Is it Better Not to Know?

Pregnancy as a type II diabetic filled my calendar with appointments. I had a team of doctors - including an obstetrician, a perinatologist to monitor Bella's development and an endocrinologist to track my blood glucose levels and A1C numbers. The consensus was to schedule an induction at 39 weeks to ensure Bella did not gain a ton of weight in those last few weeks.

Researching the process did little to ease my mind. The facts about inductions were very scary. Inductions, as it turns out, are evil or lifesavers. Either the pitocin would fail or produce pains so severe my body would almost split in half. Eight hours into the first induction attempt, I'd felt a couple of cramps and nothing else.
The second time around I went into labor. Bella was born on July 1, 2010 via cesarean.

This is where things get sticky. I knew a c-section was major abdominal surgery. I expected a longer recovery time. No one told me after my glorious epidural was removed  that the nurses would kick me out of bed and force me to walk, the hospital toilet would be 6 inches from the ground and my favorite phrase would become, "I'd like my meds now please."

Seven months later my incision itches, the scar is quite noticeable and my tummy is almost back to its original state. Getting pregnant was the easy part. Thinking back on my pregnancy journey and the dozens of books I read, very few pages were devoted to labor, delivery and recovery.  I asked my Mom, friends and a few surprised strangers why women don't share the birth horror stories. The replies have ranged from "you wouldn't believe it" to "it's best not to scare a soon-to-be mother."

I disagree. What do you think? Is it really better not to know?