8 Surprising Things About Labor I Wish I Knew About

There is a lot when it comes to having a baby. Labor can be scary, but it’s a beautiful thing, too. I went into labor thinking I knew all the things about labor and was prepared. Let me tell you – nothing can ever fully prepare you, even if you’ve given birth before.

Some Things About Labor Are Not So Obvious…

Every person is different and every labor is different. Take what I say with a grain of salt. But if you are pregnant and going to experience labor, here are some things about labor that I personally wish I had known – or at the very least thought more seriously about – before I went into labor.

Your Water Doesn’t Always Break

I actually knew this one because my mother’s water never broke with me. I was kind of expecting it to not break for me, either… and I was right. My water never broke.

This isn’t a bad thing at all, but it can make knowing when you’re actually in labor compared to Braxton Hicks a bit more difficult. There are other signs you can look for that I’ll get into in a bit. My water did end up being broken by the doctor when I was already there… and over 9 centimeters dilated.

One Sign You’re In Labor? Vaginal Bleeding

This is one think I didn’t know about labor, and let me tell you, it was scary. I was in pain and went to the bathroom and found that I was vaginally bleeding. Not a ton, but definitely prevalent. That’s when I got my husband and said we had to go to the hospital.

When we got to the hospital, no one really acted like it was the big emergency I thought it was… because it’s a sign of labor and they could clearly tell I was in labor (even though I didn’t realize I was!).

The Epidural Doesn’t Always Work On The First Try

I am scared of needles, but I knew I wanted an epidural. The thought of labor without it was something I did not want to experience. I was able to get one…. and it took an hour to do!

The anesthesiologist couldn’t find the right spot to give me my epidural in, and he pricked me three different times. Finally he called in someone else who was able to find the spot. But yes, if you did the math, that means I was stuck with a needle (and quite a long needle) four different times.

As if that in itself isn’t a painful enough thing about labor, the way you have to sit to get the epidural is so uncomfortable and your partner can’t be near you when it’s happening. I had to sit on the edge of the bed with my back curled kind of like a cat.

I had to sit like that for an hour since it took so long to get the epidural in! Sitting like that, while experiencing contractions, was definitely my more uncomfortable part of labor. Definitely wish I had known this particular thing about epidurals and labor.

If You Get An Epidural, You Get A Catheter Put In

This may be well known, and it makes so much sense when you think about it, but it’s something I didn’t know or realize until the doctor told me they were putting it in. I felt nothing, both when it was put in and when it came out, so it thankfully wasn’t a big deal, just something that I didn’t realize I’d need.

One Thing About Labor – It Can Go Fast

We hear all of these stories about being in labor for hours and hours. I was prepared for that. I wasn’t prepared for going to the hospital and having a baby in my hand about three hours later!

My experience was so fast, which I personally thought was one of the better things about labor that I experienced. But I will warn that I had been in labor for a bit and didn’t fully realize it. Why not? Let me segway into..

Contractions Feel Like Really Bad Cramps

I was worried I wouldn’t realize I was in labor, and I was right. As a teen, I’d get really bad cramps with my period. This lasted until I went on birth control. Why am I telling you this? Because I was used to the pain of cramps and have a high tolerance of pain because of it.

This was a good thing because I wasn’t in agony when I did go into labor. But it was a not so good thing about labor to find out then because I didn’t realize I was in labor and I didn’t go to the hospital until I was already 9 cm dilated!

Anything Can Happen During Labor

This is probably one of the scariest things about labor. You know that anything can happen, but then that happens to you. Thankfully, my baby and I are both okay and my labor wasn’t horrible. But there was a scary moment when my baby’s heart rate was dropping and the doctor said they had to get him out now.

The doctor looked at me and said I could either deliver naturally and he use forceps or I have a cesarean. I had to make the decision, on the spot, mid-push! As if that wasn’t stressful enough, while this is happening, so many different doctors and nurses ran in, including the NICU team, just in case it was needed.

I felt safe having all of them on hand, but a bit frightened. Why am I telling you this story? Because I had a perfectly healthy pregnancy the entire time and I still needed some extra help during labor. Choose where and how you give birth wisely – you never know what’s going to happen. Knowing about this being one of the things about labor could make a big difference in your experience.

It Takes A While To Regain Feeling Post-Labor And Epidural

The epidural doesn’t wear off immediately, which is a good thing about labor if you have a long labor but an eh thing if you have a short one. Even though I had given birth baby and I had to stay in the delivery room until I regained feeling in my legs.

Not just regain feeling, but I could walk to the bathroom. Well, I started regaining feeling a couple of hours later and thought I was okay to walk. The nurse helped me stand… and I immediately fell down. Learn from my mistake – don’t try and rush it!

Final Thoughts On Things About Labor I Wish I Had Known

Clearly there is a lot of unknown things about labor that we simply cannot comprehend until we’re in the middle of it. But, I hope sharing my experience of the things I wish I knew ahead of time about labor can be helpful for you.

Sometimes just being aware of various info can ease the process while you’re going through it. Don’t let this overwhelm you but use it as a tool to know you are even better prepared that before for labor. You’ve got this!

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