Call it a “labour” of love.

To help soon-to-be parents and caregivers prepare for the next chapter, North York General Hospital (NYGH) teamed with its AOR, Courage to launch What No One Tells You When You’re Expecting, a 150-page book written from the personal experiences of real parents.

The book is filled with real life submissions from moms and dads sharing their experiences of pregnancy, birth and new parenthood.

The campaign is in support of NYGH’s $32 million fundraising effort to modernize its Birthing Centre.

“When it comes to babies, you often hear about all the good stuff, but not about the real stuff,” says Domenique Raso, creative director at Courage, one of the originators of the idea, along with Cindy Marie Navarro, also a creative director. “So the idea of asking real parents to help us write a book outlining everything no one told them felt like a natural fit for the birthing centre.”

Culled from hundreds of submissions from diverse families across North America and accompanied by artwork from illustrator Emilie Muszczak, What No One Tells You When You’re Expecting features over 100 insights that offer a real, unfiltered look into parenthood, including revelations like: “I had no idea the epidural would make me sooooo itchy” or “I didn’t expect the umbilical cord to be so hard to cut.”

The collection also covers important topics like mental health, sex and relationships, and, of course, pooping.

These insights are coupled with advice from NYGH doctors and midwives to help break down the science behind people’s experiences while opening up discussions some have found taboo.

“We immediately loved this idea because it felt like a modern, true-to-life take on the classic pregnancy books we’ve come to know,” said Ya Shan Waley, chief marketing and communications officer at North York General Foundation. “As a hospital that delivers thousands of babies each year, we understand what new parents are experiencing, and that understanding trickles down to the outstanding care we give them.”

The book’s launch is further supported by digital OOH across the Greater Toronto Area, paid social media, a launch video and guerilla postings around Toronto.

The hospital helps to deliver about 5,700 babies annually.

Interested parties can download the digital copy of the book at WhatNoOneTellsYou.ca for free. Printed copies will also be available on Amazon.ca.