Our most memorable pregnancy & postpartum experiences that caught us by surprise
We all know that pregnancy and giving birth is different for everyone, and even with multiple kids, no experience is quite the same. But why is it that we hear the same old common warnings and advice, time and time again?
Yes, you won’t sleep much with a newborn (who hasn’t heard that one?), but did you know that the exhaustion mixed with unbalanced hormones could cause you to yell at your baby? Mom guilt will nearly kill you for all the things that make you feel like you’re failing miserably, and we just wanna let you know— it happens to the best of us.
Not to scare the first-timers away (then again, sorry, you’re in this for the long run now), but we’re here to give you the hard truths, so you can drop those expectations to a bare minimum.
We narrowed down our list to some of our favorites, and wondered, “Why the hell do people not talk about this?!”
Because you know… a warning would have been nice.
Jena
After a cesarean, nothing scared me more than the thought of sneezing, coughing or laughing.
Scratch that – the thought of taking a shit scared me the most.
That I would stuff hand towels in my bra to catch milk leaks.
Catching baby vomit in my hand was a thing, and while it was gross, i felt like a ninja.
My boobs got ginormous and rock hard if i missed a pumping/feeding.
There is an art to wrapping up a dirty diaper, and it would trigger me if someone didn’t do it in that perfect way.
I would want to murder whoever rang the doorbell after the baby just fell asleep.
There would be so much damn laundry.
Krystle
I wouldn’t be able to shit, not coz i physically couldn’t, but because i was so scared to push anything else out after getting stitches. Lol ok so gross but so true!
After giving birth, I felt like I got hit by a truck after my second kid. Im not sure if it was coz i was in my 30’s but i remember thinking “damn my body hurts, this baby is definitely my last kid.”
I would be utterly exhausted after giving birth (due to 18 hours of labor) to the point that I barely had energy to open my eyes and look at my baby.
I would need nipple cream ASAP! My nipples were crying after the 3rd or 4th feeding with my first child.
I wouldn’t want visitors. Movies really set you up for failure. I thought I’d want to see everyone and introduce my sweet little baby (both times), but it was the complete opposite. I only wanted to see immediate family, sleep, and have my babies all to myself.
Mara
Despite all the prep (like putting on makeup) before going to the hospital, I still didn’t like the way my birthing photos turned out.
Labor and giving birth isn’t necessarily easier with the second one.
I actually believed that birthing presents were a thing, until it never happened to me.
I thought I’d cry once I saw my baby for the first time, but I was just too dead exhausted and passed out.
They actually forced my baby to feed on my engorged boobs right after giving birth— going through all that pain made me feel like an animal.
The cesarean process felt like I was a frog in the lab going through dissection.
Thea
Seeing my s/o sleep so well would make me want to kick him in the face.
Losing the baby weight isn’t the same in your 30’s as it was in your 20’s.
Postpartum recovery refers to more than just the vagina.
Sleep deprivation makes you do things you’d never expect— like get mad at a newborn for not knowing what they need.
Breastfeeding is so much harder than it seems.
Speed eating is an actual thing.
Resentment towards those who get good rest is real.
You find out who genuinely cares about you/your family.
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