With a first pregnancy, you are probably a bit apprehensive regarding labour and birth. You have read all the books and blogs, packed your hospital bag and think you know what to expect. But there are some things the books, and your friends, won’t tell you.1. Losing the plugAt the beginning of pregnancy, mucus, generated by the uterus during ovulation, is accumulated in the cervix. As this mucus thickens, it seals the cervix, protecting the growing baby. As your body gets ready for labour, and your cervix starts to dilate, this plug of thick, gloopy, bloody mucus is pushed out.2. Breaking waterYou know those movies where the heavily pregnant woman is walking through the shopping centre and her waters break? Statistics show that only 10% of all pregnant women experience the physical rupturing of the amniotic sac before labour. For most of us, it happens during labour itself, either naturally, or with some help from the doctor or midwife. And, if your water does break on its own, it can be a trickle or a huge gush – it’s that unpredictable!3. Peeing and fartingLabour and birth is not glamorous. The outcome is beautiful, but the labour – not so much. Your baby manoeuvring his way out of your body puts more pressure on those bits of you that have already been under stress for the past nine months, which may mean that you release a gush of pee or a burst of gas. Don’t worry – the doctors and nurses have seen (and heard) it all before.Labour and birth is not glamorous. The outcome is beautiful, but the labour – not so much4. ExposedIn labour, your cervix needs to dilate to 10cm to accommodate your baby’s head (and body) being pushed out. Early labour ends when your cervix is around 4-6cm, and the process starts to accelerate. Labour can be anything from a few hours to over 20 hours, and during this process your caregiver will come check on your progress. This means that multiple people will be checking your baby’s exit route – no time to be embarrassed now.5. Expect the unexpectedWho knew that vomiting during labour is completely normal? Nausea and vomiting is common if you have an epidural, as this can cause a sudden drop in blood pressure. However, throwing up can occur even if you haven’t had an epidural, due to the pain you are experiencing or due to food sitting in your stomach (fun fact: your digestion process usually stops during labour). To keep this to a minimum, eat only light foods during your earliest stages of pregnancy, and only drink clear liquids or ice chips when in active labour.6. The afterbirthOnce your baby is out, you still need to birth the placenta. When it separates from your uterus on its own, this is easy. But sometimes it needs a little encouragement. This could mean the doctor or midwife massaging your belly, pressing firmly down to help expel the uterus and blood clots. The doctor will then thoroughly check the placenta to ensure that nothing has been retained. You will also bleed, a lot, after birth.7. Is that really mine?Hollywood movies have done us a disservice – we tend to expect that our babies will come out sweet smelling, clean and pretty. The reality is that your baby will be covered with a white sticky substance called vernix that looks a bit like cottage cheese, as well as other bodily fluids and his face will probably be squished up (he has literally been pushed out of a small area). But, to you and your partner – he will be the most beautiful thing you have ever seen – and he is…