What did you learn from giving birth? - Your help needed

That you can do it without an epidural and not feel like a martyr but be damn proud of yourself!

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I learned that just when you think its all over, you have to start again if your having twins....

Sadly, I have to say that with dd1 - hospital, emergency ventouse - I learned that birth could leave you feeling perplexed and worried and exhausted and upset - none of the things you expect to feel - and that more than anything else I didn't want to hold my baby I wanted to SLEEP.

With dd2 - born at home - I learned that I could do something I absolutely dreaded, and come through and be very very glad I did.

I learned that my hippy earthmother tendencies at age 20 were still there 20 years later!

I will never take my dh or my mum to any of my subsequent births again. MIL are the best doulas you can have.
Trust your instincts during labour, you are the only one who knows how you feel.
Don't feel that you have to stay in the birthing pool thats taken an hour to fill if its not helping.
Birthing balls are great!
Stitches hurt more than labour.
Sitting on the ward staring at your newborn you know without a doubt that you have accomplished something truely amazing. No previous achievements can possibly come close to giving birth.

These are all so lovely, I'm almost crying.
Aren't we clever.

I learnt afterwards that giving birth isn't the important bit. It's just the start of the most wondrous and difficult thing I'll ever do.

That no birth will go to plan - when they say in antenatal class to keep an open mind you really have to.

That before your labour and delivery, you worry about what nightie to wear and if you should wear a top in the birthing pool and afterwards you realise that the reason labour wards are so hot is partly due to the number of totally naked women in labour.

That your body changes irreversibly.

That you will cry at every sad baby story on the news.

That you won't do a poo for five days after a c section.

I learnt with DS1 that I was NOT good at labour and birth after and long and hard time, it was awful. Then with DS2 that I was alot braver than I thought as DH had gone to get mum and I was left labouring on my own(ds1 was 2yrs old os not a great help)If I hadn't called 999 when I did I would have delivered on my own too.
DS3 taught me that I shouldn't have listened when the midwife said I had hours to go before she went home(I chose a homebirth this time) as she'd only been back 10 minute when he arrived 2hrs and 6 mins later.
DS2+3 prove that my body really did know what it was doing(after DS1) as I had no control at all, which is a good thing.
I have also learnt that I'm terrible sad that I won't experience it again as DH has said no more which I'm okay with BUt I have realised that I would go on having children until monthernature said no more.

I've learned that.... even if you dont plan a home birth you might get one anyway and you should really get some carpet protection together just in case....How amazingly unfazed you can be greeting an ambulance man whilst naked on all 4s with a turd hanging out off your bottom.... that you should be able to buy Entonox in Oddbins... that you'll want to cause lasting pain to every well meaning person that tells you bfeeding doesnt hurt if you're doing it right... How many wonderful strangers smile, chat and bend over backwards to help when you've got a baby with you... that its strangely liberating to forget about fashion and wear almost the same shapeless comfy black outfit every day for over a year... how fascinating, exciting, enriching groundhog day can be... how blissful sleep is

i learned that if you get up before the epidural has worn off you end up flat on your face

How much urine my bladder can hold with the help of an epidural.

That you can bear an incredible amount of pain and still live.

That fluent swearing helps the most desperate of situations.

That my son is worth a million times the pain of childbirth.

Just thought of another one .....

I learned never to wear anything of sentimental value in hospital ... as my precious (of no real value in money) watch, that my DH gave to me for our first Xmas together, was stolen from the delivery suite when I was in labour ....
I still fill up with tears and anger when I think of it ... bastards ...

That nobody is pregnant forever, even if it seems like you might be the first as you hit 14 days overdue, but that it is definitely worth the wait!

twigllett you are so right
When I was told, at 9.5cm dilation, that it was going to have to be yet another emergency casear my tears were not for the pain and brutality of the operation but for having to spend at least 3 bloody days on an NHS ward.
And the flowers thing! I left all mine in the hospital, what an ungrateful mare, but faffing around with vases is the last thing on your mind when you get home.
I also learnt that after the 9th person has had a peer up your jacksy you really lose any shred of dignity and don't care who looks next. Strolling past the labour room? Hey come in and have a look up here before you go.

Zebra, that is SOOOO true! Also learnt that there's no point trying to mop up your waters from the new carpet you've put down for the baby... because they don't just 'break' they keep coming (and once baby comes home the carpet is never going to recover anyway. Maybe this one just applies to boys, though). And if you want anyone to video the Adam Ant documentary, for instance (not that I hold onto grudges, of course), make them set the machine in advance. When their reminder goes off when you are in labour, it's too late.

Twiglett, you reminded me of another

Before going into labour go out and buy several extra vases. You will need them for the huge amount of flowers you will get, and none of the bouquets ever fit in just one vase either.

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aloha - my sister said it was like meeting a long lost friend that you have forgotten what they looked like....

LOL Aloha.... exactly right!(on bottom 2, have no knowledge of first)

Ok, so maybe that dignity isn't as important as you thought

That you can be dignified, calm and serene during birth - but I think you have to have a caesarian to achieve this.

That seeing your baby for the first time feels oddly familiar - like you are finally meeting someone that actually you know very well already.

That your baby is so beautiful and wonderful you genuinely feel sorry for everyone else with their inferior infants.

dd was born at home, and halfway through my labour, I learnt that our bathroom window urgently needed replacing with one that didn't let a winter gale through.

And at the end, I learnt that it took approximately 15 seconds to forget what a contraction felt like.

Oh and like Zebra just said. This amazing connection with women all over the world since the beginning of time.

People think I'm crazy, but I think birth is just the most amazing thing and I'm so glad I experienced it.