Making it through a while pregnancy is a big accomplishment. Your body has done a lot of work to create your little one. Now you’re almost to that finish line and the joy of holding your little one in your arms. All that’s left is labor.
Labor that word that means the scary unknown. Oh, you know what the word means and what ultimately has to happen for your baby to be born. But the unknown of how labor will be for you can be so hard.
I remember being pregnant with my first baby and as my due date approached wondering each night if I was going to wake up during the night in labor.
I had taken a birth class, asked questions, and felt like I was prepared. I wasn’t! There are so many things I wish I would have learned more about before giving birth the first time.
Things to Know Before Going Into Labor
Labor and birth is a different experience for everyone, many of the same things happen but each person handles it differently. Here are a few things that I wish I would have known more about before going into labor.
Birth Plan
Having a birth plan is important and making sure that your spouse knows what you want is also important. I’m no expert on writing birth plans so I’ll leave that post for someone else to write.
As important as it is for you to do research and know what you want to happen during and after birth, it’s also important to realize that things change.
As you go through labor depending on what happens you might need or want to change your birth plan and that’s totally ok!
Pain Management
Okay, I’m just going to come out and say it the labor process and birth is painful. Just how painful depends on the person and their labor experience.
While the birth process is painful there are a lot of different ways you can help manage the pain.
The first thing that many people think of with pain management during labor and birth is an epidural that’s just one of many ways to manage the pain.
Before going into labor be sure to do some research and learn different ways of managing the pain. There are natural ways as well as medical ways to help with the pain.
During my 30 hours of labor with my first baby deep breathing and counterpressure on my back were a big help in my pain management. After 19 hours an epidural was something else I tried to help with the pain.
My friend Justine has an awesome post sharing how she has managed the pain of giving birth to her 6 children without getting an epidural.
What Happens if I Need a C-Section
The biggest question I wish I would have asked my doctors before giving birth is what happens if I need a C-section and how will it be decided?
With my first baby I ended up having an emergency c-section and luckily it went smoothly thanks to my amazing team of midwives and doctors.
A c-section was never part of my birth plan so I knew very little about what to expect.
Even if it’s not part of your plan to have a c-section and hopefully you won’t need one it’s a good idea to have the information in case you need it.
Related Post: 10 Things You Should Know about Cesarean Deliveries
What Happens After Birth
I don’t know why but overall what happens after giving birth isn’t talked about very often.
Depending on your hospital what happens can be different than what others experience.
Overall the same things need to happen after you give birth, the baby will be checked, you will be cleaned up and you will typically move to a new room.
Depending on your hospital the baby may stay with you during all of this or they might go to the nursery. This can also depend on what you want to happen.
The best part after giving birth is you can finally eat again, most of the time fairly soon after getting to your new room.
Postpartum Recovery
It’s easy to get all caught up in the new baby and everything they need but postpartum recovery is really important.
Be sure you have the supplies you need and make time to rest so that you can recover and have the energy to enjoy your new baby.
Breastfeeding
As natural as breastfeeding seems like it should be it’s not easy. It takes time and practice to get it figured out. Depending on the baby and delivery experience it can be harder or easier. But with your first baby it’s going to take work to figure it out.
With my first baby, I felt like the lactation consultant was constantly in my room and I was continually breastfeeding for the 3 days I was in the hospital after my c-section.
Related Post: Breastfeeding Tips for New Moms
A Few More Thoughts
While each of us is going to have a different experience giving birth to our babies and each baby will be different there is a lot we can learn from each other.
Before you have your baby reach out to friends, family members and your doctors office. Ask any questions you have and get information. The more information you have the more prepared you will be for anything unexpected during your birth experience.
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