The 10 Biggest Surprises of Pregnancy, Labor, and Delivery

As soon as your start telling people you are pregnant you will start to hear stories, both good and bad, about every woman's pregnancy, labor, and delivery. Unfortunately it seems that a few details are often left out. These ten items are some of the parts of pregnancy, labor, delivery, and the first few weeks at home with your newborn, which no one may have told you about, but it sure would be nice to know about ahead of time.

1. Postpartum Constipation. After your baby is born you may experience severe postpartum constipation. Many hospitals will offer constant stool softeners right after delivery. Others will not. Be prepared for this to happen and don't hesitate to ask for stool softeners at the hospital. Once you return home if you are still constipated, don't suffer. Breastfeeding and non-breastfeeding moms may use a simple glycerin suppository to obtain some relief.

2. Meconium. Your baby's first several bowel movements will consist of something called Meconium. This very dark green to black, tar-like excrement can easily freak out new parents. This waste is from your baby's time in the womb and will cease after the first few days of life. There may be quite a bit of it and it's very difficult to clean. After a few days, your newborn's bowel movements will change considerably and will become much runnier and decrease in volume (though they will increase in frequency!).

3. The Umbilical Stump. When your baby is first living outside the womb, a small clip, not unlike a chip clip, will be clamped on his umbilical stump, what was once connected to you, the mom. The clip will be removed before you take your little guy or gal home, but you will have to care for the remaining stump. You may be asked to swab the area with alcohol and you will not be able to submerse it in water. It will look sort of like a large, bloody scab, and may even have the imprints from the "chip clip" in it. After several days or even weeks, the stump will fall off, leaving your baby's precious little belly button behind.