The birth of your child is one of the most important events in your life. It’s thrilling, scary, and beautiful. You’ll likely remember it for the rest of your life. However, what you don’t see on TV or in movies about the birth of a child is usually more representative of reality: childbirth can be messy, confusing, and downright unpleasant. Here are a few things moms should know about giving birth:
1. You may not get the birth experience you expect.
You may not get the birth you expect, because giving birth is unpredictable. The truth is, there’s no way to know exactly what will happen when you give birth. It’s a process that each woman experiences differently and one that can be affected by many factors: your physical condition, your baby’s position and size, and the skill of your doctor or midwife. Things can also go wrong, and some parents find they need the help of a birth injury attorney in rare cases.
2. You are not alone.
As a mom, you’re going to have an important role in the life of your child. You will be there for them during their first steps, their first words and everything beyond. It would be great if we could get through this amazing experience without any pain or suffering but since that isn’t always possible or practical (especially when it comes to giving birth), it’s important that we know what some of the dangers might be so that we can take steps to avoid them as much as possible.
3. You may not feel an immediate bond with your baby.
It’s perfectly normal to feel a little disconnected from your newborn in the first few weeks. Your hormones are still adjusting after having a baby, and you might be feeling exhausted and overwhelmed by everything else going on like figuring out how to breastfeed. If you’re struggling with depression during this time, talk with a professional about treatment options.
Finally, don’t worry if you’re not immediately enamored of your child, it’s common for new parents to have some ambivalence early on. That’s okay! While it might take some time before those feelings change into something more positive, there’s absolutely no reason why they should affect how much love or devotion you have for them now or in the future.
4. Your body will change.
One of the most common pieces of advice that new moms hear is that their bodies will change. You will lose weight, but not as much as you think you will; your body shape and size will shift dramatically; and if you’re like most women, you’ll have stretch marks or scars from pregnancy and labor.
But what people often forget to mention is that there’s no way to predict how these changes will affect your post-birth appearance, you may be horrified at what your breasts look like for a month after giving birth! Or maybe everything went really well and now every inch of your body looks exactly how it did before pregnancy. Either way, we all just agree on one thing: Your new body isn’t going back in time by any means, so try to get used to is and seek help if you feel like you are mentally struggling.