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so, how WAS your labor?
I found some of the labor stories on the thread that kommishoner started pretty interesting. I know I've heard many of your stories - some in person! (yay me!) But in the interest of sharing and sisterhoody-bonding-type stuff, how did your labor(s) go?
I got very lucky with mine, and was considered low-risk. My first labor was pretty textbook according to my midwife. However, Little B was positioned badly (I didn't listen to my Bradley instructor. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I will never underestimate optimal fetal positioning again.) and it took quite a while for him to get lined up properly to come out. There also was a little shoulder dystocia. I spent 17 1/2 hours in labor, with 3 1/2 hours of pushing. I don't know how she got him out in the end, but out he was. I remember that it didn't hurt all that badly - I kept thinking to myself if I just had some Tylenol I would be FINE. Dehydration was a bigger issue, and it actually made my pushing contractions short out. Beware the dehydration!
The Little Miss was born fairly fast. At my 40 week check my midwife said "Well, she can't get any lower without actually coming out!" I should have heeded that warning. When I went into labor it wasn't too bad at first - when AlphaGeek called the doula I heard him say "yeah, she's been in active labor for about 2 1/2 hours now" I was pretty surprised. He called the midwives and started filling the tub. Contractions started lasting like two minutes and were only 30 seconds apart and were excruciating. Finally the midwives got to my house, and checked me. I was already at 8 1/2 cm, so they told me to go ahead and get in the tub. Finally! The first few contractions after I got in weren't too bad, but then my water broke. I looked over at my doula and told her I had to push. Her eyes widened dramatically and she said, "no! wait!" Ha! The midwife checked me again and I was only at 9 cm, but it was too late. She was coming. After what was the most painful 15 minutes of my entire life, the Little Miss was born.
And yeah...I felt like a badass after both births. There was definitely an air of, 'holy shit...I made it!' But that whole pushing-against-a-cervical-lip thing was something you could not pay me to repeat.
I got very lucky with mine, and was considered low-risk. My first labor was pretty textbook according to my midwife. However, Little B was positioned badly (I didn't listen to my Bradley instructor. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I will never underestimate optimal fetal positioning again.) and it took quite a while for him to get lined up properly to come out. There also was a little shoulder dystocia. I spent 17 1/2 hours in labor, with 3 1/2 hours of pushing. I don't know how she got him out in the end, but out he was. I remember that it didn't hurt all that badly - I kept thinking to myself if I just had some Tylenol I would be FINE. Dehydration was a bigger issue, and it actually made my pushing contractions short out. Beware the dehydration!
The Little Miss was born fairly fast. At my 40 week check my midwife said "Well, she can't get any lower without actually coming out!" I should have heeded that warning. When I went into labor it wasn't too bad at first - when AlphaGeek called the doula I heard him say "yeah, she's been in active labor for about 2 1/2 hours now" I was pretty surprised. He called the midwives and started filling the tub. Contractions started lasting like two minutes and were only 30 seconds apart and were excruciating. Finally the midwives got to my house, and checked me. I was already at 8 1/2 cm, so they told me to go ahead and get in the tub. Finally! The first few contractions after I got in weren't too bad, but then my water broke. I looked over at my doula and told her I had to push. Her eyes widened dramatically and she said, "no! wait!" Ha! The midwife checked me again and I was only at 9 cm, but it was too late. She was coming. After what was the most painful 15 minutes of my entire life, the Little Miss was born.
And yeah...I felt like a badass after both births. There was definitely an air of, 'holy shit...I made it!' But that whole pushing-against-a-cervical-lip thing was something you could not pay me to repeat.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by DLBK on -
I was in labor for 19 hrs. The first 6 or 7 were painful but manageable. After that I couldn't stand the pain and we decided to head for the hospital, 45 min away; my greatest fear was that we'd be sent back and I'd have to be in terrible pain for many more hours. Thankfully, I was 5 cm dilated and was admitted and prepared for an epidural. The nurse putting in my IV was terrible--I still have the scar from the failed IV two and a half years later. I remember countless people coming into the hospital room to ask for my age, my weight, the amount of weight gained during pregnancy, and how far along I was. I was in terrible pain from the long contractions and wanted to murder them all.
The epidural took away all the pain but also made me shaky and made my blood pressure drop, so I ended up on oxygen; I was so happy to no longer be in excruciating pain that I didn't mind all the shaking or even the oxygen.
I pushed for 3 hours with some progress. The nurse told me that I ended up pushing in every possible position. After those 3 hours were up the OB started getting ready the forceps and asked her resident to prepare the operating room. It had been 19 hrs by then and I didn't want a C-section after everything I had just gone through. I asked for the epidural to be turned down so I could feel my contractions, and for some more time. The OB agreed with me and a few more pushes later my son arrived. His head was cone-shaped for a few days, too.
I had a second degree tear that's healed pretty well.
I think everything went reasonably well. If I ever have another child I'd be happy with another labor like the first one.
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Permalink Reply by wookie on -
My three were all very different.
My first was the longest, almost a full 48 hours. She was backwards but not breech, so the contractions were incredibly painful about 8 hours in I was starting to loose my vision with each contraction. Even though I wasn't very dialated yet, the doctor took pity on me and told the nurses to admit me (I was insanely lucky and they weren't busy yet). I proceeded to walk or be on my knees rocking for the next 40 hours. My husband and MIL took turns walking with me and sleeping in the lounge. I had some ativan early on, and when I hit 5 centimeters they let me have some narcotic type thing that was lovely in between contractions but didn't really cut the pain of the contractions.
I don't remember much of that labour, but I do remember the doctor coming in around 9am the 2nd morning and checking me, announcing that I could start pushing now and he'd come and check on me after lunch.
I pushed like a mother-f*cking-champ until 11:30, managing to get her turned around (according to my MIL, who is a L&D nurse) and out. I vaugely remember the doctor sitting down there, looking really rather bemused and a tiny bit bored, cheering me on periodically. 9lb, 1oz, lots and lots of hair.
2nd labour was induced and ... lets just say I have no kind words for pitocin. After 8 or so hours I still hadn't hit 4 cm, couldn't form words and there was no break between contractions. I'd been given some demerol again but it just made me vomit. The doctor decided it was time to call the epidural man before he went home for the night, and that I should go to the bathroom before he came. He was an arrogant SOB, I had no love of him either.
I dilated the final 6cm in about 15 minutes (hooray for changing position) while in the bathroom. The look on the doctors face when he did the final check was priceless. I managed to waddle into the delivery room and he barely had enough time to scrub in before she was born. 8lb, 15oz.
My 3rd... they were going to induce me that morning but were too busy. It was my oldest's birthday so we did a little shopping, had a nice dinner, tried to get some sleep. I woke up at about 2am with some hard contractions, watched a little shopping network while I tried to establish if they were regular (they were). Woke my spouse up around 3, managed to get myself admitted and into the elevator. Got to the L&D floor just as another contraction hit, and I remember hanging desperately onto the door of the elevator, swaying, trying to stay up, and some bonehead nurse asking "What's wrong?" and another nurse shhh-ing her and saying "She's working through a contraction." That lovely woman got me down the hall and into a gown and all that stuff. I still have no idea what she looked like or who she was.
Things stalled out for awhile.
One of the L&D nurses kept telling me to walk (I was at 8 or something heavy) and I kept refusing so she finally tricked me by suggesting I go to the bathroom. The gravity did it. I think I might have vomited when I stood up. The doctor had just arrived, she checked me and had a few words with the nurse, then went down the hall to see another patient.
Then I started pushing. The nurse ran out into the hallway to yell for the doctor (she wasn't that far away) but ran back in in time to catch my 9lb 7oz son. It was the first time the doctor had ever been ON THE FLOOR already and missed a birth. No drugs at all. Lots of screaming (mostly mine) when I started to push. That child had a HUGE freaking head. I think I gave birth to Charlie Brown.
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Permalink Reply by StitchyWench on -
With Ri, I am certain I was in the first phase of labor for weeks. Hard contractions (not Braxton Hicks but real hard ass contractions) off and on for literally weeks. It would come for hours at a time and then go. When I went in for the last time, they said it was time because I was 3 1/2 cm dilated and they were consistent contractions. Emotionally, I was a wreck for other reasons. Everyone was making me feel horrible and I just wanted to be in the room alone with my nurse and some good drugs. She, being an amazing human being, recognized this and got me an epidural. It was the epidural from God (well he wasn't God but he sure looked like a Greek God).
My contractions promptly stopped and they had to hit me up with pitocin. A few hours later, I was ready to go and had no idea other than a vague realization that perhaps I better get a doctor to look at me. It was time and within the hour my girl was in my arms. The post labor was the only bad part for me. I had retained placenta, which wasn't diagnosed until 13 days later after some horrifying experiences and a naked ride in an ambulance to the hospital.
Ro was about 3.5 hours start to finish. I felt him drop and bam I was in labor. I thought I'd have 16 hours, like I did with Ri (or at lease 8). It became very clear to me within the half hour that I was in need of a doctor pronto! In the car on the way to the hospital I really thought I was going to be one of those people who had to pull over on the side of the rode, dial 911 and deliver in the car. That didn't happen (thank goodness). But as soon as I stood up to get out of the car my broken water slow leak turned to a gushing surge. I needed the wheel chair to get up to L&D and for once nobody pestered me about getting in to a room or made me bother with paperwork - they carted me right in, got me changed and had a doctor there to tell me I was at 9 1/2 cm. I actually CRIED real tears because I never wanted to feel labor pains without an epidural. The nurse calmed me down, and thankfully my mother-in-law walked in the room right at that moment and encouraged me on (not that my husband isn't great and all but the being strong in scary moments is not his strong-suit). I soon realized that the pain probably couldn't get much worse if I was almost there and I really wasn't going to literally die from the pain. Within the hour it was time to push and just as the moment arrived my midwife made it on the scene. She was brilliant! He was in my arms within the hour and all was right with the world.
Again 13 days later I started having extremely excessive bleeding but at least this time I didn't have to ride in an ambulance, naked. I had a D&C and the next day felt worse than I ever have before or since. But now, all is good and I never have to go through another labor of my own! Huzzah!
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