5 Things They Don’t Tell You About Labor and Giving Birth

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to actually give birth? If you’re a first time mom, dad or just an interested party, there are SO MANY things they don’t tell you about labor and giving birth! Read on…

Before I became a mom, the only information I had (other than the science behind it) was what the media portrays: The happily pregnant woman who dramatically screams bloody murder when she’s in labor, ready to kill the man who “did this to her”.  In the spirit of Mother’s Day, I thought i’d share 5 more reasons to celebrate it. The amount of work and pain that our bodies endure is REAL.

5 things they don’t tell you about labor and giving birth

1. Labor is really not that screamingly bad. All of the crap you see in movies is way overdone. The worst part is when the baby’s head starts to crown, or emerge from the vagina. This is the first time your vagina stretches as wide as it will during the whole birthing process, they don’t call it the ring of fire for nothing!

2. When your water breaks, it may, or may not gush down your leg. In fact, it may not even break, and a doctor will have to do it for you. Your contractions will get stronger and worse until the baby finally comes out.

3. You could poop while pushing, right in your hospital bed. You are pushing your baby and your intestines so hard at the same time. Also, you might see that your baby has pooped in you after you give birth. This poop is a very dark, sticky, hard to clean substance. My kids both pooped like this for about a week, and my son let one go in my tummy before he came out. Thanks, son.

4. After you push out your baby, you’ll have to push out the placenta, the massive organ that feeds your baby while you are pregnant. It doesn’t hurt in comparison to pushing out an entire child, but  is extremely bloody and gross looking. It’s like a living, pulsing — thing. I had no idea.

5. Your vagina will hurt for a month, and will probably continue to bleed along with it. This is among the top things they don’t tell you about labor and giving birth, nobody talks about this! Also, you might have to get stitches down there. So it hurts to sit, poop, and there’s tons of pressure when you’re standing up for too long. Invest in a bunch of horse saddle sized pads, you’ll need them.

All of these things happened to me, and I was totally not expecting it. Two things: The bleeding and pain for a month after and the ring of fire are REAL. After all of this, having a child is totally worth it.

What didn’t you expect when you were in labor and giving birth?

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