I got that wrong!? Share your misconceptions of labour

[NashiPear]

When you were in labour, was there anything you got wrong or misinterpreted.

I still think this was a little funny, but I am hoping other people have funny/interesting things to share.

1. Towards the end of the dialating stage, I suddenly felt an urge to push. I remembered in the video a part where you were told not to push and just breathe (I guess it is the crowning stage), but I remember freaking out that I was pushing and trying not to for a while, until I cried to the midwife, I can't help it, I can't stop pushing. She then assured me that was what I was supposed to be doing!

2. I also remember while on the birthing ball down in labour and delivery that I was telling my husband to pace himself, that we could be here for days. So often you hear of people in labour for two days plus. I remembered my sister started to have contractions and was back and forth from the hospital and the baby was born almost two days later. The nurse overheard me and corrected me.... no, I only had hours! Luckily, because I couldn't have done that level of pain for two days.

So what misconceptions did you have prior to the birth?!

 

[NashiPear]

by the way... the midwife was correct. My little boy was born about 6 hours later.

 

[bathbabe]

Contractions start spaced out then get closer together! Uhhh, not always! Mine were full on from the start! Ouch!

'You will know when its true labour' it took 7hours, 2midwives and a consultant to decide it was labour and not an 'irritated uterus'

 

[katieeandbump]

Yeh same as bathbabe.. They told me I wasn't in full blown labour because my contractions were 'too close together' I was getting a minute break with 2 mins of really hard contractions and they sent me home and everything :O and was rushed back into hospital where my lil boy was born an hour later! They kept telling me they were going to get more intense and I really crapped myself thinking I can't take more pain that this haha! Xxx

 

[Mammatotwo]

Mine was that it would take a long time. I had a 3 1/2 hour labour and refused to call my hubby as I thought I would be there all night. Was at the hospital already for PROM It was when I started to be sick (transition) that they rang my hubby with me saying no I will be ok. My DH walked into the room with me pushing and 12 minutes later DD was born. Guess I should of called him earlier, so glad the midwives did.

Another was that you dialate 1cm every hour...WRONG (for me) I went from 4cm to fully dilated and pushing in 1/2 hour. Which was another reason I did not call hubby cause at 4cm who knew I would move that fast.

 

[Cee108]

I haven't had one myself yet but loads of people are telling me the same myths about labor progressing slowly that all of you mentioned that were proved wrong.

However, I remember my Mom going into labour with my little brother (14 years younger than me) at 2:00 am in the morning. When we got to the hospital, she was only a little dilated. The Mid-wife told her to 'wait'... I remember my Mom saying to her 15 minutes later, 'I've had really quick labours with all my children. Please check again.' The mid-wife sort of gave her a stop-being-silly look but checked any ways and half screamed! My brother was born at 3:20 am ... talk about speeding up, LoL.

I hope my labour's as short and easy!

 

[aj11]

1. For some reason i thought with the epidural i would not be able to move my legs. i could move my legs just fine! dont know that i could walk around on them but i certainly wasnt immobile by any means.

2. I have a very extroverted personality, but when i was in hard labor i just shut right down, barely talked, just went inside myself. everyone thought something was wrong with me, but it was just my way to deal with what was going on.

3. with the pitocin, you just have to deal with the contractions being bad. after 2 hours of horrible piggy backed contraction i finally said something about it, guess what...they turned the pitocin down. duh!!!

 

[mum22ttc#3]

Yep mine was that it would take alot longer too, that and that being induced would hurt so much more than a natural birth (Ive had 2 natural births with only gas and air to compare to since). Also I was told I wasnt in labour and that it would get a whole lot worse, only too later find out that the contraction machine wasn't working (not sure the real name for it).

First labour ended up being only just under 4 hours and being induced ended up being no more painful than a natural labour for me.

 

[chuck]

That the hospital MW's and OB's do what they can to help you.

Bullshit.

They do what's best by policy and targets too often.

 

[sequeena]

If you scream when you push you lose all your energy in your scream.

Mine was the opposite. When I was silent I couldn't push him out. When I screamed I pushed him out.

 

[2009Mommy]

Everyone can tell you what labor and birth is like but you really dont know until you go through it because everyone is different and have different experiences!

My first misconception about labor was that it would be a natural birth. Wrong! I was induced due to Cholestasis of Pregnancy at 37 weeks.

I thought being induced would make labor quicker and I would give birth in a matter of hours. Wrong! I went in at 1pm Tuesday got Pill to soften Cervix and at 7pm stated me on Pitocin, I stayed up all night because I was too exited and thought any minute I would have my baby. Baby was born 1pm Wednesday.

I thought with the epidural I would still be able to feel my legs and would reduce the pain but not take it off completely (which it was something I wanted to feel, weird huh) Wrong! I couldn't feel my legs at all, they felt like foreign to my body and birth was painless but I still felt when I had to push.

I thought breastfeeding would be so easy for me, since I have large breast (LOL) yea that's what I though!WRONG! it was so hard and frustrating because my nipples are too short for baby to latch on correctly so I had to use a plastic nipple which I hated and really didn't work.

and I thought that the nurses would take care of my baby for a while so I would get a good amount of sleep since I was too sleepy and mentally drained (which caused me to almost have a nervous breakdown but thank God my hubby and family helped me.) but they didn't and when I asked for baby formula to feed my baby because he wasn't getting enough food they said NO you have to breastfeed and I almost begged but they said No and very roughly she latched my baby on to me.

I thought giving my baby a bath would be easy wrong! at the beginning it was so hard he was so tiny my mom actually bathe him until he was a month old.

and I thought motherly love and unconditional love would be instant as many people say it is. well it wasn't. until later. my friend had told be about this but I still though it would be instant.

like I said you only know when you go through it.

 

[NashiPear]

If you scream when you push you lose all your energy in your scream.

Mine was the opposite. When I was silent I couldn't push him out. When I screamed I pushed him out.

I remember doing these forceful groans out of my mouth and being told to put that force down below....... ha, ha. I guess baby isn't coming out of my mouth

It is obvious that so many things may be different for different people.

 

[aj11]

If you scream when you push you lose all your energy in your scream.

Mine was the opposite. When I was silent I couldn't push him out. When I screamed I pushed him out.

I remember doing these forceful groans out of my mouth and being told to put that force down below....... ha, ha. I guess baby isn't coming out of my mouth

It is obvious that so many things may be different for different people.

it's so strange how different everyone can be!!! when i was pushing the Dr. told me i could make a noise to help...i tried it once and it destroyed all my concentration. i pushed better without making a noise. BUT the lady in the next room screamed so much i wondered if she was getting beaten!

 

[Nimbus]

Slightly after birth, but i thought that having never had any mental health issues, being a generally happy and content person, that PND would never be an issue for me... how wrong i was

 

[tangangng]

They kept telling me they were going to get more intense and I really crapped myself thinking I can't take more pain that this haha! Xxx

 

[NashiPear]

Slightly after birth, but i thought that having never had any mental health issues, being a generally happy and content person, that PND would never be an issue for me... how wrong i was

I had a friend with severe PND and she accidentally fell pregnant again. Not what she wanted at the time, but the baby was very healing for her and she had a totally different experience. I hope your next one is as wonderful experience as hers was.

 

[Caezzybe]

1. Women in labour don't scream (yeah, right!)
2. Labour pain is unbearable (I got through it with TENS and paracetemol)
3. The latent phase of labour hurts like mad and you will probably go to hospital thinking you are in full labour but are only 1cm dilated (I didn't even notice the latent stage, I thought it was just braxton hicks and went dashing round the shops for storage boxes and tidying the house)
4. A birthing ball is great during labour (I wasn't capable of sitting during labour and spent all the delivery and birth on one side lying down)
5. It's impossible to eat or drink in active labour - wrong! I managed a Muller light yogurt and several diet Cokes
6. It's OK, you won't lose bowel control during the 2nd stage - (hate to admit it but I did and I'm not the only one)
7.

 

[babybefore30]

Your first baby will take hours (even days), the contractions will come and go. My waters broke at 20.15 at home we went to the hospital and was told it could be a couple of days so they sent me home by the time I got back I was contracting and they were not stopping I just thought it was the beginning and it would get worse ( I could not lie down and was constantly being sick) at 02.20 I screamed for hubby as he had been tucked up in bed through all of this and he rushed me to hospital LO was born six minutes after we arrived!! I wish now I had stayed in for an hour before I went home.

 

[Claire300]

1. Labour will take ages. The midwife was trying to send me home, I had just got to hospital + she thought I was being a wuss saying I was in so much pain so quickly. I was 4cm, + he arrived within 3 hours.

2. That you know when you're in labour. I spent the 1st 3 hours thinking I was badly constipated + trying to go to the toilet!

3. This is a myth I didn't believe but turned out to be true! That you don't care about how you look/act in full labour. When I was getting ready to go to hospital (contractions were 2mins apart btw) I straightened my hair + put some foundation on, and swore to my hubby I didn't want to totally strip off or undo my nighty, I wanted to retain some dignaty. Ha! I ended up having a water birth, bollock naked in the pool (well I didn't want to get my bra wet lol) with lovely wet frizzy hair! Oh, and on a side note when you crap in the pool it floats.....

 

[sequeena]

Lol by the I got to the labour ward (7cm) I wandered into the toilet with only a t-shirt on and tried to poo (didn't realise it was his head). You really do not care! And when you have stitches you don't care that your legs are in stirrups and there's someone staring at your fanny (in my case 2 as there was a trainee learning how to stitch)