What do you wish you had been told about pregnancy/birth ?

Ooh there are so many things - but the one thing I never thought to think about or ask was where does all the fluid that you have retained go??? I certainly found out those first couple of days after the birth with the amount of times I was peeing!!!!! And the copious amounts. I now know where the fluid goes to!!

Thing i wish I knew. Your bowel motions soften & you need to go alot when you are in labour. Which is a good thing, less chance of it coming out while actually pushing the baby out. Glad I was told that by my sister that you need to push like your doing a poo when pushing the baby out. No one told me about the incredible burning pain on your vagina as the babys head comes out. MY GOD! it was like having a hot iron agaist it.
Oh & also the after pains while your breastfeeding. The contractions you get after the birth to get your uterus back to normal. Not to bad first baby but gets worse with each one after that.

Yes the after pains!! I was shocked I called the midwife in and told her I was having more contractions...

I never had any afterpains & if you recall back to me falling preg with #2 I was petrified of after pains & truly felt nothing!????

Also life as you know/knew it, will NEVER be the same again... It will be much better!!!!

*groan* afterpains! I had always thought that as soon as the baby was out the pain would stop... or at least after the placenta was out it would all be over and done with... uh uh not for me... baby came out, strong pain continued, couldn't hold baby until I'd been given pethadine... then with each BF it hurt again but milder... then last time with DS on Day 3, all of a sudden out of no where it was labour revisited and i wasn't even BFing!!! So bad I fell to the floor... had to have more pethidine. I'm kinda scared of that happening again... but like Barley said, this isn't true for everyone... I was just shocked that it happened to me though.... had never heard or read about it (or at least being so severe).

I don't think too much shocked or surprised me about my pregnancy labour and birth, other than labour hurting way more than expected. I think is was the whole looking after baby and the whole change in my identity that shocked me the most. I no longer mattered, all my wishes, wants and needs are not taken into account. It is like once this new little person in the world is hear family and in-laws can demand what they want I have to put up it "because of the baby".

Mine would have to be the continual toilet stops during the night, and then after emptying full bladder the fact that i am then hungry and have to eat something :S.

wow , maybe I should have asked this question BEFORE I got pregnant.. hehe.. Nah , thanks for all the answers/advice .. its nice to see that no matter how bad the afterpains / sleep deprivation / uncomfort during labour etc etc... all of you say its worth it and life changing in a positive way :-) You make me want to meet my little mini-me even sooner!!

So true... the discomfort can be shocking but all worth it! Must be if I'm going back for a third! Nothing else in life compares to creating a new life... oh and also the love you feel for your little baby can also hurt! Nobody told me that! :)

I just finished work and I'm only just beginning to comprehend (silly me!) how much my life is going to change (definatley for the better). NOTHING is going to be the same again!!

Afterpains - Didn't realise that they could be as painful as that you poor things! It's good to know this stuff actually. I'd rather be armed with the knowledge that it 'can' happen rather then have it happen and be going 'WTF'

I never knew that a person could bleed so much when you stand up after the inital rest period. And that the blue sheet protectors are your friends.
Bec

I wish they had of told me that you have some shocking nights sleeps even before the your baby is born, Its like bubs is preparing you, so your body will ache so you can't sleep nice and soundly. :( You cant even stock up on some sleep before you dont get any.

No one told me that you can bleed so much stright after the birth. when I showered to freshen up about 1/2 an hour after the birth I had to sit over teh toilet to get dressed so I wouldn't get blood down my legs! TMI sorry.

Oh I have another one, no one told me that I would be able to hear when ever some one hit their buzzer for a nurse to come. I would lay there at night thinking "answer that bloody phone!" every 1/2 an hour or so "BRRRRIINNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGG" You would think they could just have a little flashy light or something so not to disturb all the other patients.
I wouldn't press mine, I would go and find a midwife if I had a question.

Oh I knew people could be inconsiderate, but I was shocked at how damn rude visitors are in maternity wards! 20 people (inc kids) cramming in to a shared ward, and then refusing to leave when the announcement came over the speakers.

I suppose I never realised how noisy hospitals can be.

OOOH Astrid, I agree!

The lady oppsite me was having issues with her DP, that hadnt even seen the bubs, she had 3 other kids that were with her sister & she said they all had pneumonia so couldnt come in...

Maddy & Dh came in we pulled the curtain across & just hung out quietly, whilst she was swearing her head off at her DP on the mobile & then was calling friends to go check up on him coz she wasnt sure if he was at some other girls house!
It was really sad, then she went out onto the smokers verandah for an hour & left her daughter screaming in our ward! A nurse told her we dont leave babies all alone!
Then at 11pm, I was just starting to doze off & the DP & 3 other kids come in & stayed til 1am... But kept banging on the end of my bed!!! Talkinh loud & then after they left Indah woke so i was feeding her so she come in to my section of the curtain with her stink smokers breath to tell me her DP had snuck her 3 sick kids in! I was just think OMG, I hope my baby doesnt get sick!!!!!

Yep rude people in the same room as you! She discharged herself the next morning!!!!! Thank Goodness!

Oh god Barley! what a story. Lucky she buggered off the next morning. If I was you I would have been going out to dob on her for having visitors so bloody late & SICK ones at that!

*groan* OMG what a horror story Barley! I've never shared a room before... having gone private... but this time i am going to have to... *wimper*