When I used to think that getting pregnant meant mummy getting a needle in her tummy.
That being pregnant meant special treatment, fun times, pig outs, husbands running off at 3 am on any given day to get you what you desire, having a pretty, round tummy and beautiful glowing skin.
That labour meant the doctor would put mummy into a blissful sleep and she'd wake to find your new brother/sister in her arms, with the family looking on taking photos and then mummy coming home the same day.
What sort of misconceptions did you guys have about conception (no pun intended) and pregnancy/labour?
When I was 12 my friend asked me if my mum went through labour. I said no, why would she? She asked, "so how did she have you?" umm she had her stomach cut open, duh...why would you need to go through labour to have a baby?
"Do you know what labour is?" she asked. Yes, I replied, it's part of the government, you have labour and liberal.
That once you're past 12 weeks, you're safe. I knew that already on an intellectual level, and watched my mum lose at least one baby at/after 12w, but it never really entered my mind that such a thing would happen to me!
On the more positive side, I never knew that birth could be a wonderful positive thing. The overriding view of birth in my life was always scary, screamy, painful. I hoped to avoid the worst, but up until I started trying to find the information I didn't know just how good it could be
Teni I have the exact same things as you.
I get what you mean about knowing that loss can happen at anytime but not knowing at the same time. I also thought birth was horrible, painful and something that no one in their right mind would try more than once!
I also used to think you'd get pregnant with one session of dtd without protection. How wrong I was! If I get a bfn this weekend or af shows up I'll be mighty sad indeed.
Still not as bad as one of my friends from highschool who I taught about the birds and the bees, she thought simply kissing a boy meant you'd get pregnant.
That you get pregnant as soon as you DTD with our contraception (admittedly it didn't take long for us, but I honestly used to think once and bam!)
That miscarriage exists and is common. I don't think I ever really heard about it growing up. I knew about it when I got pregnant the first time, but definitely didn't expect it as I didn't realise it was so common.
That childbirth isn't all screaming like in the movies.
That breaking waters isn't necessarily the first sign if labour.
Oh! I didn't know *anything* about ovulation or irregular periods before, aside from "your body releases an egg once a month, you get your period once a month." I didn't know it was only a small window the egg actually is there and can be fertilised! That information would've saved me a great deal of worry that one time in high school when the condom broke and I thought I might get pregnant I shudder to think how much I didn't know, even though the girls in my year level did *extra* sex ed classes at one point...
Oh... Gone are the days where you dtd and think you were utd straight away .... And you think a pregnancy test will be positive straight after dtd hahaha!
I clearly didn't read the directions as a very young teen!
It would seem that the things we were told as young teens to discourage us from having sex have had a very detrimental effect on us as mothers to be. Perhaps teaching young girls that birth is nothing but screaming in agony for hours on end is the real reason for the high elective cs rate. Until I was pg with DS and actually looked into the options and risks, I was positive I would be having all the drugs or a CS! Instead I had two drug-free vaginal births and a very positive experience with DS.
And no-one ever told me that babies are hard hard hard work! Everyone only mentioned how wonderful they are and they are the best thing you can ever do (all true yes but lying by omission is still lying )
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Gone are the days.....
I shudder to think how much I didn't know, even though the girls in my year level did *extra* sex ed classes at one point...
.... And you think a pregnancy test will be positive straight after dtd hahaha!
I clearly didn't read the directions as a very young teen!
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