My Pregnancy and Childbirth Journey and Hacks I’ve Learned As A Mom of Five (that may work for you)

After having five kids, I sure have a lot of pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare stories and experiences to share. You might as well call me an “OG” in these topics.

Talking about my journey through pregnancy and childbirth, I would like to highlight that each baby comes with unique features, so I had different feelings and experiences for each baby. That is, every pregnancy is different, so no one can tell you for sure what yours will be like.

My typical experiences during each trimester

I experience various physical and emotional changes during each pregnancy. Generally, during the first trimester of my pregnancy (for all my kids), I experienced issues such as constipation, fatigue, cravings for certain foods, feeling more sensitive to heat or temperature, and headaches—especially if I did not get enough sleep. 

I know many women experience vomiting with regular spitting during pregnancy. I didn’t really experience them. However, occasionally, I may feel nauseous when brushing my mouth. 

During the second trimester, I normally experience changes in my breasts, feel more energetic, see my bump or tummy grow bigger, and feel baby movement. 

Aside from the fetus’ kicks, heartburn, and frequent urination, I often feel more relieved and better during the last trimester. 

Some pregnancy hacks I’ve learned over the years

Each time I'm pregnant, I ensure I visit the doctor or a gynecologist for antenatal clinics. During one such visit as a group, our doctor shed some light on one of the most convenient positions to maintain while giving birth to a baby.  

This position involves lying on your side or on your back and ensuring your bottom is down while holding back your legs—as if you are kneeling. We were taught that this birth position can also help reduce the chances of having a tear in the perineum during delivery.

Other strategies I learned and practiced  include:

• Drinking enough water one to two weeks before labor to help hydrate my body tissues (I learned that hydrated tissues tend to stretch better)
• Slow and controlled pushing during delivery, which is said to help babies ease out of the vagina, preventing tearing during childbirth
• Eating lots of fruits and vegetables, nuts and proteins, especially when I'm approaching my estimated delivery date

I also heard that eating okra soup close to labor or as soon as labor starts helps to relieve labor pains (though from an unverified source). 

While I didn’t know these in my first and second pregnancies, this knowledge helped me with the subsequent ones. I tried these strategies for my third, fourth, and fifth babies, and things worked out well (I didn't get any tears, and the birth experience was smooth). However, I don't really know if the better experience should also be attributed to the fact that they weren’t my first childbirth experience. 

Another source has it that pineapple helps in inducing labor. So I tried it with my fifth baby one night when I was around 38 weeks gone, and the following morning, I gave birth.

My child delivery experiences

The labor for my first baby lasted for a long time, longer than that of my other babies—about 8 to 9 hours. I was in so much pain. It felt like the world was crumbling around me. 

Occasionally, I would feel like pooping, and each time I told the midwife, she would respond with the words, “Shit out your baby,” which at that point wasn’t reassuring or helpful for me.  

Finally, I gave birth to my cute baby girl that same day, 17th July 2014. My labor experiences for other childbirths were different as they all didn’t last for a long time. In fact, delivery for my last baby barely lasted for 2 hours. 

My fourth child’s birth was an unforgettable event. That day, my husband prayed for me, declaring that I would deliver the baby before I get to the hospital. But I countered it and immediately said I would give birth in the hospital. 

On getting to the hospital, I gave birth safely to my baby within 20 minutes of labor. This experience made me believe more that there is power in the words we say and positive affirmations from you and your partner work.

The challenge doesn’t end with childbirth - post-partum struggle is real

Sometimes, I hear pregnant people say they wish for their pregnancy journey to end soon and for safe delivery so that at least they can rest from such stress. But the irony is that more stress comes after giving birth. 

In my own case, I usually have a painful stomach ache for the first 2 weeks after delivery, especially when the baby sucks my breast. I often took blended or chopped bitter kola water during this period to help subside the pain. 

It’s also not unusual for newborn babies to experience stomach pain or discomfort. One hack I learned for dealing with this is using coconut water. What I do is give my baby about three spoonfuls of coconut water as the first thing they consume after delivery. Sometimes, I also give the coconut water the following morning.

I also noticed my babies sleep very well, unlike most babies that would be restless. And I attribute this to the coconut water as well. However, I do not have any medical or scientific evidence to back this up; it’s simply what I observed and what worked for my kids. 

Aside from the coconut water, I exclusively breastfeed my babies for at least five months, as advised by doctors. And I often notice amazing health results. 

The postnatal period is really not funny. Another painful experience common with this maternal phase is pain in the breast, especially when the baby has not sucked breast milk for an extended period. There is also the part of your tiny one crying constantly and you worrying so much about them. 

In no time, you begin to think of how to get the baby to sit, crawl, and subsequently stand and walk. While it’s not an easy journey for newborn parents, I will conclude by saying it’s best to go through the "stress or experiences" with joy and positivity. This can help keep you healthy and hearty.