Did you enjoy your labor & delivery experience?
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Anonymous
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Just had my first baby week ago. Parts of labor were fine and parts were absolutely miserable. I had to be induced bc my water broke and I wasn’t going into labor. Being hooked up to the iv and monitors was really hard for me. I felt trapped and every time I moved they had to readjust the monitors. I just wanted to get on all fours and I couldn’t do it. My midwife kept telling me I could do whatever I wanted and it was their job to adjust the monitors but the nurse did not make me feel like that was acceptable to her. Laying on my back is really uncomfortable for me even when I’m not in labor but it seemed to be the only way to get the monitors to stay.
Finally decided to get an epidural, mostly because of my mental anguish at not being able to move around. Everything about the epidural was awful. But I was ready to push within 2 hours of the epidural & I’m sure it made pushing easier. Pushing was awesome and empowering and then a baby popped out!! That was the most incredible moment of my life. |
Anonymous
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First labor sucked. I ended up woth a failed epidural and pitiful and tied to the bed (not literally but I could reposition). 22 hr labor, I threw up and it was just a slog. Pushing was the best sort since I only pushed for 20 min.
Second baby I got a good epidural around 5 cm and chilled watching tv and chatting with DH for 3 hrs and then they told me I need to push and I pushed for 10 min and she was out. that I would do again. |
Anonymous
Oh yeah so much horrible vomit. I expected to vomit during labor because I spent the whole pregnancy queasy but vomiting while trapped on my back in bed was horrible. |
Anonymous
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I actually really enjoyed my first birth - labored at home until I couldn't any longer and was 8-9cm when I got to the hospital. Thought I'd want to be up and walking around through contractions but all I wanted to do was lie on my back and get through them - no epidural. Midwife broke my water when I thought it was time and everyone was calm, lights were low, and it was just DH, the midwife, and a nurse in the room. I tore pretty bad but all in all it was a really nice experience.
DS2 came REALLY fast (like almost born in the car fast) and I was terrified. Midwife didn't make it in time for the birth so had another on call doctor basically catch him while she was yelling at me to "StOp sCrEaMiNg!". Lights were too bright, there were too many people in the room, and they told me they were going to have to take him to NICU because meconium in my waters so I was panicked even more. Good news is he was fine and I didn't tear at all. |
Anonymous
| My first was absolutely awful. 48 hours, barfing for most of it, all the interventions and it ended up in a C-section anyway. I recovered pretty quickly, but after the surgery I was so wiped and out of it from the drugs that I couldn’t hold my baby after the first feed. Then the visitors came and pretty much never left. With my second, I scheduled the c-section. I wouldn’t say it was pleasant, but it was over fast and I didn’t feel like I was dying this time. I snuggled my baby for 3 days in relative peace and overall had a much more positive experience. |
Anonymous
| hell no, and I was only in labor 8 hours. Puked for 2 of them and got the epidural late, but thank god for it!! What nobody talks about is the aftermath which is horrendous. Way worse than labor in my opinion and I only had a 2nd degree tear. Things still don't feel the same a year later.. |
Anonymous
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Enjoy? Not really. But I felt supported and empowered. I had 2 births without pain meds, with the GW midwives and a doula. One labor was over 24hrs at the hospital, the other was less than 2 hours. It was physically uncomfortable and exhausting, but so blissful and satisfying to experience the last push and then hold my baby for the first time.
My second labor I felt like I was in an Ina May book. I could feel my baby moving down and when the midwife checked my cervix, we both felt it open from 7 to 10 all of a sudden. It was amazing and I felt so powerful and in control of my body. |
Anonymous
| Yes and no. I enjoyed it up until pushing. I progressed pretty quickly, it wasn't that painful (I don't mean to sound like an asshole, it just wasn't, I recognize that's pure luck), and I mostly just hung out with my husband while bouncing on an exercise ball. But I did not like pushing. It wasn't really painful, I was got really scared that I was doing it "wrong." There was a lot of unexpected panic in that moment. Nothing went wrong, and it was only about 20 minutes of pushing, I just got irrationally terrified. Then when it was over I was kind of shocked and just like what is this creature on me? If I have a second the thing I would want to do differently is communicate with the doctor more. Like I could have just said "am I doing this right? is everything okay?" and instead I just completely lost my shit (also literally, but I could not have cared less in the moment). The nurse pushing on my uterus afterward was the most painful part and something that was totally unexpected. Nothing enjoyable about that. |
Anonymous
| It was painful (no meds - I couldn't, because of a medical condition) but I loved it each time. I was fortunate to have two very positive experiences with a great team, but I know that that's not the case for all women. |
Anonymous
| My first was an easy labor until it all fell apart w/emergency c-section and them 11 days in hospital for me & baby. My next was an easy labor, no meds and, while I didn't plan on, I felt so good I left hospital I think it was 4 hours after. (Whatever the minimum was.) This was at Washington Hospital Center. We never left the birth room. I had a hospital based midwife. Honestly it was an intimate, peaceful, moving experience....And my next one was literally a *hit-show with me being SO embarrassed as I was *hitting as I was pushing. I could have done w/o my midwife joking about but I guess its normal. |
Anonymous
Epidural is not surgery! It’s posters like this one who make women feel bad about their choices, or lack thereof considering how unpredictable labor could be. It was not enjoyable for me either time but it was fine. I respect women who just elect c sections and be done with it. I’m the end of you and baby are healthy, that’s all that matters |
Anonymous
| I wouldn't say I enjoyed it, but I didn't set out to enjoy it. I got a healthy baby, which is awesome. I don't really think about the labor, delivery and recovery period at all anymore. Kids are 3 and 6. |
Anonymous
Me neither. And my kid is nearly 18. |
Anonymous
| No. I’m a black woman. Higher ed degree or not, professional job or not, doula or not, midwife or not. I got subpar treatment. Told, “you are overreacting, nothing is wrong” etc etc. Something was wrong, almost died, definitely don’t think it would have happened if I was a white woman. |
Anonymous
There was a series of articles that came out in the last couple years highlighting this exact issue. Those stories haunted me. One of the moms I think had a PhD and worked for the CDC and her issues were dismissed and she ended up dying. Completely unacceptable and infuriating. It makes me afraid for my black friends to ever give birth. |