I was definitely one of those people who wanted to be as prepared and informed as possible going into labor. I read What to Expect When You're Expecting articles, listened to personal experiences of others, searched Pinterest and other blog posts, and thought long and hard about some of the things that would be up to me (and those that wouldn't).
Despite all that reading and preparing, there were still some things about labor that surprised me:
1) No Shame
I had heard that some women end up delivering naked, and that thought did not appeal to me. I mean, I knew that between the doctor and nurses, there would be a fair amount of people looking at (and reaching inside) of an area that I don't normally make public. Still, I hoped to keep as much modesty and dignity as possible during labor and delivery. What I didn't anticipate was how much I just wouldn't care.
Yes, I still had my parents and in-laws leave the room when I got checked to see how dilated I was. Yes, I still made sure that my gown and blankets covered everything at all times. Yes, I still had just my husband in the action when it came time to push - with Mama standing by my head to take pictures (DO THIS - have a designated picture-taker who is NOT your spouse - I absolutely cherish the moments my mom captured, and I am so grateful that Kyle and I could both be completely in the moment and know that it would be documented without us having to worry about it). But ultimately, whenever I was exposed in one form or another, I had no feelings of shame or embarrassment. I was there to bring a life into the world, and those who were helping my little girl to arrive safely had frankly seen it all before. And with so many emotions going on, so much to try to get used to after everything was over (hello stitches...), and such a strong reminder of why I was there in the first place (to meet my beautiful girl!!), I just wasn't shy or self-conscious about breastfeeding when the doctor came in, or cleaning myself up/peeing in front of the nurse.
2) Feeling Like an Overfilled Power Strip
Y'all, I had so many different tubes hooked to me by the time baby came. I had:
4) Am I Still Peeing??
That first pee after baby was delivered was eventful for a few reasons, the least of which was the awkward, still-partially-numb-legged, half-carried by the nurse and my mom waddle to the toilet. When I finally did get over there and started peeing, I was shocked when I just didn't stop. I literally have never peed for so long at once in my entire life. Later, I learned about how you expel lots of extra fluids after labor, which accounted for how quickly I noticed changes in my physical appearance (face, legs, butt, etc. - all lost retained water and shrunk down noticeably before I left the hospital - wayyy faster than I had expected them to). There may have also been a falling incident after peeing, which was also eventful, but still, the most surprising aspect of that whole ordeal was how freaking much I peed.
5) Heave Ho
I had read that some women throw up during labor, which was the primary reason I didn't have Kyle stop for food before we went to the hospital (where I knew I wouldn't be able to eat anything). So you can imagine my surprise when, shortly after I began pushing, heave ho. And then, after everything was over, yup, here we go again. And again. And again. I threw up 4 times total, all before I even got any solid food in me. While it wasn't exactly ideal to hand the baby off to Kyle in the middle of my first time trying to breastfeed so I could puke in a bag instead of on my newborn, I was able to get a hold of the nausea and still enjoy all of the new, crazy, wonderful, surreal moments.
6) What Didn't Happen
Again, I did my research. I had read enough articles and blog posts and heard enough horror stories to prepare myself for the worst, so one surprising aspect of labor was all of the things that didn't happen. For example:
- an IV connected to 3 separate bags (saline, dextrose solution, and Pitocin)
- my epidural
- a catheter
- a blood pressure cuff
- 2 monitors on my belly - one for baby's heartbeat and one for my contractions
- a vaginal catheter to measure the strength of my contractions
I honestly was grateful that getting an epidural requires a catheter, because I had so many other things hooked to me, trying to get up and go to the bathroom would have been a joke.
3) Thumb Twiddling
Yeah, contractions and emotions can be intense, and the moments you are actually pushing and baby is arriving feel hectic and eventful, but the majority of my labor was waiting around. Especially for my loved ones who were there supporting me, it was a lot of playing on phones, snoozing, and basically twiddling thumbs as we waited for things to get going. I'll do a post about what I should have brought in my hospital bag, but stuff to do (for me and hubby) will be on the list.
Yeah, contractions and emotions can be intense, and the moments you are actually pushing and baby is arriving feel hectic and eventful, but the majority of my labor was waiting around. Especially for my loved ones who were there supporting me, it was a lot of playing on phones, snoozing, and basically twiddling thumbs as we waited for things to get going. I'll do a post about what I should have brought in my hospital bag, but stuff to do (for me and hubby) will be on the list.
4) Am I Still Peeing??
That first pee after baby was delivered was eventful for a few reasons, the least of which was the awkward, still-partially-numb-legged, half-carried by the nurse and my mom waddle to the toilet. When I finally did get over there and started peeing, I was shocked when I just didn't stop. I literally have never peed for so long at once in my entire life. Later, I learned about how you expel lots of extra fluids after labor, which accounted for how quickly I noticed changes in my physical appearance (face, legs, butt, etc. - all lost retained water and shrunk down noticeably before I left the hospital - wayyy faster than I had expected them to). There may have also been a falling incident after peeing, which was also eventful, but still, the most surprising aspect of that whole ordeal was how freaking much I peed.
5) Heave Ho
I had read that some women throw up during labor, which was the primary reason I didn't have Kyle stop for food before we went to the hospital (where I knew I wouldn't be able to eat anything). So you can imagine my surprise when, shortly after I began pushing, heave ho. And then, after everything was over, yup, here we go again. And again. And again. I threw up 4 times total, all before I even got any solid food in me. While it wasn't exactly ideal to hand the baby off to Kyle in the middle of my first time trying to breastfeed so I could puke in a bag instead of on my newborn, I was able to get a hold of the nausea and still enjoy all of the new, crazy, wonderful, surreal moments.
6) What Didn't Happen
- I didn't experience "the ring of fire" (thank you, epidural)
- There weren't any complications with baby (umbilical cord around the neck, need for emergency C-section, etc.)
- I didn't poop while pushing (oh yeah, that's definitely a common thing).
- There wasn't any kind of hectic "oh my gosh, baby is coming now - Hurry, get the doctor!!"
- My/my baby's main nurse was absolutely wonderful - zero complaints!
- I didn't leave the hospital feeling/looking 7 months pregnant
- Trying to breastfeed for the first time wasn't extremely painful
These were all things I was very glad did not happen, and I was happy to find out that not every horrific or stressful or negative thing I'd heard was necessarily applicable to my own labor experience.
Labor is a complicated, unexpected whirlwind that is different for everyone, but I hope that sharing some of what surprised me might help others feel more at ease and prepared for their own experience.
No matter what happens or how it happens, you are bringing a life into this world, and that is absolutely amazing!
Stay Beautiful,
xoxo Madi
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Labor is a complicated, unexpected whirlwind that is different for everyone, but I hope that sharing some of what surprised me might help others feel more at ease and prepared for their own experience.
No matter what happens or how it happens, you are bringing a life into this world, and that is absolutely amazing!
Stay Beautiful,
xoxo Madi
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