What is labor like? Is everything everyone tells you about childbirth true?
I poured into blog article, after blog article before having Mae. I wanted to know everything! I took classes at our hospital, departing each time with a notepad full of new notes and binder in tow.
Yet, with all of this, I STILL felt like there were things I wished I would have known. Here are my top ten:
10 Things I Wish I Knew Before Having a Baby
1. What contractions and labor are really like
Contractions felt, at first, like stomach cramps or like gas.
They progressed to feel like really bad menstrual cramps. I woke up at 5 am with the barely noticeable “cramps” and four hours later (because they were consistent and becoming more noticeable) I knew I had to be in labor. I was surprised. On TV, you see women’s water breaking and tons of pain. It was more like a mild pressure for a minute or two, every couple of minutes. Ten hours after I had felt the first “cramps” at 5 am, the pressure became more painful. An hour after the pain started, it became so intense, I was throwing up after each contraction but not for long. I had an epidural, which was painless and amazing. No more throwing up!
Fifteen hours after the epidural, I had Mae. That was 26 hours of labor total (that I knew of because I woke up around 5 am with contractions) but honestly only a couple hours of labor were truly painful. I know not all people choose an epidural. For me, I felt it was right. It was a crazy feeling too. I could feel pressure well (so I could push) but I did not feel pain.