Giving birth is both a miracle and a traumatic experience all in one for women. Going into labor and having an entire human pop out of you is not for the weak.
Many women experience things in labor that they were so not prepared for. But, now, they're sharing that knowledge so that everyone else can be prepared, too. Bless these ladies for their wisdom!
"How.....wet everything can get. If your water breaks and you have a slow leak... there’ll be fluid at home, in the car, in the waiting/triage area, in your room, in the hallway, in the bathroom. Combined with all the blood loss and peeing yourself, and it’s almost like a slip-n-slide trying to get around," -cheddarchexchick
Reddit user Olive09 said she wished someone had warned her just how bad your first c-section can be. Not only are you awake and can feel everything moving and pulling inside of you, but the healing process isn't easy nor is it painless.
"A lot of women throw up! I have a vomit phobia and was not aware of this until about a month before I was due. Luckily there are drugs you can take that help (I managed to avoid throwing up with a lot of drugs)," -[leasaur](https://www.reddit.com/user/leasaur/]
One Reddit user, CowCamp said that after you give birth, your uterus is continuing to try to contract and go back down to "pre-birth" size. She said the cramps are way worse than having your period and, it doesn't help when you're breastfeeding either.
"Your vagina is going to look like a nightmare after. Don’t look at it or touch it, put ice packs and medicine on it but don’t investigate. I repeat: DO NOT INVESTIGATE. You’ll just keep yourself up at night fretting over what happens if it never goes back to normal." -[Iristhevirus217](https://www.reddit.com/user/Iristhevirus217/]
If you give birth at a teaching hospital, you may have a few extra people in the room. One person recalls that they were asked if some nurses can come in and watch—some of them even making weird comments about the baby's head being "sucked back in."
"I had known about PPD and the 'baby blues,' but it was honestly sickening to me how sad I was after getting home from the hospital. I had wanted a baby for so long, finally had him and then just hated it. I felt like 'what did I do? Why did I do this?' It was a shock." -Kiwigirl80
One Reddit user, Sidekickgirl75 pointed out that no one warned her that she would have a nightmare, month-long period following labor and childbirth. She said no books warned her, no class, nothing. It was truly a nightmare to live through.
"If you think getting a c-section is the 'easy way out', it's not. It's major abdominal surgery, and your recovery time will be much longer. You are also more at risk for complications and infection. I spent two weeks in hospital after my first with a raging infection that could have prevented me from being able to have more children." -PersonMcNugget
One mom recalled that her husband had a full-on meltdown when she went into labor, because of canceled plans, then because of a canceled trip, then because he was so emotional about the entire thing. Guys feel the pain, too sometimes.
"There is no shame in using medications to make the process easier, especially epidurals. Natural birth is a beautiful thing, but not always the best thing. Be flexible! Things will come up that you didn't anticipate." -crocodiletears.
"I gave birth 3 days ago and I wish I had known how heart wrenching it would feel to not be able to hold my baby.
It was supposed to be a low risk delivery but little fellow got his shoulders stuck. About 7 hours later he had a seizure and was whisked to NICU where he remains until probably next week." -abyhendosaurus
Many describe birth as beautiful and moving, but Auntie_Ahem points out it can be traumatic, too. She points out that the trauma can literally break your entire mental health and make you wish you never had a baby in the first place. Some even have PTSD from it.
"That after birth you can pass large clots. When I say large I mean large. My first shower after a nurse found me crying in the shower because I thought I was dying because a baseball sized clot came out. She told me that was normal. It looked like I gave birth to a bloody jellyfish." -starlaluna
"After I got home, at least two or three nights later I would wake up (or whenever the baby woke up) dreanched in sweat. Like I felt I was out in the rain soaking wet.
I had to look it up. It would've been nice to know that our bodies dump all the extra water that we no longer need. I thought something was wrong with me." -Wrenlet
