Doctors Are Calling Out The Sleep Mistakes You Should Stop Making Immediately, And It's Shocking
Note: Some responses were pulled from AMAs on Reddit by board-certified sleep physician and neurologist, Dr. Nate Watson (here), and board-certified sleep specialist and neurologist, Dr. Sanford Auerbach (here).
1."If you can't fall asleep after 20–30 minutes, you should get up and move to another room to do something calming until you feel tired again. Lying in bed awake trains your brain that the bed is not for sleep and makes it more difficult to fall asleep in the long run."
—33, West Virginia
"If you can't fall asleep after 30 minutes, DON'T stay in bed. Get up, move to another room, and do something calming."
2."Reading something exciting before bed can get the brain and body activated, making it harder to fall asleep or stay asleep."
—35, Washington
3."Working until exhaustion can be harmful if you don't give your brain and body time to wind down. This can lead to nightmares or even panic attacks while sleeping."
—35, Washington
4."I'm a clinical psychologist, and I've learned that for some individuals, hot showers right before bed can actually increase blood pressure and/or heart rate, making it difficult to fall asleep."
—35, Washington
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5."It's common for people to have awakenings through the night. Hopefully, they are brief, and you fall back asleep quickly. But for many, waking at about 3 a.m. may be a problem because you have already slept for a period of time, and your body is starting to gear up for the day. You need a greater degree of relaxation at that time. So, avoid any stimulation at that time, and avoid looking at the clock, if possible. On the other hand, if you start to worry about not sleeping, you will be in trouble."
"Try to get out of bed and do something you find relaxing. If you still have issues, then investigating CBTI (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia) may be helpful. Then, you may address this with your primary care provider."
—SanfordAuerbach
6."Sleep apnea. I've seen patients come in with pretty bad heart failure after never using their CPAP machine at night. People have no idea how much strain being unable to breathe at night affects their hearts. Use your CPAP machine!"
"It may be ugly, but it will keep your heart strong so you can live out the many years you have left."
—Anonymous, 34, Ohio
"Sleep apnea worsens every other health condition because you aren't sleeping, and your body can't heal and recover overnight. It's not normal to snore; get it checked out and start using CPAP. Ditto: if you're tired all the time and fall asleep every time you sit down."
—Anonymous, 40, Canada
7."[If your mind is busy at night, and you have issues falling asleep], I suggest that you start a worry journal in the evening — set aside 15 minutes before you go to bed. Write down your negative thoughts and then close the book, allowing you to go to bed with those thoughts on the page, not in your head."
—SleepDocWatson
8."A hot bath before bed has been shown to increase deep non-REM sleep. Some medications, like antidepressants, can reduce REM sleep."
—SleepDocWatson
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9."ECU RN for seven years here. When you sleep on your side, you keep the weight of your core off your lungs and organ systems. If you are suffering organ damage from an accident, this is the best way to sleep."
—RAGECOMIC_VICAR
10."If you experience restless leg syndrome, ask your doctor to check your iron levels. There are a number of very good medications for RLS that your doctor can prescribe for you to tackle this. Massaging your legs before bed can help, and doing activities that are mentally engrossing can also reduce RLS symptoms, but this is typically not what we recommend right before bedtime!"
—SleepDocWatson
11."[Not getting enough sleep is serious.] Very few people can succeed and be healthy on less than seven hours of sleep per night. Insufficient sleep, due to inadequate or mistimed sleep, contributes to the risk for several of today's health epidemics, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity. Simply missing one night of sleep can lead to decreased cognitive function, trouble concentrating, headaches, and general moodiness."
"Sleep deficiency can lead to trouble making decisions, solving problems, controlling emotions and behavior, and coping with change, as well as distractions and mistakes. Sleep loss increases the risk of accidents caused by human error. Sleep deprivation impairment is comparable to being legally drunk. Those in relationships who consistently experience poor sleep are more likely to engage in conflict with their partners; sleep loss decreases levels of empathy."
—SleepDocWatson
12."When you take a nap, set your alarm for just 10–15 minutes from the time you lie down; that way, you don't wake from a deeper stage of sleep and end up groggy."
—SleepDocWatson
13."If you find it easier to fall asleep during the daytime than at night, there can be various reasons. For some, it may be a disorder of the natural rhythm or the circadian rhythm of sleep; if your natural rhythm doesn't mesh with your lifestyle, it may be helpful to consider shifting the rhythm. Often, a combination of properly timed bright lights and melatonin may be beneficial."
"This might require consultation with a sleep specialist."
—SanfordAuerbach
14."If you have sleep apnea, making sure you are of a healthy weight and avoiding sleeping on your back to keep your nasal passages clear can be helpful. Other options are oral appliances custom-fabricated by a dentist."
"There are also surgical options from ear, nose, and throat specialists. We always recommend seeing a board-certified sleep specialist to sort this out for you."
—SleepDocWatson
And finally...
15."There is an ideal number of hours to sleep at night, which varies for each person. To find out how much you need, try to go to bed when you are tired and wake up spontaneously when refreshed for a while — that will help determine your needs. This bedtime calculator could also serve as a guide."
—SleepDocWatson
Fellow medical professionals, what are some other sleep mistakes people should avoid? Tell us in the comments, or use this anonymous form below.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
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Tom's Guide
16 hours ago
- Tom's Guide
Reddit swears by these hacks to sleep in the heat — but which ones actually work?
Basking in sunshine and soaking up the heat as the days stretch out in summer is great. But when it comes to sleeping, the warmer months can quickly turn into a nightmare if you aren't prepared. Crowd-sourcing advice from Reddit can throw up an array of information that isn't always helpful, but when one user queried 'What hacks do you use to sleep during hot weather?' on /askreddit, they received a plethora of useful response from others who had tried and tested methods to sleep cool when temperatures are high. So, we've picked the best hacks and explained why they work (and, in one case, why not every aspect of the advice is spot on). And, while our top tip to avoid overheating at night is to choose one of the best cooling mattresses, we've also provided a few more choice pieces of Tom's Guide wisdom for keeping cool during the summer months. If you're finding yourself waking up tangled in sweaty bedding during the summer heat, consider Reddit user ThrowRAINBOW's advice and review what your bedding is made from. This is important, because heat is more likely to be trapped by synthetic materials, so the best cooling bedding is often made from natural fabrics. Materials like cotton, linen, wool and bamboo are great options for sheets (and bedding in general) as they are all naturally breathable, moisture-wicking (which means they will absorb and dissipate heat) and are likely to be cool-to-touch. Consider checking out this year's best organic mattresses for a natural bed, too. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. We're including this hack because Reddit user JerseyGirl4ever is half right. A shower before bed can be a great way to cool down and help you sleep , but a warm shower is generally considered the best bet, because your core body temperature will drop afterwards. Medical director at sleep apnea treatment company Complete Sleep, Dr. David Rosen, previously explained more about this. "A warm shower taken one to two hours before bedtime triggers vasodilation (blood vessel expansion) in your extremities, which helps dissipate core body heat more efficiently afterward," he said. Our body temperature naturally drops at night when melatonin (the sleepy hormone) is released as part of our body's circadian rhythm, so mimicking this temperature drop via the above warm showering method can help signal it's time for your body and brain to rest. In fact, a review of studies into the effects of a warm shower or bath before bed found that water heat of 40 and 42.5 °C in a shower (just like Dr. Rosen said) helped improve sleep quality and sleep efficiency. Plus taking it 1-2 hours before bedtime can decrease the amount of time it takes to get to sleep. This simple hack is great if you don't have air-conditioning in your home and are looking for DIY ways to stay cool with items you can find easily. Reddit user Pyrhan adds that, "when it's fully frozen, wrap it in a t-shirt, and hug that against your body as you fall asleep. It's particularly effective at cooling you down if you apply it against your inner thighs (lots of blood flow in that area with the femoral artery)." They're correct that placing your frozen water bottle on the inner thigh, where you have a major artery, is a good spot. Other places you can pop that ice-cold bottle include your wrists and neck. This is because putting something cool on body parts that have plenty of blood vessels near the surface of the skin will help cool your body down more quickly. "I like sleeping with a heavy comforter which is next to impossible in the summer, so instead I use a weighted blanket like this one as it simulates the same weight without being warm," u/notquincy. Switching from a heavy duvet to a light summer one, or even just a flat top sheet is definitely going to help keep you cooler, but if you need some kind of pressure on you to sleep, a weighted blanket, as suggested by Reddit user notquincy, may be the solution. The handwoven natural cotton Silk and Snow option they suggest is going to give you the pressure relief a weighted blanket is designed to provide, but the naturally breathable material will help avoid overheating. Another option is the YNM Original Cotton Weighted Blanket, which we rate as one of the best weighted blankets out there. Our reviewer noted that it, "never once felt stifling and we didn't feel overheated," and reported that, " the crisp cotton cover remains cool." This tip from Reddit user hawksnest_prez is one that's going to go against your natural instinct to let the fresh air in and enjoy having sunshine streaming through your home. However, shutting the windows and drawing the curtains or blinds in your bedroom, also known as the 'caveman method,' can be an effective way of cooling your home in a heatwave. And it's all about recreating the ambience of a cave! "A cave is cool in heatwaves because it is dark and doesn't have direct sunlight or a direct entrance for the heat. You want to probably mimic that," CEO of Green Doors, Joseph Holman, previously told us. Airconditioning is an excellent way to keep your home cool, but it's also expensive and therefore, not an option for many of us. My favourite method for mimicking aircon involves a fan, several water bottles and a freezer. Simply fill a couple of soda or large water bottles with water and salt, freeze them and then place around 6 inches in front of your fan for cool air akin to a/c. You can check out the method in more detail here, including how much salt to add to the water to aid cooling. If you can't bear keeping your home shuttered up during a summer's day, the 'wind tunnel method' might be for you instead. Again, it's a cheap and easy way to cool down your home, keeping those temperatures nice and low for when you want to sleep. And all you need is windows and/or doors at two sides of your home. 'Open windows or doors at opposite ends of your home to encourage airflow — it acts like a natural wind tunnel that pushes warm air out and pulls cooler air in," showroom stylist at Express Bi-Folding Doors, Jade Oliver, explained to us. You could even try the 'caveman method' during the day, and the 'wind tunnel method' at night (assuming it's safe where you live to keep multiple windows and doors open while you sleep). This was actually a hack suggested by several Reddit users as well, but it's definitely a more expensive option. Investing in cooling tech in the form of a cooling mattress pad or topper like the Chilipad Dock Pro or the Eight Sleep Pod 4 gives you the option to control the temperature of your bed without replacing your mattress altogether. Both feature a cover (Eight Sleep Pod 4) or pad (Chilipad Dock Pro), a control hub and an app, and use water to cool and heat your bed (the Eight Sleep Pod 4 uses tubing and the Chilipad Dock Pro is a tubeless design). Both offer dual temperature control (for the Chilipad Dock Pro this is only available on the 'We' sizes made for two people), which means each side of the bed can be set to a different temperature. The Eight Sleep Pod 4 will automatically adjust the climate of your bed during the night to avoid you overheating (or getting too cold), while you can set the temperature and schedule changes throughout the night with the Chilipad Dock Pro, or upgrade to the AI-powered sleep tracker that can adjust the temperature during the course of the night.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
36 Extremely Important But Not Often Discussed Things They Should Really, REALLY Tell You About Pregnancy And Childbirth Before You Go Through With It
Reddit user NovellaJokes recently asked, "Women of Reddit, what's something they never tell us about pregnancy and childbirth?" Here are the fascinating, terrifying, and downright brutal things people shared in the thread: 1."I feel like I was pretty prepared, but the one thing I didn't know about was how the nurses will 'massage' your belly after giving birth to help the uterus go back down. I say 'massage,' but it's more like aggressively kneading dough." —bumpercarbustier 2."That you need to pack a bottle of gel-cap stool softeners (like Colace) and start taking them soon after you give birth. The first time you poop afterwards is really scary. You'll be afraid you'll rip stitches or something will fall out that's supposed to stay in. You can get stool softeners from the hospital, of course, but at least here in the USA, you could probably buy a really great pair of shoes for what they'll charge you." —Impossible_Balance11 3."You can lose your teeth, or your teeth will decay easily. Like, no matter how well you brush, floss, rinse, etc. You will end up with cavities every time you see the dentist." —GoodAlicia 4."Just how many weird symptoms can crop up. I got gestational carpal tunnel, and I was like, 'This is a thing?!?' The temporarily increased amount of liquid in your body squeezes the median nerve as it passes through the carpal tunnel. No one ever explained this to me, but during the last trimester, I lost the ability to feel the air temperature and tell if I was hot or cold. It lasted until about five months post-partum." —RishaBree 5."The shakes you get. Not sure if it's the adrenaline, the epidural, or both." —Ok-Statistician4517 "OMG, the shakes were one of the worst parts for me. I could barely hold my baby when they put her in my arms." —LaceUp- 6."The sheer indignity of the whole process. Your cooter is out for everyone to see. You get it out at every doctor visit, and it's obviously out during childbirth. If you have a C-section, at that time you are lying on your back after the spinal block, nurses are coming in and cleaning you up, all in your business. You can't move or help because you're basically paralyzed. Then, if you breastfeed, your boobs are out all the time. Motherhood really isn't for those who are modest about their bodies." —Jeansiesicle 7."Nobody told me I might throw up during labor. I was so mad. Labor AND vomiting? Whose idea was THAT, lol?" —13surgeries "I vomited for 12 hours. It was nothing but bile by the end. I also puked all over myself on the ride to the hospital. Big WTF moment." —AlwaysCold95 "I threw up the entire second day of my labor (long ass labor). Couldn't even keep water down. A single sip and I was puking for five minutes every time! Nightmare, especially during a long labor." —Proof_Opportunity_58 "Omg, yes. I projectile vomited between pushes. I even threw up on my doctor's head, lol." —Justcallmekasey 8."You may get back to your pre-pregnancy weight, but whether you return to your pre-pregnancy shape is a crap shoot. My hips stayed wide, even at my lightest. Postpartum depression can just…not go away. I've been dealing with intractable depression since three days after my son was born. He's 18 now. You will not know how to breastfeed (which you've probably heard). Neither will your baby. I mean, they'll have a vague idea, but it takes practice to get it right. Demand equal help from your partner immediately and don't let up. He works all day? Well, guess what? So do you. All that breastfeeding, changing diapers, and cleaning is WORK. You deserve breaks, too. Take them, or he'll assume you're 'doing fine' without them." —insertcaffeine 9."You'll likely go up at least one shoe width size, which may be permanent." —TheMoralBitch 10."I was so embarrassed because I got an epidural, and when I was pushing, I had like, nonstop gas. I had no control over it!! Just nonstop toots. And I probably pooped, though my husband promised to never tell me if it happened." —electrical_Acadia_1 11."There is a huge chance that you rip towards your anus. But there is also a chance that you rip upwards. And rip your clit in the process." —GoodAlicia 12."Don't get too attached to your birth plan because there's a good chance that the whole thing will go out the window at any given moment. Also, no one warned me about the catheter." —keatonpotat0es 13."C-section recovery. I didn't anticipate having a C-section, but after 20 hours of labor, we had an emergency Cesarean. Nobody warned me about the recovery and how difficult it is to be recovering from abdominal surgery with a newborn." —question_girl617 "How quickly everyone loses sight of the fact you've just had major abdominal surgery when there's a newborn to keep alive. I remember being a week post-surgery, still unable to lift stuff, and I asked my partner to bring a laundry basket into the laundry room, and he asked me why I couldn't do it. Same with driving places. I had to repeatedly remind people I wasn't cleared to drive. And some of their reactions were along the lines of: 'Really? You're actually not driving? Isn't that overkill?' One of my friends had to go back into the hospital because she forgot the stair rule and ran up a flight of stairs, tearing her stitches." —GlumDistribution7036 14."Your water breaking feels like a balloon popped between your hips. The baby's kicks feel like a baby kicking you. The whole 'butterfly' feeling lasts like a month tops. Then it's just a whole ass kid kicking you from the inside out. It sounds magical, but it gets real old, real quick. Be prepared to be absolutely certifiable. I'm not an emotional person. I don't have big feelings, and I certainly don't cry in front of strangers. But here's just a short list of some of the things that made me sob for minutes on end: Fried chicken was good. The cat meowed at a bird through the window. The Mars rover exists. A baby panda wasn't born that day. A dollar store plastic spatula was bent. My husband said, 'Hello, gorgeous.' The store DID have peanut butter ice cream. My ceiling fan was off when I wanted it on." "Also, random strangers will touch you and ask you weird, personal questions. For some reason, there is a percentage of the population who seems to view pregnant people as public property, like a park bench or a stop sign, and feel that they have a right to comment and offer completely unsolicited and wildly unhelpful advice at any time. Learn the art of embarrassing them back. It's hilarious. If your belly skin itches, it means your skin is stretching a ton. Put some vitamin E oil on and DON'T SCRATCH! That's how you get those deep, long stretch marks. Bathe in that stuff!" —d0nt-be-an-oosik92 15."You can get so exhausted between your contractions that you can start falling asleep. Then you're shocked out of your droopy stupor by the next one." —Left-Ask1672 16."You also have to push out the placenta after you've pushed out the baby." —disasterology1000 17."How long you bleed afterward." —GirlWhoWoreGlasses "And the AMOUNT you bleed. I was changing pads every hour, and that still wasn't enough." —YouMustBeJoking888 18."Pregnancy-wise: the heartburn. Oh my god. Probably one of my worst symptoms. Plus, being unable to eat anything tomato-based (including pizza and pasta) was devastating." —Defiant_Poet_8022 19."The first time you poop after giving birth. Oh my god, it was right up there with childbirth." —breeeee27 20."Nobody ever talks about the postpartum period, but as someone almost two years PP, you still get phantom baby kicks sometimes that'll scare the hell out of you randomly! It didn't start until about six months PP when my hormones started settling back down, but it's absolutely wild and makes you second-guess every period you have afterwards!" —TheGhostestHostess 21."The intense night sweats after giving birth. This doesn't happen to every woman, and it didn't happen to me until about a week later when I returned home from the hospital. But every time I would fall asleep, I would wake up DRENCHED in sweat. I'm talking able-to-wring-your-clothes-out wet." —robinsparkles220 22."A happy one: I didn't realize until my second pregnancy that babies move differently. My first was a kicker and would regularly get hiccups. He was always moving. The second hardly kicked, but she liked to stretch and roll. Also, when they get big, you can see them move. I remember the horror in a colleague's face when he happened to glance over as a little foot pushed out and traveled down my stomach." —coffee_and_physics 23."No one warned me you can get varicose veins in your vulva when you're pregnant. They are excruciatingly painful and may or may not go away once you give birth. If not, you have to have them STRIPPED." —pabstschmere 24."How much your complexion can change. During one pregnancy, I had terrible breakouts. Another, the dryest skin imaginable. Another, somewhere in between." —NellieLovettMeatPies 25."All the hair you lose in the months after giving birth. I had no idea and thought something was wrong." —Witty_Chicken_9307 26."I had an easy birth and then some time after, I went to shower and I saw my eyes were bloodshot and there were red blotches all over my chest and lower neck. The midwife said it was quite fine and they'd be gone soon. I just ruptured some tiny blood vessels while pushing. Huh??? They WERE gone very soon, and it didn't happen again with my second baby." —Mananni 27."Your vision can change during pregnancy and breastfeeding. It literally changes the fluid balance in your eyeballs." —ThreeChildCircus 28."After a certain point in your pregnancy, it's this fun game of 'Is this pee, my water breaking, or discharge?' For the rest of the third trimester, I had to wear those disposable underwear/diaper things because my baby would kick and I'd pee myself a little bit." —CrockyCroc 29."The moment I started showing, women came out of the woodwork to tell me their worst labor horror stories. Why. Why do we do this? When I talk with pregnant people now, I deliberately let them know my labor experience was good. Which is the truth, but also hopefully alleviates some anxiety." —The_Mouse_That_Jumps 30."Excess saliva, restless legs at night, indigestion, exhaustion, and swollen everything during pregnancy!" —Klutzy-Captain9013 31."The. Ring. Of. Fire! I birthed my first naturally/no epidural, and oh boy, the pain of tearing flesh when he was crowning was something I was not prepared for! His head measured just above the 99th percentile, so he was humongous! Because it was so painful, I pushed when I should have let them ease him out, and as a result, I had a third-degree tear. When they say stop pushing, stop! And try and breathe through the pain (or scream as I did with my third) to not tear badly." —cheekyv86 32."It felt like my organs were going to fall out of me every time I stood up for the first couple of days while things were settling back into place. Weird feeling." —PinkCupcke007 33."Morning sickness is not limited to the morning. I'm currently pregnant with my second, and I am extremely nauseous all day long, to the point where I can't do anything. Anti-nausea meds lead to extreme constipation, which you're already prone to have during pregnancy. And OMG, those pregnancy poops are like practice for giving birth." —Intrepid-Picture-872 34."Postpartum constipation is common. Include fiber and water in your diet to avoid getting anal fissures." —Independent_Row_6926 35."The aversions! Cravings are one side, but there are things that I love, and then as soon as I'm pregnant, I can't even think about eating or drinking without feeling sick. Didn't expect that." —justlurking246 "That every time you go to the doctor for any pain, strain, pop, crack, or injury, it will be blamed on being pregnant at some point in your life." —Hairy_Indication9288 What's something about pregnancy or childbirth you wish you'd been more prepared for or warned about? Tell us in the comments or share anonymously using this form.
Buzz Feed
a day ago
- Buzz Feed
36 Hidden Truths About Pregnancy And Childbirth
Reddit user NovellaJokes recently asked, "Women of Reddit, what's something they never tell us about pregnancy and childbirth?" Here are the fascinating, terrifying, and downright brutal things people shared in the thread: "I feel like I was pretty prepared, but the one thing I didn't know about was how the nurses will 'massage' your belly after giving birth to help the uterus go back down. I say 'massage,' but it's more like aggressively kneading dough." "That you need to pack a bottle of gel-cap stool softeners (like Colace) and start taking them soon after you give birth. The first time you poop afterwards is really scary. You'll be afraid you'll rip stitches or something will fall out that's supposed to stay in. You can get stool softeners from the hospital, of course, but at least here in the USA, you could probably buy a really great pair of shoes for what they'll charge you." "You can lose your teeth, or your teeth will decay easily. Like, no matter how well you brush, floss, rinse, etc. You will end up with cavities every time you see the dentist." "Just how many weird symptoms can crop up. I got gestational carpal tunnel, and I was like, 'This is a thing?!?' The temporarily increased amount of liquid in your body squeezes the median nerve as it passes through the carpal tunnel. No one ever explained this to me, but during the last trimester, I lost the ability to feel the air temperature and tell if I was hot or cold. It lasted until about five months post-partum." "The shakes you get. Not sure if it's the adrenaline, the epidural, or both." "The sheer indignity of the whole process. Your cooter is out for everyone to see. You get it out at every doctor visit, and it's obviously out during childbirth. If you have a C-section, at that time you are lying on your back after the spinal block, nurses are coming in and cleaning you up, all in your business. You can't move or help because you're basically paralyzed. Then, if you breastfeed, your boobs are out all the time. Motherhood really isn't for those who are modest about their bodies." "Nobody told me I might throw up during labor. I was so mad. Labor AND vomiting? Whose idea was THAT, lol?" "You may get back to your pre-pregnancy weight, but whether you return to your pre-pregnancy shape is a crap shoot. My hips stayed wide, even at my lightest. Postpartum depression can just…not go away. I've been dealing with intractable depression since three days after my son was born. He's 18 now. You will not know how to breastfeed (which you've probably heard). Neither will your baby. I mean, they'll have a vague idea, but it takes practice to get it right. Demand equal help from your partner immediately and don't let up. He works all day? Well, guess what? So do you. All that breastfeeding, changing diapers, and cleaning is WORK. You deserve breaks, too. Take them, or he'll assume you're 'doing fine' without them." "You'll likely go up at least one shoe width size, which may be permanent." "I was so embarrassed because I got an epidural, and when I was pushing, I had like, nonstop gas. I had no control over it!! Just nonstop toots. And I probably pooped, though my husband promised to never tell me if it happened." "There is a huge chance that you rip towards your anus. But there is also a chance that you rip upwards. And rip your clit in the process." "Don't get too attached to your birth plan because there's a good chance that the whole thing will go out the window at any given moment. Also, no one warned me about the catheter." "C-section recovery. I didn't anticipate having a C-section, but after 20 hours of labor, we had an emergency Cesarean. Nobody warned me about the recovery and how difficult it is to be recovering from abdominal surgery with a newborn." "Your water breaking feels like a balloon popped between your hips. The baby's kicks feel like a baby kicking you. The whole 'butterfly' feeling lasts like a month tops. Then it's just a whole ass kid kicking you from the inside out. It sounds magical, but it gets real old, real quick. Be prepared to be absolutely certifiable. I'm not an emotional person. I don't have big feelings, and I certainly don't cry in front of strangers. But here's just a short list of some of the things that made me sob for minutes on end: Fried chicken was good. The cat meowed at a bird through the window. The Mars rover exists. A baby panda wasn't born that day. A dollar store plastic spatula was bent. My husband said, 'Hello, gorgeous.' The store DID have peanut butter ice cream. My ceiling fan was off when I wanted it on." "You can get so exhausted between your contractions that you can start falling asleep. Then you're shocked out of your droopy stupor by the next one." "You also have to push out the placenta after you've pushed out the baby." "How long you bleed afterward." "Pregnancy-wise: the heartburn. Oh my god. Probably one of my worst symptoms. Plus, being unable to eat anything tomato-based (including pizza and pasta) was devastating." "The first time you poop after giving birth. Oh my god, it was right up there with childbirth." "Nobody ever talks about the postpartum period, but as someone almost two years PP, you still get phantom baby kicks sometimes that'll scare the hell out of you randomly! It didn't start until about six months PP when my hormones started settling back down, but it's absolutely wild and makes you second-guess every period you have afterwards!" "The intense night sweats after giving birth. This doesn't happen to every woman, and it didn't happen to me until about a week later when I returned home from the hospital. But every time I would fall asleep, I would wake up DRENCHED in sweat. I'm talking able-to-wring-your-clothes-out wet." "A happy one: I didn't realize until my second pregnancy that babies move differently. My first was a kicker and would regularly get hiccups. He was always moving. The second hardly kicked, but she liked to stretch and roll. Also, when they get big, you can see them move. I remember the horror in a colleague's face when he happened to glance over as a little foot pushed out and traveled down my stomach." "No one warned me you can get varicose veins in your vulva when you're pregnant. They are excruciatingly painful and may or may not go away once you give birth. If not, you have to have them STRIPPED." "How much your complexion can change. During one pregnancy, I had terrible breakouts. Another, the dryest skin imaginable. Another, somewhere in between." "All the hair you lose in the months after giving birth. I had no idea and thought something was wrong." "I had an easy birth and then some time after, I went to shower and I saw my eyes were bloodshot and there were red blotches all over my chest and lower neck. The midwife said it was quite fine and they'd be gone soon. I just ruptured some tiny blood vessels while pushing. Huh??? They WERE gone very soon, and it didn't happen again with my second baby." "Your vision can change during pregnancy and breastfeeding. It literally changes the fluid balance in your eyeballs." "After a certain point in your pregnancy, it's this fun game of 'Is this pee, my water breaking, or discharge?' For the rest of the third trimester, I had to wear those disposable underwear/diaper things because my baby would kick and I'd pee myself a little bit." "The moment I started showing, women came out of the woodwork to tell me their worst labor horror stories. Why. Why do we do this? When I talk with pregnant people now, I deliberately let them know my labor experience was good. Which is the truth, but also hopefully alleviates some anxiety." "Excess saliva, restless legs at night, indigestion, exhaustion, and swollen everything during pregnancy!" "The. Ring. Of. Fire! I birthed my first naturally/no epidural, and oh boy, the pain of tearing flesh when he was crowning was something I was not prepared for! His head measured just above the 99th percentile, so he was humongous! Because it was so painful, I pushed when I should have let them ease him out, and as a result, I had a third-degree tear. When they say stop pushing, stop! And try and breathe through the pain (or scream as I did with my third) to not tear badly." "It felt like my organs were going to fall out of me every time I stood up for the first couple of days while things were settling back into place. Weird feeling." "Morning sickness is not limited to the morning. I'm currently pregnant with my second, and I am extremely nauseous all day long, to the point where I can't do anything. Anti-nausea meds lead to extreme constipation, which you're already prone to have during pregnancy. And OMG, those pregnancy poops are like practice for giving birth." "Postpartum constipation is common. Include fiber and water in your diet to avoid getting anal fissures." "The aversions! Cravings are one side, but there are things that I love, and then as soon as I'm pregnant, I can't even think about eating or drinking without feeling sick. Didn't expect that." And: "That every time you go to the doctor for any pain, strain, pop, crack, or injury, it will be blamed on being pregnant at some point in your life." What's something about pregnancy or childbirth you wish you'd been more prepared for or warned about? Tell us in the comments or share anonymously using this form. Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
