The (major metropolitan) hospital provided them. No one else I know has ever had this after childbirth. It's freaking genius IMO, and this was almost 17 years ago. Ask, plan, buy them on the Internet ~ I swear I think they saved me.

Shudder. I'm so sorry that happened to you. I'm sure the pain was indescribable, but the blood loss - yikes!!

I kind of remember it because it was the weirdest feeling. We had actually gone to the hospital the day before because I was having what I thought were contractions. They basically felt like cramps, but they were time-able. No, these were not real contractions. Came home, went to bed, and was woken up at 3:00 a.m. by…

Recovery for me was nothing compared to the birth, which was pretty routine anyway. I don't remember much about the lochia. I know I bled after, but I don't remember it being that bad. I just remember healing up and getting back to normal way faster than I expected. I'm grateful I didn't have to have a c-section.

I think it's probably exceedingly rare. I know c-sections are pretty common, but to have a serious complication like that where they can't even get you numb has got to be hella unusual.

Yes, there are!

I was terrified about taking that first poop (I had torn and had stitches), and was pleasantly surprised when it went totally fine. Thankfully I wasn't constipated or anything and it all just kind of happened, while I was sitting there being careful not to strain. I feel as if I healed really fast. I was given the…

A friend of mine had to have a rather emergent c-section (this was c. 1985) and although they'd given her anesthesia, it didn't work, or there wasn't time to make sure it was working, and she felt the whole thing.

Haha, this is great, I love this story. Well told.

If it makes you feel any better, I had a totally normal labor and delivery. I was in labor less than 12 hours from the very first labor pain to her birth, and it honestly didn't even seem that long. Yes, there was pain. No, I did not have an epidural. Yes, I tore (better for you than having an episiotomy). Yes, my…

The way I understand it (from reading a lot; I am not a mental health professional), men who abuse tend to gravitate to partners who are vulnerable. In addition to the physical abuse, they work to break their victims down emotionally, to make them feel weak and powerless so they won't fight back or leave. The "victim"…

I take regular magnesium, but I've found that it causes me to have a rather urgent evacuation (TMI, sorry) every morning!

Try lots of magnesium. I take 500 mg morning and night to prevent migraines, and it's a great laxative. It has a lot of other health benefits too and is probably easier on your body than a "laxative" laxative.

I have heard this theory as well. Although now the German speakers have been eclipsed by the Polish speakers in a big way, this may have originated with German immigrants.

It's not "stopping by the store" that's weird. It's "She's by her mom's," instead of saying "She's AT her mom's." Basically, substituting "by" for "at." Also, "She's going by her mom's tonight." "Stopping by her mom's" sounds normal to me, where "Going by her mom's" doesn't. "By her mom's" is sort of a place unto…

Yes! This is another thing I noticed when I moved to the area almost 20 years ago. Makes me crazy. All these messed up prepositions.

Yes! to the second one. Never "at," always "by." "Where did she go?" "She's by her mom's." That makes me nuts. I haven't much noticed TEE-vee, but, oh, FRONTroom, sometimes written phonetically as frunchroom. Even my daughter (born and raised in the Chicago area) says FRONTroom, and I don't know where she got it…

I told her just to say "... and the late Father McCoy" but I like your solution better.

The one about the gift — heinous. Gifts should never be mentioned. Really, you shouldn't even say "No gifts please" on a party invite when you don't want people to bring stuff. But to say, "Don't come without a gift"? Holy moly, that is beyond the beyond. I never bring gifts to weddings anyway, I always ship them to…

What about, "Mother McCoy and the late Father McCoy invite you.."? Yeah, I know he's on the other side and can't actually host a wedding, but, presumably part of your mom's income may be from a pension he had, or life insurance or something (maybe not, so sorry if I am making it sound like she was dependent on him),…