As much as you might prepare for the birth of your child, chances are something unexpected will happen.

Some moms have hadglorious orgasms giving birth, while others experiences were more torturous.

In reality, that doesnt happen for many women.

Apparently,waters can also break twice, a fun surprise.

Some moms didnt even feel any painful contractions before going into labor.

I called the labor and delivery and asked what Labor felt like.

I was not having painful contractions, I just felt off.

They told me ohh Honey, you will know when you are in labor.

I figured that I was just working too hard and went back to doing other things.

A few hours later, I still felt off but not in pain.

I called Labor and Delivery and asked what labor felt like.

I was told the same thing by a new person.

So, I just shrugged it off.

Around 8:40 pm, I was ringing out a customer and my water broke.

Surprise, I had been in Labor all day long.

I finshed up the customer and headed to the hospital.

I was at a 4 and she was born a few hours later.

Youre going through a host of physical sensations and emotions.

(This goes for the moms partner too.)

My husband kept asking me if I was okay, and I could barely nod to him.

That meant an emergency C-section.

So I cant tell you what a vaginal birth feels like, but having a C-section is surreal.

Thankfully, the surgery was over more quickly than I expected.

However, many women toldParentsMagazinethat once they got to the pushing stage,the worst was over.

It felt for many of them like having a bowel movement, along with an intense burning sensation.

Theres athirdstage of labor,the afterbirth, when the moms body expels the placenta.

Its not over once the babys delivered.

Some mothers eat the placenta, whichwe hear is surprisingly tasty.

Again, no two labor experiences will be the same, so dont let all this scare you.

Once you hold the baby, you might forget about the pain you were just in.

After all, many (lucky) women have quick and/or easy labors.

Its not wrong, though, its completely normal.

(Doctors might recommenddoing Kegel exercisesto strengthen the pelvic floor muscles.)

You might need a new pair of shoes because of the bloating.

Once home, youllgo through baby boot campin quick order, includingthe things nobody tells you about breastfeeding.

Some people even do it more than once!

Illustration by: Angelica Alzona.