Things I didn't know about having a baby until I had a baby

I saw a post on a Mum and Kids forum about this recently, and it got me thinking about the things I never thought about before Beautiful Girl came along.  I know these aren't all of them, so I'll probably update this when the brain farts allow.

• you can get stretch marks because of giving birth, even if you had none beforehand
• you can still love your child absolutely, even if that fierce rush everyone talks about only kicks in a while later
• some midwives should not be as downright mean as they are
• it takes months for your, um, digestive system to get back to normal
• there should be an advanced course in how to pick the right kind of nappies
• a baby can still be cranky after a 4 hour snooze, a big feed and a clean nappy
• if you don't have a pre-pregnancy “figure” no-one will know how long it takes you to get it back
• having your waters broken by a friend of a friend is a bit too close for comfort
• if you hate housework, and in particular washing up, breastfeeding is great
• it can be acceptable to talk about poo to another adult
• doctors, midwives, public health nurses and your own mother do not always have the right answers
• sitting under a small child for hours on end is a great excuse to get through box sets of tv shows
• perfect strangers are really nice to you when you have a baby out in public
• it sucks more than I could ever have know when I realised I really will have to send Beautiful Girl to someone else every day so I can go back to work and we can afford to eat as well as pay the mortgage...