Labor Me-Me
Wednesday, September 03, 2008

I stole this from Harmony in Motion. Leave me a comment and let me know if you decide to tag yourself. I'd love to read your labor me-me!

*****

How long was your labor?

15 hours: from about noon until 3:13 AM

How did you know you were in labor?

I had a big cramp that felt like a period cramp times ten, went to the bathroom and saw some blood. Went to the bathroom again and took a gigantic crap. My body was obviously getting prepared by clearing things out for the big event.

Where did you deliver?

At the hospital across the street from the birth center where I started out. I labored at the birth center from 5 pm until 11 PM, but then transferred to the hospital because I got dehydrated and exhausted from pushing (I dilated to 10 fairly early, but Scout's head would not descend). I kept puking up everything I would drink, unfortunately. Licensed midwives in my state cannot administer IVs, so I had to go to the hospital for fluids. Dang it.

Drugs?

Nope. Just some stool softeners afterward to make my first poop after labor less scary :)

C-section?

Nope. I believe that any other doctor would've pressured me into a c-section due to the several hours of exhausted pushing without the baby's head descending. But the doctor I had used to be a midwife and is very dedicated to natural childbirth whenever possible. She said as long as the baby's heart rate was okay, I could keep trying for a vaginal birth. Let me tell ya, though.... I was BEGGING to be cut open toward the end.

Who delivered?

A doctor who has since gotten in trouble for secretly performing a tubal ligation on a woman while she was on the table for c-section, apparently because she thought the woman's life could be in danger if she ever got pregnant again. How horrible is that? I'm not sure how the woman found out, but I would be so angry and devastated if I found out I was sterilized without my knowledge because some doctor thought it was best. Seriously. Uh....hello? Informed consent, anyone? It really surprised me because I thought she was such a great doctor.

Labels: me-me