7 things I really wasn’t prepared for during my first labour
There’s only so much you can prepare for when it comes to labour, and because every birth is different, it’s impossible to really know what lies ahead. When I was pregnant, I did everything I could in the lead-up to my big day. Like many others, I went to my antenatal classes and learned about the stages of labour, the different types of pain management and what an episiotomy was all about. I wrote a birth plan and read up on what to expect when my waters broke. I thought I was clued up and knew what was coming.
But while a lot of things happened during my first labour that I had been forewarned about, there were plenty of things that took me by surprise, despite my careful preparations.
3. Paracetamol didn't touch the sides
I tried taking a couple of these, as suggested by the midwife who ran our antenatal classes, but they had zero effect on the pain of contractions. Hell, I even tried sipping on a glass of wine to take my mind off them, but alcohol was the last thing I wanted to taste while I was in labour, so that didn’t work either. I remember looking in the mirror after labouring all day at home, and I was as pale as a ghost from pain and exhaustion. Still, that was only the beginning.