Was it easier or harder than you expected?
Mine was easier. I went into labor at about 11pm. I stayed at home (let my husband sleep) and labored in the tub for most of the night. We went to the hospital about 3:30am after my water broke and my contractions were 3mins apart. The toughest thing was that their was maconium in the fluid and Bradys heart rate kept dropping so I had to keep switching sides and relaxing as much as I could. Also, the epidural made me really sick. I vomited a lot and also passed out on the toilet after delivering him. I was allowed to labor down for 1 hour and when I did start pushing he was so low that I only pushed for 45mins. He was born on one push and I had 3 2nd deree tears. All in all, a much easier experince than I thought it would be. 12 hours of labor and 45mins of pushing
How about you guys?
Re: Poll: Your birth experince
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I love these two beautiful children!
DS1 born June 2008 | m/c at 9w March 2011 | DS2 born April 2012
Harder b/c I didn't think after the epi I would be able to feel what I felt when I was pushing. OUCH!!
After it was all said and done they had to give me more numbing medicine b/c I could feel the stitches. I only had the epi 4 hours before she arrived.
#1 was harder than I expected. Like most people, I was hoping to do it vaginally. I ended up with a c-section, which I knew is always a possibility. But what I really did not expect was that my c-section would be an emergency, so much that I had to be under general anesthesia and have a vertical incision :-(
#1 was about what I expeted, as it was a scheduled c-section.
The labor was easier. I was induced. I was already 5 cm when I got to the hospital. All they had to do was break my water and I went into active labor without any meds. I got the epidural and relaxed. That's when all hell broke loose.
My epidural stopped working so I felt everything. I pushed for 2.5 hours. When he came out he was not breathing and they had to take him to the NICU. We didn't know if he was alive or dead for an hour. It was the most terrifying time of my entire life.
I labored for 22 hours including 2.5 hours of pushing....all med free!
Until 7 cm, it was easier than I expected. I told my midwife I had hangovers that were worse
However, 7cm to 10 cm was worse than I expected. And pushing was exhausting.
It was different.
I went in hoping for a natural childbirth but knowing I'd do whatever it took to have a healthy baby and ended up with pitocin to get me to have contractions after my water broke and nothing else was happening, and then a c/section because he was too big.
All in all, I have a happy, healthy baby and I wouldn't trade that for anything
Much easier! I was only in labor for 8.5 hours, including the 40 mins of pushing. I stayed home until I was 7 or 8 cm and was able to go w/out meds for the whole thing. I also delivered 2 weeks early, so no waiting around for 2 weeks past my due date.
I told DH right afterwards that I could do it again in a heartbeat.
Harder - labor lasted 45 hours before I ended up with a c/s which was totally not in the plans. And extremely hard for me emotionally (because of the c/s).
AND
Easier - tho my contrax hurt (back labor mostly), it wasn't nearly as bad as I anticipated.
Carter Robert 7.18.08 | Brynn Sophia 5.24.10 | Reid Joseph 9.10.12 | Emerson Mae 1.27.14
Well, honestly, it was pretty much exactly like I planned it. We had an unmedicated home-birth. I knew it was going to hurt and I knew it would be intense. Really, the only thing I didn't expect was how quickly it went. I was really only in labor for about 2 and a half-3 hours. 4 pushes.
Thomas ~ 07/07/2008 ~ 8 lbs, 5 oz
What's in my camera bag: Nikon D5000, Kit Lens 18-55mm, 55-200mm, 35mm 1.8G, 50mm 1.8G, 85mm 1.8G, Tamron 28-75mm, SB 600 Speedlight
Global Developmental Delay consisting of a receptive language delay and self help skills delay
Much, much much harder. My labor was freakishly bad and delivery was a dark night of the soul.
But, you try having a 10.8lb baby vaginally unmedicated and see what happens
Freakishly bad. For Realz.