damage to my belly button, and a few scars (some not pictured) are due to gall bladder removal.
I didn't show you my C-section scar, but it's lower than my bikini, so I don't much think about it.
Also featured are the stretch marks on my calves.

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Nobody told me...

I read 'What to expect when you're expecting'. And while it told me some things (how big a baby is in relation to various fruit) and calmed me about my GBS+, there are so many things I just didn't know.
Looking back, I remember (before the c-section) the nurse setting the room up.
I found myself asking "What is that for?" And wondering why there were blue pads ALL over the floor.
I know, it says "Have a birthing plan"
Nobody asked me if I had one.
Nobody asked me about my preferences.
My OB never informed me of any options one way or the other.
I'm still not really sure what a birthing plan should look like, Only that I read somewhere that you should leave it on top of cookies for the nurses.O.o
I don't know when I'll have another baby, but I know that I will go in more informed this time.
I always thought that was the purpose of an OB! Looking back, they did NOTHING I couldn't have done myself during pregnancy!
Okay, they did test me for Gestational Diabetes, and GBS.
But weight, belly size, movement.
I could read a book and come up with the same conclusions.
I thought the OB was supposed to work with me to come up with a plan TOGETHER.
Instead, I saw 5 OBs and had NO idea which one was going to be there when I delivered.
It was like meeting a new OB each time I went.
And each one did a vaginal exam.
Which, isn't really necessary in a normal pregnancy.
I didn't know that.

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I said NEVER, baby!

I remeber my first (and only, so far) pregnancy, and how much I have changed.
I said "That baby is NOT sleeping in our bed!"
Now, I can't imagine it any other way.
The same with breastfeeding "After a year, I'm done!".
Belle is going to be 14mo (I hate the 'month' term. She's 1ish)
Anyway, still breastfeeding.

I understand and accept the way other people live. People who believe in 'Cry it out'.
But I don't.
Not because someone fed it to me, but because I felt, as a Mother, that this is what I need to do. I think mothers should do whatever they feel is best for their family. Find all the information, do whatever you do, and whatever you believe in for your family, and do it the very best you can!
My family says "You gotta get that baby out of your bed!"
Why? I wake up to smiles, not terrified cries.

But, I am a stay at home Mom, I work on her schedule, and that is best for MY family.
Yours may be different.
Either way, GO MOMMA!

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