Ask Lemmy

I can't lie, the LED candles sound kind of cool. If you're going to use them as decorations, you're obviously going to need a whole bunch. What else are you going to do, use real candles and set the place on fire like a Victorian Christmas tree? At least medicated you was thinking about safety first. (That would be my post medicated rationale at least).

I also did something similar to the 100 non refundable ice packs, but I had what seemed like a really good reason at the time.

When I was pregnant my OB kept telling me to watch this standard birthing video that they make all new parents watch, just so they're not completely unprepared for the experience. I kept putting it off bc I thought "I know how having a baby works. I'm not steewpid!" She kept pushing it, so finally at like 8 months pregnant, me and my husband sit down and watch the stupid birthing video together.

I can't remember exactly which parts really did it, but it ended up kind of scaring the shit out of me.

I just remember that even after being uncomfortable for months, not sleeping, not being able to do anything I wanted to do, (even little stuff like drink more than one cup of coffee or eat certain foods), and finally getting to the point where I couldn't even bend down to pick stuff up, and had to rely on other people for help, I was so ready to just get it over with. Then I watched this video, and I literally started thinking about running away so they couldn't make me give birth.

While we were watching it, I honestly imagined myself standing up, telling my husband I needed to go grab something from the other room, then just getting in my car and driving away without any plan. It was pretty much my body being in the textbook definition of flight mode.

I ended up calling a friend of mine who had a kid, and talking to her about it. She reassured me that it really wasn't that bad, except for the "perenial tearing." 😬 She advised me to get plenty of ice packs and have them ready to go for when I got home from the hospital.

So I ordered a box of crackable ice packs made for exactly that purpose. Came home one day to a giant box sitting on my front porch that said "PERENIAL ICE PACKS" on the outside, and realized I had somehow purchased a box of 150. Ended up having to have a C-section and using none of them, so I also just donated them. Hopefully somebody somewhere got some use out of them.

And my all time favorite was ordering a go-cart, $3500 for no reason.

This is amazing, and probably the best answer anybody has given so far along with the 6ft samurai sword.

Edit: To be clear, not that I suddenly decided I didn't want to have my baby, I just had the very irrational thought of running away to avoid the process of labor. I knew the baby was coming one way or the other, but maybe I could just hold it in forever and raise the baby that way? Idk it was not a rational response, I just panicked. I just always assumed (based on everything I had learned prior to watching that video) it was only a stretching process. I didn't think there would be any "tearing" involved unless there were complications. I definitely had never known before that day: A. Tearing is much more likely to be the default (90% of first time mothers) and rarely (but it happens) some people will even do a preemptive snip prior to giving birth, B. There are grades of tearing severity (first-degree being the least severe and fourth-degree being the most severe, often requiring surgical repair.), C. It never really occurred to me that there was a risk of spinal injury if you move the wrong way when they're inserting an epidural (while you're in labor), and D. Even if you get an epidural, there's a chance it might not work. Giving birth is no fucking joke. Not that I ever thought it was going to be easy, but before watching the "basic" birthing video, even with a master's degree and more basic medical knowledge than a lot of people, I didn't really comprehend what women go through to give birth. There's actually an evolutionary theory that it can be so traumatic your body and brain kind of work together to keep you from fully forming memories of just how bad the experience was, to help drive continued reproduction. (Also important to note though, that more negative experiences and memories of giving birth are associated with more adverse outcomes, and that the experience can leave a long lasting impression)

It's not that you won't remember the pain at all, (bc even with a C-section and epidural, I damn sure remember screaming and feeling like my stitches were tearing open after it wore off, and I know I got off relatively easy), but in hindsight, your memory of the intense pain you experienced during childbirth can be dampened by the flood of hormones and feel good chemicals you experienced after. Like there's a reason oxytocin both stimulates painful contractions to help get the baby out, and also helps you bond with the baby after birth. It's really beautiful. But it's also insane.

Edit 2: Pregnancy May Reduce Fear Permanently, Scientists Reveal

Reduced fear memory may also support caregiving behaviors after birth by lowering anxiety and promoting bonding.