? about labor

ladybugpjb · May 2013

When you were in labor, did you just stay in bed in the same position?

I recorded a bunch of episodes of A Baby Story and some other baby shows, and there have been a few where the mom just stopped progressing and the doctor basically went straight to suggesting a c-section. I think in all of them, the mom had received an epidural, so moving around isn't really an option at that point.

I'm curious because of lingering "what if?" questions from DS's birth - I got the epidural when I was 6 or 7 cm (I think) and then I stalled at 8. I'm absolutely convinced that if I had only moved and tried laboring in other positions, DS would have been positioned better and labor might not have stalled. Obviously, I'll never know.

But since that was my experience and I attribute my c-section partially to essentially lying propped up on my back for so many hours (at least 6 hours after my epi), and I had mostly just been lying on my left side for hours and hours before that, I always wonder how common it is for a woman to just lie in bed after an epi and things progress like they are supposed to.

So...what did you do? Move around? Get an epi and stay in mostly the same position?

Jelliebean1982 · May 2013

With DD I got an epi right away (at about 1cm dilated) about four hours after my induction started and slept my entire labor. I woke up at 4cm dilated and then an hour later was ready to push. With DS I tried to go natural. I went for 19 hours without the epi only to discover I had only progressed 1cm from the time I checked in. So I got the epi at 4cm and was ready to push in less than an hour again. I think it can go either way. In a few birth stories I've read I wonder if it stalled the labor but then in other stories (like for myself) I think it actually lets your body relax enough to have the baby.

tandb2010 · May 2013

I didn't have time to move or get an epi. I was was 10 cm and pushing when I got to the hospital.

melissa0726 · May 2013

I was in labor with regular, consistent contractions for two days, but no progress. During that time, I moved around the best I could, but nothing was happening.

They finally admitted me to the hospital. I got the epi at 1cm....I was in so much pain, and they were worried I was going to be too exhausted when it was time to push. I went to sleep for 5-6 hours and woke up at 8cm. Two hours later I was at 10, pushed for just under 45 mins, and M was born.

So, while I'm a big proponent for moving around during labor when possible, I was lucky that my body did what it needed to do while I was just laying there without any activity after the epi.

ladybugpjb · May 2013

Okay...I'll stop yelling at the tv, then. I know those shows don't show EVERYTHING, so I don't even know if the women have been in the bed the entire time. But when they stall at 7 or 8 cm (like I did), I just get upset and think "YOU DIDN'T DO ENOUGH TO HELP HER!" I just really feel like the inactivity (in my case) contributed to my c-section.

So...clearly I have some unresolved issues that I should work on over the next month.

ladybugpjb · May 2013

LalaMama81:
I was barely in the bed at all. Lots of standing, rocking chair and squatting. I pushed in the bed, but not the "traditional" way. I do think it helped and would do it that way again. This is why those birth shows annoy me. I had to stop watching them.

I hadn't watched them since DS was born - I was really bitter about everything that happened when he was born, and I couldn't watch anything that involved birth (movies, commercials, ANYTHING) for a long time. I just started watching them again to get me in the "I'm going to have a baby soon" mindset -- it hasn't quite clicked for me yet! Pregnancy is farily nice to me, so I don't feel like it's almost over.

ladybugpjb · May 2013

mananana:
I was in labor for 35 hours (and then pushed for four, so 39 total). I stalled at 6 cm at hour 27 (from hours 15-27 I only progressed from 4.5-6). I was in lots of different positions and having contractions that were measuring nice and strong during my intermittent monitoring. I think it had more to do with DS's size and position than anything else. At hour 27 I broke down and did an epi and pit. I do wonder if things might have been different if I had a doula.

Ugh...you just rained on my self-righteous parade. See? I needed a reality check. After spending waaaay too much time on spinningbabies.com, I was convinced that I could have helped DS get in a better position by moving around.

I had someone volunteer to doula for me for free (because she wanted to become one), but I didn't know her well enough and was afraid she'd be too pushy. That's a major "what if?" for me, too.

Rachey1082 · May 2013

Jelliebean1982:
With DD I got an epi right away at about 1cm dilated about four hours after my induction started and slept my entire labor. I woke up at 4cm dilated and then an hour later was ready to push. With DS I tried to go natural. I went for 19 hours without the epi only to discover I had only progressed 1cm from the time I checked in. So I got the epi at 4cm and was ready to push in less than an hour again. I think it can go either way. In a few birth stories I've read I wonder if it stalled the labor but then in other stories like for myself I think it actually lets your body relax enough to have the baby.

I was very similar to this. I might try a natural delivery. But, my body relaxed with the epi, and the babes were born quickly after.

Jennikd3 · May 2013

I didn't get an epi, but I was induced so being hooked up to fluids and pit, moving around was limited. However I was allowed and encouraged to switch sides I was laying on and when in transition allowed to move to all fours in the bed. I can only imagine that labor would have been agonizing if I had to just lie on my back for 12 hours.

The nurses really helped me find a workable solution.

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