Real Women. Real Experiences. – Shannon B
Q: Tell me about yourself. Where are you from? How many kids do you have?
A: My name is Shannon, and my husband and I live in Shakopee, MN. We have been married for seven years and met at St. Cloud State University playing intramural volleyball. I grew up on a farm in Southern Minnesota and have two younger sisters. My husband and I have one daughter, Everly, who is three and a half months old.
Q: How was your pregnancy? The good? The bad?
A: I am thankful to say that I had a great pregnancy. I enjoyed being pregnant, was able to stay active all of pregnancy, didn't have morning sickness and didn't have any complications. However, I did learn before we got pregnant that I have/had PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome). Thankfully I didn't have many side effects but it unfortunately took us longer to get pregnant than some, because of this. I basically wasn't ovulating regularly, making it impossible to get pregnant. Thankfully after 7 months of trying, I ovulated on my own and was only on oral tablet medication for one month before getting pregnant with Everly.
Q: How was your labor and delivery? Did you birth at home? Hospital? C-section?
A: Our little girl was so comfy in there, that we made the decision to be induced at 41 weeks since she was not ready to come on her own. The induction process was a little longer than a typical labor and delivery may have been but overall, my labor and delivery experience was good and I am grateful for that. The induction worked to help me dilate (as I hadn't much on my own) and it helped progress things along. I chose to receive an epidural, which helped tremendously. My water eventually broke on its own and after that, labor and delivery really sped up. It wasn't long after that I was 10 cm and ready to push. I only pushed for 15 minutes and pushed 5 times before Everly arrived. I am so thankful for that and for only having to push for a short amount of time.
Q: Describe your postpartum experience. Did you experience postpartum depression? Postpartum anxiety? Postpartum rage? Were you aware of these things postpartum?
A: I was aware of postpartum depression and anxiety going into postpartum and honestly, I went in prepared to struggle a bit after having Everly. However, I didn't experience PPD or PPA or postpartum rage. I would say I did have some sadness the first few weeks at night knowing I was going into a night with most likely little sleep and there were some nights I felt a little bit of a lonely feeling. Thankfully, my husband woke up with me at every feeding and changed her diaper every time before I fed her so that helped me feel less alone but I did dread going into the night time most days because of that feeling. After a few weeks though, that disappeared, and I felt a lot better at night. It helped that she eventually started sleeping longer stretches as well.
I honestly really surprised myself going into postpartum. Before having Everly, I was a person that got 8-9 hours of sleep a night and I really cherished my sleep. It's amazing how much your body adjusts to little sleep and you are still able to go on with your day. I thought I would feel like a zombie every day, but I didn't. I also thought I would struggle much more with anxiety or depression, but I didn't or at least I didn't have too much PPA. I've had more anxiety now that she's a little older about the time when she first gets sick since she just started daycare. I worry constantly about that and I also worry constantly about her safety and just her health in general. So to me, I have a bit more anxiety now than I did at the very beginning.
Q: Did you breastfeed? If so, how did that go for you? If it was challenging, what were your challenges?
A: I currently breastfeed and have had a great experience. I am grateful that she had a good latch right away and that her and I have developed a very good breastfeeding journey together. It was painful at first, I got some scabs on my nipples but we pushed through as that was a normal thing to have happened. I also had a bit of an overactive letdown at the beginning before my supply regulated so that made it hard for her to keep up with my letdown. That has gotten so much better now though. I love breastfeeding her and hope to continue as long as I can although I don't think I want to go past a year. I really dislike pumping, so her being at daycare bums me out because I have to pump more.
Q: Did you have any pregnancy cravings?
A: Not a ton of cravings other than always wanting something fruity. Also was obsessed with banana bread in my third trimester and the spicy italian sub from Subway.
Q: What’s something you never knew about until you were pregnant?
A: How much I missed laying on my back while sleeping. The number of things (medicine, supplements, etc.) that you cannot take while pregnant. That having an anterior placenta made it more difficult for me to feel her moving/kicks right away. I didn't feel kicks or movement until around 23-24 weeks.
Q: What was something that surprised you about your postpartum journey?
A: How well I adapted. I surprised myself and am proud of myself. Being a very type A, routine person, I thought I would struggle way more than I have. Moms are superheroes and we just adjust and do it all! I also was not expecting to get a hemorrhoid which made it very painful to make a bowel movement. I was in pain for a couple of weeks before I got it checked out and got some ointment to help.
Q: If there was a gift to give a new mom, what would it be?
A: A spa day (facial and massage), pre-made breakfasts (breakfast burritos or sandwiches and pre-washed or pre-prepped fruit) or a gift certificate to have a cleaner come to your house! My husband gave me a spa day and it was so appreciated. It was a nice break for me to get out of the house. We also had a friend make pre-made breakfast burritos for us and those were the best. I honestly liked having pre-made breakfast better than having dinners or freezer meals prepped. Another amazing gift would be to have a cleaner come over to clean the house even if it is only one time. I'm a bit of a clean/neat freak but didn't have a ton of time to clean early on so having a cleaner come, even just once, would have helped so much!
Q: If you could give a new mom some advice what would it be?
A: You will surprise yourself. As I mentioned above, I went in thinking I would struggle so much postpartum with little sleep, etc. but I surprised myself and my experience was way different than I thought it would be. By sharing my journey here, I'm hoping to bring awareness to new moms or moms hoping to get pregnant, that it isn't all scary. I may be of the minority having a great pregnancy, good labor and delivery and a good breastfeeding journey but I wish more women knew about the positives! I think a lot of scary things are shared and it makes moms or moms-to-be, scared about everything. I know I felt that way. I'm here to share that it isn't all scary and you can have a really great experience!
You forget all about the pain from labor and delivery and all about the hard times or sleepless nights. Those fade so easily and are only temporary. The love you have for your baby is unlike any love you will ever feel. Any hard moment gets quickly made up for by an even better moment such as their little snuggles, their first smiles or just their little coos or smell. Being a mom is the best job I have ever had!