Congrats to our "Labor Day" Contest Winner!

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Cher Bentley on August 31, 2009 at 4:09pm

Thankfully, I had a textbook labor and delivery. I worked all day and was off picking up supplies for the next day's jobs when I started feeling very crampy. I drove home and as soon as I walked in around 7p.m. my water broke. We grabbed my things, headed to the hospital and I was resting comfortably with an epidural by 9p.m. I talked with my in-laws for a few hours and then went to sleep until about 4:15a.m. when the nurses told me it was time to wake up and get ready to push. Because my daughter was coming down so quickly, about 2 pushes in I was told to stop or else the doctor wouldn't make it there for her arrival. Once the doctor was there, another 3 pushes and my beautiful baby girl had arrived. Now I'm afraid to have another because this one was just too easy!

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by karen critchley on August 31, 2009 at 4:13pm

Well with my second baby, i believe it would be called a horror story! I hadnt gotten along with my parents in years, they were upset with me because i had gotten pregnant the first time without being married and being only 17. They allowed me to come over and stay the night with my sister though. I was already 4 days past my due date. That night around 3:30 in the morning, i started getting extremely painful contractions every ten minutes apart. I figured i had quite a ways to go, after all my first baby, my contractions came every other minute with her..so as far as i was concerned i had HOURS! Well around 5:30 it got unbearable. I tried calling my boyfriend on the phone, no answer..after all its 5 in the morning. My sister went upstairs and told my parents that i was in labor and had to go to the hospital.

This is where is starts to get unbelievable. My parents were furious! Why, because i had woken them up! My mother told me to call an ambulance. My sister finally talked my father into bringing me to the hospital. Well, he decided my sister had to go to school so she couldn't come with me. By then i was in my own world. My father then proceded to "drop me off' at the hospital...yes, DROP ME OFF. And to make matters worse, it wasnt even the hospital i went to..he refused to take me there. So i went in there, furious as all hell! And they proceed to be jerks and tell me, 'Do you realize m'am we don't do labor and delivery here...why are you here?" I of course snapped, told them i wished to be at my hospital, not their bum country one.

So they checked me, and then told me that i wasnt even in labor. I laughed at them. Like i wouldnt know! So they got an ambulance for me to take me to my hospital, which was about an hour away. Inside the ambulance, i realized i had to be strong. I knew i was going to have her in a matter of minutes, with no loving family around! I told them i had to push, they were shocked. "Omg, said one, they told us you werent even in labor, or dilated at all, your already ten cm." Well i managed to hold her in exactly one minute after we got to the hospital. I had her where i wanted to though, someplace that made me feel safe and secure.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by karen critchley on August 31, 2009 at 4:16pm

And here is a picture of my angel

Attachments:

• P4250010.JPG, 1.7 MB

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Jennifer Woosley on August 31, 2009 at 4:26pm

My last labor with my son, was a mess. The first time i Pushed his heart rate went way down and the Dr. and nurses started turning my bed upward with my legs in the air to alieveate pressure on his head. My Dr said that for the life of my baby I had to have a C-section. I was horrified. I really didn't want to have surgery but of course would not say no because I didn't want to lose my baby. Turns out having the C-section was absolutely the best thing I could have done. Not only was he 9 pounds@!! but he also had the umbilical cord around his neck twice and around the top part of his head. Which explained why when I pushed his heart rate went way down.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Jennifer Maslowski on August 31, 2009 at 4:28pm

No labor for me--I adopted. However, I did spend 29 hours straight in assorted airplanes with a screaming 10-month-old who was too big for a bassinet, too small for a seat, and had her days and nights completely turned around. Does that count?

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Amy Rodenbaugh on August 31, 2009 at 4:34pm

My first daughter was born breech (no c-section) Luckily she only weighed 7lb6oz. I was told by my doctor that they tried not to do c-sections anymore. That was 11 years ago. I was in labor for 6 hours total and sent home the next day because I ws friends with the pedi md who came in to check her out. My second daughter was born 5 yrears later(can you guess why I waited 5 yrs) with a 3 hour labor. She practically came out with my water when it broke. I love giving birth but can't stand the 9 mo pregnancy. I have two beautiful girls whom I love dearly.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Rhonda on August 31, 2009 at 4:39pm

My second son came fast! My water broke in my sleep at 3 am, we were at the hospital by 4 am, and he was born at 5:30, five minutes after the doctor walked into the room. The labor nurse and I were both sure she would have to handle the delivery!

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Danielle Summers on August 31, 2009 at 4:41pm

My Labor Day Story
In June 2005 I gave birth to my son. (but let me back up a little.) It was a nice summer day and my bf (at the time, now he's my hubby.) was getting up for work. It was about 5am and I had gotten up with him. Well I went to use the bathroom (which being pregnant, we all seem to do alot! lol.) and noticed that I had lost my mucus plug. I knew that losing it could mean that labor would begin soon or it could still be a few days. So my hubby and I decided to pack our bags just in case and he left for work. I went to my mom's house that day to visit. I had some cramping but nothing too bad. Around 12pm I decided to call my obgyn to let them know I was having cramps and lost my plug. So they told me to come in and check my out. When they called me back to the room the mid-wife checked to see if I was dilated. As she was checking me she said that my water hadn't broke yet, but as she was removing her hand (sorry if tmi! lol) my water actually broke on her! So then I was sent to the hospital. I got there around 1pm and was checked in and then all I could do was wait. I had a good bit of family in my room with me while I was having contractions. I ended up dilating pretty slowly so the mid-wife had to rub some sort of gel to make me dilated. (I'm not sure what it was called.) For the next hour I had to stay in bed and not move too much so the gel could take affect. In the meantime I opted not to have any medications and to go natural. (The shower really helped out!) My husband got to be pretty hands on, he actually got to help the mid-wife deliver our son. Also we decided not to find out the sex so when I Finally gave birth at 10:28pm I looked over and saw my beautiful 8lb 8 oz baby boy. (I was the first to see that he was a boy! So exciting!) Yes, labor is painful but it is well worth it in the end!!

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Robyn's Online World on August 31, 2009 at 4:46pm

Hubby came home from work and I was working on some ornaments. I had a craving for steak tips at, of all places, Ponderosa. I told him my stomach was upset and he sort of looked at me oddly but we got in the car to go. He noticed I was feeling uncomfortable about every 5 minutes or so - OOPS! He took me back home and made me call the doctor and of course I was in pre-term labor (8 months along). Doctor sent us to the hospital where my son was delivered via c-section the next morning.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Jennifer on August 31, 2009 at 4:53pm

My labor day (s) were long! My son took 3 induction attempts, having my water broken manually and 4 days before he decided to join us at a whopping 4 lbs 15 oz. I went into the hospital for a routine check up on Friday (about a week before my due date) and was told that I wasn't going to be going home. My blood pressure had gone from fairly non existant to quite high so I was hooked up to all of the monitors etc to be observed for a few hours. I was induced the next morning and admitted to the hospital because I was told it will probably be "pretty quick" well 24 hours went by with nothing! So I was induced a second time and heard the same thing, "it will be quick now!" hmmm not sure what definition of "quick" they were using because it was another 24 hours later and still nothing so the dr. broke my water and told me yet again "this will be quick now" well that was probably at about 9am on Monday morning by 6pm still nothing had happened maybe a kick or a twitch here and there but nothing major! So they started the IV to induce me one last time (if this didn't work it was going to be a c-section for me eek!) so FINALLY around 1030pm I started having contractions and between the demoral and the epidural I was feeling pretty good! I had mostly mild contractions through the night and My darling little man was born at 1232pm on Tuesday (yes 4 days later!) with the aid of a vacuum weighing 4 lbs even and he has been the joy of my life ever since. Not sure he'll have any siblings anytime soon but he was worth it!

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by theresa moeggenberg on August 31, 2009 at 5:04pm

With my DS, I wanted to go natural. No medications, no epidural, no nothing! But, as reality have it, I was weak. I could not take the pain. After eight hours of excrutiating pain, I gave in to the epidural. The nurse said if I would have waited an hour longer, they would not have administered it!

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Teresha Freckleton-Petite on August 31, 2009 at 5:13pm

It's the morning of August 14, and I am tired. The baby kept me up the night before doing acrobatics in the womb. As I sat at the dining table with my mother-in-law, I remember thinking today would be a bad day to go into labor because I was so tired. My MIL suggests I go take a nap and I agree, but first I have an urge to dance! I go into the family room and turn on the Hip Hop channel on the TV. Eve's I Gotta Man is playing and I start droppin' it like it's hot! Afterward, I turn to go upstairs when I feel a wetness, then a trickle run down my left leg. I call out to my MIL, "I think my water is breaking!" She feels my leg and confirms it. I go into project management mode. I call the birth center and I am told to get ready and call in an hour with an update. I tell my MIL to call her son while I go shower and get ready. Today is labor day!

I shower and dress in the nightgown that I bought especially for today. It is lime green and looks like a summer dress. I go back downstairs and ask my MIL if she reached her son. "No," is her reply. No?! "I called him ten times and he's not answering his cell phone," she says. I don't panic because I remember that we agreed that I would text him when it was time in case he was in a meeting and couldn't have his ringer on or answer his phone. I send a text. We sit and wait for him to call. Minutes creep by with no response so I call his desk...no answer. Okay, I am getting pissed. I go into the next room so my MIL doesn't see my frustration (she is a worrier like me). She follows me into the room and I can tell something isn't right when I look at her. Her right eye is all red and watery. She got so anxious that her blood pressure elevated, and she blew a blood vessel in her eye! I realize that the two us could wind up and the hospital if I don't act fast. I call the operator at my husband's company and explain the situation. They transfer me to security. I tell the nice man that my husband works there, I am in labor, and I can't reach him. He laughs and tells me he is on the case. I feel better already. Ten minutes later DH calls. He is already in the car. I hold back the blue streak of curse words I had prepared to shout and just tell him to drive safely. This is my first birth, so I know we have time, plus I need to stay calm and relaxed.

By the time DH gets home, it's been and hour and a half since my water started to break. It continues to come in squirts and my contractions are far apart and mild. I call the birthing center to give an update. The midwife can tell that I am still in the very early stages of labor because I am so perky. She suggests I go walk for an hour and call back. Meanwhile, DH is running around the house. I ask him what he is doing. He is searching for his cell phone, which he finally finds in the car! I also let this blunder slide because I am in the zone. We go outside to walk around the block, but come back after a few minutes due to the intense Texas heat. We decide to drive to Target near the birthing center to walk. After an hour, I am bored and even more tired. We head to Whole Foods hoping to benefit from air conditioning and free samples. Thirty minutes later I am ready to get this show on the road. We call the midwife who tells us to come in for me to get examined. We arrive a little after 4 pm and I am just 4 cm dilated. We must get labor progressing, so I start walking a circuit around the first floor and do pelvic squats every five laps for the next hour and a half. It works! The contractions are stronger and closer together. I have reached active labor!

I get in the birthing pool to ease the pain and pressure, but the water also has the affect of stalling my contractions. I get out after an hour in the pool. No water birth for me, but it's okay. I knew better than to have my heart set on any one delivery method. I get in the bed to finish laboring, but I am dehydrated. The midwife and DH offer me Gatorade, which I hate. I drink it at their insistence and proceed to throw up. On the plus side, the spasms get labor going again. I also get an IV. The next few hours are blurry, but this is what I recall:

* Around 9 pm the midwife examines me and announces I am almost fully dilated...just a little more
* Around 11: 30 pm it's time to push. Seriously?! I am exhausted!!! For the next two hours I try to push the baby out, but she won't budge. Something is wrong! Every time I push hard, her heart rate drops precipitously low. The midwife and birthing assistant try to get her into position by massaging my womb. It doesn't work. The midwife tells DH that the baby is in distress and we need to be transported to the hospital. My heart sinks.
* We pack up and head to the hospital, which is only a block away. I ride with the midwife while DH follows behind in the car. On the way, the midwife is consoling me. She tells me that the OB will try to perform a vaginal birth, that she might offer me an epidural, that I should take it because I am exhausted and it will help me. I start to cry. I feel defeated because I believe an epidural will lead to a Cesarean and end my dreams of a natural birth.
* We arrive at the hospital a round 1:30 am and the staff, already alerted to the situation, takes me into the delivery room where Dr. L performs a vaginal exam and says that the baby is mal-positioned and has the cord wrapped around her neck. She will have to reach in and rotate her, but it's going to hurt a lot. She asks me if I want an epidural or do I want to tough it out. I lean back to think, but Dr. L takes my hesitation as a sign to start turning the baby. I scream bloody murder! She asks again if I want an epidural or if I can handle more of that kind of pain. I respond that I need to push. She tells me to go for it and, with two nurses holding each arm, I push hard. DH yells that he can see her head crowning. My midwife grabs my hand and has me touch the top of my baby girl's head. This gives me a second wind. Someone asks if I can push again. I close my eyes, ask God for strength, brace myself and push with all my might...
* My daughter is born at 1:46 am on August 15th. She comes out kicking and crying...6 lbs, 1 oz. and 19 inches of God's amazing grace! She is handed to me for skin-to-skin contact and she latched on right away. She nurses while Dr. L sutures me (yep, I tore...right down the middle).

Things didn't go exactly according to plan, but we got our happy ending...a healthy baby and a natural birth! Later than morning, I awoke to DH playing Marlie's Mix, a playlist of songs that we compiled to celebrate her birth. I sat up in the bed, took my daughter in my arms, and listened to each song. I remembered why I chose each song and was amazed how they all fit so perfectly.

▶ Reply to This

▶ Reply to This

• First
• Previous
• Next
• Last