Birthing Experience and what a Difference a Kick Ass Dr. Makes!
Most women want their baby staying in full-term, but I couldn’t have been happier when the doctor saw me at 37 weeks and told me I was going to be induced. My hospital bag was ready and before I could blink I was in my car blasting my music, dancing while driving to the hospital. My mother was with me in the car and she was freaking out. She just couldn’t believe how excited I was about delivering when she knew fully well how terrified I had always been of childbirth. Sidebar – I had always wanted to have a planned C-section. In fact I changed my mind just about one week before being induced. At my 36 week appointment my doctor looked at me and just said: “you have to trust me – I will make it so that you will not feel any pain”. Very simple words that can sound like a load of B.S., but I don’t know what took over me in that moment… I believed him and I believed in him. When I told my husband I was going to try to push, he looked at me like I was nuts.. After all, I picked my OB years before I even tried to get pregnant because he was renowned for his C-sections. Anyway I wasn’t wrong… and after about 37 hours and countless epidural top off’s I was able to push my baby out without feeling a thing. JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED!
Two hours before pushing, I was in my room and a woman next-door was screaming bloody murder. It sounded like a pig being slaughtered and I totally panicked. When my doctor came in I asked, in a panic, “are you delivering the baby next-door”? And he responded quasi offended: “are you crazy?? That’s not me! I only do Boca Raton style deliveries! You’re going to feel like you’re at a resort!” For a minute there, I thought he was lying just to make me feel better.
He wasn’t. The way he made that room feel, the way he took Mark by his side and guided him through the whole thing…was just indescribable. He was encouraging and motivating and made me feel like I could take on the world. He had anesthesiologist coming in for top-offs at the drop of a hat. There was no waiting around forever like you read about over and over. He even canceled his dinner reservations in between my pushing, even though his shift was over and he was free to leave – for some reason that memory always makes me chuckle.
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I was always skeeved out by the thought of babies when they first come out. I mean let’s be real, they’re covered in that white cottage cheese nastiness, blood and all other sorts of fluids – but the second I saw her head, I literally yanked her out of the doctors hands. I locked eyes with her and in that very moment my heart exploded. I just remember thanking God for giving me something so perfect, beautiful and precious. Every single negative pregnancy feeling disappeared instantly. I was able to get up, go to the bathroom, eat a cheeseburger and fries all within an hour after giving birth and I just couldn’t believe how good I felt. The next couple of days were, needless to say, absolute bliss and I was on a love-high I’ve never felt before. I was lucky enough to get a private room with the most beautiful view of Central Park. Not our doing. All of the other rooms were taken – I think that was karma’s way of throwing me a bone after the HG.
Breastfeeding – No….Thank you!
The other hot topic these days seems to be breast-feeding. Why does everyone care so much about breast-feeding??? It’s literally one of the first things people ask you after you give birth. I had zero interest in even trying. I found comfort in feeding my baby formula out of a bottle, so that I can see how much she was getting. I had no more of my body to “give” and perhaps the HG made that feeling even more extreme. You give so much of yourself for 10 months and the last thing I wanted to do was have the baby need me every two hours – physically- to give her nourishment.
Just like women don’t want to be judged for breast-feeding in public or breast-feeding until their kids are three years old, I appreciate not being judged for actually not wanting to breastfeed. For the women out there that are reading this that chose not to breastfeed for WHATEVER reason, don’t let anyone make you feel guilty because it is your choice – as a woman and as a mother. I will also add that formula babies sleep better and for longer stretches of time because formula is heavier. And since sleep was a priority to my husband and I, that actually was a huge plus.



I was prepared to have a c-section for the most part of nine months. So when I changed my mind about even attempting a natural birth and then ultimately going through with it.. I had little to no prep on what to take to the hospital. Luckily I had friends that had recently gone through child birth and gave me some GREAT tips, as it was all still fresh in their memory. I will say this, these items worked so well for me that:
A. I didn’t even need to take Advil the day after delivery (which for me is unheard of) and…
B. I valued these items so much, I kept them all in a bag,in my closet, just in case I ever decided to give this whole birthing thing another go. I did not want to risk forgetting them. With the pregnancy/mommy brain and all.
I’ll start with the miraculous…the one and only…. TUCKS Medicated Cooling Pads. Disregard the “Hemorroidal” bit. In addition to being extremely soothing, they help speed up the healing process like nothing else. If you end up having your baby vaginally and end up getting stitches (which most women do) you need these bad boys!
The second must have is the Dermoplast Pain Reliving Spray. They do not specify “Hospital Strength” for nothin’. To say that I overused this one is an understatement. This might come across as TMI, but ladies.. if we don’t help each other out with these tips, no one will. Birth does not come with a manual…afterbirth pfff..people just don’t get into the nitty gritty and IT IS NECESSARY!!!! This particular item has not left my house since. I have used it on many different occasions, including the time I got a piece of glass stuck in the bottom of my foot and after about 45 mins of “trying” to remove it with tweezers, five minutes after applying this spray, I was able to remove it in one shot – you’ll need to try this one to believe it!
Another detail people failed to tell me was that after you give birth, you bleed, a lot. For a long time. If you rely on the awful pads they give you in the hospital,(and they tend to be chintzy with them too…I can’t imagine why..) you’ll be pretty uncomfortable. The always discreet Boutique underwear item serves as a good pad as well as support, if you don’t want to use the granny panties. It’s a 2 in 1 deal.
As most of you can imagine, going to the bathroom after childbirth, is a really scary thing to do. You would never think that something as simple as a squirt bottle with lukewarm warm could make a huge difference. Well it does! It really does! $5.00 for three Perineal Lavette Irrigation Bottles – you can’t go wrong.
Post-care is just as important as pregnancy care. From the superficial mommy stand point, I wanted to make sure I did whatever I could to try to avoid the post-mommy-belly- fat for the next three years. I wore this girdle for as long as I could. Consistence is key with this one. I know for a fact I wouldn’t have been able to rid of some of the fat without it – considering the fact that I love food and all 😉 I used the (longest name everrrrrrr) Postpartum Belly Wrap Support Recovery Belt/Body Shaper/C Section Girdle Shapewear (I did not have a c-section, but it worked well for me).
Other things like your own pillow, body wash, lounge robe, etc are all pretty obvious – but the above “not so comfy” things to share with the world – not as obvious, but ESSENTIAL!
I went on and on about my Doctor, so it only seems fair to give him the proper credit he deserves. If you are in NY and have anyway of getting to Mt. Sinai (on the Upper East Side), you need to call and make an appointment with Dr. Francesco Callipari. Even if you are not pregnant and you are just on the hunt for a new gyno – he is your man. I actually discovered Dr. Callipari years ago. I was so fed up of just settling for an OK Gyno, that I made it my mission to find a really good one. So I visited five different ones in three months. THAT WAS FUN! Once I saw him, I was sold. There is not enough I can say about him to give him the praise and merit that he deserves. He is so passionate and so involved with what he does. He is a rare and (unfortunately) extinct breed. I always say God made his hands (and brain) to do THIS JOB! My mother-in-law heard me go on and on about him during my pregnancy and when the day finally came that she met him, the day that he delivered Sasha, I believe her exact words were: “Wow…he really does walk on water.”
Dr. C, if you ever read this…I will never forget what you did for me and my family! THANK YOU!




