The 5 Most Surprising Things that Happen After You Give Birth

By Parentables | Parenting

For nine months, we pay careful attention to taking good care of our bodies and unborn child. We decorate the nursery, make sure we have all the gear, take birthing classes, and mentally prepare ourselves as best we can for the grueling hours that we will spend in labor and delivery. But what a lot of people don't talk about is the things that happen after the baby has arrived. Sure, we all know that there will be sleepless nights, nervous moments wondering if we're doing things right, and there's a good chance we won't be getting anything done beyond taking care of the baby, but what about the things your girlfriends aren't telling you? Warning: Most of this is not pretty.

1. Insignificant Weight Loss. You just gave birth to an eight pound baby, a placenta, and a whole lot of fluids left your body. You must have lost at least half the baby weight you gained, right? Wrong! Do not, I repeat, DO NOT step on a scale for several weeks. It seems like a fun thing to do to see how much weight you just shed after giving birth, but your body is hormonal, other parts of it are getting bigger (i.e. your milk is coming in), and you'll still be retaining a lot of fluid. It takes several days for your body to shed all the extra water weight and fluids you've been carrying so not only will you not have lost as much weight as you'd think yet, but you'll be carrying it very differently than if you just packed on an extra ten pounds. You aren't going to like the reflection you see in the mirror when you step out of the shower, and stepping on the scale is not going to do anything to make you feel better so it's best to just stay away. 
Read More: I Got Back into My Pre-Baby Clothes! (Six Years Later)

2. Breast Pain. Many women expect breast feeding to be painful, but there is more to it than just the latching on and even if you don't breastfeed, be prepared to be in pain as they engorge. As in, do-not-so-much-as- accidentally-brush-a-tissue-lightly-across-my-chest pain. Things like sinking into a bath will be much easier than dealing with the pain of the drops of water from the shower. The easiest way to handle it if you aren't breastfeeding is to wrap them up as tightly as possible until the milk comes and goes. Otherwise, the pain will ease up in some ways and become worse in others. Stock up on lanolin.

Read More: Nutrition Tips for Breastfeeding Moms

3. Bleeding. I don't know why this was surprising to me other than that nobody ever really talked about it. But if you give birth vaginally, there is bound to be some bleeding. There are lots of things internally and possibly externally that are going to need to heal and it's not necessarily going to happen quickly. Be prepared to spend anywhere from a few days to a few weeks healing, and don't bother packing those pretty panties you think you'll want to wear when you get released from the hospital. The hospital will provide you with plenty of less than attractive, but functional, pairs.

4. Bathroom Complications. Sure, no one wants to talk about the potty, and it certainly varies from one person to the next, but most people are going to be dealing with it on some level whether it be hard to get to the loo on time because your muscles have weakened, you're holding a newborn, and happened to sneeze -- or you are having the opposite problem. Whether you want them or not, there's a good chance your doctor is going to be sending you home with things like Tuck's pads and stool softeners.

5. You Can't Drive. This is not the case for everyone, but many doctors will say that new mothers should not drive for at least two weeks. This is definitely the case for those that have a C-section or any other procedure as part of their delivery such as an episiotomy. Doctors consider these major surgeries and don't want to risk you being behind the wheel when a stitch bursts or another complication arises in addition to worrying about delayed response time or knee-jerk reactions that could create a problem. In my personal opinion, it's completely inconvenient, but I also think that there were many times in the first year (never mind two weeks) of my daughter's life that I shouldn't have been behind the wheel because of the lack of sleep I was getting. 

Read More: 25 Things You Should Never Say to a New Mom

Nobody ever said giving birth was easy, but there are certainly a lot of parts people like to leave out when discussing it. The good news is that even though you will dread these things when you're in the thick of them, they will indeed become a distant memory. And the best news is that every single ounce of pain and discomfort is so worth it every time you hold your baby. And that's why so many of us do it over again!

This post was written by Sarah Fernandez. 

http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/5-most-surprising-things-happen-birth-145500932.html 

All Slideshows » The Real Causes of Breast Cancer

The Real Causes of Breast Cancer

11
• 
  Alcohol
  Theory: Many studies have shown that alcohol consumption can lead to a higher risk of breast cancer, even at moderate amounts. Women who have more than two drinks a day increase their risk one and half times that of a woman who drinks less.
  Comment: The evidence shows that the link between breast cancer and alcohol is strong. Dr. Moffat says, Even small amounts can have an impact. Cutting back on alcohol intake is one of the best ways of reducing your risk.
  Conclusion: Strong Link
  http://www.thirdage.com/breast-cancer/real-causes-breast-cancer
• Alcohol
  

  Theory: Many studies have shown that alcohol consumption can lead to a higher risk of breast cancer, even at moderate amounts. Women who have more than two drinks a day increase their risk one and half times that of a woman who drinks less.

  Comment: The evidence shows that the link between breast cancer and alcohol is strong. Dr. Moffat says, Even small amounts can have an impact. Cutting back on alcohol intake is one of the best ways of reducing your risk.

  Conclusion: Strong Link
• Stress
  

  Theory: An Israeli study claimed that women who experience more than one stressful event throughout their lifetime are at greater risk of developing breast cancer.

  Comment: Dr. Moffat says that evidence proving a link between stress and breast cancer is weak. She added, The problem is that its very hard to measure or even define stress. And stressful situations can make some people more likely to take up unhealthy behaviors such as smoking or heavy drinking.

  Conclusion: Weak Link
• Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
  

  Theory: Evidence shows that combined hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which uses estrogen and progesterone, can increase the risk of breast cancer, especially if used over longer periods of time.

  Comment: According to Dr. Moffat, HRT is still an effective short-term treatment for menopausal symptoms. Using HRT for a few years doesnt greatly increase your risk, but the longer you stay on it, the higher your risk becomes. Only five years after stopping will your risk return to that of a woman who has never used HRT.

  Conclusion: Strong Link
• Trauma to Breasts
  

  Theory: Physical trauma to the breast can lead to the development of breast cancer.

  Comment: There is no strong evidence to suggest this. Dr. Moffat says that Cancers are fundamentally caused by faulty or damaged genes and take a very long time to develop. Rather, recent injuries to the breast will lead physicians to examine it more carefully, drawing attention to tumors that were already there.

  Conclusion: Weak Link
• Weight Gain
  

  Theory: The chance of getting breast cancer after menopause increases if you gain weight. A woman who puts on around thirty pounds throughout her adult life before going through menopause doubles her risk for getting the disease.

  Comment: The link between weight gain and breast cancer is strong. Maintaining a healthy body weight can reduce your risk of getting the disease. Dr. Moffat notes that Fat is not inactive its actually pumping out hormones and other chemicals that can affect your risk of disease.

  Conclusion: Strong Link
• Household Cleaning Products
  

  Theory: Some believe that household cleaning products lead to a higher risk of breast cancer, particularly after a recent US study found that women who used air freshener sprays were twenty percent more likely to develop the disease.

  Comment: There is no strong evidence that links cleaning products to breast cancer. Dr. Moffat notes that the studys subjects may have had recall bias, in which their memories were affected by their beliefs of what is true. This may be the case in this study especially because women were asked to recall insignificant behavior from years before.

  Conclusion: Weak Link
• Using the Pill
  

  Theory: Taking the Pill, which contains both estrogen and progesterone, will increase your risk of breast cancer. It can take ten years of being off the Pill to bring your risk back down to levels as if you had never taken it.

  Comment: While there is strong evidence suggesting that the Pill slightly increases your risk of developing breast cancer, Dr. Moffat also points to the fact that the Pill can also protect against other cancers. She notes, It halves a womans risk of ovarian and womb cancers, and this protective effect continues for about 15-20 years after stopping.

  Conclusion: Strong Link
• Underwire Bras
  

  Theory: It had been suggested that wearing an underwire bra will obstruct lymph flow and put pressure on lymph nodes in the armpit.

  Comment: There is no strong evidence linking underwire bras to breast cancer. Rather, it has been theorized that women who dont wear bras regularly tend to be thinner, which is the actual reason for their lower risk of getting breast cancer.

  Conclusion: Weak Link
• Smoking
  

  Theory: A study from the California Environmental Protection Agency found that secondhand smoke and breast cancer have a causal association amongst pre-menopausal women. Additionally, exposure to smoking during childhood and puberty may also lead to breast cancer.

  Comment: According to Dr. Moffat, even though there is no definite link between smoking and breast cancer, we do know that the chemicals in cigarette smoke can cause at least a dozen different types of cancer around the body, so theres still every reason to try to be a non-smoker and avoid passive smoke when you can.

  Conclusion: Strong Link
• Not Breast Feeding
  

  Theory: Research has suggested that women who breast feed their babies longer have a lower risk for developing breast cancer. It could be because breast feeding reduces a womans number of menstrual cycles, lowering her exposure to estrogen and progesterone.

  Comment: Dr. Moffat agrees with the research: the longer a woman breastfeeds, the lower her risk of cancer.

  Conclusion: Strong Link
• Anti-Perspirants
  

  Theory: It was originally theorized that wearing deodorant prevents toxins from leaving the body through sweat, and because those toxins occur around the breast, breast cells can become cancerous. However, no major studies have proven this theory.

  Comment: The evidence for a link between antiperspirants and breast cancer is weak. According to Dr. Moffat, Concerns about deodorants and breast cancer started with an email hoax, and there are no facts behind this claim.

  Conclusion: Weak Link
• 
  

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• Alcohol
  

  Theory: Many studies have shown that alcohol consumption can lead to a higher risk of breast cancer, even at moderate amounts. Women who have more than two drinks a day increase their risk one and half times that of a woman who drinks less.

  Comment: The evidence shows that the link between breast cancer and alcohol is strong. Dr. Moffat says, Even small amounts can have an impact. Cutting back on alcohol intake is one of the best ways of reducing your risk.

  Conclusion: Strong Link

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