Congrats to our "Labor Day" Contest Winner!

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Permalink Reply by Rugbymom on August 31, 2009 at 5:23pm

What a fabulous idea! I remember finally getting the guts up to search for labor day stories when I was getting ready to have my firstborn. I was terrified, so I was very relieved to see many stories are not at all horrific!

One night, not long after new year's day, I woke up because my back was hurting. I was tossing and turning and could not get comfortable. It finally dawned on me that the back pain was coming in waves, so I decided to time the pain. It was exactly 3 minutes apart....on the dot. I woke up my husband and told him I thought I was in labor but I wasn't sure. He promptly told me I'd better be sure! (Shame on me waking him up like that!) When I told him what was going on, he got so excited and then revealed to me that he had not packed. Lucky for me, I wasn't in a lot of pain. Of course it was midnight and that evening was going to be the National Championship, and although the Vols (bless their hearts) weren't playing, he still had to find his Tennessee shirt. So, while he is fretting over literally 'what shirt to wear,' my contractions are starting to intensify. I grabbed my bag and told him that I'd be waiting in the car. I figured that would hurry him up. Once I got to the hospital, they checked me, monitored me and started an IV as soon as it was confirmed that i was indeed in labor. Whew, at least we wouldn't have to do that goat rodeo twice!

Long story short, I'm not going to tell you how much I disliked my anesthesiology expirament, but I will tell you that I was finally anesthetized and by the time it came time to push, i had enough feeling to feel my legs and actually feel the pressure and some of the contraction pain. This was a good thing. The lights were dimmed, and my husband was on my left and an awesome nurse on my right. We pushed. My husband pushed the hardest. He was awesome for me that morning. After pushing for almost an hour, Abigail was crowning...right at shift change. All the dimmed lights and peace and quiet vanished and it was once again a goat rodeo. The last push though had Abigail's head out and no one was there to 'get her' so I told my husband to get her. He looks at me in a panic and then at the doctor who is lacadasically taking her time getting her scrubs on and telling me to wait. At this point I'm going to tell you that waiting was an impossibility and a painful process that just couldn't happen. It would be like stopping your knee from snapping to, when hit with the doctor's little reflex tool. It wasn't going to happen. The baby came out, and the doctor caught her just in time to relieve my husband of the terrible responsibility I had tried to put on him. ;-) It was the single-most amazing moment in my life. When the doctor held her up I was in awe...until I noticed a large turd coming out of her bum. Then I knew for sure that she was of my husband's family!

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Permalink Reply by Laura Bethurem on August 31, 2009 at 5:29pm

With my first daughter I was in the hospital for a week before I had her-I had toxemia through my entire pregnancy-( I was in and out of the hospital for months and put on bed rest for the last month, my blood pressure would not lower, it kept rising)so I was induced-(3 weeks early) the doctor told me he would induce for 3 days then if I had not had her by then he would do a C-section-well 6 hours after they started inducing my sweet Alisha Rachelle was born. She didn't want to put mommy through 3 days of pain.

My second daughter: I woke up December 24th feeling bad but thought nothing of it since my due date wasn't until January18th. I was giving my first daughter a bath and thought I had had an "accident", my mother came over and I told her I had to change my clothes three times already that day-she said my water broke and she called the hospital. Well I new I wouldn't be able to eat for a long time so I had my husband and father go to Taco Bell for Tacos before we left. We arrived at the hospital late (because of Taco Bell)and they stared to induce-nurses told me the doctor didn't want to come in on Christmas. They tripled the inducing fluid at 5:oop.m.- two hours later-very painful-(my mother said the 2nd baby is easier-boy did she lie-my first contraction I yelled and told her she was a liar and then she started praying out loud-I said don't pray now its too late)but at 7:32p.m. Dec 24th I had my sweet little Emily Nicole. ( So cute-the nurses put her in a stocking and put a Santa Hat on her). After we brought her home I was very sick and could not breast feed-I had gotten Mastidus-which made me very ill. But it all worked out-I recovered and was able to nurse again. Oh-I did apologize to my mother for the mean things I said to her!

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Permalink Reply by Elizabeth Edwards on August 31, 2009 at 5:48pm

My most interesting "Labor Day" experience was with my second baby. I was working full-time, and he was due the first week of January, 1999. I scheduled my last day of work for December 18th, 1998, which I thought would give me time to enjoy Christmas and New Year's before the baby came.

On December 20th, a Sunday, I was at my husband's family's Christmas gathering. They had a piano and because I play, I was pressed into service as the official player of the Christmas carols while everyone sang along. While sitting at the piano, I noticed my stomach felt tighter than usual. At the end of the song, I excused myself to go into the kitchen. While standing in front of my Mother in Law and Aunt in Law, I had what felt like a contraction. They both looked at my face and at almost the same time said, "you're in labor".

No, I assured them, it was probably just a Braxton Hicks contraction. I wasn't due for almost two weeks, and I hadn't even gone into labor with my first child, I had been induced because he was so big. It never occurred to me that I might actually be in labor. I was also having a scheduled C-Section.

On the way home from the Christmas party, my husband started timing the "contractions" that I was still convinced were nothing to worry about. They were 15 minutes apart and not getting any stronger. We went home, ate dinner, put our 2 year old to bed, watched some TV, and went to bed.

At about 4:00 AM on December 21st, 1998, I woke up to go to the bathroom. Only, instead of feeling sleepy and wanting to go right back to bed, I felt wide awake. In fact, I felt like walking back and forth in our living room. What I had decided were definitely contractions were still happening. I called the Doctor on Call for my family practitioner's office and described the day to him. He said, "I can tell by the way you sound on the phone, you are in labor. Go to the hospital as soon as you can".

I woke up my husband around 5:00 AM. He called his Mom, who fortunately for us was available to come over right away and stay with our 2 year old. Once she arrived, around 6:00 AM, we headed to the hospital. I was put in a Labor & Delivery room, the monitor was hooked up, and sure enough, I was having regular contractions. They didn't feel anywhere near as painful as I thought they would. But, since I was scheduled for the C-Section, my doctor and surgeon were called, I was prepped, and at 12:18 PM on December 21st, 1998, Chris and I had our son Nathan.

We left the hospital on Christmas Eve morning. My Dad had rushed out to the Mall and purchased new baby gifts so there would be something for Nathan under the tree, which was so thoughtful. I spent Christmas Day at Chris' Dad's house, nursing my new son, both of us still groggy from the pain meds. Not only had "Labor Day" come early, but we got the best Christmas present we could have asked for!

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Permalink Reply by Kitty Klebba on August 31, 2009 at 5:54pm

My labor story was nothing like I had envisioned.
There was something about smooth legs that was a part of the vision of my labor story and that worked out. I was nearly a week past my due date and was just finished with carefully shaving my legs when I felt a funny feeling in my abdomen. It made me giggle. I hoped that funny feeling wasn’t a bad sign. I tried to sleep and was looking forward to my appointment with my OB/GYN at 10:00am the next morning. When I arrived, the nurse did an ultrasound and used a contraction monitor. Those funny feelings I had were contractions and I was in labor!
We went straight to the hospital and after some time, I was moved to a birthing room. I was reluctant to get an epidural but the doctor on call talked to me about my concerns and I felt more comfortable about it. My water didn’t break on its own so the doctor used the tool I learned about in birthing class to break it. The epidural made me comfortable and it was about 10:00pm before I moved into active labor. The epidural began to cause some strange numbness in my legs so it needed to be turned off. I pushed and pushed and my baby boy just wouldn’t move his shoulder so he wouldn’t make his way out. For three hours, I pushed and rested to get my baby boy out. Finally, my doctor came to me with a look of concern, “We need to do a caesarean to keep you and baby safe”. My response, “Do I get to have the epidural turned back on?” “Yes, that’s your pain reliever for the surgery.” “No problem then.”

I was exhausted and would have agreed to anything. I remember being strapped to the operating table and my doctor yelling “It’s a boy!” and shortly after, I heard him cry, folloed by tears of my own. A nurse brought my baby to me and because I was strapped down, I could only kiss his sweet goopy eyes.
I had this vision of my husband with his arm around me as I held our son for the first time. He got to hold him before I did. I couldn’t sit up after the surgery and the long exhausting labor. My baby had to go to the nursery shortly after he was born and I didn’t get to see him again for a couple of hours. The whole time I was in the hospital, I hardly could hold him because of the tubes hooked up to me. However, the most wonderful part of my labor story was something I could not have envisioned and something I will never forget. I laid in my bed hooked up to an epidural as given for pain from the surgery. My baby boy was right next to me in a clear, see-through bassinet. He managed to make eye contact with me and his gaze lasted. I was looking at my baby boy and he was looking at me. I was in love and I still am five years later.

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Permalink Reply by Angie Bailey on August 31, 2009 at 5:55pm

I had my first and only son when I was 15 (yes 15) years old. I probably knew less than even most first time moms. My own mother was very nervous so the night I went into labor she first told me I was just cramping and to walk it off. A few hours later when I told her I couldn't even sit we were off to the hospital. But first my mother, the nervous wreck that she was, had to put on makeup. Yes you heard me. I was in so much pain that when I got to the ER I told them I'd walk to labor and delivery. After I got settled in in about an hour, they broke my water. They attempted to administer an IV with some pain meds as I didn't want an epidural but they were so rushed that I only got a few drops and the rest of the meds when dripping to the floor. It was just 17 minutes later after breaking my wather that I had my 6 pound 13 ounce baby boy who is now 9! I got up to go to the bathroom a few hours later and my mom almost fainted because when she had me she couldn't even move for 3 days. I'd be afraid to do it all over again because then I'd probably have one of those horror story deliveries.

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Permalink Reply by Sarah Buki on August 31, 2009 at 6:04pm

It was a week before my due date and I was feeling great. My husband and I had spent the morning together and I was going to lay down for a quick nap. Just beforehand I felt like a small discharge of something but it was so slight I ignored it. When I got up from my nap, I felt like there was still a slight trickle and I began to wonder if my water had broke. But I was unsure and my husband was supposed to work that night. We decided to wait and see and finish watching LOST. By the time the show was over the trickle began to become more frequent and we called the doctor. They told us to come in. When the nurse came to examine me, then the small stream became the gushing waterfall! I still can not believe how my water came out of me that night! My labor pains began probably 6 hours after my water broke. I started out all right but I was scared because the doctors had said he was going to be a big baby and I might need a c/s. So half way thru I got an epi. I was able to rest with this. When the time came I began to push and pushed for two hours before they said our son was starting to show signs of stress. That is when they wheeled me to the OR and pulled him out. I was so drugged up it was hard to remember everything from the OR. I was so exhausted. But I wont forget how wonderful it felt to hold him for the first time in the recovery room. He is my labor of love.

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Permalink Reply by Elizabeth Jones on August 31, 2009 at 6:09pm

My first labor was a true labor of love! My water broke in the middle of the night during a flood. We managed to get to the hospital through flooded streets. I was in labor for 26 hours with lots of pitocin, cervadil and other uncomfortable procedures. The baby's head was too big too deliver and was going into distress. The doctor did an emergency c-section in the 27th hour and my precious baby boy was born. It took more than a day to get him out but he was well worth it!

~ Elizabeth (The Thrifty Diva)

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Permalink Reply by Catherine Rose Powell on August 31, 2009 at 6:29pm

My son was frank breech and the doctor didn't want to try to turn him because they had examined my uterus and determined that it was bicornate and that there wasn't as much room as a normal uterus. Sooo, the caesarian was scheduled. I went at the appointed time, got hooked up to the monitors and prepped and the nurse said my contractions were in their earliest stages but before I could feel any "labor" pains I was given anesthetic and taken to surgery. I didn't have a very good time in surgery...I was numb from the neck down and could only move my head. Meanwhile, my husband is watching the whole thing commenting on all the fat and layers the doc has to cut through to get into my uterus. I was glad my husband was there because his comments gave me something to focus on. Well, the doc pulled my son out and according to my husband, my son's arms and legs went "boing" where he had been doubled over in the womb. Well, while my husband got to run off with the nurses and our baby, I had to endure coming off of the anesthetic. I did have my labor pains and I'm not so sure they weren't worse than with a normal delivery. The scar healed fairly quickly but the itching went on for weeks/months and still acts up every once-in-a-while (9 years after my c-section). I wish I could go back and try a normal delivery...during my c-section the doc discovered that I had a perfectly normal uterus.

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Permalink Reply by LindsayC on August 31, 2009 at 6:32pm

We had a really stressful labor day! Our puppy got a little over exuberant with our older dog and she ended up pulling a ligament in her leg. $3500 to fix her leg. That's more than I paid for my last surgery! It is so stressful, we're not sure how we're going to pay for this. But our dogs are like our children now that our kids are grown and out of the house, and it would just be devastating if something were to happen to them. So that's my fun weekend I really hope everyone else had a better time!

Sherry Martindale said:

Had to be induced with both births!

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Permalink Reply by cynthia peters on August 31, 2009 at 6:32pm

Hi, Well my labor story is crazy My daughter is 17 now but I still remember it like yesterday. Well it started November 11, 1991. I went to the hospital at 7:30 at night and they put stuff on my cervix to start labor because I was do the 4th. Well that didn't go well it didn't do anything. It was important for me to do a natural birth because my first child I had a cecearian. The first thing the next day the 12th they started me on a patoson drip to induce labor. So I could welcome my beautiful baby to the world. Well it was going really slow I mean really slow. Thirty-two hours later. I was in horrible pain threatened to throw the bed and my husband out the window. My doctor was off for at midnight but she was such a great doctor that she stayed with me and supported me to do it natural because i wasn't being a good patient towards the end of labor finally the midwife said I can push and I started pushing and pushing until I pushed her out up to her waist and she squirmed like a worm back in this kept going on for awhile and the midwife and doctor were laughing and grabbed my hand and had me feel the top of her sweet dark hair on her head and I cried and then they told me to keep pushing and she squirmed back in again about six plus times it was crazy finally I pushed with everything I had and this beautiful dark haired girl with olive skin and green hazel eyes laid on my belly and it was all worth it and I would do it all over if I could. Hope you enjoy this story she was 8lbs 2ounce baby girl named amber born 2:32 a.m. on November 13,1991 Thank you

Cynthia peters

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Permalink Reply by Liz on August 31, 2009 at 6:33pm

I have three kids and three very different experiences.
With my first, I felt very crampy in the morning but thought no way could it be labor because I was three weeks early. However, as the day went on, the cramps became more steady and I thought "Well this isn't so bad after all." Then they really kicked in and I thought "My God why aren't I in the hospital?" I called my doctor and he asked how things were going. I laughed and said not what I expected. He said "well you're laughing so try to stay home until you don't feel like laughing anymore." I guess things progressed faster than he even expected because 15 minutes later I told my husband I didn't care and get me to the hospital. My water broke on the driveway. I was wearing light grey sweatpants so that didn't look to great. By the time I got to the hospital it was too late for an epidural. I had my first son naturally and yelled at everyone in sight.
With my second son, I was ready and got rid of my first doctor. I went to my doctor on a Friday and she said I was already in labor. She told me to go home and "don't put anything in there." She wanted me to go until Monday so that my son wouldn't be a preemie. I went back on Monday and she sent me straight to the hospital. They gave me an epidural and then induced me. It was painless, stress free and enjoyable. I love my doctor. I was three weeks early again.
For my third child, I had the same doctor. She was 7 months pregnant herself. I told her as I was approaching the three week early mark, I warned my doctor that I expected to go soon. Sure enough I had an appointment to go see her. I called her that morning telling her I was crampy and pretty sure I had been in labor since the night before. She said be prepared to go straight to the hospital from your appointment. I showed up, confirmed I was in labor and went straight to the hospital with everyone saying they were hoping for a girl. At the hospital they induced me and I felt contractions that were worse than anything in the world. I was curled up on the bed trying to think of those breathing techniques again. My husband was breathing next to me and I just kept saying why didn't I get the epidural yet? They hadn't put in the order right away and had expected me to be in labor longer. I warned them that I always delivered fast. So I finally got the epidural delivered right in the middle of a contraction which was just awful! Then they told me not to start pushing because my doctor wasn't there yet. Unfortunately there was no holding back. A few interns delivered my baby. They were really wonderful though. My doctor showed up 2 minutes after the delivery and was a bit unhappy. Everyone was very happy overall though because I now have my little girl.
Two beautiful boys and a beautiful girl - all delivered differently, all loved endlessly.

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Permalink Reply by Rebecca on August 31, 2009 at 6:33pm

First birth: miscarriage, at home, on the toilet. No fun.
Second birth: regular (read: vaginal...sorry if too much information) with full epidural and the knowledge that my baby had an abdominal wall defect and would require immediate surgery (she's fine, thank you!).
Third birth: scheduled C-section for a 10+ pound boy. He looked SO surprised - no warning, no labor - just warm and cozy and suddenly bright and cold. Poor guy (but he's fine too, thank you!).
Fourth birth: ZERO drugs; labored at home; used Hypnobirthing technique. Actual birth took less than an hour.
I finally claimed my birthright to do it on my own terms! I'm so grateful for all the medical advances that allowed me to give birth twice, but BOY did that last one feel good!

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