April 2018 Moms

Surprises during labor

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Re: Surprises during labor

  • @ngolimento right?! It’s like, where did all of this stuff come from?! How is there still stuff left?!
  • @mikkimikey holy crap re: your bladder issue - so sorry that happened to you!! I don't know the normal procedure for that, but was it a mistake on their part for not deflating the balloon? I would have been all over the hospital about that. I hope this time around is much better for you, with the pre-e too!
    Me: 31  DH: 32
    Married: 10/3/15 
    TTC: May 2017
    BFP: 7/20/17
    EDD: 3/29/18
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  • @frenchiekinplusone yeah it was their fault. I was young and kept thinking it would go back to normal. It never did. I wore adult diapers for six months after the birth because it was that bad. Fortunately, now I can get away with a pad, but I have leakage constant issues.
  • going into labor (or the process of induction or scheduled csection)
    That things are not as clear-cut as you would expect. Did my water break or did I pee myself? Is that a real contraction (obvious later but not early on)? When should I head to the hospital? There really is no magic green light that shows up to tell you it's time.
    - the laboring process
    Mine was a lot longer than I ever expected but actually not as painful as I would have thought. That being said, I did get an epidural about 24 hours in, so I'm sure the later stages would have lived up to expectations.
    - the delivery itself
    How incredibly focused you get. I vaguely remember other people in the room talking to me, but 100% of my attention was on pushing and meeting my baby. I swear it felt like I was only pushing a few seconds even though I know it was closer to 45 minutes.

    Also, how instantly I became a mother once I saw my baby. I was lucky to bond immediately, but even more than that was the fact that in a split second I went from the me I had always been to a complete and total mom. It was like my heart left my body and went into him. I would have 1,000 babies just to have that moment again.
    - recovery
    Like labor, it was longer than I expected but not as bad. The first day I was in a lot of pain, but after that it was manageable. It took over a month, though, to really feel more like myself.
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  • - the laboring process

    The day I went into labor I just didn't feel well the entire day, my appetite was lower my back hurt a ton and I just couldn't get comfortable. I was probably in early labor all day but didn't realize it because I was having back contractions. 

    I honestly didn't realize that your water breaking didn't necessarily mean a giant gush of liquid. I had just gone to bed and thought I uncontrollably peed myself a little. This happened again a little while later and my husband made me go to the hospital to get checked. Sure enough it was my water breaking...in segments...lol.

    I was also all for no meds, but also went into the whole process with an open mind. 9 hours after my water broke I was still only at a 2 with inconsistent contractions. I started pictocin to get things going. I labored on it for almost 3 hours with no meds but it got so intense and I was already exhausted so I got the epi and it was a relief. That's my biggest recommendation, keep an open mind! 

    - the delivery itself

    My epi wore off almost completely on my left side (it didn't really take well to that side to begin with!) by the time I was at 8 cm. And like others have said I started shaking and also dry heaving. My nurse didn't want me to increase the epi because she wanted me to feel contractions to push. I'm not going to lie, I was on full blown pictocin and I pushed for almost an hour. It was intense but clearly I've mostly forgotten about the pain because I want to do it again ☺️

    I literally felt like superwoman after my DD was born. The adrenaline rush was incredible! I literally felt like I could do anything since I had just grown and pushed out this amazing human. 

    - recovery

    But your body has limits and needs time to heal! I remember being so surprised that I couldn't walk to the car 2 days after giving birth. I felt weak and my crotch hurt like a mofo. 

    If you can, accept help and give your body time to rest and recover! Also if a million people want to come over to see baby let your SO/DH be the gatekeeper and readily use the excuse of BF'ing/feeding baby in another room to relax and have downtime. I liked having visitors but only for a very short amount of time. 
  • Oh i have another post labor surprise. After dd2 i was blind sided by how much uterine contractions hurt when she would latch on for feeding the first few days. I'm talking painful labor like contractions but longer. I didn't have this w dd1. The nurse told me sometimes it happens and it can get worse w each birth experience. 
    Proud mama-llama of 2

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  • It's cool to read these and see how different everyone's experiences were!

    going into labor (or the process of induction or scheduled csection)
    My water broke which surprised me because I learned while pregnant how uncommon it was. For me though it didn't keep gushing over a long period of time. I felt a painful *pop* down there, got up and went to the bathroom and "peed" for 3 mins straight. After that no more fluids. In line with that, I was surprised to learn that if your water breaks and you lose all your fluids, that causes your contractions to be much more "intense" (I find this to be a bs word in my l&d. My contractions were hell and I literally thought I would not live through the experience. I was terrified.)

    - the laboring process
    As I mentioned I was now on what I thought was my death bed and I was only 2cm dilated. This is when I found out they don't epi until at least 6cm. Due to my Exorcist-like behavior they contacted the on call Dr to authorize the epidural. Total relief. For 2 hours. Then contractions came in the form of extreme stabbing pains in the left side of my vagina (apparently his head was stuck). 

    - the delivery itself 
    I pushed for almost 4 hours and the Dr finally just cut me and he came right out. I did not expect to push for that long and what really surprised me (and scared me) was I had no idea what I was doing. Pushing did not feel right nor did I feel like I was doing it right, like I had no real control of my body. After, DS laid on my chest for probably an hour and a half, but I was in shock and kind of traumatized. I was still hyper aware of my pain and felt every stitch, I don't think I spoke except to occasionally murmur "I am never doing that again". After we moved into our room I felt more myself, and I got the first real look at DS and the love just came crashing down on me. It was so intense and such a crazy flood of emotions. 

    - recovery
    Recovery was a breeze in comparison. I bled for 5 weeks. Was super sore and it took a few days to walk right again. The only thing is I felt like my urethra was broken or something. It hurt to pee for weeks and weeks. To this day the sensation of having to go pee feels different then before. 
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  • @sapphires-and-diamonds I am surprised they wouldn’t give you an epidural until then. I was only three cm when I got mine! 
  • @sapphires-and-diamonds I am surprised they wouldn’t give you an epidural until then. I was only three cm when I got mine! 
    They did give me one when I was still only 2cm after the Dr authorized it, but initially they told me I would have to wait until I progressed further. I definitely am going to verify that policy for this time.
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  • @sapphires-and-diamonds with my first labor I was screaming and vomiting in pain after laboring at home all night, went to the hospital and I was a freaking 3. With both my second and third babies, I dilated MUCH more quickly and was much farther along in the labor process when I was in that much pain - I think I made it to a 5 last time before I considered an epidural. So, hopefully that part will go faster for you this time.
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  • @mikkimikey you aren't kidding about all the stuff you lose!

    You know, that surprised me about during the delivery too.  After my water broke, I was like "Cool, that grossness is done".  Nope, your amniotic sack constantly tries to refresh itself, even after you break it. I would stand up and have another gush like once every hour and a half.  So frickin gross.
    Ugh, yes! During DS's labor my water was broken from the beginning so the whole time I was leaking goopy mess all over the place. I hated it.

    DS: EDD, December 19th, 2014. Born, December 19th, 2014!
    DD: EDD, July 18th, 2016. Born, July 19th, 2016!
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  • @lindsye Thanks, I hope so too! Definitely hoping my water doesn't break at the onset of labor. That is so frustrating after laboring at home all that time and you were still only a 3. I remember feeling crushed when they said I was only at  2.
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  • lindsye said:
    @sapphires-and-diamonds with my first labor I was screaming and vomiting in pain after laboring at home all night, went to the hospital and I was a freaking 3. With both my second and third babies, I dilated MUCH more quickly and was much farther along in the labor process when I was in that much pain - I think I made it to a 5 last time before I considered an epidural. So, hopefully that part will go faster for you this time.
    This is what I'm crossing my fingers for this time around... I was constantly disappointed during DD's labor with my progress. I did have scar tissue on my cervix affecting my progress but damn after 24 hours of contractions I was pissed that I was 'barely' a 5. I'm crossing my fingers my body gets with the program a little faster this time lol

    DS: EDD, December 19th, 2014. Born, December 19th, 2014!
    DD: EDD, July 18th, 2016. Born, July 19th, 2016!
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    Baby #3: EDD, April 16th, 2016
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  • @sapphires-and-diamonds I agree 100% that my contracts were much more "intense" after my water broke.  I was around a 7cm then and once it broke I said "alright time for that epidural!!"
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  • lindsye said:
    @sapphires-and-diamonds with my first labor I was screaming and vomiting in pain after laboring at home all night, went to the hospital and I was a freaking 3. With both my second and third babies, I dilated MUCH more quickly and was much farther along in the labor process when I was in that much pain - I think I made it to a 5 last time before I considered an epidural. So, hopefully that part will go faster for you this time.
    @lindsye so much the same with my first! I hadn't been laboring all night, but by the time I got to the hospital I thought I was DYING from the pain. I couldn't walk, couldn't breathe, I wouldn't have been surprised if the baby popped out right there in the lobby. Then I get to a room, and nope. 2 freaking centimeters. A nurse actually said "well, we're not going to get you too settled just yet, it's not clear if this is real labor." I almost punched her. She legit thought I was just dehydrated. 
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