5 Thing No One Told Me About Labor

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I know Aiden's a year old, which means I gave birth kind of a while ago. But sometimes it takes that kind of distance to get your thoughts together. For all my pregnant friends who want to be a little more prepared for what could happen in labor, here's some things from my experience. That's the thing though--it's just my experience. Your delivery could be totally different!


1. You might throw up. Listen to your body if you feel nauseous, and ask for a bucket. Or head to the bathroom. I was sitting there in the delivery room, all of a sudden felt sick but ignored it....and then I threw up all over me, Devin, and the floor. The only thing worse than nausea is smelling barf and feeling sick to your stomach. Apparently throwing up during labor is normal.

2. If you go into labor at the end of an exhausting day, don't put off the epidural (if you choose to have one.) I wanted to give a "natural" birth my best shot, but I went into labor at 7pm after a SUPER tiring day (of painting baseboard in the nursery!), and by like 11pm I had that "I just ran like 5 miles and then made dinner and did all the laundry" feeling. But I had only just begun labor. So for that reason and because contractions hurt, don't put off the epidural just because you're trying to be "tough."

3. The epidural was like getting a vaccine shot in the arm. But in your back. And it's worth it. 

4. When it's time to push that baby out, it feels like you're about to take an enormous dump. I have no idea if I did, because praise to the Lord my midwife & nurse kept me all cleaned up. But if you get that feeling, get ready because you're about to push.

5. Your husband might see some stuff he wasn't planning on seeing. All the plans to have Devin "stay up by my head" so the poor guy wasn't scarred for life by the disaster scene that was my nether regions went out the window. There's only like 2 feet between your head and your downstairs, and it's nearly impossible to not see something. Plus, when it came time to push, they had Devin holding one of my legs for resistance. Poor guy.

Bonus tip for recovering in the hospital: bring your own clothes. I wore a hospital gown for 2 days because I didn't think to bring my stretchiest yoga pants and a button-down-flannel (easy for nursing). It's a humbling moment to greet all your family and friends and introduce your new baby when you are bra-less in a faded hospital gown.



What's your experience been? Would you add anything to this list?

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