Every labor is different, they said. It will be beautiful, they said.

Here are the 3 things no one told me – kaufMOM – about labor.

1. I was HANGRY AF.

The fact that you can’t eat during active labor doesn’t seem like a big deal before labor.

Then you learn that labor can last hours or even days.

Imagine telling a pregnant person in labor that they aren’t allowed to have a snack…Are you scared yet?

The hospital only let me eat jello and I scarfed down 5 of them while cursing my husband for having dinner.

#kaufMOMhack: Eat a full meal before you waltz into the delivery room. Also, designate a point person to bring you that post-delivery meal in your recovery room. My irreplaceable sister saved my life with a bagel & lox that day.

2. My body had more visitors than the NYC subway during rush hour.

A new nurse popped in every hour. A new doctor was on call every shift.

My labor was over 28 hours.

Consequently, too many people had to evaluate my everything and see my girly-thang.

I had to have no shame in the birth game.

3. I had to get NAKED.

Speaking of no shame, I didn’t know you had to take everything off before you put on that chic hospital robe. Including every single piece of jewelry.

While I thought I was super romantic for keeping my wedding band on my sausage fingers in the third trimester, I should have been getting ready to take it ALL off at any cost (ice, windex, soap, help!).

More – and maybe even a birth story – to follow…