New mother shares reality of childbirth with photo of her mesh underwear

'No one told me I’d be bleeding out'

Researchers looked at how so-called 'invisible labour' was linked to feelings of being overwhelmed and a sense of emptiness in the women's day-to-day lives (Getty Images)

It’s no secret that childbirth is tough, but the reality of what follows is rarely discussed.

While new parents revel in delight at their new arrival, one mother wants people to know that the experience isn’t always what you had heard, or imagined, it would be like.

Sharing a candid photo of herself just two days after giving birth to her daughter, Layla, 22-year-old Autumn Benjamin, from Tennessee, posted an honest account of what happened to her body post-labour.

In the image, Benjamin can be seen breastfeeding her daughter while simultaneously standing and eating a hospital meal because she was in too much pain to sit. She's also wearing a pair of fishnet-style pants, which are designed to hold maxi pads to control bleeding and provide new mothers with some support.

Writing alongside the photo, the new mother says that it shows her in “new territory” and goes on to explain why becoming a mother is “the ultimate sacrifice.”

Describing all the things that no-one had warned her about post-birth, Benjamin writes: “Learning to breastfeed this little human being that I just brought into the world. Wearing these big mesh panties, still sporting a pregnant belly - no one told me your belly doesn’t go down immediately. No one told me I’d be bleeding out.

“No one told me that I would spend hours crying and full of emotion. I remember just laying there in the hospital bed crying.

“I was crying because my baby girl was finally here... finally! But wait... that means she isn’t protected inside of me anymore. And that’s a scary feeling.”

The new mother goes on to describe how her quick delivery lead to a “bad rip” which left her unable to walk or use the bathroom without the help of her partner, Kevin.

“You let go of all shame as you walk around your house in diapers and ask your SO [significant other] to spray warm water on your rip while you pee to avoid that burn.”

In addition to all the physical effects, Benjamin also reflects on the things she, and all mothers, have to give up in order to care for their babies.

“But most importantly, mums give up who they were before they were a mother,” she writes.

“Most mums give up a lot of their hobbies, dreams, and plans. Mums put their lives on hold so their babies can live out theirs. We deal with so many emotions that we internalise - just so we can be mothers to our babies.”

Benjamin finished the post by saying that people should never discredit mothers.

“You don’t know the half,” she adds.

“I used to be Autumn. Fun loving, crazy, outgoing Autumn. But now I’m Layla’s mama. And I’m okay with that.”

The post clearly resonated with people all over the world, getting 128,000 shares and 155,000 likes.

It also gained an impressive 22,000 comments, many of which came from other parents offering words of support.

“This post moved me in so many ways. If I could of only read something like this when I had my first baby 33 years ago. Thank you for being honest and real,” one person wrote.

Another added: “So true, the emotions are very over whelming and the love is unconditional! It's hard to feel yourself again but eventually you do."