Oh! Baby!

1. What do people mean when they say I'll lose all modesty when I have a baby?

Well, they're probably overstating. You'll get the modesty back. However, when you have a baby you need to realize that your va-jay-jay, as it were, is going to be the girl of the hour. It will seem as though EVERYONE is 'down there' at one point or another. Nurses and Doctors will need to do vaginal exams with their gloved fingers to determine how much your cervix is dilating (often called "checking the cervix"). Some women want to be checked often to gage their progress, some women want left alone. However embarrassing, this will need to be done while you are in labor.

When you are fully dilated, often the nurses will place your legs in stirrups, and shine a bright light RIGHT THERE. While you are pushing the staff can monitor how well you are pushing, as well as progress made not only by vaginal checks, but also watching the perineum for crowning (when the pressure baby's head causes the perineum to bulge out, and the labia to separate, revealing the first peek at baby's head!).

Even after delivery, if you are breastfeeding, the staff will need to watch your breastfeeding attempts. This is the only way to help the process if need be, and report to the physician and pediatrician how well baby is nursing. Staff may even need to touch your breast in order to help baby latch on correctly.

So, while there is usually every effort made to maintain your privacy, when you have a baby, there will be a certain amount of exposure going on.

2. Am I going to poo on the delivery table?

Um, maybe. This doesn't happen often, but it does happen. While pushing you are using the same muscles you do when having a bowel movement. It feels like you are having a bowel movement even if you aren't.
However. If a mom does poo, it's always just a small amount, and the caregiver will just quickly wipe it away, and no one really gives it a second thought. Mom usually isn't even aware of it, nor is anyone else.

3. Are my breasts supposed to be leaking while I'm pregnant?

Yes, they are. This is just the body getting ready for baby breastfeeding. It normally begins around 5 months, and generally is only in very small amounts of clear, yellow, or white fluid.

4. Am I going to get aroused while breastfeeding?

Maybe at first. And if you do, it's NORMAL. Breastfeeding should be a pleasurable experience, our bodies are made that way. It doesn't mean anything subconscious is going on, and soon your body will be able to distinguish that pleasurable feeling associated with the closeness and nurturing of your baby from the times of intimacy.

Have more questions? Ask away in the comments, I'll do my best to give you answers to any "embarassing" questions you might have!