We all know that childbirth is… tough.
But it’s easy to forget just how intense an experience popping out a human really is.
When you see baby pictures on Instagram, what you’re not seeing is the pain, screaming, and poop involved in bringing them into the world.
An image spreading over Facebook is a stark reminder of just what’s involved in childbirth.
The image shows a nurse holding a board to show what exactly it looks like when the cervix is dilated to up to 10cm.
It’s a handy visual aid – just imagine part of your vagina going from the tiny hole at the beginning of the board all the way to the size of a baby’s head.
Ouch.
Singer Steffanie Christi’an shared the photo on Facebook, writing: ‘This is why we deserve all the things.’
She’s not wrong.
The photo has been flooded with comments from parents patting themselves on the back and people thanking their mums for going through the trauma of childbirth to give them life.
One person wrote: ‘I need an epidural just from looking at this pic. My body did this 3xs! Women are miracles!’
Another put our reaction into words perfectly: ‘I am NEVER having kids.’
This isn’t the only visual guide to dilation that’s spread around the internet.
Facebook page Kiddicare compared different levels of dilation to food, going from a 1cm Cheerio to a 10cm bagel.
And on the Easter theme, kalmababytherapy took photos of various chocolate eggs to represent dilation.
FYI, a mother goes from a Mini Egg all the way to a full-size Cadbury egg. We repeat: ouch.
In short: childbirth is a horrifying miracle, and you should pay serious respect to anyone who’s gone through it.
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