Laborious

In honor of Labor Day, a meme was started over at Rocks in My Dryer to exchange labor stories...birthing stories that is. Well, with six kids how can I pass this up?

So here goes...

How long were your labors?
Can I just say, I don't like this question.

The reason I don't like this question is because I am asked this TWICE every time I am pregnant (and for those of you who are unaware, that's nearly every year.) So TWICE(once by my doctor and once by the nurse checking me in to the hospital while I'm in labor), I have to try and remember how many hours I was in labor with each of my SIX children. This is a ridiculous task and I don't understand why these people don't just write it down, put it in my file, and stop asking.

But, for the sake of the meme, I will say about 5-6 hours with each. Satisfactory?

Oh-and I pushed with #1 for about 40 minutes. The rest of them have fallen out without pushing. Okay, I push like two times...once for the nurse, who then promptly screams "OH! Don't do that again, we have to call the doctor!" And then once for the doctor and the baby is here.

How did you know you were in labor?
This one's easy...

because the nurse stuck the IV in and said "I've started your pitocin, just let me know when you want your epidural."

Yes, I've been induced with all six pregnancies.

I was 2 weeks overdue with #1. I lived over an hour away from the hospital with #2 and #3. We were concerned about #4 being too big. I started having contractions with #5 at 26 weeks (luckily I wasn't dialating), got put on bedrest, had a miserable last trimester ending with a stomach virus and my doctor just took pity on me and said, "How would you like to have this baby tomorrow"...I nearly named my son after her. And once again we came to the end of my third trimester with baby #6 and she wasn't coming (despite feeling contractions since 26 weeks again), so I was induced.

Where did you deliver?
Always at the hospital. Thank God.

Drugs?
Are you kidding? Of course. I'm still on drugs.

Oh, come on, it's just a joke. Great...Social services is knocking.

C-section?
Thankfully, no.

Who delivered?
Doctors.

We really liked our first one. The second one was just fine. But I love the OB I have now!

She delivered our 5th. When it was time to push, they called her. About 3 minutes later she burst through the door running. Trying to catch her breath, she explained she was about to go into a c-section when they called. She told them to wait on the c-section and RAN up three flights of stairs because she knew I would deliver fast. The moment I saw her running into my delivery room I thought "She's got a patient for life...I will never go to another OB."

Unfortunately, with our 6th, she came in to see me and I was about 5 cm. She told me to make sure I waited for 30 minutes because she had a c-section to do. Ten minutes later, I was at 10 and they had to call another doctor in.

Wasn't that fun?

Share your labor stories, too. Scoot on over to Rocks in my Dryer, copy and paste the questions, and leave your link. Pin It Now!