Real Women. Real Experiences. – Deidre D
Q: Tell me about yourself. Where are you from? How many kids do you have?
A: Hi my name is Deidre D’Amato.I am 32 years young. I was born in Dallas Texas, but was raised in Fond du Lac WI. However I now currently live in Charlotte NC with my boyfriend Phil and my son(12) Mitchel!
Q: How was your pregnancy? The good? The bad?
A: I hate to be that girl but my pregnancy was fairly easy. Besides experiencing heartburn for the first time ever the baby and I were always healthy. I was 19 when I got pregnant so emotionally I was a WRECK. I was scared about all of the “changes” that my body was about to endure.
Q: How was your labor and delivery? Did you birth at home? Hospital? C-section?
A: Just like my pregnancy, labor and delivery went just as smoothly! My water broke at home about 8PM. I was walking down the stairs and thought I peed myself. After going to the bathroom and continuing to have fluid come out of my body I then call for my mom and said “ MOM I think my water broke!” She rushes downstairs calls my doctor helps me pack a small bag because no I did not have a hospital bag ready. I was taken to the hospital about 30 minutes after. My father had to take back our movies to Family Video( didn’t want that late fee. I arrive to the hospital about 9ish I get checked in all is well.My contractions didn't start until about 11, and I endured the awful pains for about an hour until I got an epidural. PUSHING for me was the hardest part, and yes I did poop on the table! But after 41 minutes of pushing out came my beautiful baby boy. Born at 8:41am weighing 8lbs 9oz 20 inches.
Q: Describe your postpartum experience. Did you experience postpartum depression? Postpartum anxiety? Postpartum rage? Were you aware of these things postpartum?
A: Postpartum for me was awful. I was sad all of the time, and I couldn’t understand why. I had this beautiful brand new baby at home. When I brought my concerns to my doctor I was simply dismissed. “You’re a young new mom. Everything will be okay.” That's all I would hear, so I did nothing about it.
Q: Did you breastfeed? If so, how did that go for you? If it was challenging, what were your challenges?
A: I was blessed to be able to breast feed. We had a few latching issues every now and again, but nothing that caused concern. I ended up breastfeeding for about 4-5 months. I initially stopped because Mitchel was not agreeing with the foods that I was eating. One thing people don’t tell you enough is breast feeding is a full time job! As beautiful and bonding as it can be, it also truly is a lot of work. The chapped nipples, leaking boobs, making sure you are taking in enough calories.
Q: Did you have any pregnancy cravings?
A: My cravings during pregnancy were pretty boring, I didn’t want to eat pickles out of the jar or crave twinkies. I did however LOVE cherry coke & cherry pepsi and would crave sour patch kids extreme! But overall I felt like I ate the same.
Q: What’s something you never knew about until you were pregnant?
A: One thing I learned is that our blood volume increase by like 50%, and in response to this it actually makes our hearts grow bigger!
Q: What was something that surprised you about your postpartum journey?
A: One thing that surprised me about my postpartum journey was all of thee emotions I felt. I’m sure a lot of that had to do with my PP struggles, but constantly wondering if I was doing a good job.
Q: If there was a gift to give a new mom, what would it be?
A: If I could give a gift to a new mom it would be all of the postpartum care. From nipple pads and cream to ice packs and large diapers. Most importantly alone time. Go babysit so mom can nap or take a full on MOM SHOWER!
Q: If you could give a new mom some advice what would it be?
A: If I could give any advice to new moms it would be just SLOW DOWN. Enjoy every moment. The time really does fly by. Give yourself some grace. Understand that you will make mistakes. Not every mom, moms the same, What works for her baby may not be what works for your baby.