I was at a housewarming party when a few moms circled to chat. "My stomach is just not the same," whispered one mom. "I have this slight pooch now, despite losing my baby weight."

"My nipples never returned to their original size," confided another. "I could land helicopters on these things," she exclaimed to uproarious laughter.

And so the confessions continued, each mom discussing the ugly truths of childbearing that no one had warned her about. Welcome to the sordid underbelly of motherhood, the pregnancy dirty truths and surprises (both good and bad) that cause moms to lower their voices so as not to frighten and gross out the uninitiated.

For Amber Lindsey, new mom to 10-month-old Charlotte, the physical surprises of giving birth caught her off guard. "I was totally unprepared for how much my legs would hurt after delivery," says the mom from Portland, Ore. "I figured other areas would be sore, but it never occurred to me that my legs would be tired. I felt like I had just walked a 10K marathon!"

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