10 things no one told me about labour

This one is just about labour - not birth per se. But here we go!

1. It does get harder but by the time you need to focus on it being hard, you're there in the zone of labour and as long as no one points it out to you, it doesn't get Too Hard. You hardly notice that it is getting harder.
2. It doesn't just get harder. It changes. The hard bits pass. So if this moment is hard, doesn't mean the next one will be.
   
3. So it really helps to take 1 contraction at a time. And one breath at a time for that matter. Because you don't know what the next one will be like.
4. Being curious about the next one keeps you sane.
5. You may hit the point of saying "I can't do this any more". What you probably mean is that you don't want to do it any more. Which is a valid point! But you will keep going.
   
6. You will be amazed at what you can do in hindsight but at the time you won't believe that you're doing it. Go for hours without sleep. Make a lot of noise. Stand up for 12+ hours.
7. You will spend most of labour with your eyes closed so make what you can see when you open your eyes worth it. Inspirational words and poems, pictures, a candles, charms etc.
8. AND make your support people count. Only have people around who inspire love in you when you look at them.
9. You'll be down to monosyllabic conversations by the end of it, so make them count. "Water", "ice", "hot", "cold" etc etc. Your support people should know how to interpret these things and respond to you.
   
10. Your brain slows down so small conversations will take a few contractions. If that conversation is with yourself, you can take hours to make a decision. Which is great!