Part of the Still Her, Just Pregnant series – Part 2
– read part one of my labor story first.
Pia was born at 6:33AM. By 6:34AM I was already thinking about going home.
I did delayed cord clamping, Anthony cut the cord, I got pitocin, and I delivered my placenta without feeling it — which the internet also made sound terrifying and was completely fine. We did golden hour with vernix, which I’d highly recommend if it’s available to you. That first hour is something I’ll never forget.
The Fundal Massage Situation
The internet wants you to believe the fundal massage is a form of medieval torture. Mine was not. A nurse would come in and do a gentle push on my stomach to check for bleeding — nothing dramatic, nothing like the horror stories I’d read. If yours is different, I’m sorry. But I don’t want you going in terrified of something that might be completely manageable.
Getting Out of Bed
After the golden hour, a nurse came in and asked if I’d peed — I’m still not sure if she was asking or telling me I needed to. Either way I swung my legs over the side of the bed and hopped up, only for her to come sprinting across the room saying I couldn’t stand yet. I was already halfway to the bathroom. I did have to pee, it did sting a little, and then it was done.
The Postpartum Products
The nurse tried to hand me hospital underwear and pads. I said no thank you and used my own — regular period underwear and heavy flow pads I’d brought from home. The hospital’s options are archaic. I also skipped the postpartum foams, sprays, and ice packs that every hospital bag list tells you to pack. I knew I wanted to get home quickly and decided I’d figure out my bleeding situation when I got there. For me, that worked. Know yourself.
I also put on my postpartum belly trainer and matching set right after birth. Yes, immediately. It made me feel like myself again and that mattered to me. See Post 1 for the full breakdown on what I wore and why.
Trying to Leave
When they moved me to the recovery room I asked the nurse how soon I could leave. I want to be transparent: I was trying to leave six hours after giving birth. She told me 48 hours was standard, but if everything looked good and I was comfortable with it, 24 hours was possible. I was annoyed. But I worked with it.
Family came, which was nice — it filled the time. But I want to say something that nobody says out loud: newborns are not exciting. They just exist. They sleep, they eat, they stare at nothing. My parents drove 90 minutes to hold Pia for ten minutes and leave and I felt guilty about that, but also — that’s just the reality of the newborn stage. It’s not a performance. It’s survival.
That evening I sent Pia to the nursery so I could sleep. I didn’t really sleep — I mostly just laid in silence, which after the chaos of the previous 24 hours was genuinely restorative. I also did a five minute rinse in the shower wearing slides I’d brought from home. I did not wash my hair. I did not do my makeup. My standard is a natural face and that was fine.
I was out of the hospital by 10AM the next morning. Total stay: 28 hours.
The bottom line: the internet will make you afraid of almost everything about birth and postpartum. Some of it is warranted. Most of it isn’t. Know what you want, advocate for it, bring your own underwear, and get out of there as fast as they’ll let you.
