Party On

This is a mash-up of my ‘must-have’s’ for baby’s first year plus advice I wish I would’ve had (or listened to!). So hold on to your horses! Let’s go. Birthing Pandora , heating pad , massage ball (like this one , but it vibrated too) 1. Hold off on the epidural until you seriously need it. Don’t risk the chance of using up your tolerance toward the meds when you’re only “uncomfortable” 2. Try music. I don’t care if it sounds cheesy, it works. We also used a massage ball and heating pad (which, by the way, they make you get rid of once you have the epidural) for pain relief, but what helped the most- see #3. 3. Have your mom there! She helped me through transition like Josh couldn’t, because she had been there and knew where it would hurt. This was particularly helpful when I was in so much pain I couldn’t speak. She knew- and she helped. 4. Don’t worry about other people. I tend to be very empathetic towards others and spent a lot of my labor worrying about others (What if Jo...