Congrats to our "Labor Day" Contest Winner!

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Janis C. Hunter on August 31, 2009 at 8:40pm

Sherry Martindale said:

Had to be induced with both births!

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Janis C. Hunter on August 31, 2009 at 8:47pm

My husband and I were both in the Marine Corps and far from family when I gave birth to my first child. Because I missed her and the rest of my family so intensely during my pregnancy, my mother tried to ease my homesickness by regularly mailing me batches of White Castle hamburgers and Vernors Ginger Ale, neither of which were available in California. This was a comfort but of no value whatsoever once I went into labor. Having been previously relying on wisdom from older women who stated your first baby NEVER comes early and it was three weeks before my due date, I was not amused to be awakened during the night with what I convinced myself were just severe cramps. I was insistent I didn't need to go to the hospital but my husband was even more insistent I should. So, at about six that morning, after my doctor examined me, he announced in a most irritatingly cheerful voice I would be a mother before noon. This was most dismaying for me. I wanted my additional three weeks before maternal duties overtook my life. But I had no choice in the matter. David, my son, large and in charge to this day, was in total command of this situation and made an indignantly screaming arrival at 11:24 A.M. Although I was a big, bad, tough Marine and was completely ecstatic about becoming Mama the instant my oldest hit the world, during labor I became a whiny mass of misery literally pleading for someone, anyone, to sent for my Mommy, who was way back in Michigan.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Amy on August 31, 2009 at 9:03pm

First - pop quiz, what condition causes nausea, fatigue, mood swings,rashes, back and leg pain and other conditions including life threatening - and yet, is sought after by millions upon millions of women world wide?

Yep you guessed it - pregnancy - of course, given the subject manner of this thread. I personally didn't have alot of the typical pregnancy symptoms. Sure I had nausea the first few weeks -so much so I had to quit my job as my boss at place I worked wanted me to sidle up right next to the customer and tail them around. Between moving - an inch and being assailed by many women's choice of perfume and the decision to put so much on that it could be considered a deadly weapon to a pregnant woman with super human scent powers...I decided to quit before I got fired. The migraines I got soon after the nausea stopped prevented me from returning to work.

I didn't have other typical symptoms and my blood pressure stayed low - so low I would've worried if the medical professionals didn't feel it was normal. Until it skyrocketed twenty points all at once - which along with other symptoms and test indicated pre-eclampsia. So I was under house arrest and chained to the bed.

So the real subject of this - labor wasn't fun. After being two weeks late - can we say comfortable baby?- I was scheduled to be at the hopstital and induced with pitocian and with it my lans all flew out the window-- you know I planned to walk around our nearby Botanical Gardens at that first part of labor and remain calm by sitting and staring at this huge fish tank at the attached aquarium, walking around all that. AFter one full day of labor - I was asking fot htat epidural I swore I woudn't have. I alsomst lost him too - he didn't like that Pitocin but he finally arrived and it was all worth it. And now two years later - my mom was right - all the bad scary parts are forgotten! And I'm alsmost ready for round two. Little girl shoes and dresses are looking awfully cute.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Shawnee Gonzales on August 31, 2009 at 11:20pm

My 4 labors have been so simple and straightforeward/ My first I was 21 years and scared. I opted for an epidural because I did not know exactly how bad the pain would be. I felt nothing and pushed literally twice. It would have been easy to have done natural.
My middle two children are 1 1/2 years apart, both were natural, no drugs, no nothing... both were too fast to get any drugs except some after the delivery. No issues at all with pregnancy or delivery.
My 4th child finally decided to slow down and let me know how a normal delivery was. 12 hours of some labor, just about an hour of real hard labor. I did get pain killers wth her, but it was the longest I ever was in labor, so I thought I held out pretty well.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Carla on September 1, 2009 at 12:31am

I will be celebrating Labor day because I am a labor day baby, I was born on labor day some odd years (I aint sayin') ago.So it will be my birthday week!!! I never went into LABOR with my daughter because I adopted her! But I have felt pain with her!!!

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Darlene Oakley on September 1, 2009 at 5:44am

My story is about the most recent one - August 20, 2008.

Let's just say that my "labor day" didn't go quite according to plan - at least not my plan.

My original due date was August 10. That day came and went, along with my parents who had come to visit with the view towards helping me once the baby was born. My husband also decided that before I went to bed August 9 he would tell me what he'd decided to name our baby. This did not go well since I had already chosen a name and for the past nine months he had really not contributed anything to the name hunt except a grunt if he didn't like it. Put that on top of the fact that there was no sign of labor and I was disappointed that my parents would be going home without seeing the baby they had looked so forward to seeing...and the hormones and I was an emotional wreck!

Anyway...and ultrasound showed that my dates were correct and also that the baby hadn't dropped yet. He was head down, but not "engaged". I was scheduled to be induced August 19. I went in thinking we were just going to discuss it - not do it, but by then I was pretty much ready. I found it interesting that when they put the "strap" on me, the monitor was picking up contractions, but I couldn't feel a thing. We still hoped things would progress much faster since they had obviously started. - They didn't.

I was presented with the options and decided I didn't want to go with drugs if at all possible. So we went the non-drug route which required inserting a bubble that would expand the cervix enough for the doctor to break my water and begin the process. The expansion process could take up to 12 hours. It was a good thing I came prepared to leave my dignity at the door!

They sent us home with instructions to come back at 8am the next morning, or sooner is something started to happen before then. We went home camped out in the living room and watching movies. At 5am I got up to go to the bathroom and the bubble came out - telling me I was dilated enough. I forgot that the nurse had said to return at 8, so hubby got up and drove me in by 6. There was still no discernable labor - again the monitor said there was but I didn't feel anything.

The doctor was scheduled to come in around 11. As I waited, I contemplated the possibility that the baby hadn't dropped and the story that one lady at church told me about her labors (in a much earlier time) when her babies hadn't. I also knew that my husband's time home from work was limited (this was happening during his days off). So, I decided that I would go with a c-section if by the time the doctor came in there was no real "improvement" or progress. That was also the time when they would start with the drugs to further bring on labor.

My husband went out for a cup of coffee around the time the nurse came in to set up the drugs and I told her that I had decided on the c-section. When my husband returned with his coffee he was told about my decision (much to his surprise I'm sure). I was told that I would be scheduled for two o'clock this afternoon.

(A little bit of background, there were five of us that were being induced that week on top of the normal deliveries and I know one unexpected/early one - so my poor doctor was pretty much being run off his feet and my c-section has to wait until he'd delivered another baby that was in process. He was amazing, though - so amazing that if he were accepting new patients, I probably would have changed doctors.)

He would be performing the C-section along with my OB/GYN. They prepped me and my husband, gave me the epidural after pumping me full of saline for the preceding hour (my husband said they went through two full bags before wheeling me down).

At 2:36 pm, baby Brent came screaming into the world - looking rather like the Michelin man or the Pillsbury Doughboy because of all the saline they'd pumped into me. 8lbs 9oz (but that was including fluid so I assume he was actually 8lbs 5oz which is what our 12-year-old was when he was born). Since the nursery was on a different floor than the OR, they whisked him away to do all the newborn tests and to get him cleaned up. As I waited to be wheeled back to my room, my hubby told me that he had talked to the doctor about how everything went and that the doctor had said that Brent was just "floating around in there" and implied (not sure he said) that the C-section had been a wise choice.

They wheeled me back to my room, handed me my bundled baby - whose head was so large the little bonnet wouldn't fit. He was the most beautiful baby I'd ever seen. And, I know I'm his mother, but even the doctors and nurses and friends have all said the same thing (guess it's kind of gone to my head) LOL.

We stayed in the hospital until Saturday morning. Thankfully, I had my 12-year-old at home to be my gopher for the first couple of days. He was great because I could hardly move.

And right now, my 1-year-old angel is calling me to come get him now that he's awake!

Gotta go.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Kelly Roimisher on September 1, 2009 at 5:47am

While in labor with my 1st I went to work (I didn't want that day to not count towards my maternity leave). I had a Dr's appointment scheduled for 3pm that day. I went there at 9am and asked if they could take me early. I was told no. At 3pm when my appointment was scheduled my contractions were 3 mintues apart..I was sent straight to labor & delivery. Thirteen hours and one epidural later I had a beautiful baby boy.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Rugbymom on September 1, 2009 at 8:01am

Awesome Charlotte!

Charlotte Tersigni said:

My " labor day" is one for all the adoptive moms out there who think they never will experence "labor". First of all consider that a myth!
I had went through the process of getting on the adoption list,being told how long it could take to get a child (let alone a healthy baby) then, waiting, buying baby clothes no matter what the odds were of actually getting an infant, preparing the room for whatever sex we did get, then more waiting, tears on top of waiting, and meeting the foster parents as well as attending meetings on adoption/ fostering children. It felt like a punishment for not being able to conceive at first, until I met the love of my life, my little darling baby girl at the age of nine months. All the pain of not being able to have actual labor went away.
I say, I did go through "labor" although it was not physical, it was more emotional then anything else.
I would do it all over again too.
Meeting your child for the first time no matter what the age is, is a blessing all alone. Today, my little four year old is a healthy, thriving child.
The adoption experiance is so fulfilling in so many ways, I feel as if it is a blessing that I received such a wonderful child. To keep in mind, it was a labor... a labor of love.
Adoption is a beautiful gift!

Author: Charlotte Tersigni

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Sydney S on September 1, 2009 at 8:33am

Both of my children were scheduled c-sections the first due to complications with fibroids on my uterus. The most importnat thing at the time was carrying to term and having a healthy baby. After my daughter was born I did feel like I had missed out on an important part of the birthing process because my water never broke and I never felt a labor pain. I quickly got over this feeling of having missed out! The joys of having two happy and healthy childen is the only experience that matters!

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by doreen tolbert on September 1, 2009 at 8:40am

i had my second son Joey by c section. so my husband said he wanted to be in the room. I said are you sure? he said i coulnt miss that beautiful moment. Well he was in for a surprise. the doctor told him it has a lot of blood because of it being a c section. so when he was getting his sterile gowns on he was told to wait for a minute. then when the doctor said you can come in he looked over the curtain said Oh my God thats not what i needed to see!!!! doctor chukled and so did I . I wanted a epidural but the baby was so big and I actually felt them cutting and I started to scream I need drugs knock me out please. I was more sedated and I started saying to my husband when he came back more calm, where is my pig am I at the farm. Do not know where that camer from guess it was the stuff they gave me. Everyone started to laugh my husband told me afterwards. he said then after I said that I fell asleep from the anesthesia. the doctor said he laughed so hard the whole day about my husband and what I said before I fell asleep. my docotr wont let me live that down. it is a crazy story but one to remember. sincerely yours doreen. by the way my son was almost 11 pounds. and now he is skinny as ever and 14 years old. funny huh? doreen tolbert

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Peggy Gorman on September 1, 2009 at 8:51am

My first son Dan-8 lbs 11 oz was born darning a big snow storm,I got to the hospital Sat .evening and he was stubborn and waited till Mon. afternoon,my second son was eating too good and decided that he wanted to stay. I was told by the Dr. to stop working beginning of April because he would be coming anyday.June came and no baby yet. I was going for stress tests every week ,called on June 16th around 1:00pm and was told it was too busy,not to come in. You guessed it,2:30,my water broke! Matt was born at 6:40 PM weighing 9 lbs 3 oz by c-section because he was post mature and problems.The Dr. told me he lost weight,if he was born 1 month earlier he would have been 10 lbs!David was my 3rd baby,was to be born in Aug but another one that didn't want to leave because he was too cozy! 2 weeks overdue and a scheduled c-section he was born 9:30 am weighing 8 lbs 11 oz and my 4th babe a girl,yes a girl!! I was going to try a VBAC- vaginal birth after c-section,my water broke at 4 am on my due date,waiting for the contractions to get going. I went shopping and then went to the Dr Admitted around PM to the hospital ,and waiting for her to be born but I wouldn't dilate,3 cm and that's all. The Dr waited till 11:00 PM and told me I could suffer all night or have the c-section. I opted for a c-section and she was born at 11:30 weighing 7 lbs,10 oz . Everyone was so happy to finally have the first girl born into the family on both sides!
3 boys and a girl!

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Lesley Mary on September 1, 2009 at 9:36am

The memory of my "labor day" with my first baby is one I will never forget,and one that I want to cherish forever. Not knowing what to expect,I was very surprised when my water broke,and contractions started. They definitely weren't like anything anyone had described,and I was thankful for attending prenatal classes.What I remember about that incredible time...excitement,anticipation,strength and willpower to try and control all my emotions. Then she was in my arms and I remember her soft tiny fingers, and the gentle summer breeze that came through our hospital window. I remember a feeling of love so strong that it takes my breath away, even now. My beautiful baby girl passed away at the age of 33, two years ago in an accident. I am now raising her baby boy. It is another labor of love.

▶ Reply to This

▶ Reply to This

• First
• Previous
• Next
• Last