I'm totally stealing this from Amy. Though I only have one labor to discuss.
How long was your labor?
Almost four days . . . with pretty tough labor for about sixteen hours.
How did you know you were in labor?
Contractions! They got serious after we had the car seat installed. :>)
Where did you deliver?
Hospital, though I'd have jumped on a birth center if it were available, and if the laws were favorable to allow home birth attended by a midwife, I'd have seriously considered it.
Drugs?
Sigh. I withstood 3.75 of the nearly 4 days of labor naturally. I even handled the pitocin. But when it became clear that Goose had to be yanked out with forceps, the OB on duty required me to have an epidural. I hated it.
C-section?
Thank the Lord, no.
Who delivered?
Sigh again. My Certified Nurse-Midwife was there nearly all the time at the hospital but an OB had to swoop in for the forceps.
Someday, I'll post Goose's birth story, since I'm a huge birth story junkie. I'd love to hear yours - leave a comment or link!
Oh, that sounds miserable. :( But in the end, she's here and she's healthy and that's all that matters! :)
ReplyDeleteWow, that's awful! Mine were both fast and furious. Isabel took 2 hours total, with me hyperventilating and begging for an epidural that was too late. Chris was better at only four hours, and I was more prepared with my breathing and stuff. I liked my midwife, who delivered Chris, much better than the doctor who delivered Isabel! Both natural. No time for drugs!
ReplyDeleteYou Kansas girls quit rubbin' stuff in! :>) Amy, I know someone from Omaha who spent the last few weeks of her pregnancy living with her in-laws so she could deliver at the birth center in Topeka. Unfortunately, her labor was much quicker than her first one and her husband missed the birth! Huge bummer.
ReplyDeleteStacey, sounds like you could teach me a thing or two about birthin' babies. :>)
Nope! I'm no good at laboring/breathing. Babies just rush on out all by themselves! Isabel's particularly eager. Sounds like Goose was a little reluctant! Plan on having more anytime soon? It'd be interesting to see how they're different.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to make that comparison! Put a good word in for me with the One in charge of such things, would you? :>)
ReplyDeleteWe have somethings in common...I was in labor for about 46 hour and had an epidural the last 4 of it. I used a CNM, but the OBs were screaming down her neck outside our door as I was Strep B postitive and they wanted him out about 24 hours earlier than he came. The epidural was our 'last chance' before they'd come and take him. It bought me 4 more hours and it took 3 1/2 to get him here! I've struggled with that too, but know that we worked really hard and I labored for about 14 hours on pitocin without it. As one of my MANY nurses said...the second is never like the first. Another of her patients had her entire labor take less time than just the pushing stage of the first one!
ReplyDeleteI also can't wait for the next one. Sorry I missed this as I also love birth stories...next year!