Labour and Birth - Things the Movies don't tell us!!

Froslass

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Hi Ladies, I saw a thread like this on another forum, and found it really informative, so I thought it would be nice to start one here :)

Obviously, in the movies they portray labour and birth as "Ow - waters gone, go to the hospital - few contractions, pushes, babies out".

So thought it would be good if we could have some brutally honest opinions of Labour AND all the stuff that follows after...The stuff no one seems to even mention :lol:from ladies that have been there and done it before.

This is my first, and I'm trying to get all the info I possibly can, scary or not! :lol:
 
some people disagree, but the pain - there is nothing in the world like it. But you don't care iykwim

Having your waters broken - aviod at all costs, especially if you have a closed posterior cervix. Worse than labour itself!

afterwards , the feelings of euphoria, bliss, calm, relaxation, your body feels heavenly, weightless - enjoy it!

I also wish i'd have known about hypnobirthing with my first 2. made a world of difference!
 
Definitely agree with the waters been broken making it worse- I was coping quite well with the contractions till they broke my waters-he was born an hour and a half later but that time was a complete blur.
Leave ur dignity at the door cos u really won't care who's looking or havin a poke around up there. I've had 4 labours which altogether has consisted of:7 midwives,1 sister,1 consultant,3 students that's all had a poke about up ther lol(that doesn't include any antenatal checks either),don't be embarrased to ask for any help goin to the toilet etc whilst in labour or afterwards,gettin off the bed without gettin blood everywhere isn't easy,I basically made the mw make a nappy out of the paper sheet so I could waddle to the toilet to get some knickers and a pad on :/
 
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I certainly didnt know what to expect and my best 3 has got her 3rd on way and the two labours so far she found quick and easy were two other friends found it so painful and traumatic with waters broke and epidural and leg braces so i was 13days over due and getting anxious as they wanted to induce me but luckily i woke that morning with a period type pain and within 2 hours i was paising up and down the road with my contractions half a min apart so no break n like that til i got to hospital and they run the water for my waterbirth and i personally thought the pain whilst in the bed out the bed etc trying to cope with the pain n odd bit of gas and air was so much easier as soon as i got in the water and only an hour and a half later my lil man was born and i found its true what they say you forget the pain as soon as you hold them although being 9lb i had a few cuts which hurt for a week after other than that i was luvky.. Nice and semi easy.xxx
 
Once the baby's born, there's blood EVERYWHERE! I didn't notice with my first cos it was a water birth, but 2n time it was in the bathroom and it was like something out of a horror film :shock:

Nothing will ever, ever replace the feeling of having a newborn baby on your chest! The smell, feel, everything! I've been told I'm crazy aswell cos one of my
Favourite things was feeling the cord like, hanging out whilst baby was still attached' god knows why, probably xos its what was feeding them etc!

You don't always know your waters have gone! I have no idea when they went with E!

If you tear badly, they'll stick a finger up your bum to check
How bad the tear is, make sure you have lots of gas and air!!

And, enjoy it! It doesn't have to be like on tv, with all te screaming etc!
 
Once the baby's born, there's blood EVERYWHERE! I didn't notice with my first cos it was a water birth, but 2n time it was in the bathroom and it was like something out of a horror film :shock:

Nothing will ever, ever replace the feeling of having a newborn baby on your chest! The smell, feel, everything! I've been told I'm crazy aswell cos one of my
Favourite things was feeling the cord like, hanging out whilst baby was still attached' god knows why, probably xos its what was feeding them etc!

You don't always know your waters have gone! I have no idea when they went with E!

If you tear badly, they'll stick a finger up your bum to check
How bad the tear is, make sure you have lots of gas and air!!

And, enjoy it! It doesn't have to be like on tv, with all te screaming etc!


i know what you mean by the cord lol


i didnt find waters being broke 1 bit painful i thought it was quite a nice feeling

your baby might come out covered in blood and gunk but tbh you wont care
 
Can only repeat what the others have said, with my first I couldn't believe it when I went for a shower afterwards, I stood up off the bed and blood just poured out of me, it looked like I had been massacred! With my second she was back to back and I was on the drip and the pain was awful, I said to my DH that I couldn't go through it again, an hours or so later I said well maybe one more, the memory of the pain really does go that quickly. And there is no feeling on this Earth that feels as good as skin to skin contact with your newborn, it is amazing!!!
 
It takes a loooooonnnnnggggg time! Definitely not in 15 mins like the movies! Time passes by in a different way - it's weird - it took me 24 hrs on top of a sleepless night before starting labour but I didn't feel sleepy at all. Knackered yes but not sleepy iykwim?

Modesty goes out of the window. You don't care about who sees your bits.

You just know how to hold the baby, change a nappy etc when she arrives - the instincts kick in automatically.
 
hahah, loose your self when u get to the hozzy doors as all dignity goes,
you have that many diff people comin and going looking at your bits an bob and avin a feel its crazy, its the normal for them, and every day stuff - just like a car going in for its MOT haha

doc broke my waters by accident, didnt make no difference pain wasnt any more intense

BIG ONE - have an open mind, one thing is for sure there are no garentees in labor or how it will go

epidural - Brilliant for me after so much of a horrible labor (2days) it felt like heaven for about a hour, but then it wore of boohoo and nobody was availble to top it up

emergency c.section - not as scary as you would think, very much a releaf after so many hours of pain an gettin no were that you no in a few mins you going to see your baby, sort of takes away the panic, also feels like some ones doing the washin up in your tummy.
 
Ooo I always wondered if it really did feel like someone washing up!

And it can happen in 15 mins :lol: or less :oooo: but that's actually worse than having a long one!
 
Ooo I always wondered if it really did feel like someone washing up!

And it can happen in 15 mins :lol: or less :oooo: but that's actually worse than having a long one!
 
i ended up tearing really badly and had to have stitches hurt so bloody much! nobody even mentioned about maybe needing stitches whilst i was pregnant x
 
When I was pregnant I was so scared of giving birth, I'm a complete wuss when it comes to pain (I pass out from paper cuts!) but honestly the worst thing about it for me was the tiredness. Obviously the pain was bad, I won't lie! I can't even describe it it's nothing like I'd ever felt, but you deal with it cause you know it'll go away and you can relax until the next one. I was in labour for 37 hours and I can't even remember what the pain was like now I just remember being exhausted and begging them to let me sleep. I managed for 27 hours without any pain relief, then I had gas and air (doesn't really help much IMO, just made me chat rubbish!) then I had an epidural five hours before he was born. I probably could've done it without if I hadn't been so tired but by that point I just wanted to relax! When they put my son on my chest I burst into tears, I can't even begin to describe the feeling you get when you hold your baby for the first time. It's immense! I had to be cut to get him out and the pain after from the stitches was worse than the pain of contractions. Every movement hurt, breathing hurt and omg coughing and sneezing was a nightmare!!
People used to sayto me that you forget the pain straight away and I'd always think yeah ok whatever, but it's so true.
 
Gas and air will make you feel drunk and mental , but not great for pain . An epidural may not always work , mine was topped up a few times before I had a spinal . The best feeling in the world is hearing that first cry and holding your little one :)
 
Thanks so much ladies for sharing! :lol:

No one ever told me I might need stitched, or that I might bleed for weeks after it! I think it's really good to hear everyone experiences and it means that when I do get to labour and birth I might not freak out as much if something unexpected happens!! :)

I'm only 10 weeks but already I can't wait to hold my LO xx :)
 
noone warned me how much you'd bleed! i remember getting FOB to get the mw to come and see me in the shower, cos it was everywhere! she took one look at me and said "you were a tampons girl before getting pregnant werent you?" :lol:
 
See I'm worried bout this cause my OH is SOOOOOOO squeamish, and I might need help with the shower and everything..

I'm so glad you're telling me this, cause If i saw it all I would think there was something wrong! xx
 
Oh God after reading all this I don't want mine to come out!!!!! I'm no good with pain and I'm no good with bodily fluids......am really not looking forward to it at all. He can just stay in as far as I'm concerned, lol xx
 
The bleeding didn't bother me too much but after my section I'd been laid down for 12 hours and wen I got up (to change lo's nappy) I bled everywhere-right in the middle of the ward,poor dh had never changed a nappy so didn't know wot to do wen I left him to get on with it whilst I left a bloody trail to the toilet. Luckily the nurse was like 'il deal with the baby,u go see ur partner' lol xx
 
lol, no-one prepared me for the amount of blood either!! Can only echo what everyone's said about leaving your dignity at the door - you might even do a little poo when you're pushing and it don't get much more embarrassing than that!!
 

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