It’s impossible to know exactly how being a parent feels until you become one. Everyone in your life will give you countless pieces of advice (some of which you will definitely want to ignore), but it’s ultimately up to you and your partner to decide how you want to raise your children.
The whole experience of becoming a parent can be daunting from the start, especially the idea of giving birth for moms. And while it’s expected for this to be intense and painful, there are still some things that moms wish they had been warned about beforehand. To help others feel more prepared and less alone, mothers on Threads have been discussing all of the unexpected experiences and side effects that occurred after giving birth. We’ve compiled a list of their replies below, so be sure to upvote the ones that nobody prepared you for either!
No one warned me that Hyperemesis Gravidarum was a thing I was MISERABLE my entire pregnancy, literally starving and dehydrated and yet people were telling me how “lucky” I was that I was losing weight instead of gaining it.
xolo_luv , https://kaboompics.com/ Report
No one tells you how terrifying it is to take a newborn baby home without any instructions or supervision. And the fear of going to sleep. I was terrified to go to sleep, for fear that something would happen to the baby while I was sleeping.
rwduffie , Sarah Chai/Pexels Report
That one week after having twins and you are stealing a moment alone, sitting on your front porch, the old man nextdoor will ask you, "When are you gonna have that baby?"
amaramious , Tiger Lily/Pexels Report
Breastfeeding is painful in those first few weeks (I’m on baby 4), the afterbirth cramps hurt worse the more kids you’ve had, the sweats/chills post partum because of hormone drop off, how lonely you can feel in the overnight hours, it’s ok to ask for help, trust your instincts and go for the second opinion.
xo.courtrose , https://kaboompics.com/ Report
How they make you get up and walk to the bathroom like immediately after. I’m sorry, you want me to do WHAT?
anika_notmonica Report
Your mortality matters more all of a sudden. I used to do alllll the crazy things and now I freak out over turbulence.
badgerpercolator Report
When you stand up for the first time and all your organs slosh back into place.
colleen.g.s Report
How chapped and painful your n**ples get from breastfeeding. Like w*f why are my n**ples bleeding and feeling like their gonna fall off but I still have to feed a baby with them.
amenta_ka Report
The uterus massages hurt worse than labor & the adrenaline crash is CRAZY.
taydadon_ Report
Probably an unpopular opinion but: actual birth being easier than contractions.
_swaggyzee Report
Nobody told me that the first time you pee is like the fire of the gates of hell between your legs.
claire_9382 Report
Mastitis, finding time and a place to pump at work is a joke, c-section recovery is no joke, get the epidural.
kariwrites Report
It hurts when your organs start rearranging back into place it’s like a weird, hollow, dull ache.
zjolski Report
That Post Partum can come with horrific catastrophizing OCD level intrusive thoughts. Traumatized my d**n self.
citrusprima Report
Jumping, running, sneezing, etc. is a whole other experience postpartum. Also, the U.S. s***s at providing adequate postpartum care and recovery.
lindsrose03 Report
That my v****a, that had been mine for 37 years, was never going to look the same. Ever.
anon Report
Nobody told me that during labor I wouldn't be allowed to go to the toilet and every once in a while a nurse would come to stick a tube into my pee hole and DRAIN my bladder. It's been 6 months and I still can't fully hold my pee completely like before.
melouback Report
That when you let your baby latch the sucking starts to contract your uterus, which is extremely painful the same day you just had labor contractions. It’s the same pain.
katarinamedicina Report
The postpartum night sweats that start 1-2 weeks after delivery! You wake up in the middle of the night soaked in cold sweat. It is brutal!
bcar32 Report
No one told me about postpartum hair shedding. My hair was everywhere. Me and the baby was crying.
tashafine_4.1 Report
My sister wanted me about the pain of breastfeeding. My mum warned me about the uterus contraction pains. But nobody told me about peeing your pants while absolutely not knowing you are peeing. It would’ve been nice to be warned.
lotsapow Report
That they use a crochet needle to break my water. I saw the doctor coming at me with it and I freaked out.
angolchaskey Report
If you have a c section the most painful thing is the trapped wind for 3 days after. I needed morphine for that alone.
itsbyjesse Report
The contractions AFTER birth when your uterus is shrinking back to normal size. And how nursing INCREASES these cramps. WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME. I thought after the placenta was out I was home free.
rpitre89 Report
That all of my hair would fall out and then grow back in making me look bald and then insane.
ryanclinkenbeard Report
hemorrhoids. nobody warned me about hemorrhoids. do you know how painful a thrombosed bleeping hemorroid is?
thrifty_joy Report
No one told me I could seperate my pubic bone and need to use a walker for a bit while caring for a newborn!!!!
robynak12 Report
The injection in my spine that was supposed to stop the pain, but didn't – the pain I wanted to get rid of was the contractions.
xx_lamialuna_xx Report
No one tells you it’s gonna be a lifetime for you get a proper shower.
natblond Report
When your b***s are too full and the letdown is aggressive, your baby will pull off and a fine mist of milk will spray out. It’s crazy weird.
yurpandaz Report
Nobody told me that when they give you an epidural, the needle can move and hit a nerve that numbs the entire side of your body…and can continue to move when you keep trying.
eyezonporsh Report
When you have a c/s, the nurses strap you down on a table shaped like a cross. And you're not medicated enough yet to not be fully aware. It's terrifying.
Even when numb, you can still feel the doctor shuffling your organs and heaving your body back and forth.
musephotographymn Report
I had an emergency c-section and ended up throwing up. When I told my mom after she was like “oh I got that too, sorry should’ve told you”
And then the shakes afterwards?! That wouldn’t been nice to know.
couchmcdoodles Report
The insane amount of times a nurse comes in your room and pushes the f**k out of your stomach after birth.
shasync Report
