Labor and Delivery Stories

aebxo

Hi ladies!

This may sound absolutely ridiculous... I am a first time mom and somehow throughout my entire life, I have never been around a pregnant woman, touched a belly, held a newborn, any of it. My siblings and I were all adopted and I am the only woman in the family basically. Sounds crazy, I know. Up until now I thought labor was how it is in the movies. You suddenly get contractions then go to the hospital and push a baby out for 10 minutes and barely break a sweat. Obviously it's not like that. I tried to do some research on the topic but all I found were HORROR stories. So long story short, would you ladies mind sharing some labor and delivery stories to give me an idea of what I should expect? I'm one of those women who is horrified of the delivery, its always scared me even when I was a child. Again weird, I know. Thanks!!

redfallon

Ok whew! It took me a while to find this, but I did! Here is mine when I posted it to my previous BMB:

https://forums.thebump.com/discussion/12076281/omg-i-had-a-baby

ETA: I was 41w2d when I went in to be induced. I told my OB that I would go to 41w but not 42w. 

caseybeth1213

This is my birth story posted from my BMB board with my son. Please excuse all the typos I was still super drugged when I typed it out.

I can in Monday 16th at 1130pm to be induced,I ended up not getting in a room till about 1245 Tuesday morning.

They got me hooked up to monitors right away and i was already having contractions every 2-3 minutes apart but couldnt feel them. They started me on pitocin,fluids,and penicillin (group b strep positive) around 1:30 to get things roiling. She checked me and I was only dilated to about a 1 1/2. Around 5 o clock my contractions had picked up only in my back, she checked me I was a 3.
Around 6 o clock Tuesday morning I got woken up to my water breaking! By the time my nurse got to my contractions were less than a minute apart and strong. By then I begged for the epidural that hurt like a SOB but soooooo worth it!
Things picked up fast as about 30 minutes after my epidural I was check and at a 6. Things kind of slowed down as my pitocin was cut back due to babies heart beat so I rested.
Now the fun begins! At 1130my doctor came and checked me I was at a 10 and it was pushing time! I pushed for 2 1/2 long painful hours!
Lane Edward was born at exactly 2:00 Tuesday weighing 9lbs 8oz and 21 inches long! Because I am a petite 5'2 I had a major 4th degree tear and lost about 2 quarts of blood. They let me hold Lane although I was in and out of conscieness (spelling?) to do some skin to skin. After about 15 minutes of holding him and them trying to get the bleeding stopped I started Throwning up, so my husband did skin to skin for the next hour! It took them that I whole hour to stitch me up and getting the bleeding to stop by inserting a balloon in my cervix.

I am now having to stay another night In the l&d room due to the balloon, catheter,and blood transfusion I will be receiving in the morning. This is not at all how I thought the birth of my son would be but it is so worth it!

I have been very emotional today as I have to have assistance to hold Lane and attempt to breast feed him, as I am so weak and still getting sick everytime I sit up.

sassypants13

You should check out Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. The first half is all birth stories, and they're moms who delivered with midwives. So low risk, natural, and non-horror I find them very comforting.

dp1320

It's funny because that's what DH was expecting going into it and he was like "this isn't like the movies."

I was fortunate to have a very anti-drama L&D. Looking back, I realize that I started getting labor pains on Sunday night but being a FTM I had no idea and just made my labor cake, ate it and went to bed. When I woke up the next morning, I was getting ready for work and just felt off. I told DH I was probably going to go to the doctor because I didn't feel normal but I also didn't think I was in labor (I was 39 weeks and a few days at this point). So I called my doctor's office and they said I could come in that morning to get checked out. I went to the doctor and they hooked me up to do a NST and said hey, you're in labor! You can either go to the hospital now or go do whatever and check in later - whatever you want. So I called DH, told him to get the dogs so we could drop him off at his parents house and meet me at his parents house (we live an hour from where I work/where the hospital is that I delivered at). I went back to work, told them I was in labor and I would see them in 3 months (lol)...went and got my eyebrows waxed (priorities) and grabbed something for lunch. Met DH at his parents and then we ate and decided to go to the hospital to get checked in (130pm). Once they checked me in, they told me to do some laps to get things moving. Around 4ish I asked for the EPI because it was getting really painful and I was about 4cm. Around 8pm they broke my water and things went pretty quickly from there. Having the epi, I basically just hung out, watched tv and tried to rest/sleep. Around 2am they said we could start pushing and DS was born at 3:13 am. No complications with me or DS, it was a dream delivery - I know I was very fortunate! Hoping the next goes just as smoothly.

AlejandraN2

Everyone's story is different. Try to avoid the horror stories online It may be good to look at some birth plan questions and templates online. Here's an example here. It'll help prepare you for some questions you may have. Although births rarely go according to "plan" it's good to know what you want and don't want and what experience you want to try and have at birth (with the understanding that all of that may be thrown out the window and all that really matters is a healthy baby in your arms and a healthy mamma).

I'll keep my story short. My water broke at 1am at 36w 1 d. I woke up having to go to the bathroom and then after i was done peeing i kept feeling little trickles of water that wouldn't stop. It was not a gush of water in a puddle on your feet like you see in the movies (some women do have that). It was more like a trickling of sorts. I had a feeling something was off so i took a towel and sat on the bed and then the water kept coming. So i called the OB hotline who confirmed that my water most likely had broken and to get to the hospital. I had no contractions or any other signs (apart from a nesting feeling that weekend, and a constant need to do #2 during the day - TMI i know). I had time to take a shower and pick up my bag and we went to the hospital around 3am. They admitted me. In the am I wasn't dilated enough. Contractions started and I immediately took the epidural (I had no qualms about that and no strong feelings about going natural). At 11am still had not dilated enough so they gave me Pitocin. I had in my birth plan that I didn't want that, but i wasn't progressing fast enough so I took it. My baby girl had a heart issue we knew about since 20 weeks so there was a team of doctors ready to take her to the NICU and an MRI so we didn't have too much time to wait. By 3pm i felt i was dilated to 10cm - i knew something was up. Nurse called OB in who confirmed it and told me to push. I pushed 5 times and she was out at 3.14pm at 5 lbs even. I got to hold her for a second before they whisked her away. She looked like a wrinkly old man and I was overwhelmed with the desire to protect her. They stitched me up (i had almost no tearing since she was tiny) and i didn't feel a thing. I walked down to the NICU (no wheelchair) less than an hour after giving birth. I spent most of the next few days standing and my recovery was minimal. The one silver lining.

The rest of the story is too long for here, but we took her home exactly 19 days later. 21 months later she's the light of my life and thriving. 

I guess that wasn't that short. But there you go

carsonsmommy0913

I was fortunate to have two safe and drama-free deliveries.

With my son I was 40w2d and naturally went into labor. They gave me pitocin to help things out because I was progressing really slowly. I was in labor for about 12 hours total, including pushing. I pushed for an hour, then had to stop because I couldn't feel my contractions to push so they had to turn down my epi. Then about 5 pushes later and a threatened episiotomy he was born at 8lb11oz.

With my daughter I went into labor at exactly 37 weeks. I was in labor for maybe 4.5 hours total. The only drama I had there was I didn't have enough time for my epidural to kick in before I felt the urge to push, so she was born without medication, since the dang thing didn't kick in until after she was born. It was a crazy experience, I still laugh about it almost 3 years later.

vbrannin2010

I've had three and except for the first one whom was suppose to have a disease (she's absolutely healthy at 4 years old!), they were uneventful. I was induced with my second one due to back issues at 39 weeks. That labor was 14 hours, but most of it at night so it went by fast.
My 15 month old, well, it all happened so fast. It was midnight when I realized I had some minor cramping but nothing out of the ordinary. I was so nervous I started keeping track until I realized I was contracting every 5 minutes. At that point, I woke up my husband and called my mom to come watch our girls. The whole way to the hospital I was in denial even though I had begun to pass the mucus plug. When we arrived at the ER, got sent to L&D, got examined, the nurse told me my water was bulging and I was in active labor. At 11:15am, we welcomed our third princess. I went pain med free for the third time. No complications whatsoever and no tearing.
I'm also the kind of woman that only pushes twice and pops out that baby. I thought everyone was the same until my aunt delivered her first a few months ago and said she pushed for 3 hours. Yikes! I'm hoping this delivery is quick and drama-free as well, but who knows. And btw, even though I was young and scared, apparently I laughed when I was pushing out our first born. I kept saying it felt like jello... no meds either. I still use the same OB 5 years later and he won't let me live it down. Lol
You'll read all our stories, but in the end your experience will be unique in its own way. There really is no preparing or planning for delivery. You'll think it'll happen one way yet something completely different will happen.
Trust that your body will know what to do when the time comes. Enjoy it! :-)

elyssadane

I definitely wouldn't call it a HORROR story but it is one to remember. It's a little scary but it's so amazing. I started having contractions at 4 am on a Sunday morning thinking they weren't anything, until they continued throughout the morning. Finally around 11am I went to the hospital. Come to find out all of the doctors had that Sunday off but they were scheduling inductions for the next day so they doctor would be there with in the next 24 hours. They monitored me for an hour and told me I wasn't in "active" labor because l wasn't dialiating past 2cm. They sent me home and told me if it gets worse come back. The also said I had a serious UTI that could cause contractions. (I was 39 weeks and they were saying i wasn't full term so they weren't taking me serious) they gave me meds for my UTI and told me to drink lots of water. 2 hours go by and I have to go back because my contractions were 30 seconds apart. Note I was out shopping with my mom because I was told walking helps speed up labor and I didn't want to get too far from the hospital. I go back they basically tell me the same thing that I'm not in active labor so they send me home with meds to calm my uterus down so maybe I could rest. They told me I could stay at the hospital but they wouldn't be monitoring me because I wasn't progressing if I stayed I wasn't allowed to eat anything and they could induce me in the morning so I said forget that and I left. Come to find out the meds they gave me did the exact opposite and I started dialiating on the way home. We stopped and grabbed food because I was starving. I couldn't eat it because at that point I couldn't function because my contractions were every 30 seconds and for the third time we went back to the hospital at midnight! The nurse told me I was finally at 3 1/2 cm and they would give me an IV and once I get half the bag down I can have an epidural. 30 minutes later after half the bag was gone they checked me and I was at 8cm!!! You can only imagine the pain I was experiencing just because the nurses never believed me when I told them I was ready to have this baby and they just sent me home. I got the epidural. It didn't hurt, the numbing medicine kind of burned but it wasn't bad. After 30 minutes that epidural was in full effect, I was almost napping in between contractions because I was so exhausted! Right around 2:30 they told me I could do some practice pushes (we were still waiting on a doctor!) I pushed twice and you could see his head. I was fully dialiated and ready to have my baby. It was 3:59am on Monday morning when I finally delivered just because I was waiting on a stupid doctor! I pushed 3 times and my son was out! No body tells you how amazing it is after you hold your baby for the first time! You forget all the pain and thank god for the epidural because I didn't feel him come out at all!
It was truly amazing but this time around I'm using a midwife because honestly doctors just suck in my opinion. This is my 9 month old and he is the best thing that has every happened to me, totally worth the 24 hours of pain!

tralalablah

I woke up early the morning of January 8th because I lost my mucous plug.  Sounds gross and it was.  I was leaking all day, but it was not "water breaking."  We were housesitting at a friend of ours and I did not expect anything unusual to happen.  I went by my midwife's and they also assured me that while I could go into labor, I could also just as easily NOT go into labor for a week or more.  I went about the rest of my day, nothing really noteworthy, grocery shopping or some such. I was still two weeks early.

We went home that evening and some light contractions started.  I never really felt my Braxton-Hicks contractions, so it was odd to finally feel one and I wasn't sure if they were the real deal.  Our doula Wendy came out to see the Airstream for the first time as preparation for the birth which we expected to still be two weeks away.  While she was there, we discussed the contractions and agreed that we would know more in the morning -- either they would stop or progress further. And progress further they did.  I went out to the couch at around 1:30AM and started watching the clock to figure out how long they were lasting and how far apart.  I managed to just go with it until around 3:30AM when I woke up my husband Josiah and told him that they were at the 4-1-1 timing.  We called our doula Wendy; she agreed to meet us at Dayspring, our birthing center at around 5AM.

The road to town was a sheet of ice.  Not pleasant.

We got to the birth center and into our room and I labored through the contractions with Wendy and Josiah until about 9:30AM when we decided to keep my chiropractic appointment to see if it would help.  The drive was nuts; contractions are a nightmare above about 30MPH.  The adjustment value was about half-and-half for me.  I'm hopeful that it helped her positioning, but I did feel many of the contractions in my back which was crazy painful.  We got back to the birth center and labored until about noon, when my doula and the student midwife, Lindsay, decided I was still in the early stages of labor (!) and that I should try to sleep since I had so little sleep the last two nights.  This made me cry since the contractions were so painful that I was convinced I was pretty far along, but they assured me that it was actually going to get a lot MORE painful. Reluctantly, I agreed around 1PM, and did end up getting some good rest in between contractions.  I had to develop this mantra, though; I told myself over and over that pain was temporary and each contraction got her closer to being here.  Somehow it worked.

Sometime between 3 and 4PM, something changed, and I got out of bed and told Josiah to get our team back in there, because the contractions had gotten stronger.  About a half an hour later they arrived, and around 5PM we decided to do an exam to see how far dilated I was, which we needed to do before laboring in the birthing tub anyway.

10 centimeters!  Go time.

That was bananas.  I wasn't expecting to hear that, since I thought I still had transition to go through, but I was elated.  They got the tub ready and the warm water felt so good and really helped me with the pain.  Lindsay checked baby girl's heartbeat and she had very strong tones throughout.  Good job, baby girl!  The sticky wicket, however, was that my water WOULD NOT BREAK.  Apparently, I make strong bags of water.  Who knew?  So, a small bubble of it was protruding through the cervix, like a water balloon.  I even got to reach up and feel it. They had me try to push through several contractions to try to break it, but nothing happened.  Finally, my midwife Inga broke it for me (with her fingernail!), and with the very next contractions I felt the urge to push.

This was just the beginning.

Pushing took forever.  I was not particularly efficient at it until Lindsay gave me a pressure point to focus on.  This helped immensely.  Baby girl kept getting closer and closer to arriving.  That was awesome and I really wanted a waterbirth, but the team thought I could get her out with fewer contractions if we let gravity help.  So, they brought out the birthing chair.  It's like a little stool with a cutout and handlebars.  Very cool.  A few contractions later and she started crowning.  Josiah got to watch the whole thing, which I didn't even realize at the time.  Soon, her head was out and in another push, her body followed.  Ingrid Palmer Drewien was born at 8:28pm!  They quickly brought her up to my chest and we could hear her -- not screaming, but definitely letting us know she had arrived.  The team helped me over to the bed and laid her on my stomach.  I finally got to see her -- her beautiful face, tiny body, vernix everywhere.  It was such a surreal moment -- I couldn't believe she was actually here with us now.  So awesome.

I'm not sure if I delivered the placenta first or if Josiah cut the cord first, but soon I had her up at my chest, skin to skin, and just enjoying her first moments with us.  It's amazing how modesty didn't even enter my mind at the time.  I remember Josiah getting to look at the placenta and Lindsay showing him the "tree of life."  We kept the placenta and are planning to plant it with the seedlings that will hopefully become a grove of trees on our land.

After an hour or so, they measured and weighed her -- 21 inches, 7 lbs., 9 oz. on the spring scale.  The team made us an awesome breakfast for dinner and then left us alone to enjoy our first night with our baby.  She slept very soundly skin-to-skin on both my chest and Josiah's.  The team came to check on us in the morning and around mid-day we took our little girl home.

tralalablah

Holy crap that was long.  

belindahampton

My labor was a total of 6 hours, that started at 7 pm. I didn't get checked in to the hospital until 10 PM and I was already 7cm and not in a ton of pain. I ended up getting an epi and started pushing a couple hours later. I pushed just a few times (while my husband and I took selfies) and he made his appearance

People always told me terrible birth stories and to be ready for pain but honestly, pushing was the easiest part - didn't hurt at all! Obviously, the meds did their job. I also had the best nurse and doc. They were awesome! I'm hoping for a similar experience this time around but realize every pregnancy/birth is different.

Mags128

My labor was only about 12 hrs. I had a doctors appointment that day and I was actually tested for pre-eclampsia. That night DH and I were laying in bed and around 10 pm I got up to use the bathroom and felt gushy. I went and told DH that I though my water broke. We called my doctor and since contractions hadn't started we decided to wait it out at my house. Contractions started around 11:15. Around 1am I decided it was time to go to the hospital.

We got to the hospital and had to wait for a room. They confirmed my water broke and waited to check to see how far I was until I got the epidural. I finally got that at 3am and I was 6.5 cm dilated. We attempted to get some sleep. Around 5:30 they checked again and I was 9.5cm. So we just waited until I started feeling pressure. I probably started pushing around 9:15 and she was born at 10am.

Beckah31

My son's water broke in the doctor's face because he didn't listen to me or the nurse when we said it was bulging. Served him right, he is an ass.

NJPita22

My labor was like the movies. My first I went into labor around 330pm and didn't believe I was in labor my husband made me get in the car and drove me to the hospital and was circling the hospital. I refused because I didn't want to be one of those women who get sent home. Then my hubs and sister called the doctor and I couldn't talk to them because I couldn't talk through the contractions and the dr said GO TO THE HOSPITAL. I arrived at labor and delivery and they said they didn't know what to do with me because we beat the doctors call my husband was like what do you mean????? This is labor and delivery she's in labor!!! So she's like what kind of room do you want?! So I asked for one with a tub lol. I went to the bathroom and my water broke. A huge gush like the movies but in the toilet. The nurses didn't believe me. They checked me I was 4 cm and water did break. They monitored me and I kept yelling she's coming they didn't believe me and said I had a while. I demanded an epidural and got one at 7pm. And kept telling the nurse she's coming she's coming and something popped. She said no you'll be here at least 6 more hours. So my sister FLIPPED out on her and forced her to check me and she said omg the baby's coming..... At 747 she was out.

My second I had my first contraction at 230am and told my husband to have my parents come over. He called them and I went to the bathroom and had a bloody show and called my sister and asked her to meet me at the hospital. My husband told me to go back to bed it would go away.... I think I lost it lol my parents got there quickly and we were at the hospital by 3am. My doctor never made it my second daughter was born at 513am in a dimmed lighting with soft music playing peaceful enviornment.

Wish me luck on my third lol

mollyjeanh

Mine was pretty uneventful. Epidural at 5cm. Perinatologist broke my water a few hours later. Up to 10cm within the next hour. Pushed for 30 minutes and out slid my 9lb 4oz DD.

I had a 3 out of 4 tear and lots of stitches but honestly didn't feel much with the epidural.

littleSkittle14

Mine was not at all how I imagined. 57 hours of labor. Back labor, at that, as baby was posterior (head down but facing the wrong way- her spine was next to mine but the baby's spine is supposed to be near your belly button). I labored as long as I could before getting the epidural at 6cm. Moments later her heart rate and my BP dropped and they broke my water to find meconium (baby poop- a sign of distress) so I got wheeled in for a section.

It was really defeating because I had planned for a natural birth but I would rather mourn a birth than mourn a child. And honestly, I now believe she wasn't coming out any other way. I am attempting a VBAC this time around!

Good luck, hope it goes smoothly for you!

Melissadmag

Try not to focus on the horror stories. There's a wonderful delivery story for every bad one out there. Just try to accept the fact that everyone on this Earth that ever has been or ever will be was born (one way or another), and if billions of women throughout history have survived it, multiple times over it is something you can do as well. Yes, there is always a chance that something will go wrong, but thankfully we live in the here and now, and not even 50 years ago. As a medical society we are living in a pretty advanced age and even if something goes wrong it can usually be fixed. It is unfortunate that you didn't get to grow up with pregnancy as a part of your life, because it would super increase the fears. If you watch water birthing videos online it might help you get a better understanding of what all happens. I recommend water birthing videos because they are pretty all natural and usually a beautiful thing to watch as the women handle their pain and end up with a beautiful baby in their arms.In general you can expect your water to break at some point, that yes labor will hurt for a bit, how long depends on how long you're in labor for and whether or not you get an epi, and a plethora of other things. There are lots of techniques you can try to calm yourself and to make things go easier and smoother for you, look up breathing techniques, hypno-birthing, and birth classes to educate yourself on how to make the delivery as easy as possible for you. Pack yourself a hospital bag when the time is closer. You will have to push (or maybe have a c-section in which case you wont push) and one way or another a baby that will be the light of your world is going to come out of you. The pain will be worth it when you see your little one's face, and what you have created and now get to take care of. Birth is a beautiful thing and one of the best days of your life, so instead of fearing it, try picturing the outcome of your labors, your beautiful little baby. 

Murphyer

Labor stories are so much fun to share because it just takes you back to the wonderful moment of holding your baby for the first time

My water broke at 730pm while I was on the toilet at home. Contractions started shortly after but they were very mild. We went to the hospital and the nurse checked me and said "oh my, you are grossly ruptured". My DH and I still laugh about that... What an awful way to put it!

They admitted me and I took the epi about 10pm. My epi ended up not taking so I still felt every contraction which helped my labor progress faster. After 8 hours of labor, including 1 hour of pushing, my little DD was born at 3:30am.

I'm honestly considering not getting an epi this time around... We'll see how I feel in the moment! PP said it best, your story will likely be different and not to worry because your body will know what to do.

BostonBaby1

redfallon said:

Ok whew! It took me a while to find this, but I did! Here is mine when I posted it to my previous BMB:

https://forums.thebump.com/discussion/12076281/omg-i-had-a-baby

ETA: I was 41w2d when I went in to be induced. I told my OB that I would go to 41w but not 42w. 

I have not read anybody else's story yet, but wow! And so beautiful :-) was I reading things correctly because I was trying to figure out if you were pushing for three hours and 15 minutes? That seems like a long time!?

redfallon

BostonBaby1 said:

Ok whew! It took me a while to find this, but I did! Here is mine when I posted it to my previous BMB:

https://forums.thebump.com/discussion/12076281/omg-i-had-a-baby

ETA: I was 41w2d when I went in to be induced. I told my OB that I would go to 41w but not 42w. 

I have not read anybody else's story yet, but wow! And so beautiful :-) was I reading things correctly because I was trying to figure out if you were pushing for three hours and 15 minutes? That seems like a long time!?

I was at 10cm at 12:30pm and she was born at 4:12pm, so yep!  

mollyjeanh

redfallon said:

Ok whew! It took me a while to find this, but I did! Here is mine when I posted it to my previous BMB:

https://forums.thebump.com/discussion/12076281/omg-i-had-a-baby

ETA: I was 41w2d when I went in to be induced. I told my OB that I would go to 41w but not 42w. 

Your epidural ran out? I didn't even know that was possible! I had a pump with a button I pressed every once in a while.

SunnyD2015

I think it is important that you realize that anything can happen in delivery.  I know you want to hear happy stories of easy deliveries but not everyone has or gets that.  I was really naive when I went into the hospital with my first.  I had read books but passed up reading about cesarean deliveries because I was convinced that wasn't going to happen to me.  Things started off great and thought we would have a baby in a few hours but then things got scary and baby wasn't doing good and I ended up with a c-section after 24 hours of labor.   After that, I have had all c-section deliveries and I am going to have my 4th in December.  

My point is, be prepared.  Read up on all the things that can happen in delivery.  Have a plan going in but realize that things can change quickly and most of the time those things are out of your control.  Research midwives and doulas vs. hospital/doctor deliveries.  Do your research.  Find out what you are most comfortable doing and find a doctor that will help you through the process.    

motherof2monkeys

I was planning a home birth with my first. I had it all planned out in my head and was feeling pretty good about it. Then at 35 weeks we found out he was in the frank breech position. I tried EVERYTHING to turn him but nothing - turns out my placenta was in the way! So as you cannot induce a breech baby we had to wait and wait. Most people opt for c section with breech babies but I really wanted to push my baby out. Well I was nearly 42 weeks and no sign of him coming and had to have a c section anyway! Could not have been further from what I had been hoping for. I never got to experience what labour felt like. I wonder if I will this time!!!! Freaking out a bit about the pain and potential tearing!

redfallon

mollyjeanh said:

Ok whew! It took me a while to find this, but I did! Here is mine when I posted it to my previous BMB:

https://forums.thebump.com/discussion/12076281/omg-i-had-a-baby

ETA: I was 41w2d when I went in to be induced. I told my OB that I would go to 41w but not 42w. 

Your epidural ran out? I didn't even know that was possible! I had a pump with a button I pressed every once in a while.

Yes, I didn't have anything like a pump to push.

Hoppyhead

I hit 38.5 weeks, felt funny, and got my blood pressure checked at a Walgreens while my husband was grabbing shampoo. BP was 150/100, so I called my doc and got sent to L&D. Everything calmed down, so they sent me home. Went in for an appt at 39 weeks, BP back up, and then got diagnosed with pre-eclampsia.

They started me on Cervadil that night, contractions started the next morning but weren't progressing, so they started Pitocin. After 26 hours, I was only at a 4, the kid's heart rate was getting erratic and everything else was starting to go badly, so I ended up having a c-section.

About 36 hours later, my liver function returned to normal, and I was up and walking to the bathroom under my own steam at about that same time.

Kid is now 2, active and crazy and super- excited for a sibling.

LandOfNope

I watched a lot of pregnancy/birth shows on tlc when I was pregnant with DS. My labor & delivery wasn't too bad, it just took a long time. Water broke at 3pm on a Sunday, it felt like LO had kicked me but was more like a sharp pain, then like I peed myself. I called the dr and was told I should come in, but that I had time to shower etc. Tried to prevent having a bm during labor by using the bathroom, but it didn't help. Felt my first contraction as I got to the hospital 90 min later. I was told to walk around to get labor going, which I couldn't really do because I was so huge and out of shape. I definitely want to have a healthier pregnancy this time. I had figured I would want an epidural, but when I asked for it around 8pm/6cm dilated, it was mostly because I was so anxious about labor that I couldn't stand it anymore. I was pretty much having a panic attack, but I don't think it was actually very painful at that point. The epidural was GREAT, but I don't think it was as it should have been, because I wasn't 100% honest about my weight. It took care of the discomfort from contractions, but I would have been able to walk fine the entire time and could feel tearing during the delivery. From 8pm to about 3am I just waited for things to progress. Then pushed for 3 hours, again in panic attack mode, and had the cutest little person ever at the end of it.

kjswan3

Ok I couldn't find mine from my previous BMB...so here it is as brief as possible:

I first had no clue I was in labor. It was Tuesday afternoon and I just felt kind of off and just crampy (I felt like this a lot at the end). By 4pm I realized that they were contractions but just really infrequent. I went on a walk, took a shower, ate dinner, watched a movie (Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire). My husband came home and he took a shower. My contractions were coming but just still not consistent. I then started to think well I will try and rest and my hubby should sleep too. I ended up not being able to sleep, tried to finish the movie...but was pacing back and forth with contractions. Then all of a sudden I was like, "I gotta pee"!!! I waddled to the bathroom and when I was about to sit down I heard a pop and a ton of fluid and other things ran down my legs (yes TMI but after having a baby I'm not shy about the details!)

My water broke at 12am on Wednesday night, and everything went pretty fast at first. My contractions then were 1-2 min apart instantly....I literally went from 0-60 in a minute!! I started shaking and my husband was getting our stuff in the car and putting a trash bag over the seat!! I got to the hospital and could barely walk in...they wished me away in a wheelchair and then I was instantly in the delivery room. The pain was so intense I don't remember a lot.

My midwife checked me and I was 9cm dialated!!! Holy crap I was nervous I wouldn't be able to get the antibiotics (group b strep positive). I also desperately wanted an epidural!!

Well as things have it my labor slowed and I was able to get antibiotics and an epidural! The bad news was that I wasn't effaced enough and my cervix had a lip on it that made it harder for baby. She was also in a face up position which took the pressure off of where I needed it! So I got pitocin to speed things up again!

So now it was Thursday at 10:00am. They told me I could push and I did for 2 hours...well on 3-13-14 at 11:55 I met my DD. She was 9lb 6oz and 22 in long! She was healthy and perfect! I did have tearing (not bad though considering her size). I was terrified of tearing for some reason, but in the end you don't really feel the tear or the stitching up!

My word of advice be up for anything and everything during labor and delivery!

Ahh sorry this was long!!!!