What are the three things you wish you had known before going into labour?

[BigGLittleG]

The subject pretty much sums it up!

Got two more:

That it's ok if you DON'T feel the overwhelming rush of love for your newborn the second its born, or even the day or week, because before you know it you'll realise you're totally and utterly in love with her and would move heaven and earth for her if necessary.

That having a 3rd degree tear isn't necessarily as bad as it sounds (and neither is going to theatre to be stitched up) and it won't necessarily hurt afterwards. Sneezing or blowing your nose may however become extremely scary activities for a while....

Know what Amoo - think I agree with you...

Great question;

I had a home birth, so;

That theres a lot of mess to clean up- get someone else in to do it.

That the end was really going to happen!

That every second of the pain is worth it to have the experience of pushing your baby out and feeling them arrive!

Wrensmum Was it really messy? That's the bit that's putting DH agreeing to us having a homebirth.

Arcadie

I've had 2 homebirths with minimal mess! Just put down loads of shower curtains / inco-pads / old towels etc and chuck the lot after.

I did have water births though, so probably all the yuck went into the water. Which then goes down the drain. No probs!

Go for it! home births are great. am waiting for my 3rd any day now.

1. Don't waste time loading classical music etc onto IPOD when the time comes you just don't care!
2. Not to waste money on Homeopathy Childbirth kit, no way in hell you will be able to fiddle around with the little pills whilst having contractions!
3. Not to be scared about being induced, it was fine.

"I don't know what happens to women for whom an epidural doesn't work - CS, perhaps?" - nope, natural birth (for me anyway)

1. See above! Epidurals are not a guaranteed method of pain relief (and not 1 single HCP will give a fuck that it hasn't worked)

1. Your dh can be more traumatised by the birth than you and will forbid you from having any more children. (Sat in the corner of the room rocking new dd to sleep watching me bleed all over the floor as numerous MWs and Docs tried to stop it)

1. That you can get PTSD from a traumatic birth and you may only realise this 7 years later.

1. It is really not a good idea for your MIL to offer your toast to your 11 year old BIL as "he is starving, we've had to wait so long"

1. Nothing will matter during labour. Do not spend any time worrying about pooing, bikini lines, stretching, tearing, etc, etc. You will not care. All you want is your baby out.

1. Nothing will matter after the birth. All you care about is your baby (and it is not a good plan to lie awake staring at her rather than getting some much needed sleep)

(sorry for the length of this post, I have ishoos )

1. The best laid schemes of mice and men.. I ended up delivering in the hospital I didn't want to because it was too fast to go anywhere else - and they were lovely

2. That I would completely forget about the natural 3rd stage I wanted so passionately and that DH would have to remind me when MW was about to administer the injection

3. That I would be in such shock after my delivery (was in the hospital 17 minutes before I delivered) that I could not stop shivering and shaking

Both my boys were born at home, the first was on dry land, the second in water. I don't remember much mess either time, although I do remember noticing days later that there were some blood flecks on the giant picture we had on the wall. I have no idea how they got there (from cutting the cord maybe?) as I don't remember any carnage at the time?

i wish i knew u lost all dignity in labour... i had to have my waters broken, and once it started flowing, mate, there was no stopping it. every movement i made, liquid just kept pouring out of me. i called the midwife over coz there was liquid all over the bed and the floor and everywhere, and she actually asked me if i puked. (liquid was brown colour as well since baba had pooed in me) ... spent the whole of my early labour naked bottom down with not a sanitary towel, but a bedmat inbetween my legs! ...... not cool.

i wish i knew that u cant eat after having an epidural as well. was starving and kept snapping at the midwife who kept telling me u cant eat. damn her.

thirdly... i really wish i knew how absolutely painful but amazing the whole experience is. i was in labour for 19hours and it was really complicated as well, and ended up having a forceps delivery and episiotomy .... oh the pain. but ... all worth it in the end.

and a cheeky fourth as well..... HAVE THE EPIDURAL! oh how amazin that thing is... i actually got an hours sleep once i had it done. my birthplan said strictly no epidural coz i know plenty of ppl who still have backache due to it, but mate, trust me, the pain was ridiculous to the point where i screamed to the midwife to get me the epidural now. have it. u wont regret it. (and make sure u stay still wen their giving it to u as if u jerk about thats wat gives u lifelong backache)

x