Labor Talk

[Autumn Clair]

Hi everyone. As you may know I'm expecting. I started having contraction start in my seventh month. This is may third child so of course I knew nothing was wrong it was just my body practicing for the real thing. Officially labor has started for me on Friday Sept 24th. I'm 1 centimeter along. Unfortunate for me I never noticed the first phase with my two other children. I woke up at night and my water broke that's how I knew it was time to go.
For weeks now I have been able to keep track of the contracts how many minutes apart and how long the contracts lasted. It started out with getting three contracts within an hours time with the contracts lasting to 10 sec. 15 and then 20 sec. On thursday night I noticed I had 4 contraction in a 1/2 hours time and they moved up to 30 sec. and where getting painful. The doctor decided to have me come in earlier then my appoint which would have been today which was Friday when they checked me and said I'm at 1 centimeter.

I got the run down on the phase 1st 1- 3 centimeters lasting 30 sec. and under an hours time. 2nd phase lasting 40- 60 sec. long and dilating to 7 centimeters, sometimes water will break during this phase. And 3rd dilating to 10 centimeter.
Next stop Birth.......

I was of course shocked when I found out the first phase takes the longs you can be at 1 centimeter now and then go right into two phase or it could take up to three weeks.
With all the information the doctor gave me he told me when my contractions get to 60 sec. and being 15- 10 minutes apart call. Or if my water break, bloody show ect.

Sunday Contractions started right off at being 60 sec. long and 10 minutes apart, I wasn't feeling pain but a lot of sever lower pressure which was making it hard to walk and time the contractions because of tightness, I started getting back aching and cramping and thought I need to talk to the doctor. Still know major pain. I was in the hospital being monitored having like 8 contractions in under an hours time. They were less then 10 minutes but when I was check for dilation again nothing had changed I was still at 1 centimeter.

Needless to say I was there half the day laying down with contractions the whole time sometimes getting very strong with a lot of pain. I was checked 4 times and still no dilation. I was sent home still having contractions being told the same think keep track of the contractions but unfortunate for we were not going to know if it's a go less my water breaks, bloody show or I get the internal done I'm just not dilating yet.

So as you can see I'm like great please tell me I'm not going to have three weeks of this.
Walking brings them on more but they don't want me to do that because I'm just turning into the 37 week on wed. and to top it all off I've been sick the whole 9 months and I just want food again. I don't want to rush the baby want over it's ready is fine with me but it would be nice if the baby would get my hopes up with throwing me all the signs for second phase and then just not dilating for it. Go figure.........

[Ceres]

those last weeks are the absolute worst! the amount of whining i did in my last weeks, especially with my youngest was appalling, lol. its so uncomfortable and awkward and u are just so damned tired all the time. turning over in bed an 8 point move and you feel like your pelvis is going to drop to your knees every time u stand up! i know it seems like this will never end!
but it will. u wont be pregnant forever and i know u know how important it is for your baby to stay its full term. next year when your baby is walking, these weeks will seem a very short time in the whole scheme of things. dont worry about labour....u will definitely know it when i comes. 90% of women give birth within three days of losing their mucus plug....the majority have bloody show at the onset of labour - rare is the woman who drops her baby unexpectedly on the kitchen floor while peeling potatoes ;)
get your husband to check u if u want to know if u have dialated - 1 cm will feel like there is a hole the size of a cherrio in your cervix and your cevix will be lower and very get soft before the birth, like pushing your your lower lip with your finger.
try to get yourself busy so the waiting isnt so hard. start decluttering closets or something. ;)
Theresa

[~*Ginger*~]

:hugz:
Take care of yourself.
If you need to lie down for this time, it'll be alright...
*pats your back*

We need a pregnate smilie, rubbing it's belly!

[HorseCrow]

:hugz: The last weeks are always the worst- hang in there :)

[Autumn Clair]

I am so bored though. The doctors don't want me doing anything but rest because just walking from one room to the other brings on the contractions and they were hoping I'd get to 37 weeks or 38 weeks. It's the 9months of hell not eating that kills me and now they don't want me doing anything and believe me I've already been in the nesting phase clean rooms and just wanting everything ready, bags packed, baby sit is in the SUV and baby is playing games with me. This is so much different from my girl where it was water breaks and we were off. I had two short labors 6 and 4 but this one doesn't seem to want too kick in enough to keep things going.

I'm tired of watching movies, reading books, I'm awake all through the night body is already gearing up for those two hour feedings. My family keeps asking anything yet????
I know let the baby come when it comes so I'm trying to do a little of the normal and rest too but I can't wait for that baby smell and that sweet face and not knowing boy or girl is just like a kid in a candy store for me. :boing: :boing: :boing: GIVE ME MY BABY..........and food please lots of food.............

[Ceres]

i just love how newborns smell.....and cuddling that tiny body....and nursing....oh man i think i am ovulating now ;)
Theresa

[OriginalWacky]

Oh goodie! A place to post my labor stories where nobody will tell me how boring I am!!

So, I suppose starting with the first one would be a good idea. My first one was a bit of a surprise pregnancy. We hadn't discussed having kids yet, but we had set the wedding date. I had NO clue that I might be, until I heard the words blurt out of my mouth during a minor argument. We immediately went out and bought a test, and it said I was. This explained the very strange cravings I'd been having, and the way too emotional state I'd been in.

Fast forward to about 4-5 months later. We're sitting in a restaurant, and I'm having such a horrid backache that I can hardly stand it. But, I'd been in some pretty bad car accidents in years before, and back problems were to be expected. My friend insists I'm in labor, and I poo poo her, after all, it's JUST a backache. Well, they take me home and convince the now hubby to take me in, and I argued all the way. When we got there, I even argued with the nurses, saying it was just a backache.

So, they take me upstairs, and slap on a monitor while they wait to check my cervix. Within moments, they can see that I am having contractions according to the monitor. One nurse asks me, shocked, "You can't feel that?!" Nope, just a MAJOR backache. I'm dilated to two, and having contractions every two minutes or so. Well, as I haven't even hit 30 weeks yet, of course they want to stop labor if possible. So, off into Terbutaline-land I go. For those of you who haven't had the <ahem> pleasure of this drug... it's not nice. It does stop the labor though. There's only one problem now. I have to spend a couple days in hospital for observation, and my tickets to the Royal Lipizzaners is only good that one night. I begged, cried, and did everything I could think of, but I missed my show, and couldn't even hold my baby to have something to show for it.

The Terbutaline messed up my system a lot. I was always hyper, barely able to sleep, and since I HAD to take it at exactly the same time every day, every 6 hours, I got even less sleep. It gave me the shakes, and sped up my heart as well. A simple task like washing dishes would turn into an all day thing, if I could even manage to do that, because I dropped just about everything I tried to pick up. The only ONLY good thing was that I didn't have to have the stomach injections, and could take the pills.

Finally, at 35 weeks, the doctor said that I wasn't able to handle more time on it, and I got to stop taking it. Weighing out the risk to me and to the baby either way, it was safer to have the baby and let Neonatal Intensive Care deal with it. I had b een takingg the pills at 2 and 8, morning and night for quite a while. I took my last one at 2, went to the doctor and got the news. So, that night, we had to go out for coffee, as we usually did. Sure enough, I started having contractions, and when they were up to every two minutes or so, we headed to the hospital. Of course, I wasn't dilating at all, so I was sent home to rest for a couple of days before "real labor" started.

Well, the next morning, the contractions were getting MUCH stronger, so back to the hospital I went. This time I was in labor, and things were moving along fairly nicely. Only problem was, apparently everybody else who was having a baby decided to go into labor then too! There weren't enough rooms, so for the time being, they put me in the doctor's lounge. Heh. Several hours later, I was put into a tiny little room, and because I was running a fever, they broke my water and put a probe inside (into the babys head!!! But it was okay, jsut under the skin, and monitored is all). By this time, I was starting to hurt a LOT, and I wanted a few things. First, I wanted a cold washcloth to bite down on. The nurse said no. So, well, the next contraction hit, and I let loose with a fairly loud yell. That nurse actually had the nerve to tell me not to scream, as I would disturb the other patients! (Okay, that just MIGHT be okay, except for I had just spent the last four hours listening to someone screm their lungs out!) Next, I wanted drugs, ANYthing to work on the pain.

Nope, no drugs, I wasn't far enough along to get drugs. By now I was begging my family to get a hammer and knock me out, and I was only dilated to about 3. It was around 1 AM, and I was hungry and tired. My doctor came in, made the nurse give me the washcloth (that THAT), and examined me. All of a sudden everybody started moving FAST. It seems the baby was corwing right now, I was dilated to about 9, and it waas very much time. One nurse literally held the head in as they pushed my bed down the hall into Delivery. I hadn't even felt the need to push yet.

I was assured that I would be able to watch in the mirror, but by the time they tore the bed down and got everybody in there, it was too late, and I was starting to push, and forgot to even ask. I pushed 7 or 8 times, pausing briefly in between to ask the doctor questions, like, "Am I going to have an episiotomy?" (the answer was, "You've already had two, and I'm still worrying about tearing.") and "How long will this take?" I got that answer quickly, as that last push sent the baby sliding right on out, in a nice steady smooth glide. I watched my little boy being born in the doctor's glasses.

Now the hard part. I had to lay on that bed while they ran my child to Neonatal Intensvie Care, pausing only long enough for me to touch the top of his head and give him a kiss. I didn't even get to hold him! It took the doctor almost an hour to sew me up. As he placed the last stitch, he joked, "I guess you don't want to be doing this again, huh?" My answer was, "Oh yes I do!" I was able to see him and hold him some 12 hours later.

My sweet little boy was born at 1:20 AM on March 24th, 1993. He weighed in at 6 pounds, 12 ounces, and was out of NICU within two days, and only spent two more days in the hospital under the lights for jaundice. He's so very smart, and the spitting image of me at that age, and has the most giving personality I've EVER seen in a kid.

Okay, since this is so very long (I never did know when to shut up), I'll drop back by later and post my other two labor stories. Although it was a fairly hard labor, it was pretty darn short all in all (especially for a first one!), and I managed without drugs (not because I wanted to thought LOL). He was a VERY easy baby, sleeping through the night within days of bringing him home, and rarely ever cranky. And of course, he peed on Daddy as soon as he could ( ::giggling:: ).

[Autumn Clair]

Wow, that's quite a labor to talk about..................

[~*Ginger*~]

:boing: GIVE ME MY BABY..........and food please lots of food.............
Oh my, yes!
After my first, I was starving!
They finally brought me a plate, and I ate that, right as I finshed, my mom & sister come in with a Burger King combo. Scarfed that down as well.
It suprised me how hungry I was.

With the 2nd. I made sure to have plenty of change.
I'd go to the sandwhich & snack machine and fill my pockets to the brim.
Not gonna starve this time!

Making milk takes lots of fuel to burn!

*words of wisdom*
Never stand between a pregnate, or nursing mother, and her food!
:dinnertim

[Aowyn]

I am so bored though... this one doesn't seem to want too kick in enough to keep things going.

I'm tired of watching movies, reading books, I'm awake all through the night body is already gearing up for those two hour feedings. My family keeps asking anything yet????
I understand the frustration....my boy played the labor game for a couple of days. He would get to the right time apart and then switch back to erratic after about an hour.
Also those is the baby here yet questions get old really fast. sending you some come out now baby energy.

[Temair]

Also those is the baby here yet questions get old really fast. sending you some come out now baby energy.
Oh I hate those! hen I was waiting for my third, everyone I worked with started asking about two weeks before I was due! I listened to them for three weeks, and finally broke down and cried in the middle of the factory floor. Did they really think that they wanted her to be born more than I did? It drove me to take maternity leave that day instead of waiting until she was born, which took another week. Once I told them, "Yep. I just shoved a basketball up under my shirt so I could come in to work. Does it *look* like I've had the baby yet?" Even that didn't work. I had to threaten to scream at the next person who asked me about it. My mere presence should be answer enough that she wasn't born yet.

[OKmagnolia]

My first two were night and day from my third. The first two i was only in labor for 6 and 3 hours but my third was 17 hours. Not to mention having a tooth pulled and coming down with strep throat the day before she was born. So just hang in there. That newborn baby in your arms will be worth it all.

[Rhianna813]

Hi Autumn Clair! Hang in there! You are doing a great job. I had my first baby 10 months ago and your post takes me back.... I had a pretty normal pregnancy with no issues (yes tons of whining and annoynances but no health issues). But as my due date approached I ran into my own issues. My mom was scheduled to have surgery, nothing totally major but she is not in the best of health. She had complications and spent days in the ICU. In fact I was at the hospital on my due date just to visit her. I was so stressed out and my family was not being very supportive of me during this time. I knew in my heart that whatever happened to my Mom was in the Goddesses hands and that I needed to turn much of my attention to my body and my little one. Even though my whole family seemed to forget I was pregnant.

My midwives assured me that this type of stress would probably keep me from going into labour. I didn't want to have a baby until I knew my Mom was safe. She recovered and I ended up delivering 2 weeks later. This is pretty standard for a first time birth. So this situation was an emotional challenge for me because I was planning a non medicated homebirth. I needed to be strong and focused..... and much of that was lost. So after Mom was in recovery I hid myself away in my home and just rested. I read happy birth stories, got massages, and talked to close friends. I babied myself. And when my baby was ready to come I was ready to birth. I was so strong and supported by my husband and midwives. The birth was amazing and perfect. I will post it if you would like to read it.

Love to both of you,

Rhianna

[Autumn Clair]

I had my daughter on Oct 18th. My water broke at home but the contraction were still irreagular. So from 4:20 to about 8 a.m. we decided to kick in the contraction. she was born at 11:30 a.m.

It was quite an experience being they were doing some type of yoga move on me, I swear!!!!!!!! They were pushing my legs up to my head and telling me to push. I was in more pain from them then the labor it'self. I had Iv pain med. only. And I tell you a week later it still hurts to walk they stretched all my leg muscles. Other then that I feel fine. The baby is doing well, she eats every two hours day, three hours at night and I give her one bottle a day for that mix up time of her to eat one hour after the other, all breast fed though, my milk had no problem coming in. But boy does it take a toll on you. I'm finally eating but finding the time to eat is tricky with two other children, school work to go over, housework, caring for the baby and finding time to care for my self. But it'll settle in soon I hope.

[Lunacie]

Congratulations !!!

[Shanti]

congrats on the new wee one!!! :)

[HorseCrow]

Congratulations :yayhawaii

[OriginalWacky]

Gratuconglations!

[halfwaynowhere]

congratulations to you and the baby!

[soilsigh aingeal]

Congratulations!!!

[~SleepyWillow~]

Congratulations Autumn!!

I got your email as well and will respond soon! I've been so beat out myself lately that gettin to that puter in the evening is a chore in itself!! :goodgrief I'm so glad to hear that all went well!! You will settle in soon..of that I am sure! :hugz:

Talk soon!