Since my last Unrealistic Expectations post was so fun, I thought I would do one all about labor and delivery! Going into labor the first time around, I really had NO idea what to expect, and I really dramatized everything in my head. This time around I feel like I have a better grasp on things, but since every labor is different I feel like I’m going into the unexpected again! Here are 7 of my misconceptions about labor and delivery!
- I would go past my due date: Most first time moms do go past their due date, and in Utah you cannot be induced until you are 41 weeks pregnant. I was absolutely convinced I’d have to wait until I was 41 weeks and be induced because I saw no signs of this baby coming on time. You can imagine my surprise when she came all on her own at 39 weeks!
- My labor would be really long: I’ve heard horror stories of first time moms being in labor for days and not being admitted to the hospital because they weren’t progressing quickly enough. I was convinced that I’d be in labor for at least 12 hours and I was terrified of this. Luckily, I was in labor for a whopping 7 hours and was only in pain for about half of that!
- I wouldn’t want pictures/videos of delivery: I was set on not wanting to see anything that was going on down there. I’d watched plenty of YouTube videos and it freaked me out how much blood and fluids come out during delivery. Jared really wanted to film the delivery, and I finally caved and said he could but that I would never watch it. A few hours after birth, I got brave and asked to watch it and I’m so glad he recorded it! It was really cool watching the delivery from his perspective and despite tearing, it wasn’t nearly as scary or gross as I expected!
- Pushing would be the most painful part: Thank goodness for epidurals otherwise this would probably be true! The most painful thing for me was getting catheterized after birth and after my epidural had worn off because I couldn’t go to the bathroom on my own (thanks second degree urethral tear!) This was hands down the most pain I have ever been in, and I’m convinced it’s the most pain I’ll ever experience. Never ever ever doing this again!
- I had my baby in the morning, so I’d have energy the rest of the day: Even if you can’t physically feel contractions, your body and muscles are going through the biggest workout of your life! Once the adrenaline from giving birth wore off, I was so exhausted! It was 2 pm and all I wanted to do was sleep.
- I’d want to hold my baby nonstop: Don’t get me wrong, as soon as she was born I felt an instant connection and love for Reagan. But I was nervous about holding, feeding, and taking care of a newborn and didn’t want to look like I was lost in front of other people. I was good with letting whoever hold her while I laid in bed, and we had her sleep in the nursery the first night because I was pretty terrified I wouldn’t know what to do if she started crying.
- Breastfeeding would happen right away: Not only was I totally lost when it came to breastfeeding, but Reagan didn’t know how to latch properly and when I tried to pump literally nothing came out. The lactation consultant stopped by our room for like 5 seconds and I didn’t know how to ask her for help. We had to go see a different LC sometime during the first week which was SO helpful, and I’m so glad we didn’t give up on breastfeeding despite the slow start.
What were your misconceptions about labor and delivery the first time around? Or if you’re a first time mom to be, what are your fears and worries about labor? I’d love to hear!