Okay, so I know that Labor Day has nothing to do with moms being in labor, but humor me, please.
In honor of Labor Day, I wanted to share my labor story with you. My son’s has already been posted on this blog, so I wanted to post my daughter’s as a trip down memory lane. Leave your labor stories in the comments!
I didn’t have a “normal” labor to begin with, as my little princess decided she wasn’t in any hurry to make her entrance into the world and was a week past her due date. Between being the control freak that I am, not wanting to remain pregnant one moment longer, and the doctor’s worries about my blood pressure, I scheduled an induction for Sunday, November 19.
We arrived at the hospital at 9 p.m. as scheduled and they had me undress and hop into bed to get the party started.
They hooked me up to the fetal monitor and watched my blood pressure. Then after an hour or so, the doctor came in to examine my cervix and see how much I had dilated. I was about 2 centimeters. They inserted this paper thingy up by my cervix, which was supposed to get the labor going.
Did it ever!! I was crying from all the pain and all I could think was, “Lord let me hurry and get to four centimeters so I can get this epidural!” They say labor pains are supposed to come and go and you’re supposed to be able to relax in between, but mine just kept coming harder and faster. There wasn’t any break. By this point, I wasn’t dilated enough for an epidural, but I kept demanding drugs, so they gave me something to “take the edge off,” which is code for “doesn’t do much at all.”
I was finally in so much pain that I started vomiting all over the place. TJ (God bless him) held the trash can and rubbed my back as I kept heaving up what was left of my dinner. (Shrimp tastes horrible in reverse… )In the middle of it all, I felt this huge gush of water. “TJ,” I said between heaves, “I think my water broke.”
So he leaves to go get the nurse and she confirms that yes, my water had broken. They moved me into another room. This one was much larger and had room for all my family members – my mom and dad were both there.
By this time, I’m having contractions on top of contractions and it hurts to even think. I try doing those breathing exercises they showed me in Lamaze class, but they aren’t helping and all TJ’s coaching is doing is getting on my nerves. Around 5 a.m., I tell him, “I need an epidural- NOW.”
He runs to get the doctor and I pray to God that I’m dilated enough to get the shot that will ease all my pain. The doctor checks me and says that I’m 4 cm – the magic number.
I wait for the man with the drugs and count my blessings that the pain is almost over. They arrive and I hunch over per their instructions and wait for them to stick the needle in my back to numb me from the waist down. It’s kind of ironic that a needle in my spine will get rid of the pain but at this point I’m ready to do whatever they ask to make this pain go away.
About five minutes after the epidural is inserted, my lower body goes completely numb. Under ordinary circumstances it would be weird, but now it just feels like heaven. I close my eyes and then try to get some sleep so I can have energy for the rest of my labor….
About an hour later, the nurse comes in and tells me I’m running a fever. “Girl, we could boil eggs on your thighs.” They want me to take some Tylenol, my mom gets me a Popsicle, they discuss giving me antibiotics. After about an hour or so of this, my fever still hasn’t gone down. Apparently, I had an infection and the longer the baby stayed in my womb, the greater the chance that she would have it too when she finally made her appearance.
The doctors confer and they decide to wait an extra hour and if I’m not ready to push they’ll do a C-section. I’m slightly nervous, but at the same time, I want her to be healthy. I look at TJ and I can’t read his face, I can’t tell what he’s thinking. My parents are on the other side of the room and I can tell they are nervous about this whole thing. My mom had two C-sections and my whole life she’s been telling me how painful the recovery was.
The doctors come back and check me. I’m 9 cm. They determine that I haven’t dilated enough for pushing to be possible in the next half hour so they make the call to go for a C-section. My parents are shuttled off to a waiting room, the nurses toss TJ some scrubs and tell him to get ready. The anesthelogists scurry into the room, giving me pain medication after medication. Someone hands me a cup with a dark liquid in it and tells me to drink it. “Take it like a shot,” the nurse advises. (Side note: Just because I’m 20, doesn’t mean I do shots, lady.) I swallow some and it’s so bitter I swear they just handed me some rum. Turns out it’s some type of antacid so I don’t vomit all over the table during the surgery. Fun times.
They wheel me into the OR and flip me (literally) onto the table. I’m only supposed to be numb from my boobs down, but by this point the only thing I can move are two fingers on my left hand. I’m not complaining, ’cause the last thing I want to feel is them sawing me in half.
The docs all scrub up and assemble around the table where I’m laying. TJ suddenly appears at my head and I feel a huge sense of relief like I’m not going through this alone. “Are you okay?” he asks. I nod and close my eyes, praying to God that my little girl is healthy and I hear her cry.
After what seems like forever, I feel some tugging on my belly and some murmurs among the doctors. They all of a sudden I hear – “Waa!” A short cry, but a good cry nonetheless. I smile, knowing that my baby girl is ok. I turn my head to the side and see a chubby, dark haired baby being wiped down. “Is that my baby?” I think to myself. “How weird. I’m a mommy now.”
After she’s all cleaned up, the nurses hand her to TJ and TJ holds her by my head. “She looks like you,” I say. TJ just smiles at his baby girl. The docs sew me back up and I’m wheeled off to the recovery room….
Labor was tough and I never thought I’d experience pain like that. There are no words to describe it. But if I had to do it all over again, I would. (But DEFINITELY with an epidural)
Oh boy, C-sections make me nervous. Well I went in on a Mon. evening I was to be induced, I received Cytotec (sp?) Orally, my hubby and I played UNO and laughed after a little while they stuck an IV in my hand which took my happy mood down b/c I hate needles. Anywho, hubby and I are talking and I start feeling really wet. I’m like uh I think my water just broke. Nurse confirms. So they give me some meds to go to sleep. I sleep through the night. Next morning contractions start coming all that mother earth take strenght from within goes right out the door b/c I’m yelling @ my family to get me a damn epidural. (LOL) After that I felt Wondeful. I slept most of the day eating popsicles and napping around 6pm nurse comes in and she says I look like be ready in the next hour. She walks out the door and I tell my sister Go get the nurse the baby is coming now. They laugh like your nt ready. I’m like if you don’t get someone I will start pushing. Nurse comes in and confirms, gets the dr she confirms. We start pushing, Problem!!! They left the damn catheder (sp?) In so as my son is moving out his shoulders are pushing it. Painful!!! A white straighted haired little person is brought to me. I start crying and wondering did they make a mistake he’s so white (LOL) he looked up @ me and I knew he was my pumpkin eater!!!
I’d do it again in a heart beat. They just need to make sure the drugs are in the room waiting for me LOL!
@Tricia – Yes, C-sections make me nervous too. Being numb but worrying that if that medication wears off during surgery…OOOOH!!! THE PAIN!!!! My mom said the epidural wore off during her C-section with me. That’s why that woman is a BOSS!
@Tara- omg I can’t believe her epidural wore off. I don’t knw what I would have done. Women really do possess some unbelievable strength.
@Tricia – I don’t know what I would have done either! She just said that she started screaming, “I feel pain! I feel pain!” and they upped the amount and I guess it took effect a few minutes later. I would have freaked out so bad, but they had so many drugs in me that I didn’t really feel any pain until about three days later. My hospital was on POINT with the drugs. LOL.
Well, let me start by saying that my hubby works offshore, so he had juuust made it home abt midnight on Wednesday. Thursday we went for an ultrasound and I was in early labor (thank you reunion sex!) so he tells me to go to the hospital at 6 that evening. Get to the hospital and around 8 they give me cervidil to help my cervix rippen. I got so hungry for tuna out of nowhere and send Austin off to subway. Around 12 we get up and start walking the halls with increasing but managable contractions. Since Austin had just gotten home from work less then 24 hours ago and was running on no sleep he naps and I watch TV. Around 1am I wake him up when the pain grows more intense. At about 2:30 my mom and sister arrive and the nurse comes in saying that my contractions are too strong and too close and the baby and I need some rest (I was SO happy to hear that) so she removes the cervidil. I had to pee sooo much during my labor and at once point while sitting on the toilet I feel a pop and a thump and realize my water had broken. I get relief from the pain for about 15 mins where the contractions eased up, but boy did they come back with a vengeance! At this point my mom is asking the nurse when she will call the dr cause she can tell I am getting close and the nurse says he makes his rounds at 7:30, I tell them that the baby will be here by 7. Mom, hubby and the nurse are sitting around the bed rubbing whatever I ask, what a huge help! I couldn’t stand to speak I just focused on how many breaths it takes to get through the contractions. I feel him moving down and everything begins to stretch and I have the urge to push. The nurse checks me and suddenly I am 9cm (I only let her check me like twice the whole time cause it hurt so bad!) she hurriedly calls the dr, who is still home. Two contractions later I feel something weird and we all look down to see that my son’s head had made its way out!! No help from me! The nurse yells for the other nurse, lay me back, mom and Austin pull my legs up and one push later I am looking at my baby boy lay between my ankles on the bed (they didn’t have time to break it down) and 2 mins later the dr walks in. It was the most amazing birth I could ever ask for, all natural, 12 hours of labor and 4 mins of delivery. I was incredibly blessed! Now I have the best baby boy ever. He is so easy to take care of, which is great cause my hubby went back to work 5 weeks later.
Well, let me start by saying that my hubby works offshore, so he had juuust made it home abt midnight on Wednesday. Thursday we went for an ultrasound and I was in early labor (thank you reunion sex!) so he tells me to go to the hospital at 6 that evening. Get to the hospital and around 8 they give me cervidil to help my cervix rippen. I got so hungry for tuna out of nowhere and send Austin off to subway. Around 12 we get up and start walking the halls with increasing but managable contractions. Since Austin had just gotten home from work less then 24 hours ago and was running on no sleep he naps and I watch TV. Around 1am I wake him up when the pain grows more intense. At about 2:30 my mom and sister arrive and the nurse comes in saying that my contractions are too strong and too close and the baby and I need some rest (I was SO happy to hear that) so she removes the cervidil. I had to pee sooo much during my labor and at once point while sitting on the toilet I feel a pop and a thump and realize my water had broken. I get relief from the pain for about 15 mins where the contractions eased up, but boy did they come back with a vengeance! At this point my mom is asking the nurse when she will call the dr cause she can tell I am getting close and the nurse says he makes his rounds at 7:30, I tell them that the baby will be here by 7. Mom, hubby and the nurse are sitting around the bed rubbing whatever I ask, what a huge help! I couldn’t stand to speak I just focused on how many breaths it takes to get through the contractions. I feel him moving down and everything begins to stretch and I have the urge to push. The nurse checks me and suddenly I am 9cm (I only let her check me like twice the whole time cause it hurt so bad!) she hurriedly calls the dr, who is still home. Two contractions later I feel something weird and we all look down to see that my son’s head had made its way out!! No help from me! The nurse yells for the other nurse, lay me back, mom and Austin pull my legs up and one push later I am looking at my baby boy lay between my ankles on the bed (they didn’t have time to break it down) and 2 mins later the dr walks in. It was the most amazing birth I could ever ask for, all natural, 12 hours of labor and 4 mins of delivery. He was born at 6:17 am. I was incredibly blessed! Now I have the best baby boy ever. He is so easy to take care of, which is great cause my hubby went back to work 5 weeks later.
i did the first kid natural and it was hell. the second kid took the epidural at 4 cm dialated and had a pain free birth. i mean one or two mild tugs and it was over. The difference between natural and drugs? One was completely exhausting and stressful,not to mention the many stitches, the second, no tears, a blissful peaceful birth. i wouldnt even call it labor.