Is honesty the best policy?

Question

Ladies! I told my husband that when other women ask me how my labour and delivery went I’m honest with them and say it was horrible.  I’m not masking anything.  It started out great, until my epidural quit working and I felt every back to back contraction for the last 6 hours of my 16 hour labour during which I acquired an infection and had to have a c section. Then they told me I actually didn’t have an infection so I had only the one course of antibiotics, and a week later I was back in the hospital with that uterine infection! 
As women, I think we know what we’re getting into.  Labour and delivery is not easy.  It should be no surprise to women when I say it was awful and I think I’m doing us all a disservice by pretending it was okay.  My husband thinks I shouldn’t be so dramatic and maybe if I say it’s not that bad then the next woman won’t be anxious about it...
Thoughts??

Answer

Im honest about my labor and delivery but I actually loved everything about it. I was induced and did get the epidural. Pitocin sucks and is brutal. I’m also honest though about my ppa and ppd. That was the brutal part for me. I cried everyday for probably a month. One day I got so frustrated and upset that I shook the bassinet. It’s real and it’s sucks and women should know that they are not alone in it. It was the worst month of my life. I’m on the other side and am so much happier after being on medication and giving up breast feeding.

Answer

I tell people it wasn’t great and always ask if they want the honest details because I remember people telling me their horror stories when I was pregnant and it gave me a lot of anxiety. That being said even if I give all of the bad details I do end with saying “but I’m willing to do it again for another baby”

Answer

I don’t think you should ever downplay your feelings about labor. With that being said though, every labor experience is different. My first one in a hospital setting where I was induced was hell. However, my second, at a birth center, was probably the best experience of my life. I wouldn’t try to scare women. Just let them be aware.

Answer

I wouldn’t sugar coat it- and I don’t sugar coat my labors. I had two beautiful, easy, empowering labor and deliveries and one very scary, traumatic labor and delivery. If the only stories women hear are good stories, they may feel more alone when things don’t go the way they planned, or when it gets really tough.

Answer

You arent being dramatic. Birth is a painful process, as is healing. Every experience is different and your story is just as legitimate as someone who had an easy labor.

Answer

That’s not dramatic!! My husband says the same thing, but I told him to push a 9lb baby out his who-ha and then he can tell me to not be dramatic😂 3rd degree tear and no sleep for 40 hours because of labor/visitors/nurses ect. I WISH people would’ve told me the truth about the first few days of baby’s life. Labor was easy compared to the after care for me. I wouldn’t sugar coat it now that I know

Answer

My labor and delivery was okay. There was a brief second when I told my mom that this wasn’t fun anymore. I was only in active labor for 7 hours, and only 1-1.5 hours was bad. I wasn’t even in enough pain to need an epidural. I asked for one because I had been there for 5 hours and hasn’t slept in over 24 hours already and wanted to sleep. I was already 10cm though. I think it just depends on the woman, and the pregnancy, and of course the baby.

Answer

The blunt honesty of many women in my life, while it was a bit scary, helped me mentally prepare to deliver. Some of the ugly that happened during mine wasn’t so stressful as it happened BECAUSE I was given the dirty details from them prior.

Answer

You aren't being dramatic! 
I kept telling myself I wanted to try my best to get an epidrual...
After laboring at home for 13 hours, when I finally got in the hospital and was offered one 3 hours later, I got it. 
And guess what? At first it was great but it wore off after 2 hours. I felt EVERYTHING. 
In my opinion....FUCK trying to make it look and seem like it was easy when it wasnt. 
One of the hardest but yet greatest things I've ever done in my life and I'd do it again in a heartbeat for my girl..
That's was makes it so beautiful 💕

Answer

I'm always honest about my experience. I was induced, it was progressing fine til I got my epidural. Then it slowed. So they increased the pitocin and my babys heart rate started dropping. Then i started having trouble breathing. Then they rushed us to the OR. I passed out on the way there. Had an emergency c section while i was passed out. Woke up with a spinal migraine because the epidural left a hole in my spine. That lasted two weeks. And then I had a bad reaction to the inner sutures and they got infected.

Is honesty the best policy?

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