by Jennifer Barnett

Created on: December 07, 2007

My little man is now an active 16-month-old, but it seems like just yesterday that I was experiencing the "joys" of pregnancy. There are quite a few things I wish someone had told me before I got pregnant, but here are my top five:

1) That I wouldn't warm to my little guy right away.
Every movie or TV show that depicts a birth experience shows how fantastic the "miracle of life" is. Misty-eyed mom cuddles her newborn seconds after giving birth, sporting perfect hair and makeup, and a doting dad by her side. Yeah, right. In the hour after giving birth, I could NOT stop crying. My body had just been through hell, I was in pain in places I didn't even know could hurt, and I was more tired than I'd ever been in my life. My poor husband was exhausted having been through the entire experience with me and in shock at the fact that he was suddenly a dad. The little guy was being pored over by doctors and nurses, and I wasn't even allowed to hold him. After passing out from sheer exhaustion, I was woken up by nurses who handed me this little, crying bundle and walked out of the room. Um...now what? I was supposed to get misty-eyed, right? Instead, I broke down sobbing. This little 7.5 pound baby had put my body through nearly 24 hours of turmoil, turned my world completely upside down, and left me a broken, emotional wreck. I felt guilty for feeling that way about such a helpless little baby - one that I had created, no less. I wish someone had told me that it is okay to feel that way...that, in fact, it's probably more normal than most people (and certainly most TV shows) would have you believe. So I didn't bond with him right away. It's not like he didn't get his fair share of cuddling in those first few days from doting family members and friends. And after my body started healing and I started feeling a little better, I was able to start enjoying my little one and bonding with him. Now I have no idea what I'd do without him - he is truly the joy of my life. We've come a long way since those first few days.

2) That exercise during pregnancy doesn't necessarily make your delivery any easier.
I'm a gym rat, and I was determined to keep up my daily vigorous workouts during my pregnancy. I thought for sure it would make things a breeze come delivery time. Everyone from the nurses at the doctor's office to the trainers at the gym told me so. I was so convinced that being in tip-top shape was going to make having my baby a piece of cake that rolled into the delivery room thinking

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